Whidbey Island is a magical place. It’s located north of Seattle, Washington in Puget Sound. The island offers peaceful landscapes that include beaches, hills, farmland and forest. As a person explores the island they might hear gulls crying, harbor seals grunting, pileated woodpeckers drumming, bald eagles calling and cows mooing. There is also the very real possibility they will hear whistling. And not just tuneless whistling but actually something quite melodic. Because in addition to the more common Angus cattle seen grazing in roadside fields, Whidbey is home to a heritage breed of cattle known as the Whidbey Whistler.Native to and found only on Whidbey Island the Whistler (it’s local moniker), is a gentle breed. Their whistling capabilities range from simple tunes to elaborate melodies. Hattie, a lovely brown and white spotted Whistler owned by Farmer Finnegan in Coupeville, has quite a repertoire songs. All of them are show tunes from famous musicals. A visitor recently asked Farmer Finn how he liked his mellifluous bovine. He replied, “Oh, she’s a right good cow and gives me some lovely milk, but I am getting a bit tired of ‘The Surrey with the Fringe on Top’.”
