Wildlife Report - 5-31-11

Deer Herd?  What constitutes a herd of deer?  It was reported that two bucks, three does, and two fawns was too much for one gardener to have in her yard and she tried to make enough noise to scare them away.  They reported looked at her and slowly walked across the road stopping oncoming traffic.  Gardeners we have talked to are seeming less patient as the number of deer in the area increases.  But maybe we should consider the number of deer in an area as an indication of where the great gardens are?  We will be checking next month to see if those interesting in hosting a garden tour are still interested, assuming the deer have left them something to show.

Coyotes?  There have always been coyotes in the area, but some who live next to the Preserve, say the coyotes are getting more aggressive around their residents and pets.  We would like to post some pictures of local coyotes so if you have any you would share please forward them.

Baby Ducks.  We had reports of two baby mallard ducks along the waterfront and we saw two baby mallards in the Illahee North detention pond (see attached photo).  Years ago we watched a mother duck try to get her ducklings from the waterfront to the pond and they didn't make it.  

Canada Geese Families.  We have watched three families of Canada geese come and go (see attached photos).  Once the goslings get bigger the seagulls seem to leave them alone.  The first photo is of a single goose that is raising two young ones by herself and is usually seen with the family in the second photo.

Killdeer Nest.  We have been led away from Killdeer nests several times this spring and finally we have discovered a nest.  Actually it isn't much of a nest at all and it appears the eggs were laid on the beach sand and broken shells.  The attached photos show the eggs in the nest, the Killdeer on the nest, and the Killdeer doing its broken wing dance to draw us away from the nest.  

Bird Tour.  There was a bird tour in the Illahee Preserve early on Memorial Day morning.  These tours are held regularly and quickly fill up.  They are led by a Master Birder and past president of Seattle Audubon. If this is something that interests you, please let us know and we will pass the information on so you can be notified of the next tour.  The photos were posted on Facebook and the link is:  http://tinyurl.com/3f4z9ys

Lazuli Bunting Report in Last Update.  This is a follow-up of the Lazuli Bunting sighting that was reported in our last Update.  Joan Carson does a bird report in the Kitsap Sun each week and noted several sightings of these amazingly beautiful birds and also responded to the Illahee resident who reported the sighting with the following email:

It sounds like you were one of the lucky Friday the 13th birdwatchers! Seems like a wave of Lazuli Buntings hit Kitsap County that day. I had reports from west of Keyport and Bainbridge Island. Considering where you are, that's a wide area. A very small number of these birds migrate through our area in the spring, but they don't seem to show up every year. Certain conditions influence them somehow and I suppose it is the wind. Anyway, you were lucky and I'm still waiting - one of these years I hope.

Wildlife Pictures?  We would love to pass on any wildlife photos or stories you have.  We normally pass them on anonymously unless give specific authorization to use your name.

Jim Aho

Miscellaneous - 12/11/10

Illahee Creek Culvert.  The culvert under Illahee Road wherein the waters of Illahee Creek flow, has been a concern for the Illahee Community for some time.  The December 3, 2007 storm filled the culvert with sediment and if a big log had come down and plugged the culvert it would likely have washed out Illahee Road.  With the current storm approaching we are watching the culvert closely, and some big upstream logs.  Attached are two photos, the first shows the culvert with a 32 inch clearance, and the second shows some big upstream logs.

Guard Rail Installation Complete.  The guard rail installation along Illahee Road completed on Friday across from Fisher Park (see photo).  It wasn't without some problems as a North Perry Waterline was ruptured in the process.  Many realized something had happened as the turned on their facets and found brown water.  It happened around noon on Thursday and was repaired quickly and the brown water also went away.


Restoration Signs in Preserve.  Two restoration signs were installed in the Preserve on Friday.  One was to secure an unauthorized trail, and the other to note the future restoration in the area commonly known as Golf Course Hollow, where stormwater is a problem (see the last photo).

Eagle Scout Signs Missing.  We were extremely disappointed to see that in less than a week some of the trail signs that Justin McAlister and his Boy Scout troop had put up (last Sunday), had been removed.  Attached is a photo of some that are still there plus the empty spot where one was last Sunday.  We received comments about how nice they were and how helpful it was to have them there from those who walk the trails daily.  If anyone has any information on who is taking the signs please let us know.

Horse Comments.  We received a number of comments regarding the two Updates that explained the horse situation.  What was new to us was that several mentioned that their dogs either liked to roll in the horse droppings, or would eat it. 

Before the Rain Photos.  We took some other photos this morning before it started to rain.  Attached are photos of the big pond under the power lines near the end of Johnson Road (north of the golf course).  This big pond is the headwaters of the north fork of Illahee Creek and also the headwaters for one of the branches of Steele Creek.  We also took photos of the detention facility at Illahee North.  The water was overflowing from the detention pond where it is essentially tightlined (except for 150 feet) to the outfall at the Illahee community dock (see photo).

Wood Duck.  When taking our 'before the rain' photos we noted a wood duck swimming with two mallards.  It is a first sighting for us and we were glad to get the attached photo. 

Wildlife Update Coming.  We have a number of photos that we need to pass on regarding wildlife and promise to do so soon.  We have been asked to increase the kilobyte (KB) size of our photos so they are easier to view.  We are still learning on how to do this and attempted to do so with our last photo. 

Jim Aho