Week 7: Fungus and more Birds

5/19 4pm. Weather: sunny with clouds. 63 degrees.

White hymenium is distinctive of the Artist's Bracket. It's not yet sporing.

This week we studied fungus in class so I’m supposed to look for fungus around UBNA. After looking around much of the park, I was only able to find one growth of fungus, which I identified as an Artist’s Bracket, Ganoderma applanatum. The  Bracket was on the east side of the park about 60ft south of the main trail in a wooded area. I three growths of it on a fallen log. At first it looked kind of foreign and ominous, but I quickly identified it because of the it’s unique shape and size. The one I found was roughly 20in wide. The white hymenium made the identification that much easier as well. After spending a few moments identifying the fungus, I’d developed slightly more appreciation for it, partially because of the layers it appeared to have, and partially because it was the only fungus I was able to find.

It hasn’t rained much over the past week and it’s starting to show. Although it drizzled a little on Saturday, and there was that crazy storm on Monday, the water in the ponds is lower. Some of the streams that the ponds into the lake are dry. When I went to the shoreline behind my spot to look for ducks, I noticed this green scum in the water. I think this might be caused by the landfill that UBNA is built over, but I imagine the lack of rain doesn’t help keep the water fresh. 

As I’ve mentioned previously the grass has grown considerably. I passed by the spot that we all practiced sketching in UBNA this week. The photo doesn’t really do it justice, but if we were to return to the same spot and sit in a circle, the grass would easily exceed our heads.

yuk... That doesn't look good for anyone

For the rest of my time in UBNA this week, I observed birds. From my spot, I saw the same Red Winged Blackbird that I’d mentioned in previous weeks that has a territory is the tree and cattails in front of me. I also noticed two Great Blue Herons that flew over Lake Washington towards a likely nest east of my spot. I saw a Song Sparrow close to the entrance of the park. I wasn’t able to identify it at the time because it was so far away, but I took a short video of it so I could match the call later. WARNING, the video is very quiet, so adjust volume accordingly before/after listing to it. Finally I watched these three Tree Swallows flying together very harmoniously. I noticed a lot of Nat swarms around the park, so they could’ve been hunting but it almost looked like they were playing. They were flying very fast so I couldn’t take a picture but I tried to sketch their shape. I’m not positive about the idea, but they were great flyers with dark backs and white chests, which fits the Tree Swallow description pretty well.

Supposed to be a Tree swallow in flight.

Well, that’s all for now. Til next time. 

Week 6: Sketches and Photos

Got a good picture of a Mallard tucking its bill into it's wing by the lake [WA] shore.

Nootka Roses are now in bloom at UNBA.

Fig. 1 A diagram of the Red-Winged Blackbird's territory. The RWBb flew back and forth three times while I was observing it.

Fig. 2 Three different birds I observed. Couldn't I identify the one in the left corner. The right corner is a Savannah Sparrow. The bottom is a diagram of a American Robin.

Fig. 3 The bird that supported itself on the cattail. (photo uploaded sideways)

Week 6, i think..: Birds

Date: 5/12/13, Sunday 

Time: 1PM.

Weather: Overcast

Temperature: 66F

It seems like most of the grass has grown since last week. Some of the grass is as tall as my shoulders (5ft). This week I’m supposed to observe birds. Here are some of the song/calls I can hear from my spot.

Song/Call	Likely Species	Relative Location
Zit zit zit zeee zaaay	Savannah Sparrow	Directly north (behind me) In Pacific Willow
Conk-a-ree, check check check	Red Winged Blackbird	Due south of the bench in the cattails and tree.
Jeer (descending)	House Finch	50(ish)yards to the west of me.

There’s this Red-Winged Blackbird, Ageluis phoenicues, that has a territory in this tree in the front of my spot. I haven’t properly identified the tree yet, He’s currently perched close to the center of the tree, possible for protection (see diagram). He occasionally let’s out his familiar song: “Conk-a-treee!” But he makes a lot of calls between his songs: “Check, chech, check!” I’ve noticed him leave his tree to fly to the cattails due east and the grassy area below, possibly for food our to establish his territory.

Diagram of the RWBb’s Territory fig.1

Then I did some sketching of birds. In the left corner, I believe I saw a bird?In the right corner I believe I saw a the Savannah Sparrow I mentioned earlier; picking at its’ wing. On the Bottom is a diagram of a American Robin’s flight style. fig.2

Next I accounted for this bird I took to be a House Finch

This bird has a red chest. like a robin but smaller. There are two now, probably a male and female on the same branch, singing in harmony. It looked like the red one (male) was sticking it’s beak into the females mouth.

As I was walking along the path I noticed this small (4in) bird with brown stripes. It would jog along the path in front of me then fly a further distance ahead if I got too close. This went on for about 20 yards. 

As I walked to a different southwest side of UBNA I heard all of these bird calls from the cattails. I could tell where the nest was from the commotion but could not see it. Then I saw this little guy holding himself to the side of a cattail. fig.3

On my way out of the park, heading towards the soccer field, I saw a Yellow Warbler. I suspected it to be the same Warbler I saw in a location nearby on Tuesday with the class, but I could be wrong. I was kind of a muggy day. I thought I saw a turtle in one of the ponds today but the splash could have been from a duck.

Week 5: Invertebrates

I decided to try something a little different this week and upload my journal directly. I tried to put a little more effort into the layout and the legibility of my handwriting. Enjoy the old-school!

Week 4: Olympic Peninsula, Day 2

4/28. Overcast with light showers. 47 degrees.

The second day started very early for my standards. After a night of light sleep, I woke up around 6:30 and proceeded to wander down to Lake Crescent before breakfast. I took a moment to stand on the shore, take in the tranquility, and reflect on the activities of the past day. The Mule Deer were taking advantage of the quite to graze on the lawn of Naturebridge. The pines and leaves of the Douglas Firs, Madrones, and Western Hemlocks were rustling in the wind behind me. It was very peaceful, I was reminded that I have a lot to be grateful for.

After breakfast, I took advantage of the hour of free time to hike to Merymere Falls with some classmates. We were in a hurry so we didn’t spend too much time identifying species, but I noticed a grove of Devil’s Clubs by the Barnes Creek. After taking a moment at the falls and a moment watching a woodpecker on Cedar, we returned to Naturebridge.

We left Naturebridge for the inner tidal zone of the Straight of Juan de Fuca at Salt Creek Recreation area. I know less about tidal zones but thanks to the guest lecture by Bob Paine, I had a better idea of what to expect. The tidal zone was an ecosystem with a different kind of complexity based on the elements like: 1) competition, 2) predation, 3)symbiosis, and 4) disturbance. The tide was especially low at the point cause of the full moon and there were lots of other beach walkers out for the weekend. On our way down to the pools, we noticed two Bald Eagles which was a treat. Once at the pools the first element I noticed was competition. The were California Mussels, Blue Mussels, Pacific Goose Barnacles and Dall’s Acorn Barnacles all competing for rock space. Usually a population would dominate an area of rock, but were two populations met the was a mix competing for space. Covering the other areas of rock was a mixture of Winged Kelp, Bull Kelp, and Pacific Rockweed to name a few types of algae. Needless to say, this abundance of life made it difficult to walk across the uneven rock and boulders. If you turned over almost any large rock, you could see Purple Shore Crabs and tiny Hermit Crabs scampering away. I noticed a few Lined Chiton on some of the rocks sucking the algae off. Of course, a lot of the disturbance in this environment comes from the tides and force of the ocean bearing down on the shore. Besides the birds, I the only signs of predation I saw came was from the starfish. I saw three different kinds of starfish, a tiny variety (less than 2in across), the Sunflower Star, and some Ochre Sea Star. Robbie, Claire and I found an Ochre eating a mussel for lunch, which reminded us it was about time to eat lunch ourselves. 

We manage to fit almost the entire class on one rock for lunch, maybe we learned from the tidal zone about sharing a small area of space. Just before leaving for the Elwha, the sun came out and we almost saw a whale, which might’ve been worth it for the laughs. I was particularly excited to see the Elwha in person because it was one of the locations I went the last time I was on the peninsula. Once we got to the river, we hiked a short distance for a good viewing point. Part of the problem with the dam removal was it unleashed an extremely, unnaturally large sediment load that had accumulated in the dammed lake. The sediment had washed down the Elwha making it impossible for Salmon to swim upstream to lay eggs (salmon need a specific  rock size, larger than sand). Ideally though, by the end of the decade, most of the sediment will have washed out to the Straight of Juan de Fuca and the salmon populations can return in greater numbers, given the longer river. The land once under-lake water is already starting to revegetate, the grasses have already come in, I suspect the Alders will be next. It’ll be interesting to track how the forest changes with the addition nutrients that the salmon will provide it.

After leaving the Elwha, we made one more stop on Hurricane Ridge before heading to the ferry. Unfortunately, there was weather so we didn’t have any panoramic views, but we had a chance to see an old-growth forest existing at a higher elevation on a steep slope. The forest didn’t appear as old because the soil wasn’t as nutritious with an underlying layer of basalt and the slope didn’t help development. After looking for some Silver Firs, we headed out for the Kingston ferry, ha. I had a great time on this Week 4 Field Trip. I know I always appreciate nature after spending some time out in it, though, a healthy balance of indoor time doesn’t hurt. This trip was a breath of fresh air and I’m glad I got a chance to connect with my other classmates. Can’t wait for the east Cascades trip!

Week 4: Olympic Peninsula, Day 1

4/27 Overcast with sun breaks and light rain. 52 degrees.
(pictures will be in their own tab)

Olympic NP is one of my favorite places in the world. It's espcially significant to me because four years ago I came to Lake Crescent with my first Environmental Science class. My high school started offering environmental science my senior year as an alternative to physics. In many ways taking that class was a defining moment that helped me become the naturalist I am today. Four years ago, I remember visiting the Elwha and learning about some of the challenges with dam deconstruction. Since then I've studied the geologic history of the Olympic Range, learned about the different species in the ecosystem, and read the ethical considerations that go into maintaining a unique natural treasure. I want to say I've come full circle, but I really foresee myself returning here throughout my life to see what's remained the same and what's changed.

The first day of the trip we spent mostly at Naturebridge and the area on the south side of Lake Crescent. It should be noted we stopped on the Klallum Reservation to learn about how the native tribes were the first natural historians. Once we got settled at Naturebridge, we began to explore the rainforest on the Moments in Time Trail. Once on the trail, you immediately get a feel of what an old growth rainforest in the pacific northwest is. The sheer amount of vibrant, green, biomass is very unique to this region. A key aspect of the forest is that it is largely undeveloped, unlike many other places in the US. We took a few moments to absorb the sensation of the forest, then got to work identifying species...

There are many ways to explain this complexity of the Hoh temperate rainforest, but a particular way we covered was three elements every ecosystem has: 1) structure, 2) function, and 3) composition. The structure is how the different species in the ecosystem are organized and interrelated to one another in time and space. The function is the different physical, chemical, and biological processes of the species and the ecosystem so it can regulate and maintain itself. The composition is the specific species that make up any given ecosystem. For the rainforest we were in, the keystone species, or the defining species of the ecosystem, are the Douglas Fir trees. The Douglas Firs can live up to 300 years, providing a great canopy for Western Hemlocks and other shade tolerant plants to develop and make up the understory. In the forest we observe Douglas Firs that had re-sprouted their dormant branches which provides a habitat like Licorice Ferns and Downy Woodpecker's. After Douglas Firs die, and other trees for this matter, they provide nutrients to shrubs, trees, mosses and small fowl, thus enriching the species of the forest floor. Along with Douglas Firs, there was a good deal of Grand Firs, Western Red Cedars, Pacific Madrones, Western Hemlocks, Red Cedars, and Big Leaf Maples. While the distribution of the trees was mostly even, there were several niches were one species would thrive, such as a swamp that was so moist, that the only trees that were growing were the Cedars.

Besides the trees, there are many shrubs, lichens, mosses, and some fungi coating the forest floor. The most common shrubs were Sword Ferns, [dull and tall] Oregon Grapes, and Salals. In terms of structure, I noticed that Salals did particularly well on the slope of Mt. Stormking, whereas there were more Ferns and Oregon Grapes where the slope was more level. Some other shrubs I noticed were Lady Ferns, Vanilla Leafs, Baldhip Roses, Coltsfoots (in wet areas), Salmonberries, and Red Huckleberries. While I'd seen a similar composition of species before at Ravenna Park (though the rainforest was much more dense), I'd never seen so much moss. I noticed at least four different kinds of moss, some that resembled Fern Moss and Big Shaggy Moss, and some which I couldn't identify. The mosses did particularly well on the bare pillow basalt on Stormking. According to the National Audobon's guide, lichens help identify a healthy ecosystem, and the rainforest had plenty of lichen, but I mostly noticed Old Man's Bread in the trees and Lettuce Leaf. In terms of fungus, there was Artist's Foot growing on the end of many host logs as well as a patch of mushrooms, which I couldn't identify. Between the trees that make up the canopy and the different species on the forest floor, the rainforest can be considered an old-growth forest. Old-growth forest are measured by complexity, not age, although the rainforest has both. The abundance of precipitation allows life to flourish, and there are plenty of species who's function is to consume the dead organisms leading to a cycle of nutrients.

While there's a great deal of wild animals in the park, the only ones I noticed on by the end of the day were the Band-Tailed Pigeons, a Rufous Hummingbird, a Common Raven, a Douglas Squirrel and the Mule Deer. I can't recall ever seeing a raven before so it was quite a treat to see how elegant and quiet it was while we were hiking Stormking. It's not too surprising we didn't see to many animals  because we stayed so closes to Naturebridge, which typically has people that animals might be interested in avoiding.

At the end of the first day, we met after dinner to discuss some of the history of the region. European explores started coming to the northwest as early as 1778 to trade with the natives, the original natural historians. It wasn't until about a hundred years later that the first parties went deep into what is now Olympic National Park to explore, in the winter at that. I was pretty tired after hiking Mt. Stormking, which was the highlight of my day, but I can't imagine what Lewis, Clark, and Charles Barnes went through.