Seen at low elevation in Mt. Rainier National Park on a stump during a hike. I recognized the call as well as the distinct orange-red patch on its back, also concluding that it is a male. Red-winged blackbirds are migratory and inhabit wetlands, marshes, meadows, prairies, and more. I believe the male I saw was migrating back North for spring and summer. The trail I saw it is is a couple miles from a meadow although not completely melted of snow at the moment.
At middle-high elevation. The bird was pretty big in size, larger than a crow. Although I still wonder, it may be a raven.
A classmate found this salamander stuck to a couple rubbles on the ground at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. We couldn't figure out how long it has been dead although probably died of dehydration.
This fern was found in a garden under the partial shade of deciduous trees on campus. However, the lady fern is also found at all elevations. It looks similar to the wood fern, but this looks triangular overall. There does not exist any sori (cluster of spore-producing receptables on the underside of a fern) on this particular one just yet because it is only the early spring.
Must be a common type of squirrel, see these all over the city. Apparently these guys are from the east and mideastern U.S. They build a nest that may look like a bird's nest. The ones on our campus dig into garbage cans and berries during the spring.
