1/24 House finch, seal v octopus, port emissions, kelp forest fossils

 

House Finch [Martha Nordstrand]

House Finch Haemorhous Mexicans
The House Finch is a recent introduction from western into eastern North America (and Hawaii), but it has received a warmer reception than other arrivals like the European Starling and House Sparrow. That’s partly due to the cheerful red head and breast of males, and to the bird’s long, twittering song, which can now be heard in most of the neighborhoods of the continent. If you haven’t seen one recently, chances are you can find one at the next bird feeder you come across. (All About Birds)

Watch: Divers capture dramatic battle between seal and octopus
Maxime Veilleux and Matteo Endrizzi were finishing their sunset dive off Nanoose Bay on Sunday and heading to the shore when something unusual caught their eyes. Darron Kloster reports. (Times Colonist)

Ports take steps to reduce emissions with $12M infrastructure grant
Northwest Ports are working to phase out emissions from seaport-related activities by 2050. Seattle and Tacoma now have a $12-million-dollar federal infrastructure grant that moves them closer to that goal, with a focus on short-haul trucking. Currently, about 4,500 heavy-duty diesel trucks haul cargo from the ports of Seattle and Tacoma to nearby warehouses, with emissions that pollute nearby neighborhoods and warm the climate. Those emissions also pollute the immediate environment of the drivers while they’re on the job. Bellamy Pailthorp reports. (KNKX)

New fossils suggest kelp forests have swayed in the seas for at least 32 million years
The kelp forests that hug the Pacific coastline are an underwater jungle. They're a thicket of colossal algae intermixed with a pageant of life that includes snails, urchins, sea lions, sea otters, and a host of seabirds. A study published in PNAS https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2317054121 presents new evidence that the first kelps were much older than we once suspected, dating back 32 million years — well before the arrival of many of their present-day animal inhabitants. Ari Daniel reports. (NPR)

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Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  223 AM PST Wed Jan 24 2024    
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING    
TODAY  SE wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 5 to 15 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft subsiding to 1 to 2 ft in the  afternoon. W swell 7 ft at 13 seconds. Rain in the morning then a  chance of showers in the afternoon.  
TONIGHT  SE wind 5 to 15 kt becoming 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 7 ft at 13 seconds  building to 10 ft at 15 seconds after midnight. A chance of  showers in the evening then showers after midnight.

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