Kingfisher and Sandlance, turaco tail feathers, 15 x 12 inches
These four-inch skinny salt-water fish swim in abundance in Puget Sound. Bigger fish and kingfishers, gulls, puffins, cormorants, diving ducks, and grebes dine on them. To escape, they bury themselves under the sands. Sometimes, while walking during a low tide, I notice these little fish squirting from the sand in response to my heavy footsteps. Unlike the herring of the region, not a lot is known about them even though, like herring, they are a vital food for salmon and other creatures.