April 18, 2012 (Union Bay Natural Area)
Location: Union Bay Natural Area
Coordinates: 47.6564218, -122.2927934
Weather: The weather that day was very sunny and bright. The cloud cover was wispy and never more than 10%. The temperature was about 64 degrees Fahrenheit all day. The lighting was good and it made it easier to get pictures of certain things, especially the giant crane fly.
Habitat/Vegetation: For more information on the habitat and vegetation of this area, please see the journal entry for April 12, 2012 in my written journal.
General Comments: This wasn't a very productive day for pictures for me because I realized my desperate need for an actual camera rather than just my iPhone camera. I missed out on plenty of interesting birds because my small camera couldn't do them justice. The killdeer was the only bird I managed to get, though I'm happy it worked out because I never saw a bird like it again in all my other trips to the UBNA. The killdeer was standing near the edge of one of the lakes and it caught my eye because of its long legs and black and white stripes. I learned that day that these birds pretend to have a hurt wing to lead predators away from their nests, something that was new for me. The giant crane fly appeared out of pure luck. It flew onto a strand of prairie grass as I turned away from the killdeer and I was able to capture it before it flew away. I was excited to be able to get more insects, which had been one of my goals from the starts since I like them so much. The common cattails are all over the UBNA and I learned that day that these are simply last years stalks that will be replaced by the new, green growth later in the season, which is yet another thing I did not know until I bothered observe the species. The wood sorrel was pointed out to me by a friend accompanying me and I was surprised to find out that that was what it was. I see it all the time and I didn't know what to call it until that day. I was only able to identify one more thing that day, the other two plants I observed I have not yet identified to species. The strawberry was recognizable for its small white flowers and ruffled leaves. I grow these in my yard, so I was able to spot it under a tree. The UBNA has been a very fruitful place for finding new species. I've learned a lot by looking around there and I feel a little more knowledgeable each day.
Species List:
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
Giant Crane Fly (Holorusia rubiginosa)
Common cattail (Typha latifolia)
Oxalis acetosella montana
Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca americana)
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Giant Western Crane Fly (Holorusia hespera)Observer
tessafDescription
For more information on the habitat and vegetation of the Union Bay Natural area, please see the journal entry for April 12, 2012 in my written journal and, for information on the weather of the day this was found, please see the journal entry for April 18, 2012 (Union Bay Natural Area) here on iNaturalist. This giant crane fly, which is native to the western United States, was about an inch long and happened to land on a strand of prairie grass as I walked by. It had filmy wings about as long as its body and had six long, spindly legs. They are commonly known as mosquito eaters, though they don't actually eat mosquitoes. When they are larvae, they may eat mosquito larvae, but as adults, crane flies only eat nectar or nothing at all as the adults pretty much exist to mate and then die. They are completely harmless to humans and animals, but their larvae are considered pests in some areas because they consume roots of plants like turf grass.
Photos / Sounds
What
Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia)Observer
tessafDescription
For more information on the habitat and vegetation of the Union Bay Natural area, please see the journal entry for April 12, 2012 in my written journal and, for information on the weather of the day this was found, please see the journal entry for April 18, 2012 (Union Bay Natural Area) here on iNaturalist. These cattails were common all along the edge of the lake and on the edge of every smaller pond in the Union Bay Natural Area. They had an almost dead look to them, as their stems were light brown rather than green, and they were all about six feet tall, though some were shorter. The red-winged blackbirds that live in this area seemed to be fond of the cattails as the males and females often perched on them and some could be seen tearing at the fluff on the tops of the plants. These plants are considered an obligate wetland species because they are always found in or near water and they usually grow in flooded areas in shallow water. The cattails I observed lived in this way, as they all grew inside the lake or the ponds. This was hazardous for me, as the cattails made it seem as if the areas where they grew were stable, when they were actually deep puddles. I got my shoes soaked more than once because of these plants. Common cattails usually grow in freshwater, as it was at the Union Bay Natural Area, but it can also grow in slightly brackish water. Upon a reduction in salinity, cattails can replace native species in salt marshes, making it an invasive species. These plants are bioremediators in that they absorb pollutants from the water they grow in.
Photos / Sounds
What
Woodsorrels (Genus Oxalis)Observer
tessafDescription
For more information on the habitat and vegetation of the Union Bay Natural area, please see the journal entry for April 12, 2012 in my written journal and, for information on the weather of the day this was found, please see the journal entry for April 18, 2012 (Union Bay Natural Area) here on iNaturalist. This wood sorrel, like others, has large, heart shaped leaves that occur in groups of three on top of a stalk. Small, white flowers with pink streaks will bloom in late spring and larger, plain white flowers will bloom in the summer. It is a dominant herb in many ecosystems and its extensive root system helps stabilize the soil around it. This plant has been eaten by humans for centuries for ailments such as sore throats and for other uses such as an aphrodisiac.
Photos / Sounds
What
Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)Observer
tessafDescription
For more information on the habitat and vegetation of the area this was found, see the journal entry for April 12, 2012 in my written journal. For information on the weather that day, see the journal entry for April 18, 2012 here on iNaturalist. This plant had only just started to flower and was growing in a cluster of other plants such as deciduous trees and shrubs. Each leaf was about 2 inches long and the flowers were about half an inch wide.
Photos / Sounds
What
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)Observer
tessafDescription
For more information on the habitat and vegetation of the Union Bay Natural area, please see the journal entry for April 12, 2012 in my written journal and, for information on the weather of the day this was found, please see the journal entry for April 18, 2012 (Union Bay Natural Area) here on iNaturalist. At first, I thought this was a sandpiper because of its long legs, but I looked through species of sandpiper and realized that none of them have the same black and white stripes and red eyes that this individual does. Finally, I found that it could only be a killdeer. This little bird was only about a foot tall, with its long legs making up a little less than half of its height. This killdeer, like others, had a brown body with a white underside, red eyes, and large black stripes on its head and neck. Killdeer are common all over the western hemisphere and are considered shorebirds, though they often live far from water. This particular killdeer made its home on the edge of Union Bay, so it is one of its kind that actually lives near water. Killdeer make their nests in small depressions in the ground that are very well camouflaged as the eggs look like the stones the killdeer surround their nests with. Killdeer have a very interesting behavior to draw predators away from their nests. They will pretend to have a hurt wing, luring the predator toward it and away from its young. Once they are far from the nest, the killdeer will "heal" and fly away.
Picture taken by Olisavia Veliz, who accompanied me on this day and took a picture for me since my camera wasn't good enough to get this bird.
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