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12/20/2024

12/20/2024

Have your own nestlings at home this winter break? Bundle up and head outdoors to explore your neighborhood through the eyes of wildlife!

Your family’s mission? Find food, water, and shelter for wildlife around your community. From fallen logs to animal tracks, there are signs of life all around you. Follow along with our winter habitat scavenger hunt (Link to PDF:https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/winter-scavenger-hunt-1-1.pdf )

For more family-friendly break activities, visit our Stewardship at Home page at https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/habitat-at-home/stewardship-at-home -activities

Photo by Rollin Geppert.

12/20/2024

He’s beauty, he’s grace. He’s Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year.

…wait. You said MOUSSE? Well, this is embarrassing.

Hue-based celebrity or not, we love Washington’s moose. Did you know the moose in Washington are called Shiras moose – one of several moose subspecies worldwide. Washington's moose are physically smaller than more northern-dwelling subspecies, but they’re still an impressive animal. Adults measure nearly six feet at the shoulder! A male moose, called a bull, can weigh between 850 and 1,100 pounds. Females, called cows, weigh between 600 and 800 pounds. An adult Shiras bull's antler spread can range from 35 to 45 inches.

Most moose in Washington reside in the Selkirk and Kettle mountains of Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, and Spokane counties, with smaller populations in the north Cascades, Okanogan, and Blue Mountains. WDFW biologists are currently studying Washington’s moose to update our estimate of the number of moose in the state and learn more about these awesome ungulates.



📸 Social media graphic featuring a photo of a bull moose in tall dry vegetation, overlaid with a paint swatch of Pantone 17-1230 TCX (called “Mocha Mousse”) and the WDFW logo. On the paint swatch, “Mousse” is crossed out in red, with “Moose” written in red next to it. Moose photo by Anthony Maestas.

12/20/2024

12/20/2024

12/19/2024

It’s that time of year when bird feeders are poppin’. 🔥

Feeding birds is fun! Bird feeding is also a responsibility. Maintaining seed feeders properly and putting them in the right locations will make your backyard bird watching experience positive for you and the wildlife.

Some top tips:

-Clean feeders regularly, about once every two weeks, and more frequently during periods of heavy use or wet weather.
-Use hulled seeds to prevent shell waste that can attract rodents and other unwanted visitors.
-If you are noticing sick birds at your feeders, or the feeder is attracting unwanted wildlife or pests, consider cleaning and removing your feeders for a couple of weeks to let some wildlife move on.
-Be aware that your birdfeeders can attract wild birds towards threats like outdoor cats and windows. Place your feeders in locations where they are less likely to encounter these risks.

For more best practices and tips for bird feeding, visit https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/habitat-at-home/songbird-habitats -feeder



📷 Goldfinches at a round, hanging seed feeder in a tree. Photo by Doug Kuehn.

12/19/2024

12/19/2024

First observed in the 1980s, the fad of orcas swimming around with dead salmon on their foreheads off Washington State seemed to have faded—until now.

12/18/2024

12/18/2024

Do you ever find yourself looking at your bird seed budget wondering where it all went wrong?

American martens are opportunistic predators. They'll eat anything from voles to red squirrels and snowshoe hares, but who can resist a feeder full of sunflower seeds on a cold winter day?

📷 Courtney Celley/USFWS

12/18/2024

12/18/2024

12/18/2024

12/18/2024

12/17/2024

“I have a 2 pm appointment for a manicure.” 💅

Bobcats have razor-sharp claws they rely on for climbing, hunting and defending themselves. Just like house cats use scratching posts, bobcats sharpen their claws on nearby trees—keeping those "murder mittens" in perfect shape!

Despite their compact size, bobcats are fierce and adaptable predators, thriving across North America. Their range spans from southern Canada to Mexico, and they call habitats like forests, scrublands, swamps and deserts home.

Photo at Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge by Larry Pace / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service