Bird and Icicle Spotting with the local Fulbright Chapter

The nature preserve

The remains of a redwood at a rest area on the journey

A couple of weekends ago I got to go for a trip up north to an area called Skagit Bay that is the same latitude as Victoria on Vancouver island. We went to a Nature Conservancy Port Susan Bay Preserve/Skagit Wildlife Area  and Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. This was with the local Fulbright chapter, there were about 14 of us, half visiting scholars and half previous scholars, including one lady who did her Fulbright year in the 50s not long after the commission was set up.

never far from the mountains

The Nature conservancy owns an area of wet land with a dyke that keeps the water off the farmer's fields. They are working to keep the river delta at the right salinity and keep it from drying out. The research reserve allows a place for visiting scientists to investigate the environment including a large eel grass meadow that is important for baby salmon.

on the journey

It was a wildlife tour but to be honest most of the birds were sensibly not around. We did see two bald eagles from a distance (but a bird enthusiast had bought a good telescope so me could see them), and one eagle was sat on a telephone post when we were leaving, by the time I got out of the bus it decided to take off though...

two eagles hanging out

one eagle escaping the Fulbright paparazzi 

 We also saw a field of snow geese and a few swans, they were also a long way away...

The white stripe in the middle of the shot is snow geese

The snow geese up and flying

We walked for a mile along the dyke and saw lots of Dunlin's these were super cute. They move and fly very fast.

 Dulins flying 

 Dunlins busy finding food in the mud

We were all well wrapped up

lots of the standing water was frozen.

The surrounding fields

The surrounding area

more of the surrounding fields

The research center has a teaching area as one of their goals is communicating to the public. They had a small aquarium and this guy, who was rather fun to watch.