Journal 9: Saying Goodbye and Final Reflections

Location: Mill Creek Nature Preserve

Time: 3:15 pm - 4:30 pm

Date: December 11, 2018

Temperature: 44 degrees Fahrenheit

Weather: Windy and cloudy

Part 1

Welcome! This is the last check up back at the Mill Creek Nature Preserve. I arrived at 3:15 pm and was greeted by the squirrels running across the grass and climbing up and down trees. There were also spiders chilling and waiting on their webs for their food to fly and get caught onto the web. The Mill Creek Nature Preserve was cloudy, with a crisp slice of wind. The wind felt ice cold slicing against my skin, showing the signs that Winter is officially here. The temperature here at the Mill Creek Nature Preserve was around 44 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, from the 50m photo, the trees are becoming more bare and the location is looking more depressing as the leaves are gone from the trees. The grasses are now turning yellow, but still mainly green. At the 1m photo, all of the fallen leaves are not a grey color and beginning to rot. While from the very first visit to the nature preserve, the 50m photo, the trees were still full with leaves, the grasses were still bright green, and there were Common Jewelweed everywhere. And at the 1m photo, the ground was still visible with some fallen leaves on the floor. Between the first photo and now, the Common Jewelweed were no longer present at the site, the trees were much more bare now as winter approaches. The first visit photo, the atmosphere felt more brighter and beautiful in its own nature-esque way, while this last visit photo, the atmosphere seems more dreary and grey as the trees become more bare, and the daylight hours change.

Comparison photos of 1 sq. m. from the first time visiting to the last time visiting the Mill Creek Nature Preserve (Left: 1 square meter first time visiting, Right: 1 square meter last time visiting)

Comparison photos of 50 sq. m. from the first time visiting tot he last time visiting the Mill Creek Nature Preserve (Top: 50 square meter first time visiting, Bottom: 50 square meter last time visiting)

Part 2

1) How has your perception of your weekly observation site changed through the quarter?

My site at Mill Creek Nature Preserve was fairly urban as there are houses, small restaurants, grocery stores, and streets where cars frequent nearby, as well as frequent walkers and joggers at the preserve. Initially, I was a little uncomfortable going to my location on my own and stopping to look at animals and plants, and walking off the trail as there were some people walking and jogging through. As time went on, I became more comfortable in the space, with the accompany of my dad, as there were also some instances of attacks, and someone to help me search around the area. The first time visiting, there was still sun shine, but as the fall progressed and turned to winter, it became cold, cloudy, shorter daylight hours, and rain, which became really hard to stay out long for detailed observations. My site didn’t really change much as winter arrived. The trees were losing their leaves, plants were withering away from the cold, the sun was mostly hiding behind clouds. But the squirrels, crows, and ducks were always a constant. Observing the site during the fall to winter was someone under-rated. The site became more depressing as you notice the different plants and animals that are no longer there due to the temperature change. I didn’t mind the noise of the streets, or the impact of humans at the site, I began to appreciate the space. Doing these observations helped me appreciate the diversity of plants at the nature preserve.

2) How has your sense of the Puget Sound Region changed through the quarter?

I came into this course with very little knowledge and understanding of how the Puget Sound Region changed. My experiences on the field trips, on the class periods outdoors, and my weekly journal assignments provided me a different view of the region’s diversity, developed an understanding of the diversity this region. This quarter was the rediscovery of my home. I have lived in the Puget Sound all my life, but the information that was told throughout the quarter were new and foreign to me. This class and the experiences enhanced my love for the Puget Sound Region, and ultimately, for the natural world. I am now filled with wonder and always looking for the diversity of all aspects of the Puget Sound’s natural history. With such a diverse land, in which it manifests itself in such a beautiful way, such as looking at slope aspect’s effects on vegetation in a ravine, or wondering why the Douglas Firs were shaped differently on Ebey’s Landing than the normal Douglas Firs found at the Union Bay Natural Area, creates wonder. When taking this class, I have come to understand that the Puget Sound has no boundaries and that this region will always have me wondering.

3) What does it mean to intimately know a natural place?

There are some many different meanings of knowing a natural place through the changing of the seasons. Usually, most people only see the summer and winter version of nature as most of us students are in school, inside a building. But during the breaks in summer and winter, we are outside more and see only the green in the leaves and grasses, or the bareness of the trees and sparse plants growing in the winter. We miss the change and beauty of fall and spring. Knowing a place requires a lot of patience, observations, details, and commitment. While the field trips were exciting and inspiring, it was more impactful to observe just one place. During the field trips, I felt like I was always missing something, or the class was behind schedule, or there just wasn’t enough time. After documenting the plants and animals of my site, I was able to familiarize myself with the site. I became knowledgeable of general areas where plants can be found. Everything was familiar. When I took my father to the site, I was able to share the types of plants here, express why the location was so special to me, and why I had chosen this area as my observation site. Any time I go back to the Nature Preserve, I will always remember the squirrels that scurried across the grass and climbing up and down trees with their mouths full of food.

4) What do you feel are your most important personal outcomes from this class? What is the value to you of nature observation, and any other skills you have garnered?

Even though it was a requirement to visit a site, I’m glad that I had the opportunity to observe my site, or a site, every week. Visiting my site was a great source of peace, and being able to be away from my hectic life. That time reinforced how healing nature can be. It allowed me to take a break from stress, studying, and worrying about exams and showed me to make time for myself, to allow myself a break every once in a while. My site reimbursed me in remembering the kind of life I want to pursue, one in which I can enjoy and engage with the nature world regularly.

5) Has your overall perception of nature and natural history, and the place of humans in nature, changed this quarter?

My overall perception of natural history and nature has changed and I believe that humans need the exposure to nature and understand how their impact is affecting the world that we live in. Nature can heal us and ease the suffering from what may be a hart time in your life currently. Nature helped me by understand myself better, it calmed me and brought me peace and mind. Nature is also there to help us experience new things, learn about what is poisonous and harmful to others, learn about what is edible, how to protect yourself, and most importantly, allows us to see another part of the world. I also think that being in nature and appreciating it gives people an opportunity to develop compassion and interest in the nature world. Having a strong, meaningful connection and relationship to nature inspires a desire to be one with the land.

Journal 8: Field Trip

Location: Top of Ebey’s landing

Date: November 17, 2018

Temperature: Approximately 53 degrees Fahrenheit

Time: 11:09 AM-12:06 PM

Weather: Cloudy, with some sun

At the top of the Ebey’s Landing, the class got out of the cars and took a look around. The temperature was chilly at first, but as the sun started to peek through the clouds, it started to get warmer.  At the top of the Ebey’s Landing, we saw the valley. The valley was formed by a glacial meltwater channel when the glacier stalled here. The area has been inhabited for at least 2000 years. The trees that were located there were Douglas Firs and Sitka Spruce. For the Sitka spruce, the needles seemed to be thicker than the Sitka spruce that the class saw at Union Bay, and the Douglas Fir had sun foliage at the top of the tree. The needles, usually flat on the branch, were unusually whirled and thicker around the tree branches, which allows for more sunlight to be absorbed. Sitka Spruce is usually found growing among Western Hemlock and Western Red cedar, however this environment is not the usual habitat the Sitka Spruce would usually be found in. Sitka spruce can only be found on the portion of the ridge because of the ocean currents, this is the only area that receives summer-time fog, which Sitka spruces requires to thrive. The trees also seemed to have a weird shape, as they didn’t grow vertically, but curved at some aspects. The trees had some broken branches and were quite skinny due to the wind sculpting, and the curve the trees have, is also due to the wind sculpting. Some other plants that we saw at the top of the Ebey’s landing were Salal, Snowberry, Bracken fern, Tall Oregon Grape, and a Fishnet lichen. Fishnet Lichen was quite interesting as there has an “elasticity” in the middle of the webbing of the lichen. The lichen can be stretched a little, and return to its normal shape. A bird that we found flying in the branches of the trees at the top of the Ebey’s landing were Golden crowned Kinglets, who were very hyperactive and had a very high pitch call. The birds we found floating in the water, in search of food, were the Double-crested Cormorant, Horned Grebe, Pacific Loon, Common Merganser, and Surf Scoter. The Double-crested Cormorant was a dark brown to black color body with a yellow bill. The Horned Grebe has red eyes, and a dull tipped bill. The neck up to the cheek was white, while the top of the head was black. The rest of the body was a dark to light grey. The Pacific Loon has a dark brown to black back and a grey head. The top of the bill seems to be black as well and the bill is long and thin. The Common Merganser had an orange-red head, and an orange bill. The back of the body is grey on top, and lightens up to a pale white going down towards the underside of the body. The Surf Scoter had an oddly shaped bill, much larger in height than the other birds that we saw that day, with a vertical white patch along the bill. The head was black, and the body is a dark brown.

Time: 12:45 PM-5:45 PM

Temperature: 54 degrees Fahrenheit

Location: Ebey’s Landing

Weather: Cloudy with some sun

(1.) Landscape photo of the hillside, from across the Lagoon

(2.) Landscape photo along the beach

(3.) Detailed Landscape drawing and the reference. Photo taken while returning back to the car, climbing the side of the hill on the trail

At Ebey’s Landing, the class walked along the beach. It was a little breezy at the beach, but once we started walking, I eventually warmed up. The weather turned out pretty well as the sun came and went throughout the day. The first plant the class saw and identified was the American Searocket (Cackile endentula). It was interesting, as it tasted similarly to mustard. The flowering on the plant had four petals. This is interesting as most plants with four petals are found in the “cabbage” family, the Brassicas family, with plants including cabbage, broccoli, mustard, brussels sprouts, and kale. The American Searocket tends to grow on ocean beaches and moist/wet sandy beaches.

(4.) Photo of the American Searocket (Cackile endentula)

Walking along, I saw, possibly a Juvenile Bald Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). It looked similar to the other bald eagles that were flying about, except the head wasn’t white, but still brown with the rest of the body. While in flight, I saw that the wings had some white spotting underneath, along with the tail feathers underneath being some grey/white. The bill of the juvenile Bald Eagle was not the usual golden yellow that is seen in the adult, but rather a grey/black bill. I also saw a Common Raven (Corvus corax), as the tail was in a diamond shape, and the body size of the Raven was much larger than a Crow. The body was stark black, the head and bill is also longer than a crow.

Something that happened that was unexpected was a Juvenile Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) was fighting with whom I thought was a seagull, however was told it was an adult Northern Harrier. It was interesting as the adult Northern Harrier was so brightly white. The Juvenile Northern Harrier was a golden brown body color, while the adult was a pale grey body color. Underneath the adult Northern Harrier is black tips, with a white underbody, while the juvenile has black and white striped tips and a golden brown underbelly. But the tell-tale sign that it is a Northern Harrier is with the white rump from both Juvenile and adult Northern Harrier.

What was also interesting was that I found a Prickly Pear cactus (Opuntia), and a red bulbous cactus found in bundles. I didn’t really expect to see cactus, as I was under the assumption that cactus grow on dry, drought-like conditions, such as deserts, not alongside the beach and cliff.

(5.) Red Bulbous cacti

At the lagoon, there were tons of pickleweeds (Salicornia) packed along the edges of the brackish waters of the lagoon. Pickleweeds are edible and salty, and are typically found near or next to saltwater marshes. The way the plant looks is quite odd as there seems to be segments, similar to a finger, separated and branched off of one another. Near the pickleweeds, there were some Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia arbuscula), which were also found at the Mima mounds from the previous field trip.There were also many diving birds at the lagoons, such as Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola), Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser), Hooded Mergansers (Lophodytes cucullatus), a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), and Finches.

(6. and 7.) Detailed drawings of the Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) and the Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

(8. and 9.) Detailed drawings of the Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) and the Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

(10.) Photo of the Reindeer Lichen (Cladonia arbuscula)

Time: 6:36 PM

Location: Skagit Delta

Temperature 49 degrees Fahrenheit

Weather: Cloudy, windy

The moon was already out shining in the night. We arrived at the Skagit Delta a little after sunset, and went to an area known for the sighting of the Great Horned Owls. We stood quietly, while Tim played the calls of the Great Horned Owls. In the distance, you could hear lots of ducks quacking, as they were quite loud. We stood outside for about 15 minutes, continuously trying to search for the pair of Great Horned Owls however, we were not in luck, as we did not get to see the Magnificent Great Horned Owls.

Journal 7: Poetry in Nature

Date: November 15, 2018

Time: 3:54 PM- 4:30 PM

Temperature: 53 degrees Fahrenheit

Weather: Cloudy

Location: Mill Creek Nature Preserve

Hello again,

Today was an interesting day that didn’t go as I had expected. I arrived, as I do every week, at the Mill Creek Nature Preserve at 3:54 PM. As always, the entrance had some Eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) climbing up and down the cedar trees, chasing each other on the ground, and scavenging for food. Continuing to walk along the path, I saw 8 female and male Mallard ducks (Ana platyrhynchos) floating on the farthest end of the lake away from my location. Walking along some more, I look on the left, on the edge of the bridge, I saw the most beautiful pair, male and female, Wood ducks (Alix sponsa). The male Wood duck that stuck out was incredibly colorful. There was a round head with a drooping crest, a bright white “bridle”, and a long tail. The drooping crest is a green color on top, but at different angles and different lighting, the drooping crest looked a blue-purple-green mix. The eyes were red and round. The bill is orange with a black stripe along the top of the bill. The sides of the head is white and black, and the neck, breast, and rump is a red-brown color. The sides of the body has a small stripe of white and black, then a block of yellow. The back of the Wood duck was a mix of Black, white, blue, and purple. The female Wood duck had a white spot around the eye, and grayish, pale spotted flanks. The bill is a dark grey color, the main color of the head and body is gray. The breast and along the side of the body is spotted between light and dark grey. The back of the female Wood duck was mainly grey, until the end of the tips was a bluish purple color. From both sexes, there is a small bill, a drooping crest, and a long broad tail. The Wood duck is smaller in size than the Mallard duck. From the 50m photo, the trees are becoming more bare and the location is looking more depressing as the leaves are gone from the trees. The grasses are now turning yellow, but still mainly green. At the 1m photo, all of the fallen leaves are not a grey color and beginning to rot.

Photo of male and female Wood Ducks (Alix sponsa) 

Photo of Male Wood Duck (Alix sponsa)

Photo of Female Wood Duck (Alix sponsa)

Photo of all Mallard Ducks (Ana platyrhynchos) and Wood Ducks (Alix sponsa) paddling in the lake

Update photo at Mill Creek Nature Preserve at 50 sq. m.

Update photo at Mill Creek Nature Preserve at 1 sq. m.

Poem #1

I am wet and moist, slimy and gleaming

Slowly inching down a mossy filled rock.

Leaving behind a shiny trail.

I do not have a home on my back, like my lucky relatives,

But I seek refuge in the moist places such as fields, woods, and gardens.

I am also found under rocks, vegetation, and shaded areas.

When I extend, I am long and slender

But, I am small and thick when I compress.

I see with two long skinny drumsticks,

And smell with two small skinny drumsticks.

All of which move independently.

They move outward and inward,

Left and right, up and down.

I forage on leaves of plants.

Note: This is a description of a Garden Slug (Order: Stylommatophora) on a mossy rock.

Poem #2

Cloudy and gloomy, as clouds hover over me

Taunting with the moisture of rain

Slight breezes cuts at my skin.

Leaves of the Bigleaf Maple and Red Alder scatter across the ground

Creating a speckled path between leaves and pebbles.

The leaves connected on the trees turn colors,

Red, yellow, and orange,

Waiting for their time to graciously flutter to the ground

However, leaves that remain on the ground lose colors

From their red, yellow, and orange to brown to grey

The grasses are green beginning to turn yellow.

Note: This is a description of my broad landscape at the Mill Creek Nature Preserve.

Poem #3

Scurrying across the fields and grasses,

Climbing up and down the Western Hemlock trees,

Chasing one another as two friends play.

I scurry away when I sense danger is near, I hide away when predators are close.

During the winter, I eat and eat to get fat and stay warm.

I open the nuts with my small like hands, and carry my food in my cheeks to be eaten later.

The trees is a place called home for me and my friends and family.

I am most commonly seen throughout the day.

When I am seen, I have a bushy tail curled in the shape of a question mark,

I am usually a grey blob at first glance.

The way I move is in hill formations of “m’s”,

Hopping from my hind quarters and landing on my front quarters.

Note: This is a description of Eastern grey squirrels (Order: Rodentia) playing and chasing together.