Dec. 28th and Dec. 29th - Wasatch Hollow Nature Preserve and Open Space Journal (2019-2020)

The weekend of Dec. 28 and 29th signaled a slight turn in length of day; that is after the Solstice (Winter), there is now about two minutes of more daylight (total). The sun rises at 7:51 am (at 121 degrees ESE) and at noon the sun is at 26 degrees (altitude) [still low in the southern sky] and the sun will set at 5:08 pm (at 239 degrees WSW).

Saturday (28th) – the temperature was cold at about 26 degrees in Wasatch Hollow, but the sun was shining (a few clouds) and so the east and south-east facing slopes (toward the sun) but on the west side of the “gully” (the “Hollow”) were without much snow/ice. However, the trail (mainly in the shade side) was icy and a bit slick. Basically, if you were waking in the sun, it was pleasant walk, but in the shade or closer to Emigration Creek, it seemed much colder.

Walking into the Open Space (near the natural spring – the “pond’), wildlife activity was very quiet. I saw a few Chickadees in “Hawk Alley” ( a patch of Oak trees where the trail splits to the west of the spring) and observed one (1) Northern Flicker. {see images} Later when I posted the photo of the Flicker, someone thought the bird was a Sapsucker (Genus level), but I have never observed a Sapsucker in this area, and was sure it was a Flicker, which was verified by another person in the iNaturalist community. I observed one Fox Squirrel running through the trees branches and finally up a utility pole and then crossing on one of the power lines.

Heading into the open field area, I observed a few Juncos, and a few more Flickers in the trees on the west side of the Hollow Open Space. Continuing on into the “Loop” area, I observed more Chickadees and was able to get a few decent photos of the birds in the scrub oak trees. I did not see any Hawks or Downy Woodpeckers on the walks this weekend. I saw a few “Wolf” tracks (my sarcastic reading of Dog tracks in the Open Space area (NO DOGS ALLOWED), but it appears to me, there are less people with dogs in the protected area. There is a new gate on the east side – at the bridge – and the signage is better.

I think the colder temps over this weekend was a factor in reducing the amount if wildlife activity; that is, I observed a few species, but compared to the Solstice walk (when the temps were warmer), this was a quiet time in the Open Space. But the quiet was a positive factor as the walk was calming and it was good to see the green space in the “dead” of winter – and know that in few months – this area would be “springing” to life.

Posted on December 29, 2019 02:14 PM by scottdwright