2/17 Ancient murrelet, bird feeders, Biden's Canada, bag bans, Andrea Reid, WA fires, BC derelict boats, Anacores cleanup, sea lion songs

Ancient murrelet [Audubon]

 
Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus
Elegantly marked, a diving bird of the northern Pacific Coast. More agile in flight than most auks, able to take off directly from water, flocks often banking and turning in unison. Breeding behavior unusual for a seabird: Males "sing" at night from tree branches and other high perches at nesting colonies; the species regularly raises two young (most auks raise only one); it raises its young at sea, leading them away from the nest within a few days after they hatch. The name "Ancient" results from gray back, with fancied resemblance to a shawl draped across an old person's shoulders. (Audubon Field Guides)

State officials to bird lovers: Take feeders and birdbaths down to stop salmonellosis outbreak
Washington wildlife officials are urging people to take down their bird feeders, even at this coldest time of year. That’s because of an outbreak of salmonella that is infecting songbirds, especially finches and particularly pine siskins. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

Biden has hit the ground running on climate and environmental justice. How will Canada respond?
Renewed U.S. focus on emissions reductions, clean energy and environmental racism offers a prime opportunity for Canada that experts say Ottawa can’t afford to ignore. Ainslie Cruickshank reports. (The Narwhal)

B.C. approves single-use plastics bans in four more municipalities
The B.C. government has approved single-use plastics bans in four more communities. Surrey, Nanaimo, Rossland and Esquimalt are the latest municipalities to implement bans based on their particular needs. (Canadian Press)

The Indigenous Scientist Charting the Future of Fisheries, One Salmon at a Time
Andrea Reid has launched the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries at UBC. Marc Fawcett-Atkinson reports. (National Observer)

Bill aims to fight wildfire before 'Evergreen state turns charcoal black'
A bill that would fund new firefighters, perform planned burns and help safeguard homes from wildfires simply can no longer be delayed, the state commissioner of public lands says. Hilary Franz acknowledges that state lawmakers are already grappling with a pandemic and subsequent economic fallout. But the dangers posed by raging, out-of-control fires, whose threat hasn't been addressed in previous years, is too great. Josh Farley reports. (Kitsap Sun)

Feds fund removal of more derelict boats from waters off Vancouver Island
.... It’s been a steady clip of work for Salish Sea Industrial Services and its barge crews, divers and sub-contractors, who have removed more than 100 dead boats over the past three years from the waters around Greater Victoria and the Gulf Islands. A fresh round of funding from the federal government’s Ocean Protection Plan is allowing the company to reclaim another 24 abandoned, beached and sunken vessels. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist) 

Summary of environmental cleanups in Anacortes
Several sites in Anacortes are targeted for cleanup and/or monitoring by the state Department of Ecology as part of the Puget Sound Initiative, authorized in 2005 by the Legislature and then-Gov. Christine Gregoire to improve the health of Washington’s inland marine waters and shoreline habitat. Richard Walker reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

If you like to watch: Singing for their supper
California sea lions serenade the area outside the waterway leading to the Hiram Chittenden Locks on Tuesday. They could be craving succulent winter steelhead returning to Puget Sound. All of these sea lions are males; their mates are staying with their young in the Channel Islands off California. Greg Gilbert reports. (Seattle Times)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  240 AM PST Wed Feb 17 2021   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING   
TODAY  NW wind 5 to 15 kt becoming E in the afternoon. Wind  waves 2 ft or less. W swell 11 ft at 12 seconds subsiding to 9 ft  at 12 seconds in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt rising to 15 to 25 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 ft or less building to 2 to 4 ft after  midnight. W swell 7 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance of rain  after midnight.

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