April 26, 2012 to June 1, 2012
April 26, 2012
Location: Burke Museum, Seattle, Washington State
The theme of our Burke Museum visits are really too examine how museums and natural history museums are used as collections to help us create a broader understanding of natural history. The theme for this visit to the Burke Museum was sex, treachery and death. This journal entry will be split into those three sections.
Sex:
In birds it is very common for the males and female birds to have some distinguishable characterizes, the sieberd have color dimorphism and size dimorphism. The male siebirds are very colorful which is a sign that they are fit to produce offspring. The size dimorphism is for the competition they have with males for the female siebirds. Sometimes there is reverse sexual dimorphism, where the female is more colorful or is larger. It is common for this to be based on the parental investment of the birds. Sometimes the males have a larger parental investment than the females. And sometimes when there are larger females the females need to defend themselves/their branch/their mate from other large females. In the Arctic it is common for there to be size dimorphism for the birds. The birds to an aerobatic aerial display to attract mates and a small body correlates with better agility. Smaller males are often related to earlier breeding while larger females can store more energy so that they can lay eggs more commonly.
Treachery:
There are many birds that trick birds of other species to do work for them. The cowbirds for example lay their eggs in another’s birds nest. The bird may try to break the other egg, so that they do not have to incubate it since incubation takes a lot of energy, but in doing that they risk smashing one of their own eggs instead. Some eggs of other birds, may even look like the eggs of the bird’s nest it is in. So sometimes the other birds, (red winged blackbird,yellow warbler) will wait until the eggs hatch and then throw out the cowbird baby. The cowbird baby is so huge, that it is easy for the bird to tell that it is not its own. The cowbird may return to the nest and if she sees that her egg or her baby is not in the nest, she will throw the other birds out of the nest. The cowbird also does not have to be very sneaky when she lays the egg in another nest, since the cowbird is so big and can easily fight off the other smaller birds.
Death (Well really population):
(We ran out of time when we were at that station so there is not a lot to write about.) The death of a species is important when concerning the population, whether the population is stable, growing, shrinking, etc. The growth of one species, is often linked with the decline of another species. For example, when there was a population explosion of bark beetles, which kill the trees they inhabit, the death rate of the trees increased. One input that would increase a population is food. With more food, a species would have more energy for reproduction. Other factors that will affect the population of a species is migration, new species can be introduced to an area, while other species will migrate to a different location, sometimes depending on the population of other species (birds will often migrate when there is a shortage of food).
April 27, 2012
Location: Urban Bay Natural Area 6 am
Today our group went out to observe the birds of the Urban Bay Natural Area in preparation for our group project about the birds around the University of Washington campus. There was a slight overcast and it was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. At the entrance of the Urban Bay Natural Area were 5 Northwestern American Crows and one Brown-headed Cowbird. As we headed onto the trail, one of the first birds we saw was the American Goldfinch. The American Goldfinch has a clear yellow plumage and with binoculars we were able to see the black cap on its head as well as a bit of black sub coloring on the wings. The American Goldfinch was perched at the top of what I believe was an Alder tree. As we continued to walk in the direction of the bridge, we saw many birds that were well known and that we have seen before, like the American Robin and the Northwestern Crow. European settlers named the American Robin, after the English Robin. When the Europeans settlers came to America they saw the American Robin and its clear orange-ish red breast and quickly assumed that it was the same bird as the English Robin. However, the English Robin and the American Robin are completely different birds and are not of the same species or family of birds. When we were close to the water near the west side of the Urban Bay Natural Area we heard a call that sounded like: PEEK!! Tut tut tut tut… I was the one with a camera, so I tried to approach it but each time I got closer it kept flying to a different tree, when we finally caught up to it, we could see that it was clearly just an American Robin, it was extremely disappointing. We did see some male Red-Winged Blackbirds though. They were often found perching on cattails, and they have a large variety of calls, around 25! There was so many of them, and they would often puff out their shoulders when we were near (a sign of aggression most likely) and the red and yellow shoulders contrasted with their almost all black plumage was even more apparent. Near where we saw the Red-winged Blackbird we also saw Black Capped Chickadees. These birds are easy to spot because of their black cap on their head and their distinguishable call, “chicka dee dee dee”. We also saw some Song Sparrows, these birds were sort of round in shape with long slender tail feathers. The Song Sparrows would stay fairly close to the ground, and I think that is because that is where they feed. The song sparrows are of a dull and spotted brown and we saw three of them at the Urban Bay Natural Area. On the way out of the UBNA we heard a call that sounded just like a bullfrog, only there was something about it, perhaps it was the pattern of the call, that made us skeptical about it being a bullfrog. As we approached the location of the sound, we were able to figure out using a bird book that it was actually a Virginia Rail bird, it had a long orange beak and had mostly dark brown/black plumage, it was a bit hard to see as it was hidden behind many branches and it would keep moving every time we were near. Overall, I think it was a pretty successful bird watching trip, we saw a lot of birds that we did not see the last time we came to the Urban Bay Natural Area, however I did see a hummingbird, last time I was there, but the time I saw one I was standing very still. Apparently, if we aren’t really moving around, we appear to be like rocks to the hummingbird, since they move so quickly, but today since we were walking around a lot maybe that was the reason why we didn’t see a lot, or maybe it had to do with the time or the weather. By taking this trip, we were somewhat more familiar with the birds of the University of Washington area.
May 2, 2012
Location: Wilburton Park
Today I went on a walk down the Wilburton Trail of Wilburton Park. I started taking notes once I was in the more secluded areas of the trail. One of the first things I noticed was how the Licorice Fern was a dominant species of the area. There were a few Lady-ferns, I noted three amongst a cluster of 25 Licorice Ferns. Other dominant species included the Big Leaf Maple and the Alder tree. I did see some goose-necked moss growing on what I believe to be an Alder tree. The leaves were up to 1.5 cm long and were of a greenish yellow color, I took a photo and did a small sketch for reference. As I was on the trail, I heard an owl, which was a bit peculiar as it was at 6pm, I was unable to identify it though, but I have seen owls in the afternoon on that trail, plenty of times when I would run there for cross country. After I heard the owl ,which I was unable to identify I saw a small bird climbing on the underneath side of an alder tree branch, it was quite odd, and I don’t think I have ever seen similar behavior. I did not have access to binoculars and the birds were really small and hard to spot. As I walked further a long I noticed one single Holly Tree growing at about 30 feet tall. Most of the trees on this trail that I had seen that day were coniferous though, and the Licorice Fern was almost always found growing underneath them.
Big Leaf Maple
Alder Tree
Goose-necked Moss
Lady Fern
Licorice Fern
Owl?
Today
May 10, 2012
Location: University of Washington Seattle Campus
Today we went on a tour to become more familiar with the fungi around campus. There are three types of fungi, soft rot, white rot, and brown rot. The latter two deal with the decomposition of woody material (bark, woodchips, etc.) One type of fungi that we can find in the Pacific Northwest is the Turkey Tail fungus, which is a white rot species. The Turkey Tail fungus has sort of the shape of a turkey tail as it is sort of scalloped. Other types of mushrooms that can be found in the Northwest are the Oyster mushroom, button mushroom, and Artist’s Conk. On the tour of the fungi around campus we saw some powdery mildew, which looked like white-splotched fungi growing on the surface of the leaves. This type of fungi does not kill the host (the leaves) since then it would be left with no food source, so it is a parasite for the plant, however it will not be the ultimate downfall of the plant. On the cucumber plants near the Botany Greenhouse we saw a fungus that had asexual spores. The fungus was of a orange color. Birch trees must have a microisil relationship with fungus because without it the tree cannot grow, because the fungus provides the trees with nutrients. Sometimes when the tree has access to fertilizer, it no longer will need the fungus, since the nutrients will come from the soil. Sometimes fungi and its host have a parasitical relationship but other times both need the other to survive. It is difficult to find a lot of lichens on campus since we do live in an urban area. Lichens are pollution and air quality sensitive and if the air quality is poor, which it usually is in an urban area, then the population for the lichens decreased. The air quality is often also linked to the discoloring and orange-ish look in the lichens.
May 15, 2012
Location: Killarney Glen Park
Today I went on a walk around the trails of Killarney Glen Park. Today it was raining and probably around fifty degrees Fahrenheit. As I was walking around I noticed that there were a lot of worms on the soil on the trails. This is because it is a lot easier on the worms’ respiratory system to navigate above soil when it rains. I saw two trillium flowers, which are easy to spot by their three leaves and their three white petals. There was a lot of low Oregon Grape, at least 30 feet lengthwise of the trail was bordered by low Oregon Grape. Almost all of the trees on this trail were coniferous, Douglas Firs made up almost 80% of the trees in the area. Western Hemlock and Pacific Silver Fir also grew amongst the Douglas Firs, while the understory was made up mostly of Lady Ferns and Oregon Grape. I also saw a male Mallard, which was odd, but not that odd, since the trail was in close proximity to Lake Washington. The mallard had the bright green/blue/purple head as opposed to its female counterpart which is of a brown dull plumage, a classic example of sexual dimorphism.
Trillium
Oregon Grape
Western Hemlock
Pacific Silver Fir
Douglas Fir
Lady Fern
Mallard
May 23, 2012
Location: Urban Bay Natural Area
Today I returned to the Urban Bay Natural Area to look for more birds of the University of Washington campus area. It was about fifty five degrees Fahrenheit. Near the entrance of UBNA I quickly noticed a Red Winged Blackbird perched upon a tree. A Northwestern Crow kept trying to approach the tree and when it did the Red Winged Blackbird would fly out and attack the Northwestern Crow. I had been doing some research about the Blackbird and one of the qualities that a female searches for in a mate is the size of territory that he can defend. So it made sense why the Red Winged Blackbird was so territorial toward the Northwestern Crow. I saw a few birds that I could recognize as swallows by the forked tail, flying above me, but were not stopping anywhere. Later I reached a pond area, where I was able to see that these birds were the Barn Swallow and with them were Violet Green Swallows. Both birds eat and drink in flight and for this reason it was difficult for me to get any photos of either of the birds since both move so quickly and never stop. Near the pond where the Barn Swallow and Violet Green Swallows were more Red Winged Blackbirds perched upon the cattails, we also saw a brown dull spotted bird about the same size of the male Red Winged Blackbird, we later came to realize that this bird was actually just the female Red Winged Blackbird, with different coloring due to sexual dimorphism. Near these cattails we saw two turtles in the Bay. This was the first time that I have ever seen Turtles at the UBNA, we did not have a field book that was specific for turtles though, so we were unable to identify the specific species. On the way out we saw American Robins, a species that is always abundant every time that I have been to the UBNA, but we also saw a bird that I had not seen before, the Brown-headed cowbird, which was perched upon a deceased tree. This bird was the “mafia” bird we had learned about at the Burke Museum, the bird which lays its eggs in the nests of the Red Winged Blackbird as well as the Yellow Warbler. The Brown-headed cowbird has an all black body but with a Brown head.
Red Winged Blackbird
Northwestern Crow
Violet Green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Robin
May 28, 2012
Location: Wilburton Park Trail
Today there was overcast and it was approximately 60 degrees Fahrenheit. As I begin the trail, I hear a beeping chirping call, unlike any call I have ever heard, coming out of a paper birch tree, I cannot find the source of the call, so I take notes on the other species of the surrounding area, while I wait for the bird to move to an area, where I can get a good look at it. As I did this, I heard the sound of a woodpecker pecking on wood, maybe this was the same bird that was making the beep-like call, still I cannot find the bird. Near this paper birch is a shrub that has peachish orange fruit and has a red green stem. The fruits are about 2-3 cm long, I have a field book with me, however I cannot find anything nearly similar in the book. This is a plant that I have seen before growing in a more urban setting within 5 feet of a busy street. I take some notes and draw a small diagram in my sketch book and move on to the next plant. Further a long the trail there are two madrone trees, the trees are about 20 feet away from each other and are distinguishable by their smooth orange-ish bark. Underneath the Pacific Madrones are lady-ferns, there are four lady-ferns growing in between these Pacific Madrones. Though I cannot see it, I can hear the call of an American Robin. There are a couple plants that I also was having trouble identifying, so I drew a few sketches in my field book and took some more notes, with hopes that I would be able to identify them later. One of these plants was a shrub with purple and blue downward facing flowers, the leaves of the plant were oval shaped and 5-9 cm long, the shrub was growing underneath a Big Leaf Maple. The trees on this trail are mostly deciduous but farther a long the trail, they are almost all coniferous. There are many shrubs along the path, one of those shrubs was a Borth plant that was about 6 feet tall, the Borth shrub has bright yellow flowers and is somewhat similar to the Scotch Broom which was growing probably thirty feet away from the Borth. The Scotch Broom not only had the bright yellow flowers but also had these small hairy pods, that looked similar to edamame. I saw approximately 4 honeybees, which I could not narrow down to a more specific species, pollinating the Scotch Broom. The bees did have a notable red subcolor. It began to rain and I ended my walk on the Wilburton trail.
Pacific Madrone
Lady Fern
American Robin
Big Leaf Maple.
Borth
FINAL
June 1, 2012
Location: Carkeek Park
Today I took four buses to Carkeek Park. It took approximately three hours to get there, so by the time I got there it was around 1:30 PM. The temperature was about sixty degrees Fahrenheit, but there was overcast and it was quite windy. As soon as I got to the coordinate given to me for my final, I immediately noticed the call of the Northwestern Crow and the American Robin. However I could not see them. I was also able to spot a White Cabbage Butterfly, which I had recently learned about in the Butterfly class tour yesterday. At my location, the trees were mostly deciduous with the exception of the Western Red Cedar at the front of the trail. The understory was covered in Western Buttercup. I saw the fruit of a salmonberry and at first I had mistaken it for a raspberry, but on closer inspection (and a taste test) I came to the conclusion that it was the salmonberry. This was the first salmonberry plant that I had seen with and orange/red fruit; I had seen the salmonberry multiple times but mostly with golden berries. There were quite a few species, which I was able to hear but not see, for example the aforementioned Northwestern Crow and American Robin, but I could also hear crickets and the call that was similar to that of a parrot, though obviously that would be far out of range. There was one Lady Fern growing under a Licorice Fern , however it was clear that the Licorice Fern was one of the dominant species of the area as it was growing much higher than the surrounding plants, blocking sunlight. The Lady Fern, Buttercups, and a few other small plants growing near the underside of the Licorice Fern did not look particularly healthy and seemed to have fairly yellow-ish stems. Another dominant species of the area was the Bitter Cherry tree. The Bitter Cherry Tree had a brown and grey bark with horizontal creases across the bark, it also had soft oval shaped leaves that were about 5 cm long. The Salmonberry was growing underneath these trees at approximately 6 feet tall. Goose-Necked Moss was growing on one side of the bark of a particular Bitter Cherry. I was able to recognize the moss as Goose-necked by the length of the leaves and the distinguishable round curve of the leaves. On the opposite of the Bitter Cherry was some sort of a White Rot Fungus, it appeared to be some type of Fungus that I have seen before at the Urban Bay Natural Area during the Fungi tour, however, the group was unsure what type of White Rot Fungus it was even with the help of one of University of Washington’s fungi experts, still the fungi was familiar and I took a few photos for reference later. I saw another Red Cedar but again it was very measly looking, the Red Cedar trees can grow to be 60m tall while these ones were probably on 15 feet, the scale like leaves also had a white powdery mildew like fungus growing on them. I walked down to the creek on the path and noticed that the Western Buttercups were growing right a long the creek’s edges. This was not surprising as the Western Buttercups thrive in damp soil. Near the creek I had found a fallen log, that was hollow, all types of moss were growing on the outerside of the log and I wondered whether the tree was made hollow by a fungi or by an animal. Continuing down the trail, I noticed 5 Song Sparrows in a field of Blue WildRye. The Song Sparrows stayed closed to the ground, which is a behavior that I have similarly noticed at the Urban Bay Natural Area. The Blue Wildrye took up 100 square feet of a field, and the soil looked extremely damp, which was not unexpected due to the proximity to the creek. At the creek I saw 3 baby Mallards and one adult female. The female is distinguishable from the male by her dull brown plumage, compared to the bright blue/green/purple plumage of the male, a classic example of sexual dimorphism. Somehow I lost the trail and ended up in a large pasture of grass. There there was probably 30 Northwestern Crows, which flew away shortly after I entered the pasture. The pasture was north of my given coordinates. Dandelion made up a significant portion of the ground cover, and within every 5 foot radius, was at least one Dandelion plant. Later I made my way to the Carkeek Park beach, to get to the beach you must cross the railroad tracks on a bridge that is 40 feet off of the ground. From that point I was able to see that at my location most of the trees were deciduous (like I was able to note in my field journal) however to the north of me, almost all the of the trees appeared to be deciduous. I continued down to the beach where I found 9 Northwestern Crows and a washed up Graceful Rock Crab covered in barnacles. I began to walk back to the entrance of the park as it was now 3:30 and it did take three hours to get thee. As I walked back I saw an American Robin and a Northwestern Crow near a bench, when I approached the two birds, I noticed that the Crow had been pecking at a deceased Downy Woodpecker. I was able to distinguish the deceased bird as such, by the black and white spotted plumage and the clear red band down the middle of its head. Right then I saw a bird that I have never seen before, which was mostly red with a trapezoid shaped tail with a white spot in the middle, the bird moved to quickly for me to get a good picture and description of, but I later saw that bird again on the same day outside of North Seattle Community College. The bird had flown into a Big Leaf Maple Tree which was abundant near the edge of the road to the park, underneath the Big Leaf Maple were growing Licorice Fern, it seemed like under every Big Leaf Maple there was approximately four Licorice Ferns growing underneath it.
Western Red Cedar
Western Buttercup
Salmonberry
Northwestern Crow
American Robin
Lady Fern
Licorice Fern
Goose-Necked Moss
Song Sparrow
Blue Wildrye
Mallard
Dandelion
Downy Woodpecker
Graceful Rock Crab
Big Leaf Maple
