5/19 Sparrow, Big One, Kuperberg returns, Clallam shores, Fairy Cr protest, Big Melt at Bute Inlet, eucistic crab, wild fishers born

White-crowned sparrow [Gregg Thompson]

White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
The White-crowned Sparrow is a distinctive bird with bold black and white stripes on its head. It has a clear, gray breast and belly, long tail, and wings distinctly marked with two white wing-bars. The beak is orange-yellow to reddish-brown depending on the subspecies. Young birds are streaked overall until August, when they take on a juvenile plumage similar to the adult; they have brown and tan head stripes rather than black and white, which they keep until the spring. (BirdWeb)

Aftermath: Infrastructure won’t fare well in a big quake
Even at its outermost reaches, the first vibrations feel like a large train passing a few feet away. Dinner plates crash to the floor in Port Townsend. Windows shatter in Oak Harbor. Families in Auburn parks feel convulsions under their feet. At the epicenter in Everett, heavy furniture jitters across the floor. Tremors damage even buildings specifically designed to withstand earthquakes. Part 3 of 3. Julia Grace-Sanders reports. (Everett Herald)

White House brings back climate scientist forced out by Trump administration
The Biden administration has reinstalled the director of the federal climate program that produces the U.S. government’s definitive reports on climate change, after the Trump administration removed him in November. Michael Kuperberg, the climate scientist who ran the program for six years during Democratic and Republican administrations, was reinstated Monday, the White House confirmed. Jason Samenow reports. (Washington Post)

Land purchase to expand public access to Strait shoreline
Clallam County has purchased a 2.7-acre parcel in Clallam Bay that will expand public shoreline access along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. County commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday to approve the $90,000 purchase of the vacant parcel at 16401 state Highway 112 from Kevin and Kelly Bonsell. The land will be added to the existing 8.6-acre Clallam Bay West County Park and will increase public access to saltwater beaches. Rob Ollikainen reports. (Peninsula Daily News)

Police arrest 5 protesters at Fairy Creek logging blockade
Police have arrested seven people at the Fairy Creek logging blockade on Vancouver Island as they enforced an injunction Tuesday. The RCMP promised "police action'' earlier this week as Mounties enforce a court injunction against the blockade protesting logging operations on southern Vancouver Island. The force announced Monday that it is temporarily controlling access to the Fairy Creek watershed northeast of Port Renfrew, B.C., enforcing the April 1 injunction that allows Teal-Cedar Products to start logging activities. Dirk Meissner reports. (Canadian Press)

The Bute Inlet Disaster: How Dying Glaciers Can Unleash Devastation
The Big Melt is no slow drip. It can trigger sudden landslides and tsunamis. Last in a series. Christopher Pollon reports. (The Tyee)

Out of the frying pan, into the aquarium: Sidney centre gets unique crab
Ordinarily, a Dungeness crab caught in a net wouldn’t mean much more than dinner time. The crustaceans are a mainstay of seafood lovers. But a crab that was caught by fishers in a catch off of Sooke was spared due to his unique features. Typically Dungeness crabs are grey-brown with tinges of purple and white-tipped claws. According to the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea in Sidney, the crab appears to be leucistic, a term for a partial lack of pigment. Tim Ford reports. (Victorial Buzz)

1st wild fishers born in North Cascades in decades
The first wild members of the wolverine family known as fishers have been born in the North Cascades for the first time in decades. A coalition of wildlife agencies announced the discovery Monday, saying a female fisher was seen on a trail camera in April, KING-TV reported. The fisher was photographed moving four kits at her den in western Chelan County. (Associated Press)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  243 AM PDT Wed May 19 2021   
TODAY  NW wind to 10 kt rising to 10 to 20 kt in the afternoon.  Wind waves 1 ft or less building to 1 to 3 ft in the afternoon. W  swell 5 ft at 12 seconds. A slight chance of showers. 
TONIGHT  W wind 10 to 20 kt becoming SW to 10 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft subsiding to 1 ft or less after  midnight. W swell 5 ft at 11 seconds.

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