Camano Island hopping

Spent a very relaxing day on Camano Island today.  Like Whidbey Island, it's connected to land by a short bridge.  There are so many parks within an hour or two from my home, and Camano Island State Park is no exception.  After consuming my picnic lunch at the quieter North Beach area, I drove to the south end of the park to start my hike.  The smell of the sea was strong as I snapped a few photos from the beach.  Then, I took the Marsh Trail up to the main Loop Trail. 

 

At one point I went off the loop trail to walk the short Al Emerson Nature Trail, then rejoined the loop to return back to the parking lot.  As I was walking along, I heard a crashing in the brush and saw a doe and her fawn climbing up the embankment in front of me.  I took a photo of the doe as she stepped up on the trail.

After she was joined by her fawn, the two deer slowly walked along the trail in the direction I was going.  I slowly followed them, not wanting to scare the deer, but hoping to get some more pics.  Then, I heard the sound of approaching voices ahead...children!  Uh, oh!  The deer started walking back toward me to get away from the newcomers.  But, when they saw me, they stopped.  Hemmed in by the railing on one side and a wall of salal on the other, they were momentarily trapped.  I stood still and tried not to appear threatening,  After a brief hesitation, the fawn bounded past me, with the doe running in her wake.  From around the corner came a man with two small boys and an older gentleman...probably Grandpa.  They felt a little bad that the deer got spooked, but it couldn't be helped.  When I reached the Marsh trail again, I noticed a large patch of snowberry, and tried out my camera's macro mode.

After finishing my hike, I still had some time in the day, so I drove to the northern end of Camano Island to check out English Boom Historical Park. This park features tide flats and salt marshes, with a nice trail running through it.  While ambling down the trail, there were grasshoppers all over the place...a LOT of grasshoppers.

 

In one particularly sandy portion of the trail, I heard buzzing all around.  Then, I noticed black and white insects flying low to the ground, and going in and out of small holes in the sand.

I took some photos of the insects, and after I got home, I looked them up.  Turns out they were Bembicini or sand wasps.  They are actually predatory wasps that prey on other insects, particularly flies.  The wasps lay eggs in the burrows, and catch flies which are then buried with the eggs to become food for the young when they hatch.  I think the wasps are rather cool looking...dig the bright green eyes!

I need to catch up on some more of my park and hiking adventures, so I'll be posting more soon.  And, there was my big night at the Fitz and the Tantrums concert a couple of weeks ago.  Stay tuned...