Journal Entry 18

Location: Union Bay Natural Area

Weather: Cloudy, probably about 80% cloud cover, but fairy warm. About 60 degrees or low 60s. It had rained early in the morning, but by the time I was out their around mid afternoon, most of the area had dried out.

I had recently researched and learned about the Union bay Natural Area. Although I already knew that the area used to be used for as a waste dump, it is still remarkable to see the transformation and how many animals make it their home.

I noticed a tall purple flowered plant along the side of the gravel road that I did not recognize, but does not look domestic. It was fairy tall, about 2 feet tall. I also saw a small pea like plant, all of which I did not know on the spot. However, there were many familiar plants including birch, dandelion, and cattails. I made note that most of the taller trees were in clusters around the area instead of consistent throughout the area. Most of the area is wetland and grassy. A perfect area for swallows! Which is exactly what I saw. They have amazing agility and will often feed on flying insects in the air. I saw barn swallows, which were quite visible due to their orange bellies and dark blue backs. I was doing some work for my tour my group was suppose to lead. I also saw Violet-green swallow, which I did not realize until looking through photos and identifying the different birds later. The have white bellies and a fairy green back, though the color is fairly dark.

Among some of my favorite birds I saw and heard that day were the red-winged blackbirds. The males were clearly a deep black with red patch on their wings and a yellow stripe underneath each red patch. The have a very fluty call, though they have multiple calls which can differ greatly. I didn’t realize it until the end of my excursion, but the darker, slightly smaller birds flying around the red-winged blackbirds were the females. This is an example of sexual dimorphism. There were many crows in the area and both the crows and red-winged blackbirds were aggressive with each other, which was not surprising as both species are aggressive over their territories.

Posted on June 5, 2012 07:09 AM by lmiyamoto