Seattle's Thornton Creek: Green Herons, Ducks, and Beavers

In the heart of north-east Seattle, there is a wonderful wildlife refuge called Meadowbrook Pond.  Meadowbrook is part of Thornton Creek, a system with many tributaries that drains Seattle.  Meadowbrook is really a city operated, overflow detention pond ... but the city made it so much more, as you will see in the photos that follow.

Meadowbrook Pond

A board-walk causeway crosses the water.  This is a perfect viewing platform.

I walk to this pond regularly when I am visiting family in Seattle.  This time, I was lucky enough to see a Green Heron.

This heron was resting and preening.  It spent much of its time on one leg.

Green Heron Preening

Fluffing and Smoothing Feathers with Beak

The heron was aware of my presence, but not alarmed.

The Bufflehead is a much more wary bird, keeping its distance from humans.  It is a diving duck.  I watched this particular male for nearly an hour.  He must have spent 40 minutes of that hour under water.  He was actively searching for small prey. 

Bufflehead Duck Diving

A rare moment of rest for this particular duck.  Notice the large white patch on the head and the bluish beak.

The white head marking is also easy to see from behind the duck.

Another duck I saw at the pond was the Green-Winged Teal.  There was a male-female couple in among a flock of Mallard Ducks.  They are nearly half the size of the Mallards.  The male has this distinctive green band on his head.  The female looks very much like the female mallards, except she is much more diminuitive.  She does not, however, have a diminuitive voice.  The male got separated from the female and she began loud calls.  These were not quacks.  They sounded more like cries.

The Mallards seem to have no fear of humans.  A nearby elementary school regularly takes their students to the pond for walking field trips.  The ducks do not even back away.  People feed them.

Male Mallard Preening

Female Mallard Preening

Double-Crested Cormorants also frequent Thornton Creek and Meadowbrook.

Double-Crested Cormorant Drying Wings

Double-Crested Cormorant

The first time I came to Meadowbrook, I saw beavers and an active beaver den.  This time, I did not see the beavers, but I saw evidence of their work.  These gnawed trees were at a school near the pond.  Thornton Creek runs through the school grounds.

Evidence of Beavers

Redwood Trees (Note the fences around the trees.  Those are protection against beavers.)

Great-Blue Heron at the far side of the pond.

I hope that other townships can learn from the example of Thornton Creek.  Wildlife can be fostered, even in the heart of a city.