Nature Watch: Close to Home

About the author: Steve Ellis is a naturalist and Land Trust member who enjoys sharing his love of the natural world. His blog series, “Nature Watch,” will appear each month in “Habitchat,” chronicling native plants and wildlife you can expect to see during that particular time of year. We thank Steve for sharing his passion, illustrating the importance of island conservation.

Overview

I often tell visitors from colder climes that while this area rarely receives frigid weather in winter, we do miserable really well. The blowing rains of December can keep the most intrepid naturalists close to home.

Winter brings a drastic reduction of flowers, insects, amphibians and reptiles, so birds become the focus.  In December these islands are flooded with birds escaping the harsh conditions found in the North Cascade mountains, Alaska and western Canada.

Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Varied Thrush and Pine Siskin are some of the species that find refuge in these local forests. Thickets teem with flocks of Dark-eyed Juncos and Golden-crowned Sparrows. If your yard contains trees and bushes, then you should be hosting these species already. A yard devoid of wintering birds could benefit by the addition of some particular plants, so take note of the recommendations in the Flora section of this blog entry.

A species to keep an eye out for is the little brown “mouse-like” Pacific Wren. They can be literally close to home, perhaps under your deck or in your firewood pile. In forests, they spend a good deal of time under salal and sword ferns, hunting invertebrates. Dark places are the realm of our Pacific Wrens.

While watching for wrens, you may cross paths with another small creature, the vagrant shrew. At a total length of four inches, it’s our smallest local mammal. These little dynamos are active night and day as they track down slugs, sowbugs and insects.

Should the weather force you indoors, then focus your attention on birdfeeders outside the windows.  Hanging a suet feeder will attract many species including woodpeckers; separate feeders for sunflower seeds and mixed seeds will bring in many other birds.

Note the shape of a bird’s beak to find clues to what seed type the species will be interested in consuming. For example, the House Finch beak is great for opening sunflower seeds but isn’t useful for millet and similar tiny seeds.

Those of you who feed birds and are proficient at identifying them can contribute to the various nearby Christmas Bird Counts by logging feeder watch information. Check with Whidbey Audubon for the location of their two count circles. Pilchuck Audubon counts an area on Camano Island and Skagit Audubon’s count touches north Whidbey Island. If your home birdfeeder is within an established count circle, you’ll be given the date of the count and the protocols to follow. It’s a great way to stay warm and dry while making a contribution to science.

If you’re missing the joys of summer, then I recommend searching for butterflies. A dead leaf rolled into the shape of a tube and attached with silk to a branch of a deciduous shrub is the hibernaculum (winter hideout) of a Lorquin’s Admiral larva. Tiny brown and tan lumps tied to twigs with silk are the larvae of Echo Blues, those small blue-colored butterflies flitting around in May and June. Finding overwintering butterflies takes good vision and lots of patience!

Easier to spot are the myriad mushroom species that thrive in wet weather. The variety of shapes, sizes and colors is amazing. There is even a tiny mushroom that only grows from fallen Douglas-fir cones. Others to look for include elfin saddle, gray parasol, fly amanita, witch’s hat, turkey tail and puffball. These and many more sprout in our own yard in Coupeville.  There are field guides, websites and apps that will help with identification  (We’ve used mushroomidentification.online). Keep in mind that NO wild mushroom should be eaten unless deemed edible by an expert.

The naturalist Jean Louis Agassiz is usually credited with this famous quote, “I spent the summer traveling; I got halfway across my back yard.” Surely there is plenty for you to see – close to home – in December!

Spotted Towhee at Del Fairfax Preserve. Photo by Martha Ellis.

Fauna: Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

No Whidbey or Camano backyard is complete without the presence of Spotted Towhees.

This sparrow relative is 7 to 8.5 inches in length. It has a dark head and tail; the eyes are red and the undersides are white. The back and white wings have white spots on a black background.

Spotted Towhees are present year-round; listen for their cat-like upslurred meeew contact call. In spring the males sing a trill similar to that of a junco.

Thickets and forest groundcovers are the preferred habitats of this handsome species.

Towhees feed by slow-hopping on the ground. They look for insects, sowbugs, millipedes, spiders and small seeds. Much of their prey is exposed using bilateral scratching, where both feet are kicked backwards. If you’ve noticed scatterings of beauty bark over your walkway, that’s what’s been going on. Fox Sparrows are the only other species that practices bilateral scratching.

Spotted Towhees don’t form their own flocks but they may be seen in loose groups, and some will forage with flocks of Dark-eyed Juncos and Golden-crowned Sparrows.

Towhee nests are sited low in a bush or on the ground; a preferred nest location is under sword ferns.

Nearly every Whidbey Camano Land Trust property has Spotted Towhees. You can attract them by having ground covers of sword ferns, salal and trailing blackberry in your own yard, and they’ll also come to brush piles and rose thickets.

Backyard habitat with native plants. Photo by Martha Ellis.

Flora:

Local conifer forests typically have tall evergreen trees, an understory of smaller deciduous trees and shrubs, and ground cover plants that are mainly evergreen. Known in general terms as the Pacific Coastal Forest, this abundant habitat is what the wildlife here have adapted to.

Not every yard is suitable for replicating this forest. The following native species are recommendations for your consideration. Your yard’s size, restrictive covenants and other factors may eliminate some of these species.

There are several local nurseries and conservation districts that sell native species. If you know of an area that is scheduled for clearing, try asking for permission to rescue plants.

Trail with Douglas-firs.

Red Alders

Trees:

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Evergreen, fast-growing, does well in full sun. Offers cover and abundant seeds.

Red Alder (Alnus rubra). Deciduous, full sun. Great for cover and nesting in spring and summer; abundant seeds throughout the winter.

Salmonberry by Martha Ellis.

Red Elderberry

Nootka Rose

Understory:

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis). Deciduous, with some leaves remaining into winter; best in moist soils.  Flowers for pollinators in early spring, berries in early to mid-summer.

Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa). Deciduous; can tolerate full sun. Abundant small berries in mid-summer.

Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana). Deciduous; full sun, capable of forming thickets. Great for cover and rose hips.

Salal by Martha Ellis.

Sword Fern by Martha Ellis.

Ground cover:

Salal (Gaultheria shallon). Evergreen; does best in partial to full shade. Excellent cover year-round; berries in late summer.

Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum). Evergreen; moist soils. Provides good ground cover.

There are many more potential additions to this list. Now is the time to assess your yard to see if it can be improved for wildlife by bringing nature close to home.

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