Illahee Wildlife - 1/12/11

Illahee Wildlife.  The numbers and diversity of wildlife in Illahee, and the surrounding area, is amazing, and from your comments is one of the reasons people like living here.  One of the projects being worked on is a master template for interpretive signs for the Illahee Preserve and possibly for the Illahee Community, that would incorporate images of area wildlife.  We think this is a huge undertaking if for no other reason than just the vast variety of both terrestrial and marine wildlife, which we are aware of around here.

Terrestrial Mammals.  Terrestrial mammals that either are or have been seen in the Illahee area include:  black bears, black-tail deer, coyotes, fox, raccoons, opossums, skunks, rabbits, moles, mountain beavers, gray squirrels, Douglas squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, bats, rats, and mice.  Let us know if we missed any.  We have attached a photo of a fox to represent this group.

Marine Mammals.  Because of the over 3 miles of shoreline in Illahee, and the relatively narrow passage of water between Illahee and Bainbridge Island, the marine mammals that frequent Puget Sound can at times be seen in Illahee.  The marine mammals we have seen include:  Gray whales, Orca whales, sea lions, porpoise, seals, and river otters.  Again, let us know if we missed any.  We have attached photos of a seal and river otters to cover this group.

Major Marine Birds.  Bald Eagles, Osprey (rare), Great Blue Herons, Kingfishers, Gulls, Cormorants, Loons, Canada Geese, Mallards, Wigeons, Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Mergansers, Scoters, Grebes, Plovers, and Sandpipers.  In this section we have just covered the main categories as the numbers become extensive.  Attached are photos of a Goldeneye and various waterfowl at the mouth of Illahee Creek.

Terrestrial Birds.  The Kitsap Audubon Society has documented over 55 different terrestrial birds just in the Illahee Preserve.  The numbers of terrestrial birds in Illahee are too many to list them in this Update.   

Saltwater Fish.  Silver salmon and chum salmon have been the main salmon species using Illahee Creek (and the nearshore areas), along with two trout species, steelhead and coastal cutthroat.  Chinook salmon and pink salmon are also regularly use the nearshore beaches of Illahee.  Forage fish such as sandlance, smelt, and herring, and many other species use the nearshore areas.  We have attached some photos of salmon smolts netted in the nearshore environment a few years ago.  Also attached is a picture of a smelt that was caught at the Illahee dock on a squid jig.

Marine Invertebrates.   This is another wildlife category that has so many species that it is beyond listing, except for a few categories we are more familiar with:  clams, oysters, mussels, snails, sea stars, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, marine worms, barnacles, crabs, squid, and jellyfish.  Attached are photos of mussel sampling and a squid to represent the vast number of invertebrates.

Wildlife Reports Desired.  As we stated at the beginning, one of the primary reasons stated by residents for the reason they like living in Illahee is because of the wildlife.  And one of the primary reasons people state they like the Illahee Community Updates is because of the wildlife reports.  Thank you for all your wildlife reports and the pictures you pass on so we can get them out to the entire community.  We couldn't do it without your help!

Jim Aho

Wildlife & Miscellaneous - 10/15/09

(Note that this Update began to be written over 2 weeks ago so some of this is dated.)

 

Wintering Waterfowl Returning.  It seems a little early for our wintering waterfowl to be returning (early October), but it may only seem so since we have had such nice weather this fall.

 

American Wigeon Back 10/2/09.  We were surprised to see a flock of wigeon at Schutt's Point on October 2nd.  We don't know if they are still there or were just passing through, since we haven't been in town for awhile.

 

Common Loons in Fall & Spring.  We see common loons passing through every fall and spring, but never very many.  Attached is a picture of three.

 

Seals Back.  The seals are back on the area floats.

 

Pacific Tree Frogs.  There seem to be lots of small pacific tree frogs around this year, but not many of the bright green variation as shown in the attached picture.

 

Blue Dragon Flies.  We were surprised to see so many large blue dragon flies this summer.  This one landed on the Illahee Road while we were on a walk.

 

Deer.  This deer was seen on Sunset.  We heard from one couple who came back from an extended trip to find two deer had taken up residence in their back yard under an apple tree and had decimated their garden and other foliage.

 

Power Outage.  Thanks for the photo of the downed power lines a few Sunday's ago (10/4/09).  For many residents the power went out at 10:30 am and didn't come back on until 12 hours later, at 10:30 pm.  Those who walked down Illahee Road to see what the problem was, found the crews ready to go to work, but the Aspland crew that needed to cut down the tree hadn't shown up.  Many were asking why the Power Company couldn't use their chain saws on the wayward maple, but were told it was a union thing.

 

Beach Watchers Program.  There was a nice article in the Kitsap Sun regarding the beach watchers program that was going to be offered in Kitsap County.  Attached is the link to the article.  The deadline is Friday (10/16/09) for signing up so if you are interested call quickly. http://kitsapsun.com/news/2009/oct/08/beach-watchers-will-keep-their-eyes-on-kitsaps/

 

Timbers Edge Decision.  We came back from a trip to find the following article in the Kitsap Sun:  http://kitsapsun.com/news/2009/oct/13/commissioners-approve-big-illahee-development-cond/

We aren't sure exactly what happened as it appears the Commissioners either did not receive the Community Brief sent in to the county (i.e., it wasn't forwarded to them), or they didn't read it.  Either way, it is hard for the Community, who worked on the brief with their lawyer, to understand how this could happen.  It also leaves many wondering what to do about it.  As we understand it, the ICC Board will be meeting soon to discuss what the options are.  We will keep you posted on what we know.

 

Jim Aho

Wildlife Update - 12/9/08

Seedlings Dispersed in the Preserve. Approximately 20,000 Douglas fir seeds were dispersed in the Illahee Preserve recently. These seeds fall naturally from the fir trees, but can also be spread throughout an area by just spreading them about. Only a portion of them will actually take root, and an even small percentage will actually grow to any size. Jim Trainer, our local Illahee forester, tells us that approximately 50% will be eaten by birds and squirrels, and the remainder will take root. JIm also has done seedings and said it is easy to do and sent us a picture of the spreader and a bag of seeds, which we were unable to attach because it is part of a gallery. You can access Jim's photo at this link.

Preserve Trees. The Illahee Preserve does have a few big trees in it. Most of the marketable timber in the Preserve was logged in the 1930's except for a few large Western Red Cedar, a number of Western White Pine that probably weren't marketable, and and at least one large Douglas Fir in the Preserve that is over 6 feet in diameter in the northeast section.

Illahee Preserve. We often get inquiries and comments about the Illahee Preserve. People comment that they are amazed at the size, approximately 460 acres and the quality of the trails in the Preserve. A map project was completed last summer with the help of the architectural firm of Rice-Fergus-Miller. Some information about the Preserve is on the community website which is illaheecommunity.com. We will try to get some more up-to-date information about the Preserve to pass on.

Decline In Waterfowl Numbers? Some of the oldtimers and not-so-oldtimers have noticed what appears to be declines in the numbers of waterfowl in the area. That has been our observations also. Below is an email we recently received.

We came here in October of 1999 to live in the home of my grandparents. At that time the bay was full of hundres of scoters, goldeneyes and widgeons. I remember that fall being warm. As the years have progressed, we are now seeing fewer and fewer water fowl. There were so many widgens up until last year that they would wake us in the night while they fed off the shore line, now there are only a few.

Puget Sound Partnership Notes Waterfowl Declines. We recently went to a presentation by Sara Lingafelter, the local representative for the Partnership, who noted that they have documented a decline, not only in fish numbers, but also in marine waterfowl numbers. We can't remember if they provided percentages, but will try to find out.

Enjoy the Low Night-time Winter Tides. There is a local opportunity to do an evening beach walk on Thursday with Beach Naturalists who were trained this past year by Jeff Adams of the UW SeaGrant program. Attached is the email we received today (Tuesday) regarding the beach walk.

Hello All- The winter brings wonderful low night tides, and the first of three Kitsap Beach Naturalist led winter beach walks is upon us (see attached flyer). The walk is this Thursday (Dec 11) at the Lions Park boat launch in Bremerton 7:30-9:30. Thursday's walk is the lowest tide of the three (-3.3 by the end of the walk). For a map...

The weather looks to be fabulous and should allow the full moon help light our way. Bring a flashlight or headlamp, rubber boots and warm clothes to explore this fabulous and biologically diverse beach.

The beach walks are hosted by the Kitsap beach Naturalists and People for Puget Sound. Please invite your friends and family and we'll see you on the beach! JEff
             ---------------------------------------------------
Jeff Adams - jaws@u.washington.edu
Marine Water Quality Specialist
Washington Sea Grant - Kitsap
University of Washington
345 6th Street, Suite 550
Bremerton, WA 98337-1874
360-337-4619

Thanks to all who keep passing information on.

Jim Aho

Wildlife Update - 12/6/08

Wildlife Updates. We have added some new email addresses and need to explain that feedback tells us that wildlife reports are what people like most about the updates. We depend on your passing the information on to us and we thank those who passed on this information. If you want credit for your stories and pictures, let us know as we presume anonymity.

Seals. Last year we had about 20 seals on one of local floats, this year a few less with about 15 seen every morning. As the seals leave the float the cormorants take their place.

Sea Lions. We have only seen one sea lion this year, whereas last year there were many seen feeding on small salmon.

Ravens. Periodically the ravens can be seen flying near the shoreline. We haven't seen them fly over the water yet and we mostly see them around the Illahee Preserve.

Mergansers. Only a few Red-breasted Mergansers have been sighted this year along the Illahee shoreline.

Scoters. The Surf Scoters are back in about the same numbers as last year. They are the ones that make the whistling noise when they take off. They are usually out in deeper water as they are deep divers and feed on shellfish.

Mallards. There is a flock of about 30 mallards that seem to be making the Illahee North detention pond their winter home.

Wigeon. The American Wigeon are common visitors to the nearshore area and local ponds. We used to see big numbers at Schutt's Point and they could be seen flying away whenever an eagle would fly over.

Golden Eyes. This area seems to be a wintering spot for both the Common Golden Eye and the Barrows Golden Eye. We had a report on Saturday of a large flock of the Barrows Golden Eye along the northern Illahee waterfront. Earlier in the week we had a few Common Golden Eyes north of the Illahee Community Dock.

Cormorants. The cormorants are back this winter, as stated earlier, spending most of the day on area floats.

Bald Eagles. There are at least two regular Bald Eagles frequenting the Illahee waterfront. We had a report a few weeks ago of a Bald Eagle chasing down a seagull. This was a first for that long time waterfront resident.

Deer. At the County Commissioners' hearing for the Illahee Community Plan our planner, Katrina Knutson, noted that she saw an albino deer while looking over the area for the View Protection Zone. We just had a picture sent to us earlier this week of two deer, one of which is partially white, which we are attaching.

Send Reports and Pictures. Please send us your reports and pictures of wildlife and we will try to forward them on.

Jim Aho

Wildlife Sightings 1-2-08

We promised an Illahee bird sighting update so we thought we begin with an owl and eagle story and then some winter waterfowl sightings. We would like to cover more terrestrial birds later.

A small owl was found dead alongside Illahee Road by Irwin Krigsman. Jim Trainer identified it as a Western Screech Owl that was likely hit by a car. Others have noted lots of owl activity in the area and of seeing owls flying across Illahee road.

A report of a Bald Eagle chasing a duck up and down bay was interesting. The observer commented how fast the eagle was flying and that the duck made three trips (evidently north, then back south, and then north) before the eagle gave up. We have watched the eagles chase seagulls in the air, but never before ducks.

The most unusual sighting this year is the number of Common Mergansers swimming up and down the bay. The other day there was a flock of about 800 that landed north of the Illahee dock. They swim along the shore with their heads in the water looking for fish and when they find a school they dive and chase after them.

Some of the other waterfowl in the area are:

Common Golden Eye, which are distinguished by a greenish sheen on the males head, along with a white roundish patch on the face behind the bill.

The Barrow's Golden Eye looks similar though slightly smaller, and has a bluish purple sheen on the males head, and a crescent shaped white patch on the face behind the bill.

Buffle Heads tend to stay out in a little deeper water and are smaller than the Golden Eyes. There also appears to be several types of grebes around, with the Horned Grebe often seen diving with the other ducks. Some years we see lots of Western Grebes, but so far they haven't been sighted around Illahee.

There are a few Red-breasted Mergansers around that are intermixed with the diving ducks.

Some residents have noted fewer numbers of Wigeon ducks in the area this year.

Cormorants are a common sight out on floats. The ones in our area are the Double-crested Cormorant. Cormorants aren't able to waterproof their wings so they like to perch after swims to dry out their wings. There seem to be about a hundred cormorants in the area north of the community dock seen diving and drying out their wings. Between the mergansers and the cormorants, not to mention the seals and sea lions, there must be lots of feed fish out in the bay to support the fish eating bird populations.

We haven't tried to cover the shore birds but there are some Greater Yellowlegs in the area.

Let us know your wildlife sightings so we can post them.

Dennis Sheeran & Jim Aho

PS We will start addressing some of the Illahee's more sensitive issues now that the holidays are over. The next update will cover the Illahee Creek culvert that filled up and is barely functional after the December 3rd storm.