Tides on

Theler Wetlands.

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Sunday found yet another day blanketed under clouds but the budding naturalists ventured to the Theler Wetlands despite the gloomy weather. The wetlands promised some outstanding birding, a chance for our daughter to run around and some photo opportunities for me among its 75 acres of trails and wildlife.

On the way we stopped in Poulsbo for coffee because we were out of beans. Though we’ve driven through Poulsbo numerous times we’ve never before stopped at Sluys Poulsbo Bakery – what an oversight. We eat doughnuts maybe once a year, and Sunday was that day, as the chocolate glazed drew us in. This meant our daughter experienced her first doughnut and promptly did a doughnut dance. Priceless!

Low tides, geoducks and sea anemone.

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

We went back today to the beach, no rain, more people. Nonetheless, we saw more creatures and captured the geoducks spouting forth on film.

Geoducks squirting and spitting water.

Starfish and sea anemone hanging out.

A crab on his journey to the sea.

Low tides, starfish and nudibranch.

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Growing up in the Midwest my experience with big bodies of water is mainly with the Great Lakes; the continual change in the tides of Puget Sound being one of the many differences from our former environment. This week we’re fortunate enough to experience the lowest tides in 50 years according to some reports, exposing sea-life usually covered in several feet of water.

Today at lunch we went to Rockaway Beach to check out the activity in a pretty constant rain which must have kept everyone else indoors since we had the beach to ourselves save the starfish, nudibranches, gulls and a heron. With the tide out I now fully understand how the beach got it’s name.