Union Bay Natural Area, Seattle 5/10 & 5/11

I went to the Union Bay Natural Area both Thursday and Friday. Both were beautiful days out, so there was lots of bird activity. One of the primary shrubs there was snowberry and baldhip rose in there as well, but in the wet Union Bay Area habitat there were many willows, soe growing out of the shallows of ponds in the Natural Area, but it was difficult to identify many of them due to their similarities. The grass was starting to get tall, and was probably between knee and waist height. The previous weekend I had seen lupines almost fully bloomed, but in an area right by a pond we found a lupine that had not begun to bloom at all, and its flowering structure was entirely green, sort of resembling shape and form of the top of a cat tail, with none of the buds beginning to open up yet. However, this was a different type of lupine that I had seen previously, as its leaves were larger, and were in compounds with about ten leaflets rather than around seven like the other ones I had seen. We walked up to the edge of Lake Washington to see a male and a female mallard floating in the reeds right by the shore. We were able to get very close, and the female was feeding on the surface, or "dabbling" for about five minutes while we watched, dipping her head and upper body under water and paddling with her feet to stay below the surface. The male was just observing and floating. In the same area the net day, a Great Blue Heron landed on a small island right next to us, probably fifteen to twenty feet away. It stood very still, most likely waiting for prey to come by, before I startled it while taking a picture and it squawked an flew away. We also saw other birds out as well, like a bunch of barn swallows flying around by one of the ponds, and I could hear chickadees out by their "chicka dee-dee-dee" call. We also saw a red-winged blackbird perched on the top of a cat tail by Lake Washington. Aso, in the little bay area to the right of the boat house I observed what appeared to be a cormorant. Initially it sort of resembled a heron from far away because I saw the long neck, but it became clear that it wasn't once I looked in the binoculars . It had short legs, was all black,and had a hooked beak that was orange a little on the sides with sort of green eyes. I also saw a couple robins out as well as many other small birds flying around I could not identify.
Species List:
baldhip rose
snowberry
american robin
great blue heron
barn swallow
mallards
cormorant
cascara
red winged blackbird
willows
lupine
paper birch
scotch broom
cat tails
canada geese
horse tails
chickadees
douglas's hawthorne
himalayan blackberry
hybrid bluebell

Posted on June 4, 2012 06:42 PM by drwlyons drwlyons

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Hybrid Bluebell (Hyacinthoides × massartiana)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

Very light blue, bell shaped flowers coming off of a green stem. In a cluster of 3 or 4 plants growing from a close, small area. The flowers are concentrated near the top of the plant, with a few popping up from the middle up increasing in density to the top, and the plants were in a patch with a bunch of other plants, but did not appear to have any leaves.

Photos / Sounds

What

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

Saw this little guy on the bridge that goes across the stream to the Union Bay Natural Area. A washed out orange breast with a rusty red color around the beak and a black head and back with a faded white near the transition from breast to wings.

Photos / Sounds

What

Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

Everywhere in the Union Bay Natural area, this shrub is very common and easily identifiable with many little yellow flowers interspersed with small oval shaped leaves coming off of multiple stalks.

Photos / Sounds

What

Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

At the entrance to the Union Bay Natural Area, this is a tall shrub with grayish bark that becomes a more reddish color as it gets closer to the clumps of five petaled white flowers at the end of the branches. Right before the clumps of flowers on the branches, there are oval shaped, darker green leaves and one long thorn about an inch long close below the cluster of leaves.

Photos / Sounds

What

Roses (Genus Rosa)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

A shrub standing about six feet tall with three pairs of opposite branching leaves, followed by a seventh leaf that points straight off the very tip of the branch. The leaves are finely serrated along the edges, and there were remnants of berries, but no flowers. The berries had a sort of crown of pokey sepals, most of them were black and sort of withered, with a couple that were reddish. Throughout the shrub there were scattered thorns

Photos / Sounds

What

Cascara (Frangula purshiana)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

A large shrub, probably about 10-12 feet tall. Relatively large leaves that are oval shaped with deep grooves that you can easily feel with your fingers. The shrub is budding, the small buds coming off in groups of about 7 near the end of the branches. The branches near the buds and leaves are a brownish-red color, becoming more brown as it gets closer to the main stalk/trunk.

Photos / Sounds

What

Willows (Genus Salix)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

In Union Bay Natural Area growing on the edge of a pond. A tall shrub, about 15-20 feet tall. Glossy, oval, alternate-branching green leaves with blooms coming off, not yet flowering, in a pipe brush like formation with the stalk about three inches long. The base of the shrub was located in the water.

Photos / Sounds

What

Lupines (Genus Lupinus)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

Has the characteristic leaves of lupine flowers, but with about 10 leaves per cluster, while the other lupines have more like 7 leaves per group. The plant is not hairy, and has a stalk with buds concentrated at the top that have yet to bloom.

Photos / Sounds

What

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

A male and a female mallard. The male displaying the typical color patterns, with a bright green head followed by a black neck, a sort of brown-white integrated body, and a deep blue tail feather area. The female is smaller, with a more bland body color, mostly browns and whites. The female was fishing while the male just floated next to it.

Photos / Sounds

What

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 10, 2012

Description

The bird was by Lake Washington, entirely black aside from spots of red on the side of its wings up near its breast. It did not allow me to get close enough to get a decent picture, eventually flying away.

Photos / Sounds

What

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 11, 2012

Description

Landed right next to us on a very small island on Lake Washington. Initially heard the characteristic heron squawk, and with its long neck and long reddish-brown legs, being a sort of grey-blue color. Quickly flew off after I took the picture.

Photos / Sounds

What

Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 11, 2012

Description

Seen right next to Lake Washington, this tree exhibited the characteristic lateral-peeling grayish-white bark of paper birches, with the bark being extremely fine and dry, making for excellent tinder.

Photos / Sounds

What

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 11, 2012

Description

A bird with a puffed out, red breast sitting on top of what appears to be a sort of human made bird nest outline. It had a yellow beak, with a small white patch directly underneath.

Photos / Sounds

What

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 11, 2012

Description

Two canada geese spotted with a baby swimming near the shore of Lake Washington.

Photos / Sounds

No photos or sounds

What

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 11, 2012

Description

Seen by the bay near the boathouse, I initially mistook this bird for a heron, until I saw it in the binoculars. The long neck threw me off, but it had short legs, as well as was all black with a beak that was hooked at the end. It was just standing on a small island out in the middle of the bay, but unlike typically is the case for cormorants, it did not have its wings spread to dry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia)

Observer

drwlyons

Date

May 11, 2012

Description

Many cattails lining the water's edge by Lake Washington. They were about the same height as me, with the distinctive sort of tuft that was a couple inches long on the top of a tall stalk.

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