Within the boundaries of Earth Sanctuary lies a rich and unique habitat that provides refuge for a diverse community of animals. The Earth Sanctuary's three ponds, known locally as the "Newman Ponds," and their associated wetland buffers and occupy over 70% of Earth Sanctuary's land. They've been recognized for their importance as waterfowl habitat and designated as a "Habitat of Local Importance" by the Whidbey Audubon Society and the Island County Critical Areas Program.

On any given spring morning at Earth Sanctuary you may see the local pair of nesting osprey and their new fledglings, adolescent and mature bald eagle, a great horned owl, wood ducks, killdeer, tree and violet-green swallows, cinnamon teal and great blue heron, among others.

The forested areas of the Earth Sanctuary provide habitat resources for as many as 90 species of birds. The aquatic environment of the ponds provides a significant feeding ground for birds. And the ponds' protected shorelines, the bog island, as well as the many tree snags (dead and dying trees) provide wonderful nesting locations for birds. Most of these species are perching birds (known for their singing), woodpeckers, hummingbirds, owls, and hawks.

Many thanks to Yvonne Palka and Frances Wood who annually conduct a breeding bird survey for Earth Sanctuary using criteria established by the Audubon Society. Over 50 breeding birds were identified from May to July, including: Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl and Rufous Hummingbird.
See the 2003 breeding bird survey report »
See the 2004 breeding bird survey report »

The ponds, particularly the Middle pond, is extremely rich habitat for breeding ducks. 10 broods of ducks were observed: Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, and Cinnamon Teal. Yvonne reports, "At the high point of baby ducks in mid to late June there were approximately 35 baby ducks feeding and swimming on the central and west ponds. It looked and felt like a big playground for ducklings with attentive mamas swimming close by!"

Since early 2002, we have steadily been installing a multitude of bird nesting boxes, which are commonly known as bird houses. To date, we have had a successful breeding season which saw two-third's of our nesting boxes put to use by various types of birds.

There are about 45 species of mammals likely to inhabit Earth Sanctuary. Of these, bats, mountain beaver, muskrat, and river otter - those most dependent on the aquatic habitat - have recently been observed. Small mammals such as moles, shrews, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, rats, and voles constitute a large part of the prey base for carnivorous birds, mammals, and snakes.

The small freshwater ponds at Earth Sanctuary appear to contain two warm water non-native fish species, large-mouth bass and brown bullhead. Are there any experts on PNW fish who could consult with us on this project?.

Nine species of amphibians, seven of which require aquatic habitat for breeding, can be found at the Earth Sanctuary, including the roughskin newt, northwestern salamander, long-toed salamander, western toad, pacific tree frog, red-legged frog, and the non-native bullfrog. The large non-native bullfrog population dominates the amphibian population of the three ponds--and is known to eat small baby ducks.

Five species of reptiles and a variety of introduced turtle species inhabit Earth Sanctuary.

One of the primary goals of Earth Sanctuary is to provide conditions conducive to a diversity and abundance of animal life. Towards that goal, Earth Sanctuary is committed to specific forest management strategies that will enhance wildlife habitat, and in turn, the wildlife population.