Week 3

Date: Monday, April 22 2013
Weather: Sunny and warm, strong occassional breeze
Temperature: ~58 F
Time: 5:50 - 7:00 pm
Location: Marsh Island, Washington Park Arboretum

Happy Earth Day! Today was the epitome of a perfect Seattle spring afternoon. The wind began to pick up as I rode my bike to the park, but the sun was still very warm. I walked slowly along the trail, trying not to disturb the peace in hopes of beginning observing birds right away. I veered off to the right to try my luck at the concrete island anchored to the south side of Marsh Island (facing 520). There was a moment of mutual surprise as I startled a Great Blue Heron, and it startled me. It flew off a little further away from the path and settled long enough for me to snap a photo. I have had good luck each week so far in spotting one of these large birds!

Today I focused on observing my surrondings without taking intricate notes-- merely soaking in the sun and the changes in plants since my last visit. I observed a lot more green growth on the shrubs and trees. There were less bird calls, and less birds floating on the water, than the last time I was here. Perhaps it is the time of day? Since it was so late in the evening, the bird activity may have died down. The most notable observation was my own curiosity in identifying plants. I found myself seeing more and more shrubs that had been hidden to my eyes before. I still cannot successfully identify most of them, but my interest in doing so has been piqued.

Below, I have included some photos of the plants I observed most precisely. I tried to take note of their distinctive features and how they may differ from their similar neighbors. Below each photo is a description of the plant and ways to identify it.

Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

Located in moist to wet forests, meadows, swamps; Often weedy

Jointed stems

Scouler's Willow (Salix scouleriana)

Tall shrub or multi-branched small tree with yellowish brown branches

Leaves are broad, alternate, tapered to a narrow base and pointed at top

Young leaves (as shown in photo) are velvety; catkins

Common in wetlands 

Yellow Pond-Lily (Nuphar polysepalum)

Aquatic, perennial

Leaves are floating egg or heart-shaped 

Flowers are yellow and large

Iris (species unknown)

Leaves are both dark and light green, erect with horizontal dimples/waves near top

About 2-3 feet tall

Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)

Fronds are clustered; Leaves are scaly at base with blades narrow at base and tip

2-3 times pinnate; Located in moist to wet forests and swamps

Pacific Willow (Salix lucida)

Tall and slender shrub/tree

Leaves are alternate and lance-shaped, tapering to a long tip; margins finely toothed

Leaves deep green, not hairy; Catkins

Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera trichocarpa)

Large, tall deciduous tree

Bark is dark grey and deeply furrowed

Leaves are alternate, thick, oval, rounded base, sharp-pointed tip

Leaf stalks are round; Margins finely toothed

Sitka Willow (Salix sitchensis)

Tall shrub or tree

Twigs are very velvety 

Leaves are alternate, tapering from above the middle to the base

Lower side of leaves satiny

The trail was very muddy (as usual) despite the beautiful weather.

Unidentified plant! Could not find it in the field guide.... Will continue the hunt next week.

Evidence of a beaver!

Repeat photo of my observation spot (note Black Cottonwood on right).

Repeat photo of my 1 m area.

Invasive species: Blackberry

Invasive species: Holly

Invasive species: Ivy

Week 2

Date: Monday April 15, 2013

Weather: Overcast with blue sky breaks

Temperature: ~55 degrees F

Time: 11:15 am to 12:15 pm

Location: Marsh Island, Washington Park Arboretum

Instead of riding my bike this week, I walked from my house in the U-District to Marsh Island, which was quite the exploration exercise itself. About 45 minutes of observation helped prepare me for the emerging spring flora and fauna I would see in the Arboretum. There were more flowering shrubs (mostly non-native of course), and plenty of bird calls. A pair of robins was flying back and forth between a tree and the roof of a house, and their interactions intrigued me! Once I arrived at the park, the marshy habitat provided an aquatic landscape with even more birds! I paid special attention to the birds I could see and/or hear. Almost immediately I spotted a large swan-like bird with a brown body and white "tuft" on its back end. The bird had a dark head with a white stripe on the side. I watched it floating along for quite a while until it encountered another bird of the same kind. They became very vocal, and loud! The two of them seemed to combat each other and fly away together. My field guide didn't have a match, so perhaps the bird is not local.

Unidentified large bird (migratory?)

There seemed to be chickadees in the trees all around me, but I was unable to spot any. Their calls were pretty distinctive, but I don't know the specific species. There were quite a few ducks floating in the water, and I recognized them to be Mallard ducks (both male and female). 

Male Mallard duck

In the distance, I saw a Great Blue Heron in flight, but was unable to see it up-close like last week. I also heard the "kaw"-ing of a crow several times.I walked about 200 yards from the west end of the island to reach my observation point, and stopped along the way to identify birds bobbing up and down in the waves. They seemed to dive down and then pop back up! Two different color markings made me think there were males and females of the same species. After some observation, I used my field guide to discover they were Barrow's Goldeneye. There were 3 or 4 males and perhaps 2 females within sight.

Male Barrow's Goldeneye

My observation spot seemed much more alive with new growth! In my 1 meter area, I saw blackberry, horse tail, shrub leaves, fallen dead leaves, course woody debris, ivy, and ferns. Below are some photos of my observations. Unfortunately, I am unable to identify most of the shrubs in my close proximity. I have provided photos with the intention to re-photograph and observe next week, and try to further research.

New shrub growth in 1 m area

Fern and ivy growth continues from last week

New leaves growth from existing shrub branch

Repeat photo of 1 m area

Close-up of new shrub growth and horsetail

The drawing exercise was a really useful tool for me in doing fast sketches of my observations, rather than relying on photographs or guide books to help me notice details. I have outlined each step in the exercise below-- I chose to draw the Bog Birch.

Memory Sketch

Contour / continuous line sketch

Quick gesture sketch (5 seconds)

Diagrammatic drawing

Experimenting with the pencil line

The study drawing

Quick sketch of a cattail 

Unidentified new growth on shrub

Horsetail

New shrub leaves

I spent my final moments at Marsh Island doing repeat photography of the views I had experienced last week:

Week 1

Date: Monday April 8, 2013
Weather: Partly cloudy (dark rain clouds) with sun breaks and some blue sky
Temperature: ~50 degrees F
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 pm
Location: Marsh Island, Washington Park Arboretum

My observation site is located at Marsh Island- a small, soggy island in Union Bay that is connected by walking bridges to the rest of the Arboretum. I rode my bike from the University of Washington campus to the Arboretum, and kept exploring to find a spot near the water and with adequate vegetation. The walking path has many benches and navigates both sides of the island for snippets of waterfront observation. Based on the map below, it seems to be the meeting point of the Arboretum Waterfront Trail and the Foster Island Trail. My plan is to use this tiny island as an observation point in itself, and to spend time in one spot consistently while identifying species over the entire landscape. I don't know very much about Marsh Island, but I plan to go to the Visitor's Center and inquire about its history.

I am still unsure if this will be an adequate location for the high volume of species identification I plan to do. The island was very wet, and the path muddy. There was marshy area essentially everywhere except the designated path. Another inch of lake water and it would sink! There were plenty of shrubs, a few tall trees, and a bounty of singing birds. I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of a Great Blue Heron while walking, but could not capture a photo. It was standing near a small dock on the south side of the island, and as I approached, it took flight and flew east over the water with outstretched wings.
After walking the length of the island, I retraced my steps to post #13 for my observation spot. Note: the trail is marked with wooden number signs, perhaps indicating a species or lookout point? I need to inquire.

The air was warmer than it had been for weeks, and I was grateful to find a peaceful spot for the spring. I predict that much will change at Marsh Island over the next few months, and it will be exciting to observe those ecosystem interactions. The overall vantage point (essentially 50 meters from my sit-spot) was Union Bay. The stadium and the Montlake cut were clearly in view when looking NW. Behind me was an inlet bordered by the 520 bridge and more Arboretum Park land. In the immediate vicinity, there were countless fallen branches and scrubby shrubs that were challenging to distinguish. I could hear many kinds of bird calls. There is an incredible amount of moss, and what I perceive to be invasive species such as Himalayan Blackberry and Ivy (yet to be identified).

These were two forms of holly (or a prickly shrub) that I was unable to identify.

There was one large tree that I spent time studying, and was able to identify it successfully! (Please someone correct me if you feel differently). It was a Black Cottonwood Tree about 30 feet tall with furrowed bark and deciduous leaves. I want to examine this species much more closely and look for it more on the rest of the island. This particular individual was fairly mature compared to the trees around it, which looked very thin and young.

Black Cottonwood (Populus balsamifera trichocarpa)

The other species that intrigued me immediately was a small fern growing in the marshy area near the trail. I believe that the identification of Bracken Fern is correct -- using the information found in my field guide: "Field Guide to the Cascades and Olympics." 

Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)

As the sun was setting, it became much more challenging to distinguish shrubs and follow twisted branches back to their source. The din of the freeway was certainly present, but did not detract from the peacefulness of that natural area. As I mentioned before, there was an abundance of bird calls but very little visualization of those species. One I noticed in particular made a high-pitched "swoop" sound followed by 5 or 6 short trills of "tweet." I have heard it before many times, so perhaps it is a common bird like a Robin. The sky began to darken as I packed my belongings and left the site. I was able to get some photos to begin my observations and serve as a foundation for the changing environment (see below). My plan for next time is to identify some moss species and try to see some of the calling birds.

Until next week, happy trails!