4.1.12 Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, WA

Date: 4.1.12
Location: Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, Washington
Weather: The day was overcast. It rained/sprinkled off and on for the couple hours we were there.
Climate: Moist, but mild coast-like climate.

Observations and things taught/learned: The Nisqually Wildlife Refuge is located at the end of the Nisqually River where it meets the sound. The area is a wetland. Most of the path was a boardwalk or elevated, graveled trail. Here, we mostly identified birds. I saw Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), a Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), a flock of Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis), and an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). I also saw a smaller bird, perhaps a wren of some kind, though I’m not sure [posted on iNaturalist], living in near the wetlands. The mallards swam on the river, the Red-tailed Hawk sat midway up in what I believe was a Red Alder. The Hawk, though there were about twenty of us within 20ft from it, was not startled by our presence. The Canadian Geese, of which there were hundreds, slept, cleaned themselves, and pecked at the ground in a grassy, red muddy land that protruded out into the river [what is this kind of grassland known as?]. As I walked toward them, the ones closest to move walked in a horizontal straight line in the other direction. There were two other geese that I had noticed at the beginning of the trail, these two were not with the large flock [why?]. The Osprey flew over grassy lands like those that the geese grazed on. This grassland, however, was broken up by more streams and had a few bare, scraggly brown bushes all in a row next to a stream. There were also various tall tree trunks spread over the grassland [posted on iNaturalist]. Slithering its way through the grass, a classmate found a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans). We also, on two separate occasions, found a Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla). The first tree frog hid under leaves.

Other: Why were there dead trunks protruding from the wettest grasslands? Why are the trees so evenly spread out rather than clumped together? What type of tree were they? Why did they grow there? Were they there before that area flooded?

Species List:
-Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)
-Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
-Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis)
-Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
-Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla)
-Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans).
-an unknown bird [to be identified on iNaturalist]

Publicado el abril 3, 2012 07:23 MAÑANA por chimeravo