Some of you may remember hearing about a pipeline leak and subsequent fire here in Bellingham, June 10, 1999.
A pipeline was damaged and leaked gasoline into Whatcom Creek.
The creek ignited and lives were lost, a forest ecosystem was severely damaged and is still scarred.
Here are links to stories and photos about the event ….
Whatcom Creek Explodes Into Flames
Stories and Photos of Whatcom Creek on Fire
This Osprey nest is located in a large Douglas Fir tree in the Whatcom Creek corridor of Bellingham, Washington. It is a rich and gorgeous forest environment near Lake Whatcom. Whatcom Creek runs from Lake Whatcom, past the Scudder Pond area, through our very special Whatcom Falls Park, through downtown and into Bellingham Bay. When I was younger, I used to swim in this creek. The creek, in the nest area, is at the bottom of a small gorge. Many huge, ancient Douglas Fir and Cedar trees were burned. In the last ten years, many of these trees have had their tops blown off. The dead trees are a wonderful environment for many birds. This pair has nested here at least three years. In 2010 two young Ospreys successfully fledged. Over the winter, their nest was blown off the top of the snag. The birds returned in the spring of 2011. They worked on the new nest for a while, but their work was destroyed again, this time in a spring wind storm. When I started watching them on 4-20-11, they were working hard on their second attempt at a new nest.
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