Deep in left field, an Oriole pounces on the ball. With slender, sharply pointed bills, orioles weave marvelous pouch-like nests that hang suspended from their upper rims. A close look at this Red Crossbill reveals a curious adaptation.
This unfortunate nesting niche means the plovers run a forbidding gauntlet of disruption by people, dogs, cars, and impinging development. The bills of young birds are not crossed at hatching, but cross as they grow. A new figure joined the Seattle Seahawks last season, and helped inspire the team all the way to the Super Bowl.
Although these swallows often nest as single pairs in cavities or nesting boxes, both adults and juveniles now gather on electrical wires by the dozens, socializing before they migrate.
Subdued colors help camouflage the male ducks, protecting them from predators.
To compensate, these birds move their heads. The Yellow-rumped Warbler, probably mid-way through its fall migration, is unafraid.
And, for their weight, its feathers are among the strongest structures in the world.
Some even pollinate flowers! Moving north together during a few weeks in spring, they reached their Arctic breeding grounds in time to quickly pair up and nest, making the most of the short northern season. A new figure joined the Seattle Seahawks last season, and helped inspire the team all the way to the Super Bowl. Polynesian navigators often carried with them frigatebirds, which they released and followed to land. Last year, the Seahawks won every game when he was in the stadium. A hummingbird hangs in front of a flower and probes with its long bill, tubular tongue sucking up the nectar that provides essential nourishment.
You are at a HawkWatch site, one of fourteen North American fall raptor migration sites monitored by HawkWatch International. Although many resident birds are still here, their voices are now quiet. Hurricanes bring tragedy to birds and other wildlife.
Other birds help, too, including this Western Bluebird.
Western Tanagers are distinctive summer visitors to our area and the only tanagers seen regularly in Washington. This nondescript bird steps off a small boulder right into the torrent, and begins to peer under water.
The finches of the Galapagos Islands are famous in the history of evolutionary theory. The bills of young birds are not crossed at hatching, but cross as they grow.
This proud dignitary appears along the sidelines during every home game. You are at a HawkWatch site, one of fourteen North American fall raptor migration sites monitored by HawkWatch International.
John Tubbs of Snoqualmie, Washington tells of a raft trip down the Deschutes River in Oregon. The cool, coastal fog of Washington lifts on a fall morning, revealing a monumental natural drama.
The structure and delicate softness of its feathers allow a Barn Owl to approach its prey almost without sound.