Journal Entry 5

4/6/12
Location: Boardwalk near Mill Creek and Bothell. Located on a wetland/grassland like area. Mostly water.
Weather: 80% Clouds, about mid 50s, but it was very dry.

Species List:
There was a plant I did not recognize that was very tall, probably over 6ft. and most of it was growing out of the shallow water. Most of the water in the area seemed rather shallow, at least around the boardwalk, but location father away looked like deeper waters. Most of the tall grasses and plants growing out of the water, such as the cattail were somewhat flattened due to winds, and probably nesting animals. There is a very slow current in the water and is a good area for resting waterfowl. There are a variety of small green plants, of which I could not identify growing out of the water. Most of the grass like plants are cattail and there are some bare trees scattered around the entire location. The entire walk is about a mile long, not including the little side trails. I have in the past, seen garter snakes, eagles, and hawks in this area. Also, due to the excessive amounts of rain that has recently occurred (at least I am assuming), The water level is high enough to flood small portions of the boardwalk. The water level was higher than normal. I am curious to know if this is a recent thing or if it floods around this time of year annually. I am also curious about the water level's effect on the species that live there.

Species List:
Blood-Spattered Beard
Cattail
Buttercup
Indian-Plum
Oregon Grape
Red Winged Black Bird
Chickadee
Robins
Mallard
Canadian Geese

Posted on May 2, 2012 12:27 AM by lmiyamoto