Journal Entry 6

Time: Tuesday, November 24th, 2020, from 9 to 10 am

Location: The far eastern portion of Ravenna Park in Seattle, WA. 

Temperature: ~45℉

Weather: Overcast with a light mist and no significant wind

Overall I would say my observation site looks largely the same from last week in terms of the actual processes that I observed on site. The evergreen plants, such as the Western Redcedar, the Sword Fern and the Tall Oregon-Grape still retained their leaves when I arrived and started my observations. The Black Cottonwoods downstream had finished dropping their leaves, and, for some reason, the Beaked Hazelnuts still retained their leaves. I still am not entirely sure why the Beaked Hazelnuts near Ravenna Creek still possess their leaves. Last post I proposed that this phenomenon was due to the shrub-like trees being near a source of water in the form of the creek. I still hold by that explanation, in part due to the Beaked Hazelnuts growing in the more well-drained upland areas of the park being completely bare by this point. I also managed to find a solitary seed pod from one of the Black Cottonwoods dangling off of a low Beaked Hazelnut branch. The seed pod was long and stringy, with being made of a long chain of tightly clustered black seed containers with white coverings. The white seed coverings look somewhat like pale broken nuts, which, in a way, they are. I would be more proper in saying that these are not so much seed pods but the former containers of seeds, or catkins. The fluff that is emitted during the warmer months of the year are the actual seeds; what I photographed was merely a female catkin that housed these fluffy seeds before it died and fell off the cottonwood above. Still, it was neat to see further evidence that the taller trees growing among the low and shrubby Beaked Hazelnuts were actually Black Cottonwoods; initially, when I began visiting my observation site a month ago, I did not look up close and thought that they were some sort of maple. The presence of this female catkin, about four inches long, also means that one of the Black Cottonwoods is specifically female, as Black Cottonwoods are dioecious, meaning that male and female catkins are located on different trees. I also found Red Alder male catkin hanging off of a Western Redcedar branch. This male catkin was far smaller, narrower and woody, being a growth designed to emit pollen as opposed to seeds. This is further conformation that the broadleafed trees near the Western Redcedars upstream are Red Alders. In the case of both the Black Cottonwood and Red Alder catkins there is no doubt that these are older catkins left over from last spring that got hung up on branches as opposed to new catkins. In regards to both my far out and close up repeat shots there was some mild change. On the log in which I do my close up there was nothing new within my usual camera shot. However, when I looked at the far end of the log I saw what I think to be some Sulfur Tuft mushrooms that had grown since the rains of last week, though I must say that I am no expert on fungus. These mushrooms were ribbed underneath, had a orange-yellow color and were darker towards the apex of the cap. This is not the first time I've seen such mushrooms in this spot. If I had to guess, I would say that the log that I always photograph is laden with networks of fungus, or mycelium, that sprout up different types of mushroom now and then when the conditions are right, such as after a rainstorm. I have already talked about the Black Cottonwoods and Beaked Hazelnuts downstream, whilst the upstream waterfall still is intact and the Vine Maples surrounding it remain bare. I did notice a few new plants, however. The primary plant that I noticed was what I think to be a Deer Fern somewhat upstream. It had single pinnate fronds that were narrow and about a foot long. These fronds were pressed down to the ground among the leaf litter and were slightly oblong. All of the fronds centered around a central point in the earth; there was no upright stalk with fronds like the Bracken Fern. In terms of non-bird fauna activity I did see an Eastern Grey Squirrel; no Douglas Squirrels like my old community college observation site, unfortunately. I saw this invasive squirrel digging at the leaf litter and shoving leaves into its cheeks. It then ran off, presumably back to its nest. If I were to say I would assert that this Eastern Grey Squirrel was gathering materials to make its home for the winter, though the only way I could really know for sure would be to follow it to where it eventually went. I had to do some bird observations, so I decided to stay put and to not go chasing after the squirrel; maybe some other time. 

Close up of the male Red Alder catkin I found hanging on a Western Redcedar. I would say this little fellow has been hanging on this branch for at least half a year, owing in part due to its shriveled appearance.

Another shot of the Red Alder catkin on the Western Redcedar, this time a little bit farther out.

Close up of the female Black Cottonwood catkin I mentioned. These things litter my backyard every June and my father constantly rants about chopping down the sole Black Cottonwood on our property due to the mess it causes. Good times.

Some Sword Ferns I took a picture of. Not really much to say here. Its honestly difficult to go into the woods around here and not find one of these guys growing.

A Tall Oregon-Grape I took a photo of. Kind of mangy looking, but it is nice to see some green this time of year.

What I think to be a Deer Fern. One can see the general shape of the fronds and how they come from a central point.

Close up of the Deer Fern base. One can see how the fronds come straight up out of the ground as opposed to being suspended on stalks at the base of the fronds like the Sword Fern.

Another Deer Fern picture. In this one you can see the general shape of the fronds. One can see how they become more narrow towards the base. Honestly I am going to be embarrassed if this is not actually a Deer Fern. I found this guy under a Red Alder tree by the creek.

50 m^2 shot of the upstream waterfall. As one can see, the Vine Maples remain bare and the waterfall is still intact. It is nearly a miracle that someone has not damaged it due to the amount of people visiting and living in this park.

50 m^2 shot of downstream. Once can see not only the Western Redcedars but also the Beaked Hazelnuts in this shot, with the Beaked Hazelnuts being the remaining greenery in the center of the shot, underneath the now completely bare Black Cottonwoods.

The Thimbleberry I drew a month ago, now looking far more mangy than before.

Branch of a Douglas-Fir sapling far up the cut bank and away from the stream. Note the not horizontal arrangement of the needles, meaning that this is not a Grand Fir.

Picture of the Sulfur Tufts on the log where I usually do my close up shots. Not the greatest picture, and perhaps not the greatest ID job, but I did not feel like sticking my phone in the stream and identifying fungus is a hell reserved for three weeks ago.

My first 1 m^2 shot. Nothing in the soil, the usual leaves, moss on the log, everything seems normal here.

My second 1 m^2 shot. You can see my boot in this picture, the little hole that I dug with said boot towards the top right of the shot, and the bare part of the log sheltering the mushrooms towards the bottom right of the shot. There were no insects in the waterlogged mud.

Another picture of the Douglas-Fir sapling, this time at a different angle.

Farther out shot of the Douglas-Fir sapling farther away from the creek.

This week I was tasked with finding some birds to follow and draw. The four main birds I focused upon were the Dark Eyed Junco, the Black Capped Chickadee, the Golden-Crowned Kinglet, and the Red Breasted Nuthatch. I also saw and heard a variety of other birds which I will simply list for posterity. I saw and heard an Anna's Hummingbird near some blackberry bushes at the top of the gorge in Ravenna Park, I heard Spotted Towhees throughout the park though I did not spot any directly, I heard numerous American Crows and I also heard some Glaucous Winged Gulls off in the distance whilst I was at my observation site, though I highly doubt that the gulls actually landed in the park. The main bird that I followed for an extended period of time was the Dark Eyed Junco, though I will first get into the other three species in part due to their collective behavior when I was observing them. When I was sitting in my observation site, waiting silently for birds on the drier cut bank (I was sick of sitting in mud), I first heard the distinctive call of the Black Capped Chickadee. I stood from where I was sitting, pulled out my binoculars and in short order I saw about twenty or thirty chickadees fly over and settle into a stand of Black Cottonwoods and Red Alders that were present downstream. The Black Capped Chickadees emitted numerous calls, oftentimes with four "dees" on the end when I observed them in this instance. They would rapidly fly from branch to branch and from tree to tree, occasionally resting to emit a call or two. I saw one of these individuals in this activity and promptly sketched the scene, adding ink and labels later. They, from what I could see with my binoculars, would oftentimes pick at a branch with their beak, oftentimes venturing to the ends of twigs to pick at and inspect little crannies in the bark. From this behavior I could only assume they were looking for seeds or plant material to eat. They would often perch in the middle branches of bare trees, giving me a fairly decent view of them. They had plump bodies, a darker back and a black head with prominent white cheeks. Higher up in the trees were Golden-Crowned Kinglets, which I recognized by their bright orange and yellow crests, as well as their fast wing beats and the ability to almost hover like hummingbirds. I've already seen these guys at my site before, but this time they were higher up in the trees, above the Black Capped Chickadees. They would oftentimes follow the main Chickadee flock when they would fly collectively from tree to trees, sometimes swooping down to the now vacant perches where the Black Capped Chickadees once perched. They would then inspect and pick at the branch much like the Chickadees did, albeit with far greater speed and haste. The Golden Crowned Kinglets would often make their high pitched pipping call when near other members of their species, keeping at least a little distance between themselves and the larger Black Capped Chickadees. They would sometimes hover underneath branches, as if they were inspecting them. They paid even more attention to the ends of branches, as if to look for anything the Black Capped Chickadees left behind. If I were to guess, I would say that Black Capped Chickadees and Golden Crowned Kinglets have a similar diet, with the Golden Crowned Kinglets attracted by the prospect of finding food by following the Black Capped Chickadees. The Golden Crowned Kinglets traveled in groups of three when moving from tree to tree, which I would assume is a social grouping of some kind. I also saw some Red Breasted Nuthatches near this mixed flock of Black Capped Chickadees and Golden Crowned Kinglets. These Red Breasted Nuthatches had black heads with a white stripe above the eyes like an eyebrow. They had blue grey backs and rusty red breasts. There were about two of them in the flock from what I could see. These two Red Breasted Nuthatches decided to climb up and down the trunks of trees, sometimes going on the Black Cottonwoods and Red Alders but often preferring the few Douglas-Firs and Western Redcedars that were present just beyond my observation area. They would climb up, down and across tree trunks, often keeping near the main flock of Black Capped Chickadees. If I were to guess, these Red Breasted Nuthatches were there for protection, as the presence of Black Capped Chickadees would mean that there would be a large flock nearby to emit alarm calls in case a hawk came flying by. At any rate, the nuthatches seemed far less interested in twigs and would instead peck at the bark, sometimes whilst climbing down the tree headfirst. They emitted a very nasal and high pitched call periodically, perhaps about every twenty seconds, probably to keep track of each other. 

The main bird I decided to follow, however, was the Dark Eyed Junco. I saw a large flock of these birds, perhaps about twenty strong, when I was heading out of my observation site through the more grassy and open upland areas of Ravenna Park. The Dark Eyed Juncos largely sat on the ground and sifted through the leaf litter with their beaks, looking for morsels on the ground for eating. Occasionally one would find something, perhaps a seed or an edible bit of plant material, and would snatch it up immediately. They also flew frequently between a large Western Redcedar, which I can only assume acted as a sort of home base for these birds, and a stand of Beaked Hazelnuts. Whilst on the ground and on the branches of the Beaked Hazelnut, they often preferred to hop or make short flights to move about rather than walking. I saw one in particular pick at some lichen and moss on one of the Beaked Hazelnut branches, picking at it with its beak and then grasping it with its feet. After being satisfied with the moss, the Dark Eyed Junco flew to a different bush, not bringing the moss with it. Since this individual was staying relatively still whilst it was assaulting the moss I could get a good view of it. I promptly drew this individual and added ink and labels later. These Dark Eyed Juncos had a dark head with no white patches. They had tan to light colored sides, white bellies, dark brown backs and short, pinkish beaks. Their tails were long and had both black and white feathers. Their wings also had both light and dark plumage. Their heads were rounded. They would practically dance through the air as they flew to the Western Redcedar, with multiple individuals often taking flight from the ground at once. From this angle one could see the white feathers in their tails. As they flew from the ground to shrubs and trees they would make little "dit-dit" calls to their fellows. They spent most of their time on the ground, venturing to the Beaked Hazelnut shrubs and the Western Redcedar only briefly. This flock of twenty or so birds only contained Dark Eyed Juncos. I can only assume that they are either antagonistic with the likes of Black Capped Chickadees, or, perhaps more likely, they just have radically different feeding and flocking behaviors. These Dark Eyed Juncos spent most of their time on the ground looking for food, often staying low to the ground, even whilst in shrubs and in trees. In all I would say that the Dark Eyed Junco is more of a ground species that uses flight as a way of getting from one patch of ground to another quickly, as opposed to a species like the Golden Crowned Kinglet, which spends most of its time in the top of trees and feeds in the treetops. Overall it was nice to see these little guys. There is a family of Dark Eyed Juncos which comes to nest under the eves of my house every spring right outside the kitchen window. Before this class I could not identify them properly, but their habits and even what their nests look like are sort of ingrained into my brain. Nice to see them out in Ravenna Park all the same. 

Sketch of the Dark Eyed Junco that I saw on the Beaked Hazelnut bush. Perhaps I should have sketched one of the ones that was on the ground on account of most of the flock being located on the ground, but a notable portion of them were perched in this one Beaked Hazelnut bush, so I figure this is an alright depiction. You can see through the labeling that this individual was picking at some moss on the branch. Extra comments on the Dark Eyed Junco, as well as key visual features, are also included in the image. Notes on flocking behavior and flight location are located in the label below the sketch.

My drawing of a Black Capped Chickadee that I saw high up in a Black Cottonwood tree, perched on a twig. I did not describe this one as much as the Dark Eyed Junco, though I still included information on key visual traits in the picture that distinguish the Black Capped Chickadee from similar species. I even elaborate on this difference with the Dark Eyed Junco more in the written portion below the sketch. Notes on behavior, such as the call, are also included in the written label below the sketch.