Artist’s View: The Great Blue Heron
A powerful bird! I had a chance to personally experience this when I attempted to rescue a great blue heron that had fallen out of a tree during a storm. It had an injured wing, and I tossed a blanket over its head for the…
Artist’s View: How Birds Keep Warm in the Winter
Baby, it’s cold outside. But compared with some other places — the Arctic, Alaska — the Salish Sea has a fairly balmy winter. So balmy that many thousands of birds migrate here to spend winters in relative comfort. It’s…
Artist’s View: American Golden-Plover
Last spring, I saw hundreds of American golden-plovers on the western wilderness beaches of Olympic National Park. They were spending their days resting and eating sand flies, then at dusk they would rise in a rush of wings…
Artist’s View: The Painted Anemone
This article was originally published in the September 2021 issue of 48° North. Anemones are mostly stationary animals that have stinging tentacles to subdue prey. Their waving arms then transport the hapless creature to a…
Artist’s View: Steller’s Sea Lion
Being an artist of nature, I often wish I could get more up close and personal with the critters I paint, especially the big ones. I did this with a Steller Sea Lion a few days ago, and it was a rather amazing experience. I…
Artist’s View: The Little Brown Barnacle
This article originally appeared in the May 2021 issue of 48° North. Little and brown... exciting, don’t you think? Well, I think so, but then I’ve been known to just pick up something messy and examine it for days. When I…
Artist’s View: Sea Gooseberry
From the March 2021 issue of 48° North. Imagine, if you will, it’s a spring evening and you glance over the rail. A small round and luminous clear orb of jelly the size of a marble seems to swim by your boat. It’s underwater…
Artist’s View: Giant Green Anemone
Here's a digital-only installment of Larry Eifert's column, Artist's View: Secrets of the Salish Sea. This one is about one of the largest local anemones. There are many anemones in the Salish Sea, but this one is one of the…
Artist’s View: Humpback Whale
From the January 2021 issue of 48° North A couple months ago, a juvenile humpback whale was found on the beach at Marrowstone Island, probably hit by a freighter. This is sort of a requiem to that whale, but also to pay…
Artist’s View for October – Stubby Rose Anemone
A Flower of the Salish Sea Anemones are predatory sea animals named after land-based flowering plants of the buttercup family. They really do look like flowers! Some can move around, most remain anchored in one place,…