Earth Sanctuary: A Nature Reserve, Meditation Parkland and Sculpture Garden

Western Tanager at Earth Sanctuary (Craig Johnson)

Craig and Joy Johnson, Whidbey Island bird experts and authors of Our Puget Sound Birds & Habitat, provided this list of birds they have seen in the past two weeks:

1. Black-throated Gray Warbler
2. Western Tanager
3. Black-headed Grosbeak
4. Yellow Warbler
5. Wilson’s Warbler
6. Pacific Slope Flycatcher
7. Red-breasted Sapsucker
8. Swainson’s Thrush
9. Cinnamon Teal
10. Green-winged Teal
11. Cedar Waxwings
12. Wood Ducks with chicks
13. Hooded Merganser with chicks
14. Rufous Hummingbird
15. Brown Creeper
16. Golden-crowned Kinglet
17. Osprey
18. Tree Swallow
19. Barn Swallow
20. Violet-green Swallow
21. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
22. Northern Flicker
23. Red-winged Blackbird
24. Song Sparrow feeding young
25. American Robin feeding young

Visit their beautiful web site!

Arlene Stebbins discovered a hummingbird nest near the West pond.  Rufus hummingbirds incubate eggs for 15-17 days.  The babies are born naked and they are fed–and grow– for 15-19 days before leaving the nest. 

Arlene Stebbins of Audubon is monitoring duck nesting boxes at Earth Sanctuary weekly.  We have wood ducks and hooded mergansers nesting in the boxes so far.

On the ponds we can see mallards with baby ducklings and hooded mergansers with baby ducklings.  There are also a number of wood ducks and cinnamon teals mating.

Arlene reports, “I noticed a pair of wood ducks near the pull out at the Fen pond.  I turned around and watched.  The male was courting the female.  A bit later the female flew into the duck box attached to the tree stump in the middle of the water.  She only stayed a few seconds before leaving.”

Click here to see videos of nesting boxes in use!