The Eagle Outdoors, July 17, 2025

Summer is typically a 'down time' for much of the outdoors. Too early and not enough rain for mushrooms. A month away from the opening day of bear season; six weeks for archery deer. Summer steelhead are winding down, and it will be mid-August before the silvers start slipping by the North Jetty. But the garden's going gangbusters, and that keeps many outdoors people occupied as we wander our way toward the end of yet another month. Where's the time going?

With that all said, once I sat down and began putting together an outline for this week's column, I realized there's quite a bit going on in the outdoors right now.

Fireworks Round II

I had to chuckle when one of my firefighters pointed a finger at me and said "See! You write about being careful with fireworks prior to the Fourth of July, and THIS is what we get!" "This" being the Nassa Point Fire, which, for all intents and purposes, is complete. Still, we're going to have to stay sharp once the rains come and the hillside east of The Point gives serious thought to becoming part of State Route 4. Not saying it will happen, but there's an awfully good chance.

Anyway, and with Bald Eagle Days just a couple days away, it's a good time for another reminder about not setting the woods and fields on fire this weekend. I know in some instances it's asking a lot, but try and be smart out there should you find it absolutely necessary to practice pyromania. Keep those psychotic dogs like my Abigail in mind, and for the love of Pete, let's forget about making those TikTok videos of shooting Roman candles from a moving vehicle. It's obviously very dry out there, and it doesn't take much to get a fire started. And trust me, they can get really big really quick. So be smart. Be safe.

Water for wildlife

During these dry spells, give some thought to setting some water out for all the little critters. This heat stresses everything - not just us humans - and a bowl or two of water, changed frequently if not daily, sure can make life easier for the wild things. It doesn't take much. A bowl here or there, they'll find it. Trust me on that one. Julie and I have a concrete bird bath out front that's kept filled and visited by an amazing variety of birds like sparrows, juncos, jays, robins, and even hummingbirds throughout the course of the day and who knows what after nightfall.

Bats are good

Color me weird, but I'm fascinated by bats, even to the point of thinking a flying fox would make for a great companion animal, which it definitely would not, but it's the thought that counts. A couple of days back, Julie called me to the northeast side of the house. Clinging to the window screen was a bat. Technically, a little brown bat. Tiny little thing. Little face. Little ears. Thin wings. She was in the shade, and we left her be. Come dusk, she was gone, hopefully off eating her weight in mosquitoes.

Despite their reputation as "vampires," "blood-suckers," "hair entanglers," and "kidnappers of small children," bats are quite beneficial. Bugs? There's no better bug-getter than a colony of bats. They're amazing to watch and, should you ever have a chance to look at one up close, well, someone was having an awfully good day when He/She created bats.

Two things about bats, though. One, most species are having a hard time of it. Climate change, urbanization, habitat loss, wind turbines and, nationally, a contagious disease known as white-nose syndrome. Two would be rabies. According to the WDFW, only about one in 20,000 bats carries the rabies virus; however, rabies has been confirmed here in Wahkiakum County in recent years, so it's out there.

What's my point? Bats are wonderfully vital parts of our world, but a 'hands off' policy is an excellent idea. If you do encounter a bat, either in your home or outdoors, it's best to leave it be. If indoors, just open a door. It wants out much more badly than you want it out. If you must touch a bat, e.g. to remove a deceased animal, wear gloves, seal it up in a heavy freezer Ziplock bag, and contact the local Department of Health at 360-795-6207. It should go without saying not to seal up a live bat. After all, you're not Ozzy Osbourne.

Valley quail making his rounds

If you'll recall a couple of weeks back, I wrote of seeing a male California (Valley) quail in the driveway here in the Elochoman. Yesterday (July 13), a neighbor brought me a photograph of a male California quail he saw in his backyard. "Just the one," he told me. It didn't seem that skittish, but it scurried off before flying a short distance. No idea, we agreed, as to where the little guy came from, but I'll do a little asking, as I'm now curious how he might have gotten to our little part of the world.

Big game, fishing, game bird regulations out

For those interested, the hard copy versions of the 2025 Big Game and 2025-26 Fishing Regulations pamphlets are out and available. An electronic version of the Game Bird and Small Game Regulations can be found at wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/02626/wdfw02626.pdf, and a carry-with-you copy of the latter should be available in mid-August. There are some significant changes to the waterfowl hunting rules for 2025, but I'll cover those briefly just prior to the season opener in October.