Lynn Newcomb

I live on acreage just on the outskirts of Lake Stevens in unincorporated Snohomish County. I have dedicated part of the land, which is a nice wetland, to protected birds and ducks.

Not long ago, my neighbor told me that they had spotted a bird that is in the immediate risk category called an American Bittern. They were shocked to see this species in our area, let alone happily strolling along the shore of the pond eating what appeared to be frogs. Since we have literally thousands of frogs in the wetlands it seems that this bird had found a great place for a meal.

I love watching all of the varieties of birds and ducks that live on and around this wetland. You don’t have to travel far to find an amazing variety of birds. Start in your own backyard. Sunflower seed tubes attract Nuthatches, Pine Siskins and Chickadees. Hopper feeders will attract Purple Finches, Sparrows, Grosbeaks and Crossbills. I love putting out several Thistle tubes around my property because they attract one of my favorites, Finches. I have red and yellow finches fighting for the dominant position on the tube. Woodpeckers can be annoying when they peck on your roof or gutter but I love the Pileated Woodpecker. They love suet cakes. The Red Winged Blackbird, Wrens, Jays and Warblers also love suet.

To bird watch beyond the backyard, check out this great Snohomish spot – Spencer Island. Spencer Island is a 412 acre wetland in the Snohomish river estuary in Everett. Don’t forget your binoculars and bird guide as there are numerous varieties to spot.

A bit further north in Skagit County is an area called Skagit Flats. Thousands of Snow Geese arrive each year from Siberia to feed and rest for the winter. They usually arrive in October and stay until sometime in April.

Bird watching has been reported to be one of the fastest growing outdoor activity in the country so give it a try. It makes a great family outing.

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE HOME STAR PROGRAM?

It's being incorporated into the Job's Bill as a climate component. In a nutshell the proposed program is a program to make american homes more efficient through auditing and retrofitting them to be more efficient. HOMESTAR Gold level has provisions in it which give homeowners cash incentives to make changes. The home performance industry is doing its best to see that this legislation is passed. They are also trying to reframe the unfortunate phrase “cash for caulkers”. This legislation goes well beyond caulk and would give property owners rebates and other incentives to weatherize their homes and make other improvements to cut their energy use.

Please look at more details on the Home Star Coalition website. This is great information to share with your clients and others.

Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don't have a pet, please pass this to those who do.


Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next day, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk .. Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.

Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's, and they claim that 'It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it.'

This Snopes site gives the following information:http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/cocoamulch.asp

Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called ' Theobromine'. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.