aclay232's Journal

Daily Account: Birds!

Tuesday May 29, 2012

Union Bay Natural Area

Today we returned to UBNA to learn about birds and waterfowl. We saw and learned lots of interesting things, and it was interesting to observe how the place has changed since the first time we went there back in April. First, the grass and other plants have grown so much, now as tall as we are they once barely reached my knees in places. The Nootka Roses (Rose nutkana) are in full bloom, the yellow irises (Iris pseudacorus) are also abundant and growing all around the common cattails Typha latifolia) also extremely abundant, which haven’t changed noticeably since my first visit. There were still lots of dried out flowers of Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) their stalks tall, I wonder when they flower. Their dried flowers look like brown snowflakes to me, all on a larger flake. I noticed lots of Black Cottonwood tree tufts (Populus balsamifera) covering the sides of the path and floating in the air, something I’ve noticed more this year than ever, though I suspect this is because I didn’t know what a cottonwood was and didn’t spend enough time outside at this time of year to realize how those little white puffs with seeds inside are everywhere! I’ve also notice this especially at Seward Park, and along the Burke Gilman trail. As for UBNA, I noticed the seeds before the trees, but looking around, the cottonwood is actually fairly abundant in this location. I also noticed lots of willows and what I think might have been Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), though I’m not one hundred percent sure of this and would like to go back and check, since it wasn’t completely in bloom this time.

As far as birds go, we heard several, and didn’t manage to spot all of them, but the bird group opened my eyes as to the number of different species of birds just in that small area. We saw an American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis), mostly bright yellow, with black and gray on its wings sitting in a tall shrub just off the road. I’m pretty sure this was the one they mentioned was making so much noise in the background in the beginning, because this was in the same location. I wonder if (s)he has a nest nearby, and was calling at us, or communicating with another bird. How far do these birds usually go from their nests? Does the distance a bird travels from its nest depend on wing size? Also, I’ve noticed that some birds don’t seem to care when someone comes near the tree they’re in, but some will make noise until you leave. Is this something that has to do with their nest site, or being used to humans?

We also saw a Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum), which looked somewhat like a jay with the shape of its head. It had a grayish-yellow body with a black mask over the eyes. I wonder if they developed this because it’s better for hunting if their eyes don’t stand out as much. It they usually eat insects, berries, and petals though, so perhaps this isn’t the case. In any event, this was the only one we saw, and it was somewhat nearby the lake (about 50ft away), and I think it was in a cottonwood tree. Nearby we heard, but did not see a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) making the sound “chicka-dee-dee-dee,” a very common bird in the area, but smaller so not obvious among the trees. Farther down the path we saw a Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) calling “I seeeee you” sitting in a leafless tree that was about ten feet tall. They also like to perch on the cattails in the marsh. Both of these locations are open and not clustered with lots of leaves. Is this characteristic of Red-winged blackbirds because of where they live or because it is easier for them to hunt this way? They could very well be connected, but I find it interesting that these are the places where they like to perch. Same for the Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna), which I’m pretty sure we saw as well, sitting at the tip of a tall tree with no leaves at the top, similar to the red-winged blackbird. I think it might have been a male, because of the somewhat territorial act, but females might do this too. From far away its head looked scruffier than the female I saw at Seward Park, so this could be too. A few Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) flew by us and landed on the path near the cattails and irises, and hopped along instead of hanging out in the trees or air like many of the other birds we saw.

Closer to an inner pond, we saw several mallards, and flying above were lots of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica), a bird I’d managed to catch sitting still a few weeks ago in the same location. Apparently they catch their prey (insects) in flight, diving down and weaving back up through the air. I think this also means they must be eating and flying at the same time. Isn’t it energetically costly for them to fly so much for food? This is exactly what we saw them doing, and there were at least ten of them zooming in and out of the air space above the pond. Other than geese and mallard ducks, I think these birds were most commonly concentrated in one place. They had blue backs and brownish-orange undersides, and their tail feathers split like a fork in the back. Also flying around in the area, (and these could have accounted for one or two of the barn swallows I thought I was seeing, it was hard to tell even with binoculars), was the Violet Green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina), with a white belly and green back.

Apparently there are usually Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) that spend their time here as well, however, they migrate north after winter’s over, so we didn’t see any today. We did see them up at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, perhaps because the weather was still wintery then. According to the person leading us, they can lift the feathers on their head, making them looking bigger, to attract mates. They are also smaller in the realm of waterfowl because they have evolved to nest in the cavities of the Northern Flickers. This is interesting, I’ve never thought about where waterfowl might nest, and I know some nest right in the marsh, but it seems odd that they would pick a cavity of a Northern Flicker, as it seems it would be far from the water. Why would they do this? They are also monogamous birds, dive for food, and have a similar strategy to meerkats when it comes to working in groups. Apparently, one bufflehead stays above the water on lookout, while the rest have their heads submerged for food.
Returning to the subject of mallards, apparently they can fly up to 60mph when migrating (I’d never realized they migrate before...to where?). They’re called dabbling ducks for the way they eat, and prefer shallow areas, like the one in which we observed them (shallow pond), and females can lay up to half their body weight in eggs, which is actually quite a bit, seeing as the eggs have to come from somewhere. The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), is another interesting bird, and I have to laugh at myself now for not understanding the difference between this and the Buffleheads up at Nisqually, since they are quite different in appearance. We didn’t actually seed the mergansers here today either, but learned some interesting things. Their young usually find food for themselves almost immediately (though this is like other waterfowl), and their diets are quite diverse including fish, frogs, clams, insects and insect larvae. According to something I was reading they have “extreme muscular gizzards to help them grind down the exoskeletons of shellfish.” I wonder how this affects where one might look for them. It seems we wouldn’t expect to see them in that pond since it doesn’t seem quite as diverse, but that may not be true. Someone asked whether they close their eyes under water. Apparently, they can also change the index of refraction on their eyes turning them into a kind of goggle so they have good sight underwater. That’s amazing! I wonder how they adapt to all the mud in the water, it seems like that would make things difficult. We also saw some Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis) offshore in the lake.

I forgot to mention, in the pond we saw a lone duckling, very small and young probably about the size of my fist. I didn’t see any other ducklings or adult birds nearby, so I’m wondering if this bird was lost, or whether it was just out foraging for itself. I know someone in the group mentioned these birds and many waterfowl have young that learn to feed by themselves soon after being born. This may be the case, however, I find it odd, because in the past few days, I’ve seen three or four groups of baby ducks, slightly different ages/sizes meaning they hatched at different times, but they were all being herded by their mothers, or the mother was close by. Perhaps since this was such a small pond the mothers don’t need to stay so close, but it’s still interesting to see one by itself. We also saw a turtle sitting on a log. It was larger than the turtles I’d seen over near the arboretum, and had a smoother and more shiny shell. I think it might have been a Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) and the ones I saw by the arboretum were something else, maybe Western Pond Turtles (Clemmys marmorata). It was pretty far away and hard to tell its exact markings, but I think it had some dull yellow on its neck too.

One other thing I found interesting was the point about male mallard ducks. Someone pointed out that the males leftover who haven’t mated or paired with a female yet will basically gang up on her and “rape” her, something I’ve never actually seen, and it’s hard to believe since they seem so docile. On the other hand, the other night, I was walking through the arboretum and stopped to observe a large group of ducks standing and swimming around in the shallow water next to the shore. I’m not sure if this was a coincidence, but there were at least ten ducks, and all of them were male except for one female. It didn’t phase me at the time, because they were all standing together not really being too active, though two males stood like body guards especially close to the female. A friend and I stood there for awhile, and they didn’t do much, all somewhat statues with their feet submerged. They aligned themselves in somewhat of a line, and after awhile they began to swim away in groups of two or three, most of the males first. Just before this, thought I don’t know if this event is related, a Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) came swimming around the same area, nearing the ducks and then swimming away. I don’t know how these two species interact, but I thought it was interesting that the ducks began to “migrate” across the waterway after this happened.

Specieds List:

Yellow Iris (Iris pseudacorus)
Nootka Roses (Rose nutkana)
Black Cottonwood tree tufts (Populus balsamifera)
Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis)
the Violet Green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina)
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis)
Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
Western Pond Turtles (Clemmys marmorata).

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica)
Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota)

Daily Account: Golden Gardens, Final Journal
Date: June 3, 2012; Time: 3:30-5:30pm
Latitude: 47.69463200000 Longitude: -122.40410000000, and the surrounding area
Weather: About 55 degrees, partly mostly cloudy with a few sunbreaks, windy (apprx. 10mph, probably more in places on beach shore)

Today, I went to Golden Gardens to observe the natural history and the place as a natural area. This was an interesting change to the places inland in Seattle, and those more forested such as Seward Park, although there were many similarities. I should note that the park is actually quite large and I’m pretty sure it’s more forested as you move east from the beach, but my location led me to the upper part of the park, not far from the Northern tip of the beach, and I decided to stay around here as there was lots to observe, and it makes me nervous to walk around in the darker parts of the park where people are scarce. That being said, I spent most of my time observing the habitat and interactions of a fairly large pond/small lake which left me with plenty of interesting notes and observations.

I’ve been to Golden Gardens hundreds of times, as I usually play volleyball at the beach there, where there didn’t seem to be much aside from some seaweed and a few greedy seagulls. I didn’t realize how much green there is just a little further up. I noticed at least three different kinds of willows, the first, Sitka Willow (Salix sitchensis), a Scouler’s Willow (Salix scouleriana), and the Pacific Willow (Salix lucida). I noticed them in this order, but only noticed two trees of each, although I couldn’t tell for sure because they were dominant and disentangling the beginning of the plant from the end proved difficult, thus there very well could have been more there. These trees surrounded the outskirts of the pond probably every other tree. There were other signs of their abundance as well. Floating in the water I observed what a family next to me called a “fuzzy caterpillar floating in the water!” One could find several of these “caterpillars,” or the catkins floating in the water, their fuzzy qualities a result of the fine white hairs or tufts of hair bunched up around the flower. The surface of the water also had a good amount of white fluff on it in places where the wind doesn’t act so strongly. This was not the case in the middle of the lake, where the wind sent ripples across the pond. At first I thought these wisps might have come from a Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera), however, there were none to be found, at least nearby. Another thing that struck me as interesting about the catkins of these trees was the fact that when I picked one up, I noticed a fly tangled in the hairs. This may have been a coincidence, but it got me thinking about the life of the plant. I’m wondering first of all whether this bug catching is a strategy of the plant for pollination, or otherwise, how do they get pollenated, or spread their seeds? From what I read it sounds like they are mainly wind pollinated, so perhaps the fly was only there by chance. Apparently, many wind pollinated trees form catkins. They are typically formed in male flowers, and the wind takes the pollen in the tufts, at the end of a journey which they often make it to female flowers. Wow, that actually makes a lot of sense! Among the times I’ve seen cottonwood or willow trees, they usually tend to be in a location where wind plays a large role in the scene. They are usually on lake, river, or ocean shores, or in the open, subject to the elements, such as the Nisqually Delta, UBNA, and here at Golden Gardens. Pollination may not be the sole reason for this, however, it makes sense that these plants will grow where they pollinate and reproduce best.

Speaking of catkins, I also saw one Red Alder (Alnus rubra), adjacent to the willow. I remember learning at the beginning of the quarter that Red Alder is a nitrogen fixing tree, which can improve the soil in disturbed locations. This may be another reason why all the green I saw (more which I have yet to describe) is able to grow so close to the beach, and why the willows were so happy in this location (trust me, they were practically laughing). The point about being so close to the beach is also very interesting. It came to my attention when I noticed all the sand on the boardwalk and bridge through the pond, and reached the ocean’s finger that there is potentially a lot of salt in the soil nearby, carried in from the sea. I’d have to learn how to test the soil (I think you’d test pH), but it made me wonder how so many things are still able to grow. I think there are a few reasons, one being a result of Red Alder’s nitrogen fixing characteristics, but seeing as these weren’t especially abundant (though I don’t know how much it takes), I’m wondering if the water is any indication or is related to the soil quality in any way. I remember reading in Kruckberg’s book about lake water eutrophication, and am wondering whether the salt from the ocean is helping this effect, or keeping the water at a higher pH, as something I read mentioned. Also, I’m wondering if the pond/lake is salt water or fresh water. Since I don’t think the ducks or turtles I saw would be able to live in a saltwater environment, I have a feeling it’s a freshwater pool, though that doesn’t mean there is absolutely not salt in it. I also saw some beer bottles in the pond, and though I don’t think this has a large effect on the water quality, I’m sure it has something to do with it. Regardless, the soil around the pond must be reasonably high in nutrients, as I saw many other plants along the path. I saw Salmonberry (Rubus spectalis), with many berries about to ripen; Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), with white flowers on the plant, some of them wrinkled, but no signs of berries yet. Is the wilting flower an in between stage, or does this mean the plant is not as happy as it could be? It’s interesting, now wherever I go, if there’s thimbleberry, I check the texture of the leaves. When I first touched some earlier this year at Seward Park, they were very soft and lived up to the name “nature’s charmin.” These plants were located in the midst of a moist and well developed temperate forest habitat. The ones I felt today and even at UBNA were hardly soft at all, nothing like the same plant in a different location. I have a feeling this connects back to the soil quality, as some of the other smaller plants I saw were doing so-so. For example, I saw Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium), whose plants were fairly abundant and growing tall (about six feet above ground), however, some of the leaves were red or brown, and had clusters of green non-ripe berries above the leaves. Perhaps the leaves brown naturally, but this seemed somewhat early given their location was not in the sun. I also saw Silverweed (Potentilla anserina), whose flowers look like a yellow version of the Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana), another plant occupying the area, but with different leaves, these being more toothed and coming up only about a foot above the ground, their leaves alternate, and flowers on leafless stalks. Apparently, they like marshy and sandy areas, wet spots, and are usually near the sea, which explains why I haven’t seen them before. As predicted, these were very abundant and found between patches of tall grass and around the Nootka rose, very close to the shore where the soil is wet. Also, the roots, if cooked taste like sweet potatoes; it’s amazing what the Native Americans discovered about so many plants. There were also at least two Black Hawthorn trees (Crataegus douglasii) with berries on them. I mistook their leaves for red alder at first, but the berries were a giveaway. There were also a few patches of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) with rich purple violet colored flowers, and Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) with greasy looking yellow flowers, growing in more bare areas between trees and grasses. A few plants I could not identify, one, a small shrub whose leaves were non-symmetrical and flowers were a dark purple with tiny yellow parts, that grew in the wet soil right against the water. There was also a fairly abundant grass, whose leaves and flowers felt very soft, with a purplish tinge to the ends. Actually, I think it might be Common Velvet-Grass (Holcus lanatus). Apparently this is one of several grass species that has developed populations that are resistant/tolerant to the heavy metals in mine tailings, etc. I wonder if the nearby train tracks have any ties to these types of metal and whether this is one reason it can grow here. I know the train tracks have been there at least since the early 1900s, but I don’t know whether there is a correlation.

On the subject of trains and beer bottles, I was thinking about the human impact on this area, particularly on the animal species that live here. One of the first things I noticed when I reached the pond, was an adult mallard couple and their tiny ducklings, even smaller than the ones at UBNA. I watched them for a while, and noticed for the first time the resemblance between mother and ducklings. They do look quite different, the babies having dark patches instead of the mature dark flecks the adults have. They also swam significantly differently; I’m assuming it was because their legs are a lot smaller, so they had to work to keep up with the parents. I was trying to figure out how sensitive they are to the noise from the train and people, but it was hard to tell, since only one train passed while I was there. After this group left, another family of mallards came along with seven young ones about the same age as the first group, the adult ducks seemed to avoid the center of the pond and stay close to its edges (perhaps because of predators), crossing the open water only once when I was there. After this, when the sun came out, the ducks sat preening on logs (about two to a log) in the middle of the lake. I also saw a Red Eared Slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans), with the small red band on the side of its head, and yellow stripes down its neck. This guy was sunning on a log when I found him, and the sun had just broken out a few minutes before. Interestingly, when the sun went away and the wind started to pick up, he crawled into the water. Are they sensitive to the changes in weather? I only saw one turtle, but I have a feeling there were more in the pond.

Also next to the pond, I found a Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), not blooming yet, about 15ft tall, with red branches on the upper ends but not at the base. This fits in with what I read about this species liking moist soils. There were also some Snowberry bushes (Symphoricarpos racemosa), and what I think was a very young Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum). Marsh forget me nots hid among the grass too, and there were patches of what I’d guess from the edges was a sedge, though it could have been a grass. Wow, this place isn’t even an old growth forest and there are so many species.

Next I moved closer to the beach to see how the ecology changed. It was definitely blended, but here I found more plants I’d never seen. I think however, that I found Beach Pea (lathyrus japonicas), with multicolored with purple flowers below and violet-pink flowers above/behind. This was growing underneath a maple and had stretched out in the sand, in a few different places where the sand meets the outer green edge of the pond. There was also Milk Thistle (Silybum adans), which is apparently invasive, and I don’t think it’s native to Washington either. The willows I mentioned ealier came right up to the sand’s edge, probably happy with all the wind. Here I found a Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens), and what I think was a beetle called the California Prionus (Prionus californicus), although it looked exactly the same aside from having a red head instead, and red under its black wings I noticed when it flew down, so it may be a slightly different species. It landed on a willow, so perhaps the larva have some kind of relationship with the willow, though I feel like this is a hasty conclusion. Towards the more dune-like part of the beach there were some pine trees, and a ton of a particular plant that is shrub like and looks a lot like Nootka Rose. The flowers on the other hand are much larger and darker pink, and I came to the conclusion they must be Rosehip (Rosa rugosa), and I was surprised at how abundant they actually were. They took up a large stretch of the inner beach. I wonder what pollinates this plant. I doubt it is wind pollinated, but surprised it likes this location so much. I think the few patches of Scotchbroom (Cytisus scoparius) hints that it might be Bumblebees, but I’m not sure. There were a number of crows and one seagull, I observed scavenging for food, but otherwise, I didn’t see too much sea life, since the tide was way in. There was Kelp (Laminariales) along the beach, which makes sense seeing as it is mostly found in the salty waters of the ocean, and apparently, kelp grows in the structure of a forest in shallow oceans and requires nutrient-rich water which might tell us something about the Puget Sound.

Overall, I saw lots of interesting things today, and discovered some new relationships I hadn’t noticed before. I’d like to spend more time there observing the course of the weather and the resulting changes, since I know the weather can change a lot by the sea.

Species List:

Sitka Willow (Salix sitchensis)
Scouler’s Willow (Salix scouleriana)
Pacific Willow (Salix lucida).

Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera)
Red Alder (Alnus rubra)
Salmonberry (Rubus spectalis)
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)
Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii)
Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana)
Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii)
Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
Common Velvet-Grass (Holcus lanatus)
Red Eared Slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans),
Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos racemosa
Big Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
Beach pea (lathyrus japonica)
Lady Beetle (Hippodamia convergens)
California Prionus (Prionus californicus)
Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)
Milk Thistle (Silybum adans)
Kelp (Laminariales)
Pine tree (Genus pinus)
Scotchbroom (Cytisus scoparius)