Thanks to James Tilley for the photo! He reports, “Infrequent visitor to our area – I saw a brown pelican flying along Alki on my morning walk.” They’re only brown when immature, so this is a younger pelican. In our region they’re more commonly seen along the open-ocean coast, but we do get visits here inland. They’re no longer listed as endangered by the state or federal governments, according to this state Department of Fish and Wildlife status report from last year, which also notes: “Brown Pelicans are protected from ‘take’ by federal law under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and are a ‘protected wildlife’ species by state law.” They’re big birds – wingspan up to 6 1/2 feet.

The report and photo are from Jonathan:

I was just walking to my car at 1:30 pm today, parked on the 3400 41st Ave SW block, and almost stepped on this snake. Google says it’s a gopher snake. I was wondering if it could be a pet. I gave my neighbors a head’s up, but thought I might broaden the work in case someone lost their pet. Or, you know, beware of the snake, even though it shouldn’t be venomous.

One of our favorite sources for “co-existing with wildlife” info, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, says that is indeed one of the common snakes in our state, with habitat generally “deserts, grasslands, and open woodlands.” It is indeed NOT venomous – it kills prey by squeezing, and it’s good to have around because rodents are among favorite prey.

(WDFW photo)

Before we get to today’s list of events, an FYI for tomorrow – it’s likely to be one of the busiest days of the year at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, because it’s the one-day “season” for spot-shrimp fishing in nearby waters, 9 am-1 pm Thursday, May 25th. Usually the turnout fills the Don Armeni parking lot. Spot shrimp are the largest shrimp in Puget Sound, per WDFW. The state says Elliott Bay will be open this year as well as the central Sound.

It’s been a while since our last gallery of reader-contributed West Seattle bird photos, but the contributions have continued coming in (thank you!), and we finally have an opportunity to show them to you. Above, Trileigh Tucker‘s cooling view of an Anna’s Hummingbird; Trileigh reminds us, be sure to keep water out for birds in this hot weather! Below, a California Scrub-Jay photographed by Susan Whiting Kemp in the Morgan area:

Cindy Roberts photographed two Common Loons “in a mating display”:

Jay Speidell found a Northern Flicker woodpecker making a new nest on Puget Ridge:

James Tilley caught an immature Bald Eagle landing in an Alki-area snag:

Two from Jerry Simmons: An American Goldfinch:

And a Finch:

From Arlene Rubin, a Hawk:

IDs are from the photographers; links are from BirdWeb, where you can see and hear other bird species that spend time in our region. Photos to share, from wildlife to breaking news (and beyond)? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

(Photo sent by Chemine)

11:59 AM: Thanks for the photos and tips. A sixgill shark washed up on Alki this morning. Wildlife experts tried to save it – Kersti Muul was there, as was SR3, but Kersti tells us they couldn’t.

em>(Photos sent by Kersti Muul)

Kersti says it was a juvenile male, seven and a half feet long. (According to this species-info page on the Seattle Aquarium website, that’s about half as long as they grow to be.) Here’s a look at its namesake gills:

And its teeth:

The state Fish and Wildlife Department was going to come get it.

ADDED 4 PM: If you didn’t already see the link in a comment below, wildlife photographer Jamie Kinney has a gallery here.

The photo is from Kersti Muul, who explains she got a report of a beaver along SW Thistle, and indeed, that’s what it was. So what happened next? “He’s fine. I scooted him into that yard and he ate and then bedded down in the blackberries. Most concerned for it being on such a busy road. I imagine it’s a path it takes all the time back and forth to the creek. [Longfellow] I told everyone to leave it alone and give it space.” Here’s the state Living With Wildlife infopage about beavers.

Thanks to the readers who’ve sent bird photos in recent weeks – enough for the first gallery of spring! First, two views of Steller’s Jays, above from an unidentified texter, below from Danelle Jay:

Next, a Sharp-shinned Hawk from Mark Dale:

From David Butler, a Raven:

Marc photographed this Barred Owl:

James Hiersche sent this photo of a Bald Eagle over Lincoln Park:

From Ann Anderson, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet:

Two from Mark MacDonald – a Spotted Towhee:

And a Goldeneye:

Finally, from Stringtie – a Herring Gull with a snack:

Thanks as always for sending bird photos so we can share with your West Seattle neighbors! westseattleblog@gmail.com is the best way to send non-breaking-news photos like these, but if you decide to text instead, please include your name so we can credit you – thank you!

(File photo)

With longer days, more sunshine, and rising temperatures, you’ll likely spend more time outside. So Nancy is sharing an alert, intended for her neighborhood but a cautionary tale for others too:

I live at 48th Ave SW between Hinds & Spokane. Behind Madison Middle School. I wanted to warn neighbors … For the past week, a large raccoon has been showing up in my yard in afternoons, 1:30 pm (not usual nocturnal time).

He snarls & bares his teeth. He does not back down when I throw a handy object at him.

I’m a gardener & almost always outside these days. He then climbs trees to get on my roof. Two years ago,, raccoons killed all my 3 chickens in early 5 am time.

Nancy was planning to consult experts. We also suggested one of our favorite resources for urban-wildlife info, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s “Living With Wildlife” series. Check out this page and scroll all the way down to find the “preventing conflicts” advice.

(2017 photo by “Diver Laura” James)

Six years ago, we told you about herring spawning off West Seattle – which led to pearly eggs, like those in the photo above, on the beach, after sea birds and sea lions were seen in a feeding frenzy offshore, near “milky swaths” that are telltale signs of what’s happening. “Diver Laura” James says it’s time to watch for that again – and to report it if you see it. She tells WSB, “Our West Seattle herring spawn should be starting any day now and and it would be amazing if local readers could keep an eye out for spawning activity so we can capture the action with drone and 360 underwater cameras.” The Coastal Watershed Institute has been watching – saying it’s “been extremely predictable the last five years. You could literally set your watch to the shoals of fish, brilliant white water, layer upon layer of herring eggs, and caterwauling sea lions and birds. This year? Nothing.” But spawning has begun in an area of British Columbia, so there’s hope they’re just running late this year. If you think you’re seeing signs of spawning, you can email Laura – ljjames (at) mac (dot) com.

Tom Trulin sent that photo of a nesting hummingbird, a perfect illustration for this reminder we received from Suzanne Krom: When you’re out doing yard work (or if you don’t have a yard, if you’re out helping or volunteering in greenspaces), watch carefully to be sure you don’t unintentionally disturb one of these nests:

Hummingbirds nesting now … be super aware if you’re pruning

These tiny nests are so easy to miss! They are only 1.5 inches in diameter.

Before pruning and without touching the branches of a tree or shrub (or minimally touching, at most), carefully look for nests. They’re usually somewhat obscured by leaves. Their placement will probably be at the intersection of a stem and an anchoring branch.
allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird/lifehistory

If you see a nest, leave the birds alone to let them raise their young in peace. Disturbing an active nest often results in the adults abandoning the eggs/young. Let them be. A bird’s greatest secret is the location of their nest.

It’s up to each of us to respect that secret. Life is hard enough for them without us interfering in their lives.

The perfect nest in the photo was in our Tall Oregon Grape last year, located about 4 feet off the ground. The pair of Anna’s hummingbirds that frequent our yard used it twice to successfully raise their young. I moved it into our home at the end of October, when I knew their nesting season was complete.

If you’re a frequent WSB reader, you likely know that during football season, we feature galleries of readers’ bird photos. While we’ve gone back lately to spotlighting birds one at a time in our daily “what’s happening” lists, Jamie Kinney suggested joining in “Superb Owl Sunday.”

Jamie shared some favorite owl photos from the past two-plus years – above, a Snowy Owl; below, a Barred Owl:

Looking into our files of bird photos received in recent months, we found Kersti Muul‘s photo of a Great Horned Owl in Lincoln Park last October:

And one more from Jamie, an owl you won’t see around here – a Little Owl photographed in Scotland:

Thanks again to everyone who shares bird photos – and do check our daily “what’s happening today” lists for more, as we get them! Also, if you missed the announcement Saturday, two West Seattle parks are hosting birding events soon.

(Photo by Steve Bender)

When Steve Bender sent that photo of a harbor seal, wondering about what looked like a red cap, we didn’t have a quick explanation – we’d never seen that before. So first we went to Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network. SSMNSN’s David Hutchinson recognized the “red cap” as a tag placed by their partners at SR3 when rehabilitating a seal – so the rest of the story comes from SR3’s executive director Casey Maclean.

First, if you’re not familiar with SR3, they’re a nonprofit based in Des Moines, where they have a marine-mammal rehab hospital; their name is short for Sealife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research. Casey told us, for starters, “The red dot on the seal’s head is a tag that helps SR3 animal-care staff identify them while they are in rehabilitation.” After talking with Steve about where he saw this particular seal, Casey was able to tell us more about her:

This young, recently weaned pup was found on 11/8 on the Don Armeni boat ramp and reported to the local stranding network, Seal Sitters.

(Photo from David Hutchinson, before seal was taken to SR3 for rehab)

They monitored the pup over the next 24 hours to assess the pup’s condition, and when she was still there the next day, Seal Sitters reached out to SR3 for further medical assessment. Together the groups determined it was in the pup’s best interest to be taken into SR3’s marine mammal rehabilitation hospital in Des Moines. This pup was SR3’s 48th patient in 2022.

She was in thin body condition, dehydrated, had a wound with some associated swelling and pneumonia. Despite her various health issues, she quickly improved under SR3’s care, and 67 days later she was once again swimming free. Patients are released within 30 miles of where they were found and you can help monitor patients post release! While in rehabilitation, SR3 places a small colored dot on their head to help identify individuals; with several patients in one pool it is critical to make sure everyone gets the proper treatments. The tags are glued on to their fur and will come off when they molt, which they do once a year. By reporting any sightings of seals with “dots” on their heads, you can help us learn more about their survival post-release, photos appreciated! Each patient will also have an orange flipper tag that is placed between the webbing of one of their rear flippers; these tags are permanent so that if they should be found again, we know their medical history.

Please remember that we are fortunate to share our shores with incredible marine wildlife and sometimes they just need to rest. If you are concerned about a marine mammal, please report it to Seal Sitters, 206-905-7325 – responders are available 7 days a week.

And if you see a “dotted” seal that’s not otherwise a reason for concern – happily swimming, for example, you can report the sighting to (corrected) the Seal Sitters hotline too.

SIDE NOTE: This seal has two names because of the SR3 and Seal Sitters involvement in caring for it. Seal Sitters called her “Lady Marmalade“; SR3 named her “Spaghetti.” David from SSMMSN explains, “Seal Sitters has a long tradition of naming the pups we watch over. Usually they are named by the first responder or possibly the reporting party. SR3 uses a theme for names during the season, with this year’s theme being space objects. Spaghetti is the name of a nebula.”
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