The daily Astorian., December 17, 2015, Image 29

Dusu Mali Band brings West African song,
dance to Fort George Brewery on Sunday
Wildlife viewing opportunities abound
ASTORIA — Fort George
Brewery welcomes the West
African music of Dusu Mali
Band, performing at 8 p.m. Sun-
day, Dec. 20. All ages are wel-
come, and there is no cover for
the performance. Fort George is
located at 1483 Duane St.
“Dusu” means “gentle
heart.” The band plays original
music; most songs are written
by Timbuktu-born band mem-
ber Ibrahim Kelly and devel-
oped as a group. Others are
based on traditional song and
dance from various regions of
Mali and West Africa. The mu-
sic is a universal medium to be
embraced and enjoyed across
all cultures of the world.
Formed in 2010, the band
traveled to Mali, West Afri-
LONG BEACH PENINSULA, Wash.
— Annual migrations as well
as seasonal changes bring
wildlife viewing opportuni-
ties to Washington’s Long
Beach Peninsula from De-
cember 2015 through April
2016. Wildlife enthusiasts can
spend a day or more spotting
numerous bird and mammal
species including gray whales,
trumpeter swans and peregrine
falcons.
“This is a great time to
view wildlife on the Long
Beach Peninsula,” said Andi
Day, executive director of the
Long Beach Peninsula Visi-
tors Bureau. “Opportunities
to see less common species
from easily accessible viewing
sights make the region ideal,
particularly on clear weather
days.”
Migrating gray whales
heading south can be seen
from vantage points such as
the Lewis & Clark Interpretive
Center at Cape Disappoint-
ment State Park in Ilwaco
from mid through the end of
December. In March, return-
ing gray whales can be spot-
ted more easily as they tend
to stay closer to the shoreline
with newborn calves.
The acrobatic humpback
whale is making a comeback
in the region. Several were
seen feeding in the Columbia
River near the Washington
side of the Astoria-Megler
Bridge in the fall of this year.
Cetacean lovers anticipate
their return during their north-
ward migration in the spring.
“A great deal of migrating
waterfowl including mallards,
pintails, American widgeon,
green-winged teal, Canadian
geese and shorebirds, sand-
pipers, dunlins, godwits and
more are using the estuaries
of Willapa Bay, Port of Ilwaco
and the Columbia River right
now,” says Jackie Ferrier from
Willapa National Wildlife
Refuge. “Quite a few raptors,
bald eagles, peregrine falcons,
northern harriers are present as
well.”
Submitted photo
Dusu Mali Band performs at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20 at Fort George Brewery.
ca in January of 2012 for an
epic, life-changing trip. They
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spent the month of January
traveling far across Mali to a
number of spots including Se-
vare, Mopti, Dogon Country,
and even to one of the most
remote music festivals in the
world, Le Festival au Desert,
in Timbuktu. They carried
guitars and drums and played
music everywhere they could.
They met a lot of people, saw
a lot of amazing things, con-
nected with friends, and were
served a heaping dose of life’s
lessons.
Dusu Mali Band has per-
formed at many festivals and
venues on the West Coast,
including the Joshua Tree Mu-
sic Festival, Breitenbush Hot
Springs, the Alladin Theater,
Mississippi Studios, and Rose-
land Theater. Dusu has also
opened for successful Malian
artists such as Tinariwen and
Vieux Farka Toure.
102.3 fm
the Classic Rock Station
20 | December 17, 2015 | coastweekend.com
Gray whales, snowy owls and swans among the mix
to see this winter, spring on the Long Beach Peninsula
Submitted photo by Jonathan Bates
Snowy owls have made a showing for the last couple of years. notforsale
According to Ferrier, win-
ter is a good time to visit snowy
plover habitat at Leadbetter
Point and beaches to the south,
as the birds are more mobile in
the winter. From March 15 to
Sept. 30, the beach in the ref-
uge and state park is closed to
public access to protect snowy
plovers during nesting while
vulnerable chicks are running
around.
Trumpeter swans are pre-
dicted to make their annual
return to Black and Loomis
lakes in late December. Snowy
owls have made a showing for
the last couple of years and a
return is hoped for this year as
well.
For excellent wildlife
watching opportunities, nature
and bird observer Suzy Whit-
tey recommends Hines Marsh,
accessed by the Martha Jordan
Birding Trail.
“Hines Marsh is a unique,
natural treasure,” says Whit-
tey. “The area is an important
biological interdunal ‘island’
for wildlife and birds between
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Ocean.”
Whittey adds that Hines
Marsh is thought to be the
largest interdunal, freshwater
wetland remaining in North
America. It provides important
habitat for the trumpeter swan
as well as over 100 species
of birds including songbirds,
raptors and waterfowl. Many
mammals like otter, deer, elk
and black bear also live in the
area.
“The best times to bird the
area is between September and
April, or when the mosquitoes
hatch,” adds Whittey.
The Martha Jordan Bird-
ing Trail parking lot, located
2.7 miles north of Oysterville
Road on Stackpole Road on
the northern tip of Washing-
ton’s Long Beach Peninsula,
affords access to the marsh.
After crossing the short board-
walk from the parking lot, the
marsh is reached by walking
DERXWKDOIDPLOHRQDÀDWWZR
track gravel road. Beyond the
marsh is private property.
Interested birders are invit-
ed to join in Audubon’s Lead-
better Christmas Bird Count
on Dec. 19 by emailing Whit-
tey at suzy@reachone.com
with “Leadbetter CBC” in
the subject line. The Leadbet-
ter Count Circle includes the
Long Beach Peninsula from
N. 185th St., Willapa Bay and
the east side of the bay to Bay
Center.
With
several
distinct
eco-systems in a span of 28
miles, the Long Beach Penin-
sula boasts over 300 species
RI ELUGV DQG LQFOXGHV 3DFL¿F
Ocean seashore and marsh-
land, lake, inland waterway,
wetland, Columbia River and
Willapa Bay habitat. For up-
dates on winter birding, visit
www.facebook.com/willapa-
NWRcomplex