Artist’s View: The Solitary Sandpiper
This article was originally published in the June 2022 issue of 48° North. Many species of sandpipers are common during fall, winter and spring as migrants passing through the Salish Sea, but one — the Solitary Sandpiper —…
Artist’s View: Hermit Crab
This article was originally published in the April 2022 issue of 48° North. Hermit crabs are found on most beaches, tide pools, and rocky shorelines of the Salish Sea — they’re pretty much everywhere you visit with your…
Artist’s View: Pickleweed
Salt-tolerant pickleweed is a unique bit of flora to look for near some Pacific Northwest anchorages. The Artist's View column for March is exclusively available right here at 48north.com. Most good anchorages in the…
Artist’s View: Teredo Shipworm
“Why would you want to write about a worm,” my editor once asked? As with all of nature, even seemingly mundane creatures can be very interesting. Every temperate ocean has teredo worms, including the Salish Sea. They’re…
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…