Tag Archives: animals

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: A crow, a whale, and Kimball’s open house

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A few quick notes from the Beacon Hill Blog mailbag:

Neighbor Anne wanted to let us know that the Kimball Elementary School Open House is tonight, January 30, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Kimball school library at 3200 23rd Ave. S.

School tours for incoming kindergarteners and their families are on February 5 and 13 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Call 252-7280 to reserve a spot on the tour.

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Crow photo by Chris Gladis via Creative Commons/Flickr.
First we had a lost parakeet, and now there’s a crow who needs help. Neighbor Wendy writes:

“There is a crow that has a badly broken leg. I first saw it last October when I moved to Beacon Hill, then recently saw it and its partner near my house south of the golf course. I called PAWS Wildlife Center and they do not have the resources to catch the crow, however, they will treat it if the crow is brought to its Wildlife Center. The crow still flies. I’ve been leaving peanuts near my front yard and this crow and its mate have been eating the nuts. I saw both this past Sunday. Anyone with expertise in catching birds? It hurts to see this poor crow.”

Any advice for Wendy?

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A missive from ROCKiT Community Arts arrived with news about the Beacon Whale, who was sighted all over the Hill last summer after a storm drove him from his Garden House perch:

“News Flash! The Beacon Whale has been captured! Come join us for his
miraculous, historic restoration to his natural habitat rooftop of the Garden House on Beacon Hill on Sunday, February 3 at 11:00 a.m. We will be serving a fantastic brunch and celebrating his return. Don’t miss the fun!”

See the story of the whale here. The Garden House is located at 2336 15th Ave. S.

Life on the Hill

Blue pheasant visits Beacon Hill

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Photo of a blue pheasant by Bob Mac Innes via Flickr/Creative Commons.
Neighbor Beth reported a found bird to the Beacon Hill mailing list yesterday. The bird turned out to be a male blue pheasant, but unfortunately, went away before Beth could return with chicken feed for it. Have you seen a blue pheasant like the one pictured here around North Beacon lately?

Health and Safety, Life on the Hill

Coyotes seen in the neighborhood

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Neighbor Vinna wrote with a warning:

“On Tuesday, Nov 20th around 1:30 a.m. I was driving home and on the corner of College and 21st Ave South I believe I saw a coyote. It was dark and I was able to take a picture. The next day I learned that my neighbor of four cats was missing one and found another half eaten.

“I want my fellow neighbors to be aware and thought this might be the best way in case others had pets that may be outside.”

Coyote sightings were also the subject of some discussion on the Beacon Hill mailing list this week, where neighbor Waldene wrote:

Around 9:30 pm Monday evening a coyote was on the SE corner of 12th and I believe Lee Street right across from PacMed. He acted like a scared, lost dog. I didn’t know what to do so I pulled up next to him/her and blew my horn. I was hoping to scare it back into Lewis Park but instead it ran across 12th. It looked confused.

Coyote sightings aren’t unusual on Beacon Hill. We also see raccoons and possums visiting our yards sometimes. Please keep your pets safe.

Photo by Vinna Nanola.
Lost and Found

Cops got your goat? Maybe.

Photo courtesy of Seattle Animal Shelter.

Jonah Spangenthal-Lee at the SPD Blotter reports that a South Precinct police officer found a lost animal while patrolling in Rainier View (not Beacon Hill) Sunday morning. But this wasn’t the usual lost cat or dog — it was either a goat, or a big-horned sheep. (According to the Seattle Times, there is some uncertainty about the animal’s species at this point.) A full-sized male animal of about 60 pounds, the beast was just wandering down the street near Beacon Avenue South and South Leo Street.

Police have turned the beast over to the Seattle Animal Shelter. If you know where he came from, you may want to call the Shelter to let them know: 206-386-7387.

(Editor’s note: The SPD Blotter reported this story as being on Beacon Hill. An earlier version of the story here at the BHB said it was Beacon Hill as well, but apparently South Leo Street crosses Beacon Avenue in that far southeast part of Beacon Avenue that is not actually on Beacon Hill. The story’s not actually on the Hill, but… how often do we get to run stories about roaming ruminants?)

BH in the News

Pit bulls attack 3-year-old girl, 74-year-old woman

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by KOMO Staff
(Beacon Hill Blog news partners)

Roving pit bulls attacked two people outside a Mid-Beacon Hill church Thursday night, biting a 3-year-old girl on the face and knocking down a 74-year-old woman, police said.

Officers responded to the scene, in the 5500 block of 17th Avenue South, at about 8:30 p.m. after receiving a report of a little girl attacked by a dog, said Detective Jeff Kappel of the Seattle police.

A preliminary investigation found that the little girl had just left church with her sister and mother and were walking to their car when they were approached by two pit bulls running loose.

As the mom tried to get her daughters away from the dogs and into their car, one of the dogs jumped up and bit the 3-year-old girl on the face.

A few minutes later, both dogs knocked down a 74-year-old woman. She hit her head on the pavement and also injured her hand as she was knocked to the ground.

Medics responded to the scene and transported both victims to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The dogs were gone when officers arrived on scene. Police searched the area, but the dogs could not be found and remain at large.

Both dogs were described as full-size pit bulls, Kappel said. One had a white body with black patches on its face and was wearing a collar. The other was all black with a couple of white patches on its face and wearing a blue collar.

It has not yet been determined who owns the dogs.

Animal Control is investigating the attack and is hoping to locate the dogs’ owner. Anyone with information or who spots the dogs is encouraged to call Animal Control at 206-386-3787, and press 7.

Life on the Hill

Owl on the prowl?

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Have you seen one of these around Beacon Hill lately? Photo by mybulldog via Creative Commons/Flickr.
Neighbor Paul Zilly writes:

My brother and I were taking our morning run a couple of weeks ago, and my hat was snatched off of the top of my head mid-stride by what I believe to be a great horned owl! The incident took place at 6:30 AM on Cheasty Blvd .S. at the southeast end of the golf course. Neither of us saw the perpetrator at the time—we just heard a faint swooping sound behind us. I felt something glance off of the side of my head, and my hat was gone. We initially thought it was a crow since we had seen a family of crows at that same spot a couple of days before. But yesterday, we saw the marauder close up. It was huge—a beautiful owl, two-feet tall. It had just flown into a tree directly behind us, perhaps ready to strike again? I’m wondering if anyone else in the neighborhood has had a similarly eerie and quite wonderful experience.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: bravado, acrobatics, and coyotes

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Coyotes have been seen in many parts of Seattle, including North Beacon Hill. Photo by emdot.
Coyotes have been seen in many parts of Seattle, including North Beacon Hill. Photo by emdot.
  • “Health-department rules are critical for people who don’t know what the f— they’re doing. We’re chefs,” is the telling quote from Gabriel Claycamp in Jonah Spangenthal-Lee’s take on the Culinary Communion/Swinery/Lunch Counter tale. We just want to know if something else will be moving into that building on Beacon Avenue — The Stranger
  • The folks at the School of Acrobatics & New Circus Arts just down the hill in Georgetown will be holding their Annual Spring Showcase on Saturday, May 9, at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center. They tell us the show will feature “Two unique, circus-variety shows featuring the spectacular SANCA Youth Company, the amazing Circus 1-ders, incredible SANCA instructors and fabulous friends of SANCA!” See their website for further info.
  • That same day from 9:00am – 2:00pm, Rainier Valley Cooperative Preschool is hosting a fundraising rummage sale at 3818 S Angeline Street in Columbia City. See this and other upcoming events on our events page.
  • David Gackenbach reported on the Beacon Hill Mailing List this weekend that a trio of coyotes were “loping down the sidewalk” at 18th and Plum on Saturday night. Keep an eye on your pets and keep them safe.
Lost and Found

Lost a cockatiel?

This lost cockatiel was found near the Amazon.com building on Saturday. Is it yours?
This lost cockatiel was found near the Amazon.com building on Saturday. Is it yours?
Jeffrey Cornish writes:

“At approximately 1500 hrs on Saturday, I (Jeffrey D. Cornish) while on patrol around the Amazon.com building observed a yellow cockatiel on the sidewalk beside one of the concrete columns on 12th Ave in front of Quarters #10 at the intersection of 12th Ave and Judkins. I called Animal Control and Officer Matthew Belue responded and picked up the bird.

“If you need the incident # or the report you can call Wright Runstad & Company Security and we can furnish this information. The bird was transported to the animal shelter at approximately 1525.”

You can reach Wright Runstad & Company Security at 206-255-3974.