Wildlife Update - 12/19/10

Illahee Orca Video Makes KIRO TV News.  We were surprised to get a phone call Friday evening from Issaquah that they saw the Illahee orca video on the Channel 7 News (they called for permission but we didn't think they would use the video), and calls from others who saw it on the Kitsap Sun website.  If a little video gets that much exposure, we are optimistic the professionally made video of Illahee's watershed issues (currently being filmed) will get even more.

Lost Cat.  While cats aren't really wildlife, they do get lost and we have always tried to pass on quickly notices such as these.  We only attached one of the photos.

A stray cat showed up at our house on Rue Villa yesterday (Saturday, 12/18).  She is a large female cat, gray with black strips, 4 white paws and a white bib.  She has no collar.  She was very hungry, but appears to be healthy.  She is friendly and used to humans and other cats.  I have attached 2 pictures.  Would you send them out to see if anyone has lost her?  They can contact me at JoannaBaas@gmail.com

Seals Vacated Float.  Since the seal eating orcas came through here we haven't seen any seals on the float north of the Illahee community dock.  We attached some photos to show what it looked like nearly every morning this fall, that is until this week.

Cormorants.  When the seals would leave the cormorants would normally take their place as you can see from this photo.

Deer Pictures.  We received some remarkable photos of deer and a couple of pileated woodpeckers.  At one time we were going to have a place for photos such as these on the Illahee Community Website.  This is something we hope to check on, as we can only include a few of the pictures sent.

Humming Birds.  We have seen lots of humming birds around this winter because people are feeding them.  The attached photo shows 2 males that are in a territorial standoff on a weather vane.

Thank You For Sharing Your Photos.  We want to thank you for sharing your wildlife photos.  We have been told by a number of you that is what you like best about the Illahee Updates.  We are still learning how to present photos and we have yet to learn how to title individual photos, so please bare with us.  We are still trying to come up with photo file sizes that are big enough for people to see the subjects, but not too big so they won't exceed the size of their email systems.  We hope these all come through.

Jim Aho

Various Items - 9/1/10

Kitsap County Fair.  Several of us were at the Kitsap County Fair last week to answer questions regarding the Illahee Preserve, the Illahee Preserve/Illahee Creek Restoration Project, the Illahee Creek Surface Water Management Plan & stormwater issues, and the very recent gifting of the Rolling Hills Golf Course to Kitsap County.  We were there to help explain the many issues pertinent to Illahee and we kept busy all five days of the Fair answering questions.  Below is a photo of the booth that was in the Pavilion.  The Illahee Preserve photo board was in the Park's Dept booth next door.

New Update Recipients.  We found there was much interest in what was happening with the Preserve, Rolling Hills Golf Course, and Illahee in general, with a number being interested enough to want to receive the Illahee Community Updates that are sent out periodically to over 400 recipients.  Most of the new recipients are those who live just outside of the Illahee Community boundaries, but nevertheless want to know what is happening as they are close by neighbors, with many using the Illahee Preserve.

Illahee Preserve Maps.  Over the years there has been considerable interest in the Illahee Preserve and the trail maps at the Fair, and this year we went through more maps than ever.  We depleted the Park's Department pile and had to bring several hundred more that the Rotary and Illahee Forest Preserve group had printed up.  We should note that this is good as it shows the interest in the Preserve and also since we need to update the map very soon because several new trails have been added.

Letter re Rolling Hills.  Last Monday at the Commissioner's meeting the following letter was read by Bob Jarvis.  The same letter was to be sent to the Kitsap Sun, but an earlier draft version was sent instead. We have printed the correct version that thanks Don Rasmussen and Kerma Peterson for their very generous gift of the golf course.

        August 23, 2010

Letter to the Editor:

        Thank you Don Rasmussen and Kerma Peterson, for your extraordinary and especially generous gift of the Rolling Hills Golf Course!  

Illahee has become a recreational destination in Kitsap County and the greater West Sound area in a large part because of your work in establishing a premier and affordable community golf course.  While Illahee’s unique topography has limited development, it has fostered some incredible recreational opportunities such as the golf course, Illahee State Park, the Illahee Preserve, and the Port’s Community Dock, making this area and Kitsap County a great place to live. 

The Illahee Community appreciates your incredible gift and forward thinking that preserves Rolling Hills as a golfing jewel for future generations, and at the same time ensures the continuation of the “meals on wheels” program for seniors throughout the area.  Your gift will also help us eventually control the storm water surges that pollute Illahee Creek and Puget Sound.

Thank you Don and Kerma, Commissioners, and Commissioner Josh Brown for making it all happen!

Barney Bernhard, for the Illahee Community Club

Illahee Community Meeting.  We have been reminded that we did not yet report on the Illahee Community Meeting that was held last Monday evening.  The meeting was primarily spent with Kitsap County presenting information on the Shoreline Master Program (SMP) update that is currently underway.  There were many questions and concerns as what will be decided will affect all the Kitsap County shorelines.  The rest of the meeting was primarily reports with no new decisions being made or voted upon.  

Brochures & Petition Delivery.  We have been advised that a stormwater brochure and a packet with a petition and a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) sheet is being distributed throughout the Illahee Community.  Evidently there were approximately 850 petitions out of 1000 that hadn't been distributed as they were hoping for a Grant or Land Trust to buy the Timbers Edge property.  When that didn't happen they decided to continue the petition distribution and decided to include the new stormwater brochure that had just been developed.  They have covered the area north of Third Street and are moving south.  We also heard residents are helping out by covering the Nobles Lane area and Rue Villa.  We have heard they are going to stop when they run out of the 1000 petitions they had printed.  If you don't get one delivered in the next two days, please let us know and we will send you by email the brochure, petition and FAQ.

Wildlife Pictures.  We have several wildlife pictures to pass on.  Deer continue to be frequent visitors to most all of Illahee.  This yearling buck didn't seem to concerned until we got really close.  The cormorants are starting to come back to nearby floats.  A few years ago there was a cormorant at the Illahee dock that acted like it was someone's pet.  The ravens are still in the Preserve, and gray squirrels seem to be moving further into the territory of the native Douglas squirrels.

Port of Illahee Meeting Date Change.  For the month of September only the Port has changed its normal 2nd Wednesday of the month meeting date and will be meeting on Tuesday, September 7th, at 5 pm at their new facility at 5560 Ocean View Blvd.  

Keep Sending in Information.  We will continue to pass information on that you send into us. 

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