Journal 6: Bird Observations

Location: Carkeek Park, South Trail Bluff

Weather: sunny, warm, clear skies

Time: 2:30-3:30 pm

                Since visiting my site last week I noticed how large the shrubs and small trees in my space have become. Some species like the Sword Ferns and Thimbleberry has leaves that are starting to die and new starts emerging. My site was very active during this time of day, pollinators and flying insects could be seen and heard moving from shrub to shrub. The clear paths I would take through the forest have become overgrown with small plant species and logs that were once sparsely covered by moss are now overed.

                The first bird species I closely observed was the Golden-Crowned Kinglet (right picture, upper right corner). This bird was small, with a greenish yellow back, wings, and face. It was slim and had darker coloring on its wings and face. The bird’s song a short “click” sound and reacted to my attempt at bird calls by moving between the large shrubs in the forest. The bird was mostly seen perching on the small forest trees and large shrubs, staying hidden in the light green leaves. Occasionally the bird would take flight and move from the larger trees or hover above the shrubs, but at most points in my observations, the bird remained fairly visible, perched in the outer branches of the shrubs. When he flew his wings fluttered quickly, exposing the large yellow bellow and dark wings. The bird was seen alone and appears to be territorial towards predators.

                The second bird species I closely observed was the American Robin (left picture, right corner). Two robins were seen together, taking flight occasionally, but mostly remaining deep in the large shrubs and trees. They would sometimes walk on the forest floor and would hop from branch to branch in the large shrubs. The robin I saw most frequently had the characteristic white circle around the eyes, red belly, large beak, and brown body. They were fairly large, but still smaller than a foot high. They did not seem to be alarmed by my “bird call” and would stay in the area, but they would flap their wings soon after I spoke with them. The robins remained low to the ground in a shady area, apparently searching for something in the bushes, most likely food. It appears from my observations that they are social with their own species and remain together while looking for food.

Bird watching was an exciting task. I had difficulty engaging with the birds from a close distance and figuring out what their behavior was from their place in the trees, but I enjoyed spotting hidden birds and trying to speak with them. I also tried to snap a few photos, which I included though they have been zoomed and do not clearly show the full birds’ bodies. 

Weekly Journal 5: Insect Identification

Weekly Journal 5: Insect Identification

Location: South Trail Bluff, Carkeek Park

Weather: Sunny, breezy, during sunset

Time: 7:30-8:30 pm

                Since visiting my site a couple weeks ago, many of the flowering shrubs and trees have grown more leaves and appear to be much fuller. The trees have a similar amount of leaf cover as I’ve observed previously. This week I visited the site while the sun was setting and observed several differences in the animal species at my site. While I did not see many species, I noticed that there were fewer birds than I had observed when visiting my site earlier in the day. I also heard shuffling near the forest floor in the small shrubs at my site, indicating that small nocturnal animals were just becoming active for the nighttime at my site.  

                I had some difficulty finding insects at my site, which was surprising because in the weeks previous it seemed like they were crawling and flying everywhere. The time of day for my visit could have affected the number of insect species I was able to spot at my sight. Still, after some searching I observed several small species in my area. The first was a Rufous Garden Slug from the gastropod class. This slug was slowly moving across the path, leaving shiny, slimy trail behind it. The slug was about an inch and a half long with a slimy, soft body and reddish brown coloring. It was narrowest at the ends and on the head the slug as two long antennae.

Another species a found moved much more rapidly than this slug. I was unable to

identify the type, but the insect was a sort of beetle from the Coleoptera order. The beetle had a hard body about one inch long with a line running down the middle of its back. It was a dark brown and reddish color with black legs, pinchers, and a spiny extension from the back. I found this beetle in the shrubs at my site moving quickly and pausing occasionally, staying very still.

A species which I was able to identify was the Common Pillbug from crustacean class. I've seen this species several times and found this particular Pillbug motionless inside of a hollowed

tree. The body had grey plates or layers and was about a centimeter long. It had two short black antennae and appeared to have legs that extended from the back.

I also found what appears to be some sort of termite, though the insect did not have clearly visible wings. The species is most likely from the Blaltodea order. It was about one centimeter long with an oval body and shiny, hard body. The color was a reddish brown. I also found this insect next to a small white and green larva. Both were found in a piece of rotting wood with several holes carved throughout.

The last of the insects that I found was very small, about a quarter of a centimeter long. It was a light yellowish brown, had a large body and smaller head. As it was so small it was difficult to identify, but I believe that it is part of the Hemiptera order and looked much like the aphids I am used to seeing in my garden. I found this species on the moss of a tree, sitting on a piece of white fungi within the moss. In the upcoming weeks I will continue to observe the insects at my site and will hopefully be able to make more identifications, especially for flying insects species which I did not observe at my site this week.