The Hamster Wheel
Posts
🐹 Touring Trumpeters 🦢🦢

🐹 Touring Trumpeters 🦢🦢

January 06, 2025

Good morning, Bellingham. This is your Monday update from The Hamster Wheel.

I hear a huge collective sigh of relief from all the parents who just sent their kiddos back to school after the holidays. Solidarity. ✊ We get you! 😉

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Val & Evan

In today’s Hamster Wheel:

Trumpeter & Tundra Swans
Wild Whatcom Seeks Volunteers
Food & Drink
Music & Nightlife

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

Great Blue Heron - 📷 by Rich Marcus.

Barnacles & Friends - 📷 by Evan.

Early Morning Fog Over Sehome Hill - 📷 by Sylvia Bernstein.

Tag @bellinghamsterwheel on Instagram or reply to this email to get your photos in The Hamster Wheel.

Weather Forecast

Monday: 49°F 🌡️ 34°F | Fog then ☀️ Sunny | 🌧️ 0% | 💨 NNE 3 mph

Tuesday: 47°F 🌡️ 39°F | Fog then 🌧️ Light Rain | 🌧️ 30% | 💨 E 2 mph

Bellingham Bay Tides

Day	Time	H/L	FT
Mon	2:57 AM	L	1.69
Mon	9:55 AM	H	9.44
Mon	5:05 PM	L	2.50
Mon	10:33 PM	H	5.35
Tue	3:44 AM	L	3.32
Tue	10:24 AM	H	9.41
Tue	5:59 PM	L	1.17

Moon Phases

Weather & Tides from NOAA. Moon data astronomyapi.

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

North Puget Sound’s Avian Giants

It's so easy to miss the magic around you when you're caught up in the churn of daily life. Here in Whatcom and Skagit counties, part of that magic is a world-class opportunity for birding, and mid-winter is a great time for viewing Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) and their smaller cousin, the Tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus).

🦢 Trumpeter swans 👆️ are hard to miss. They are the heaviest native bird in North America, with males weighing up to 28 pounds and wingspans that reach 10 feet across. Look for a heavy black bill with black markings that extend to the eye.

🦢 Tundra swans 👇️ are smaller, with a max-wingspan of 7 feet, and a typical body weight of 16 pounds. The most distinctive feature of these birds is a yellow coloration at the eye or base of the bill.

Washington State Fish & Wildlife notes that “Approximately 20,000 trumpeter and tundra swans migrate between November and April. Nearly three-quarters of the trumpeter swans that migrate along the west coast's great Pacific Flyway will winter in Washington state, mainly in Whatcom and Skagit counties. More than 1,000 trumpeter and tundra swans overwinter in Whatcom County alone. ”

The USGS Alaska Science Center offers a wonderful collection of wildlife tracking resources, including this amazing depiction of the Tundra Swan migration over the course of a year. 👇️

We often enjoy seeing swans in north Whatcom County in the flooded fields north of Slater Road, and on drives through Skagit flats. For a unique experience, check out the Skagit Land Trust’s sunrise and sunset viewing expeditions at Barney Lake. “Trust staff and local birding experts will lead groups to viewing areas near the main part of the lake. There, as the sun’s first rays burn the mist off the water, guests will listen as a chorus of migrating waterfowl greet the day with squawks, honks, and general chatter.” There are still tickets available for the sunrise outing this Saturday!! 🌄 🦢

Wild Whatcom Seeks Volunteers

Our daughter Juniper has been participating in Wild Whatcom activities every year since the oh-so-smoky summer of 2017 when Holly Roger let an intrepid group of mask-clad kiddos to the Marine Park Beach each day. Every program has been a gem, and we’re so glad Bellingham has this wonderful organization.

With the start of the new year, Wild Whatcom has announced they are seeking volunteers to fill various roles, including field, advisory, and oversight positions. Learn about volunteering on their website and sign up before the Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, January 25th, 12:30 - 2:00 PM.

In other news…

💃 Registration closes today (Jan 6) for the first Scottish Country Dancing class of 2025.

“Scottish Country Dancing [..] has a long, interesting history and is one of the root influences for U.S. folk dancing. [..] enjoy moving to the music of jigs and reels and eventually the elegant strathspey.” Learn about the Bellingham Scottish Country Dancers group, or register today.

🏙️ The Bellingham City Council meets today (Jan 6) at 12:30 PM. You can review the agenda online. This public meeting is held in the Mayor’s Boardroom at City Hall or watch online.

⛵️ The Port of Bellingham Board of Commissioners meets tomorrow (Jan 7) at 4 PM. Attend in person at the Harbor Center or stream live on the port’s YouTube channel.

🎨 The Bellingham Arts Commission meets tomorrow (Jan 7) at 5 PM. Topics on the agenda for this meeting include the ”Lakeway Underpass Mural”, and the “Squalicum Creek Fish Passage and Roeder Lift Station Percent for Art Approach.” Attend this meeting in person at the Mayor’s Boardroom at City Hall or watch via Zoom.

Food & Drinks

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Monday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Outpost Eats @ Kulshan Brewery (James St.)
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)

Tuesday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
El Pollo Feo @ Kulshan Brewery (Roosevelt K2)
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Galley 2 Go @ Stones Throw Brewery
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Outpost Eats @ Kulshan Brewery (James St. K1)
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)
Tam Tam Pizza @ Fringe Brewing
The Galley @ Ponderosa Beer + Books

Mow the lawn? Nah.

Killer Condos & Apartments

3700 Alabama Street UNIT 104
We have friends who live in this complex, and it’s an excellent location. It’s located right next to the north Whatcom entrance to the Whatcom Creek trail system, is surrounded by open spaces, and you get access to the private Lake Whatcom beach across from Bloedel Donovan! Listing.

1014 11th Street UNIT 102
This unit is in one of the last complexes just before you drive into the Fairhaven shopping district. It’s a best-of-both-worlds situation with, commerce a few blocks south and trails a block west. The price seems pretty reasonable as far as Bham prices go. 🤷‍♂️ Listing.

Performance Arts This Week

Dance of The Hamsters

LIVE THEATRE & EVENT

The Brothers’ Grimm Spectaculathon:
Blaine High School Theater ($10 Donation at the door) | Thurs, Fri, Sat 7 PM

Hot Box:
iDiOM Theater | Fri, Sat 7:30 PM

PARTICIPATORY DANCE

Salsa : The Salsa Collective @ The Majestic Ballroom | Sun 5:30 PM Details.
Salsa : Salsa & Bachata Dance Club @ WWU Viking Union | Mon 7 PM.
Swing : B’ham Hop @ Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom | Tues 7 PM Details.
Scottish Country : Scottish Dancing Workshops @ Fairhaven Library | Wed 7 PM
Tango : Tango Practica @ The Majestic Ballroom | Wed 6:30 PM.
Line Dancing : MoonShine @ Bar Two Eleven | Fri 7:30 PM
Senior : Belly Dance, Bollywood, and Jazz @ Bellingham Senior Activity Center | Sat 10:30 AM
Cuban Salsa : Beginning Cuban Salsa @ Rumba Northwest | Tues 6 PM
Cuban Salsa : Intermediate Cuban Salsa @ Rumba Northwest | Tues 7:15 PM
Bachata : Bham Bachata @ ‘ONO Kitchen & Bar | Thurs 7:30 PM
Contra : Jolly Pollywogs + John Hatten @ Fairhaven Library | Sat 7 PM

Help Spread The Word

Refer three Bellingham friends to join our newsletter community, and we’ll include a birthday callout to one person you specify on their B’day 🎂. Get your referral link here. Your current referral count is: 0. You’re so close!.

Music & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

Monday Games & Trivia
Trivia Night @ Ono Kitchen & Bar | 7 PM
Trivia Night @ Paws for a Beer | 6:15 PM
Trivia Night @ Zeeks Pizza & Fountain Brewing | 6 PM

Hakuna matata

To All Our Readers

Thanks for reading today’s edition. If you found something helpful, please share it with a friend 🙏, and tell them to follow this 👉️ link to sign up.

You can reply to this email if you have something we should know about or want to send us a love note.

Have a great Monday!!