National Wildlife Refuges

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, 1936

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge is located on Willapa Bay, one of the most pristine estuaries in the United States. Willapa Bay is the second largest estuary on the Pacific coast and includes over 260 square miles of water surface. Many salmon species are found in the watters of Willapa Bay, including chum, chinook, and coho.

The refuge preserves several unique ecosystems, including diverse salt marshes, muddy tideflats, rain-drenched old growth forests, and dynamic coastal dunes and beaches. Freshwater marshes and grasslands are found along the southern shore of the bay.

The bay's shallow water and mud flats support vast beds of eelgrass and shellfish, providing spawning habitat for fish. During spring migration, more than 100,000 shorebirds are present. Isolated sandbars provide pupping grounds for harbor seals and rest sites for migratory birds.

Seabirds, such as brown pelicans, stream into the bay from the ocean in summer and fall. Other coastal habitats include sand dunes, sand beaches, and mud flats to grasslands, saltwater and freshwater marshes, and coniferous forest, including an old-growth stand of western red cedar-western hemlock forest.

Important species include the threatened marbled murrelet, bald eagles, great blue herons, and Brant. Grasslands and neighboring forests are home to bear, elk, bobcat, woodpeckers, flying squirrels, spotted owls, silver-haired bats, and Pacific tree frogs.

There are 16 National Wildlife Refuges along the Washington and Oregon Coast. All of the following photos came from some of those 16. Not all from Willapa. Truth be told I don't remember which came from Willapa. All were taken back in the 90's and my records weren't very good at the time. Thank goodness for computers and iPhoto (and other organizing photo software). Nonetheless here are a variety of those photos. And, with it the conclusion of my series on National Wildlife Refuges.

Least Sandpiper

Long Tailed Duck

Pelagic Cormorant

Pigeon Guillemot

Caspian Tern

Marbled Godwit

Semipalmated Plover

Sandpipers: Part IV

I first started my wildlife photography because I was awed by the beauty and magnificence of Black Bears and Grizzly Bears. So my first years really focused on them and other large mammals. I would take a photo of a bird if it caught my attention and if I wasn't in a hurry to get the location where I was hoping to find a bear or two. I remember heading down the Washington and Oregon Coast once, toward Lewis River where the much rarer Roosevelt Elk lived. The Oregon Coast is really in and of itself awesome. So, I couldn't help stopping and enjoying the view. As I did so, I so this rather unusual black bird with a long red bill standing on a rock on the ocean shore. So, I took a photo, and continued on my trip. Here is the photo:

Black Oystercatcher

photo taken along the Oregon Coast

I promise that will be the worst photo I ever show you. But, here is a quote from the National Audubon Field Guide: The Black Oystercatcher "... can be hard to see against a background of wet, seaweed-encrusted rocks and usually forages alone ..." Now a quote from Wikipedia: "Although the species is not considered threatened, its global population size is estimated between 8,900–11,000 individuals. The Black Oystercatcher is a species of high conservation concern throughout its range (U.S., Canadian, Alaskan, and Northern & Southern Pacific Shorebird Conservation Plans), a keystone indicator species along the north Pacific shoreline, and a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service focal species for priority conservation action." Had I known any of this at the time I might have made more of an effort to get a better photo.  Hindsight, you know. Anyway, there is a lesson. Learn as much as you can about what you might see wherever it is you are going. And, as a wildlife photographer, take pictures of anything you see that you don't have a photo of already. And, pretend that it is the primary goal of the day.

Now, so as not to leave you with a terrible photo, here is a Semi-palmated Plover:

Semi-palmated Plover

photo taken at Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, Washington

A couple years after the Black Oystercatcher experience I headed out to the Olympic National Park and the Washington Coast again. This time a little more researched. Although no Black Oystercatchers, I found a few Semi-palmated Plovers at Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge. This is an area where over one million shorebirds rest and feed during their migration between South America and the Arctic. This plover resembles the Killdeer but is much smaller and has only one band on the neck. The term "semipalmated" refers to its partly webbed feet. Like the Killdeer it makes its nest on the ground; and, when approached by a predator acts as if it has a "broken-wing" to lure intruders away from the nest. Tomorrow, the Killdeer.