Diary of the Port Biologist

Nov 20 2020

Owl Aboard! Who-who on a choo-choo?

A few weeks ago, a great horned owl tried hoppin’ freight for its fall migration. He and I had to have a frank conversation about that’s not how bird migration works. Plus, he was wide-eyed to learn this particular train went east-west, not north-south. The owl would have been pretty disappointed to spend his winter in Chicago. Nonetheless, he was not amused that I derailed his plans.

Apr 22 2020

Earth Day 2020 - 50 Years of celebrating the planet

Earth Day is looking a bit different for its 50^th anniversary. Instead of canceling Earth Day festivities, the Port has taken the celebration virtual. Come take a (cyber) tour of the Port’s habitat program. See the sites, discover its critters, and learn about how the Port balances the intersection of nature and industry. See the full story map experience.

Jan 14 2020

They can’t all be happy endings

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) received a report of an injured bald eagle on Jan. 9 at the Port’s Gog-le-hi-te wetland complex at 1402 Lincoln Ave. in Tacoma but was unsuccessful in locating the bird.

Dec 31 2019

The Year in Review: Essentially a blog full of excuses for you

Well, 2019 came and went.
Looking back, I wonder how my time was spent,
Obviously not writing the diary of a port biologist —
Might have to change my title to professional apologist.
But it sure has been busy around here,
Turns out a lot happened this year.

Dec 21 2018

Team and habitat building go hand in hand

Nov 28 2018

Hey Wapato Creek, stop being such a ditch

Dear Wapato Creek,

We need to talk. I’ve been keeping something inside and I need to get it off my chest. You’re a ditch. You’ve been on the straight and narrow for far too long. Your 90-degree angles are upsetting. Whatever happened to your sinuosity? I understand how you’ve become this way. You’ve been confined to your constructed channel; you’ve been dumped on; you’ve been dumped in; you’ve been choked with noxious weeds… But this has to stop.

Oct 16 2018

Fish Fish Baby

(To the beat of Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby)

Alright stop
Collaborate and listen
This bio’s back with a brand-new edition
Salmon, are top of mind rightly
Keeping me up, daily and nightly
Will it ever stop?
Yo, I don’t know
We know we wanna help the orcas though
To the extreme, we do as much as we’re able
Working hard to keep those populations stable.

Oct 30 2017

Scare crow

Boo!

Just in time for Halloween, a shadowy visitor has been making an appearance in and around the Tacoma Tideflats. This ghostly specter has captured the attention of several coworkers and whispers of a flying apparition keep landing on my desk.

Jul 13 2017

Jenn’s List (Part 3)

Craigslist, Angie's List, Jenn's List!

Not to be outdone by the popular Craigslist and Angie's List, our Port Biologist created her own list—Jenn's List—of items found in the Tideflats. Just in time for vacation season, we have your getaway ready and waiting! Sort of.

Mar 02 2017

Just a Gull, Revisited

Gull release Feb. 14, 2017

I convinced myself that we were never going to know what happened, and I had to be OK with that. Sometimes knowing what it isn’t is as significant as knowing what it is. It’s not nearly as satisfying, but it can be just as important.

Community