Whidbey Island and Skagit River Delta Field Trip - Journal Entry 8

It's a clear cold morning on Saturday November 21st, 2015.  We begin our daylong field trip to Whidbey Island and the Skagit Delta by loading into the van convoy and driving north to the Mukilteo/Clinton Ferry terminal.  The weather forecast calls for good but cold conditions in the north end so I am excited that we will be able to enjoy the scenic and natural beauty without the nuisance  of clouds and rain.  

The class boards the ferry and heads up to the front passenger deck for our first lesson of the day.  Inside the main passenger cabin its warm and cozy,  while outside, on the forward deck, the winds are blowing and the air feels frigid.  Tim begins the  lesson by talking about a couple of gulls that are following the ferry.  He points out that the gull, which I  now know to possibly be a Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus), Glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucenscens) or Western gull (Larus occidentalis) hybrid, was using the upward moving air currents created by the bow  of  the ship  to stay aloft in the air while simultaneously keeping up with the ferry.  This bird has come to recognize the ferry as a possible source of food (from passengers) which explains why he is following us out onto the  waters of Possession Sound.  After what seemed like only a few minutes we approached our destination but not before taking a good look at the Pelagic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax pelagicus) that were sunning themselves on the tops of the piers of the ferry terminal.  

After we disembarked the ferry the van convoy continued its road trip to Ebey's Landing located on the island's western most point.  As we passed through the farmlands of Ebey's  Prairie and approached the coast we drove through a coastal woodland just before our destination.  The class got  out of the vans so that Tim could show us some amazing plant adaptations.  In the background of the picture below is a stand of trees that were different than examples the class had previously seen.  This stand of trees is located atop a very tall and steep bluff that towers over a rocky beach.  Tim asks the  class to try to identify the tree species around us.  Most of the class was perplexed because these trees did not quite fit the characteristics we had learned.  We could identify that there were two different tree species in the area but what they were exactly was a mystery until we found out what happened to them.  We were shocked to hear that this stand of Sitka Spruce and Douglas Fir trees that have adapted to the full exposure of sun and wind it receives in it's location.  Both species of trees had needles that were thicker and bigger than usual.  Thicker and bigger needles allows the trees to have more surface area to both photosynthesis and take in water.    In addition the trees seemed to be  gnarled and bent as if they had been twisted by some unseen force.  The truth is that an invisible force did gnarl the trees in the form of high winds that come through the Straights of Juan de Fuca.   Although the stand is located in the Olympic rain shadow, this stand of trees receives lots of moisture in the form of fog that is generated from cold water currents moving along the coast just below the bluff.  After we finished observing the species adaptations we returned to the convoy and made our way to the parking lot of Ebey's Landing.           

 

The class made it way  out on the beach where we were about to receive a geology lesson.  Tim explained that the beach where we were standing is below an ancient shoreline.  Looking at the shorter bluffs, some 150 to 200 feet up, where Ebey's Prairie  meets Ebey's Landing is the where the beach was about 13,000 years ago.  During that time this area was covered by the Puget lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet.  As the glaciers ground across the region they deposited a sediment  layer known in this area as  Vashon till while simultaneously sculpting the landscape which created the long drumlin hills  our region is known for.  In addition the glaciers left behind other  features such as moraines and kettle lakes.      Ebey's Prairie  is special because it is  the site where out wash sediments from the teriminus of the glacier were deposited thus creating the flat expanse of the prairie that led up the the ancient beach.  The reason why the current shoreline is now a few hundred feet below the ancient one is because of glacial rebound.  The extreme weight of the glaciers compressed the earth's  surface causing a depression.  After the weight was removed when the ice melted the land slowly rebounded (uplifted).  This rebound  stopped some seven thousand years ago which left the ancient shoreline high and dry where it is today.  The three pictures above show the new beach below the ancient beach as well as the exposed sandy layers of ancient beach top-set deposits.   The next set of photos is of the flora and fauna we found on our long walk along the beach towards Perego's Lagoon. 

Brittle Prickly-Pear Cactus (Opuntia fragilis) Washington's native  cactus plant found growing on the side of the bluffs in the sandy soil. 

Harry is holding his favorite snack he found  on the beach.  Lamb's-Quarters (Chenopodium album).  This plant tasted like arugula. 

Shelby holds a Chiton (Phylum: Mollusca, Order:Polyplacophora, Class:Neoloricata) she found on the beach.  We will not go into what it looks like but it was very interesting none-the-less. 

Unknown beach succulent

Possibly Big Deervetch (Lotus crassifolius)

American Glasswort (Salicornia virginica)

Possibly Yellow Sand-Verbena (Abronia latifolia)

The next three photos below are of Perego's Lagoon.  This feature was formed by long-shore transport as sediments from the bluffs make their way down into the sound.  Long-shore transport sends the sediment particles northward which are then deposited along the shoreline.  This deposition has created a spit that protects the shallow lagoon behind it from wave action on the shoreline.  The waters of the lagoon were largely motionless but bore the ripple  marks of the gentle breeze we felt that day.  Along with the quiescent ripples, the only other movement  in the lagoon was from several birds floating on it's  surface.  The birds  I could identify were the Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) and Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola).  Thank you to Jorge for helping me figure out what they  were!  In addition to seeing a few other birds I was not able to identify on the lagoon, soaring up above it was a group of six or seven Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) circling a potential prey target.  I was not able to get  photos of the ducks  or eagles as they were too far away from my vantage point to get a decent picture. 

Marsh grasses of Perego's Lagoon.

The class ascends the Bluff Trail to get a better look.  From this bluff-side vantage point I am able to see a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) floating just a few hundred feet off shore.  Thank you again to Jorge for helping me ID.   

As I make my way up the Bluff Trail to the very top  I take  a moment to look out and behold the gorgeous view.  You could not have asked for a better day for such an amazing experience.  Walking along the Bluff Trial  you must  be careful  not to fall for its a long way down to the bottom.  This precarious journey on the edge of the bluff followed another stand of adapted Sikta Spruce and Douglas Fir trees.  These trees remind me of photographs of windswept  trees taken by the great 20th century photographer  Ansel  Adams.    

This reminds me of a giant bonsai tree. 

Creepy windswept snag high on the bluff. 

Twisting and Turning and every direction in between.

Silent sentinel stands shading its face with one hand and with the other  points down to the beach. 

Last half  of the class prepares to descend the Bluff trail back to Ebey's Landing parking lot.  We took a class photo with Tim, Jorge and the TA's. 

Beautiful view of the farms of Ebey's Prairie.

Mount Baker proudly representing the North Cascades. 

As we wrapped up  our visit to  Ebey's Landing I thought it would be nice to get  a shot of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountain range.  We live in an amazing place.  The class returned to the convoy and continued our journey to the Skagit River Delta. 

Alder Ghost Forest of Skagit Wildlife Area

 

I am sure the original plan was to spend a little more time on the Skagit Delta  but because we ended up taking more time at Ebey's Landing we did not get as much time in the delta as Tim and the TA's would have like.  Our first stop in the delta, which is not pictured, was along a farm road in order to observe a flock of Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) that had settled on the freshly plowed farm field.  After spending a few minutes discussing the swans Tim and  Jorge noticed that large flocks of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of birds were on the move high in the sky.  We decided to see if we could find out where they were going and ended up at the Skagit Wildlife Area.  The wildlife area is a part of the delta that has been restored  to allow it to function as it did before human intervention and and provide more habitat for wild birds.  The four photos above are of a ghost forest created when levees were removed and the brackish waters of the sound allowed to flood back into the delta.  Salt water intrusion killed this alder forest creating the stunning sunset images you see before you.  As you can see by the last set of photos that we are loosing light fast and our field trip has come to and end.... or is it?  At the very last moment, as we were about to load up the convoy a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) was spotted.  In true Tim and Jorge fashion we used prerecorded bird calls, specifically Great Horned owl call to see if could get this large bird to come closer.  After calling it the owl  indeed came closer  for a look.  We spent almost and hour calling and watching this silent creature fly from tree  to tree.  At this point is dark and its getting to be dinner time so we pack up the class and head back to the city.  But before we got back to Wallace Hall parking lot Tim imparts some more of his owl wisdom on this passengers.  I now know that the Great Horned Owl's  call can be remembered by saying, "whose awake, me too, me too"  or as Sibley Field Guide to Birds says, "ho hoo hoo hoododo hooooo hoo."  Thank you Tim for the  tip, I plan to use it  for the final exam. 

Observations of Boren Park: A Sensory Experience - Journal Entry 7

It’s November 18^th, 2015 and it’s about two in the afternoon at Boren Park.  I arrive two days after very large storm system with high winds and heavy rains that came through our region on Tuesday.  There is lots of woody debris and lichen strewn about the forest floor that must have been torn down from high up in the canopy during the mini maelstrom.  The park trail that leads up to my site is almost completely covered with leaf litter so that it is almost indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape.   As I approach my observation point I realize I have forgotten my handy outdoor thermometer.   If I had to wager the temperature it would probably be somewhere around 40 and 45 degrees. 

After the storm earlier in the week the park is even wetter than before.  The bird activity during this visit is highest I have ever noticed in all my time in the park.  I wonder if it has to do with the fact that I am paying more attention to the birds or if it was because the bugs seemed to be out in numbers that day.  Coincidentally, it was also a good day for an invertebrate hunt for this week’s blog post, but you can read more about that in my next post.  Hearing all of these bird calls I took an audio recording with my IPhone so that I could upload them to my blog.  I even made a few calls myself to see if I could illicit a response.  I was also successful in getting a response from a bird in a tree nearby.  Most noticeably was a flock of Black-Capped Chickadees mobbing in a tree on the other side of the ravine.  Having just read the reading about the complexity of chickadee calls they must have been responding to a predator. Chicka-dee-dee-dee! Unfortunately, I tried to upload my bird call audio file that I recorded that day but I was not successful.  As soon as I figure out how to get the file online I will add it to this post.    I was quite annoyed by the constant biting of mosquitos.  There must be some standing water somewhere in the woods where they are reproducing.

Boren Park: Autumn Invertibrate Hunt (Photos, Sketches & a Poem) - Journal Entry 7

Order: Isopoda - Common Pillbug (Armadillium vulgare)

Order: Isopoda - Common Pillbug (Armadillium vulgare)
Turned over leaf litter to find many pillbugs scurrying to find cover.  

Order: Gastropoda - Unknown Snail
I found this very tiny snail on a leaf.  It appears to be deep inside its shell was not moving.  

Order: Diplopoda - Unknown Millipede
Found many examples of this specimen all of which were found curled up under leaf litter in the top soil.  Is possible they are in hibernation or dead from recent rains? 

Order: Diplopoda - Unknown Millipede

Order: Oligochaeta - Earthworm
This earthworm was not happy to be uncovered.  It wriggled back into the soil to avoid exposure.  

Order: Diplopoda - Unknown Millipede
This millipede was found crawling over a small stick I happened to pick up to use a a probing device.  

Order: Diplopoda - Unknown Millipede

Order: Gastropoda - Slug
This slug was either playing dead or was really dead. Found under a log.  

Order: Coleoptera - Beetle
This beetle was found in wood debris that collected in the space between buttressing tree roots.  

Order: Coleoptera - Beetle

Order: Chilopoda - Unknown Centipede
Removed leaf litter and this centipede fell out.  It quickly turned itself over and proceeded to take cover.

Order: Chilopoda & Diplopoda - Centipede and Millipedes
Found under a log, all subjects began to dig down to escape exposure.  

Haiku for the forest bloodsucker (Mosquito)

You used your syringe.
You took a small part of me.

Slap! Vengeance is mine!

Boren Park: Birds! Birds! Birds!: Journal Entry 6

   

The two sketches and their companion photographs (above and below) were taken in Boren Park before the coming of an autumn storm.  It was very difficult to photograph this specimen let alone sketch it in the field because high winds seemed to scatter the birds before I was able to get a good  look or decent photograph.  What cannot be seen, is that these birds were part of a larger flock of tiny birds that were moving from tree to tree.  This large group  of what I believe to be Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapilla), because of their distinct chickadee-dee-dee-dee call, were found at the top of the tree canopy.  However, I was never able to get close enough to make out any markings of coloration.  I followed them around for a while  but was not able to actually observe them feeding due to their  distance from my viewpoint.   This flock of birds seemed highly social in that their appeared to be a lot of chatter from the flock.  Eventually the winds drove them out of view. 

The photograph and sketch above are of a black Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) that was part of a very large group of crows.  I believe a flock of crows is called a murder and this murder was mobbing somewhere in the vicinity of the park.  I was not able to determine their exact location of where the mob was assembling but their distinct "caaw" sound led me to look up.  Since there were so many of them I decided to try to sketch  them as they flew overhead. 

The sketch and photograph above are of what  I believe to be a Brown Creeper (Certhia americana). This little guy was very fast but was noticeably found creeping along the trunk of  a tall big leaf maple tree.  I had to refer to the photograph because this specimen had disappeared so fast that I was barely was able to get it into my photograph.  From what I could tell it has a white marking on both sides of its head with a dark head and back.  It was most likely probing the moss and bark on this tree for insects.  

Observations of Boren Park: A Sensory Experience - Journal Entry 6

It's November 11th, 2015 and it's about 11:30 in the morning at Boren Park.  Like my last observation post it has been two weeks since I was last here.  (Mid-Term last week)  There is no denying that autumn is in full swing and that winter, soon approaches.  Crepuscular rays from the rising sun gleam across the ravine and reveal that most of the trees have dropped their leaves.  According to my trusty thermometer the temperature of the under story is 43 degrees which is about five degrees cooler than Seattle's official temperature out at Sea-Tac Airport.       

My observation spot is relatively the same with a few noticeable changes since my last visit.  As I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this post almost all of the leaves have dropped from the big leaf maple trees that dominate the park revealing a clearer view of my surroundings.  The ground is squishy as I walk upon the trail, the leaf litter acts like a sponge soaking up the recent rains.  Another noticeable change is that the number of mushrooms has significantly decreased in only the span of two  weeks.  When I came to the park to hunt to look for mushrooms  a few weeks back I found numerous different kinds and of plenty of them.  Now only a few varieties remain and even their numbers are far and few between. The forest is a bit more quite than previous times.  While sitting at my observation spot it became so quiet that I could hear the floating falling leavings crashing into the forest floor.  In these moments of silence I was able to hear two distinct bird calls for which I am fairly certain I know which species of birds made them.  I was able to clearly discern the "caaw" of the common Crow and the distinct "chicka-dee-dee-dee-dee" call of the Black-capped Chickadee.