February 27, 2026
Edge of the Salish Sea
The beach is a literal margin between land and sea. Taking a walk along there, or anywhere, gives one a chance to reflect on all the kinds of margins evident, wildlife or human. I have my set here along the edge of the sea, you have your own.
These are a few moments on the margin I saw yesterday on my walk.
Rows of seawrack along the beach. The lighter in color the drier it is, meaning the longer since the high tide that washed it up.
Docks are built to manage boat access to the sea, but incidentally they provide handy resting spots for wildlife.
A new young seal has been hanging out on this dock. There are often 3 or 4 seals there now at various times.
Young seal checking out humans coming out to the dock
Ducks make use of abundant benthic prey in the shallows. Harlequins are usually in rougher water than we get in this bay but they were going after crabs, as well as resting and grooming.
Three drakes and a hen
A drake Harlequin’s color pattern is spectacular from all angles
A Life Flight helicopter arrived while I was out on my walk. There are two companies who provide helicopter medevac services to the islands (and a third, fixed-wing to San Juan island) for medical emergencies when a condition requires immediate hospital attention. Going by ferry would take several hours at best. Living out on the island can be marginal for people who have accidents or medical crises. It’s a real concern for the aging population here. 40% of island residents are over 65.
This helicopter came in from Coupeville, 10 minutes away. After picking up a patient, they usually go north to St Joseph’s Hospital in Bellingham. For serious trauma incidents they’ll go south to Harborview Hospital in Seattle. This medevac flight went north.
Most medevac pickups are at the north end of the island, in the village, but with an emergency at the south end, the helicopters can save time by landing on the road here. Our local EMTs and fire crew block off the road during landing, loading up the stabilized patient, and liftoff, which takes about 20 minutes altogether.
We are on the margin of spring migration. Ducks will be gone soon for breeding in the north. Many geese have already left.
A few goldeneyes have been hanging out in this bay this winter
The lone juvenile Snow goose is still flocking with a small group of Canada geese. Most of the Canadas have departed, but a fair number of these geese will stay here for the summer. This goose may be wondering what it will do, since all Washington Snow geese migrate to the Siberian Arctic for the summer. Life can be marginal for young geese.
🦀
Partly sunny with light breeze in the PNW islands today. Temps in 40s.
What’s up in nature in your neighborhood today?
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THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, WATERS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS.
WE INVITE YOU TO NOTE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU IN YOUR OWN PART OF THE WORLD, AND TO SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
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