Wind @ Whidbey

The first research hub of my trip is on a lovely island just north of Seattle WA called Whidbey, the largest of nine islands in the aptly named Island County. Whidbey has several access points, most of which involve catching a ferry from the mainland. Although my visits with COASSTers will span the length of the island (approx. 35 miles), I entered Whidbey on the south end (Clinton), riding the ferry from Mukilteo.

The trip was a short 15 minutes, but I couldn’t help but hop out of my car to take in the ocean views while on the vessel. After all, these waters annually play host to Grey and Orca whales during March and April and my mind was running with visions of pods of whales filling the lush Puget Sound. While daydreaming of these massive cetaceans, I was struck by the forcefulness of the wind that skirts the surface of these waters. A number of COASSters have warned me about the wind in the area, and as I watched the various gulls above fight the constant blistering force, I needed no further convincing. The barrage of air really doesn’t let up! And yet, I was surrounded by numerous bird species, many weighing less than a few pounds, soaring through this ceaseless force of nature with tenacity. For many of these birds, fifteen minutes is a cake walk. Take the Sooty Shearwater, a type of petrel found throughout the COASST monitoring range.  This bird is a marathon champion, traveling 40,000 miles across the ocean every year, from New Zealand, all the way up to the very islands I now visit. The Shearwater boasts one of the longest animal migrations ever monitored. It is no wonder the COASST volunteers I am now visiting with can’t help but marvel at the wonder of the avian world.

This National Geographic map shows the migration routes of 19 electronically tagged Sooty Shearwaters