November 10th, 2016
12:05 PM
Equal parts sunny and hazy sky
61 degrees, very little/no breeze
Phenology Update:
Nothing as drastic as the last two entries, but the brush on the forest floor is very brown, maybe more decayed than last time; can't really quantify that information at this point. I think more leaves have fallen off of all the Rubus spectabilis plants, and the outer limbs of the Polystichum munitum are succumbing to winter's clutches. There are still maple leaves hanging from the Taxis brevifolia, and from the Thuja plicata. I'm making extra effort to use Latin names today. I think it might be the lighting, but moss hanging from all the trees seems to be illuminated-maybe more of the leaves have finally decayed, allowing the emerald surfaces to contrast with the browning Earth below. That last sentences seems a little too artsy for my taste. The ground is spongy, which is strange because it's been pretty dry this week.
Picture of my go-to place
Maybe this stuff is finally dying?? (The salmon-berry shrubs)
I swear it's not my mind playing tricks on me, the moss really is glowing today!
The fun stuff is happening at the 1-meter scale of my spot. Some helicopters (maple tree seed droppings) and leaves litter the site. A new mushroom has appeared in the center.
As I examine, I notice something new. Strange tube-like structures jut out from the outer edges of the mass of the covered root-base. They seem to be roots of some kind; they are similar to bean-sprouts in appearance and touch- smooth and kind of vine-like. Ones closer to the ground are brown, and the ones farther up are a whitish-peach color.
BUT WAIT
It's so ironic that this week's assignment is about birds, because the main thing that's covering my 1-meter site is... BIRD FEATHERS!
They've been compromised by moisture, so they're a bit shriveled, and they're very small. I think they're part of the under-layer of feathers, meant for insulation, and are definitely not meant to get wet.
Overview of the site
Closer view of the main feather deposit
I also found what I believe to be bits of skin.
Only one full feather was dropped-it's about five inches long, where the vane of the feather only covers four. The feather is pretty wet, so it's hard for me to tell what shape it might have been (for identifying what part of the bird it came from).
Based on the clues, I think the bird was preening here. But that's weird, because this is kind of an exposed area for a bird to be doing something that would make it so vulnerable. Maybe something was eating it? But then there would be more full flight-feathers left that would have been removed for digestion?? Very strange...
PART 2: Bird Watching
When I first reached my site, I think I alarmed some chickadees- they started their call with a few high pitched chirps, followed by their iconic "dee-dee-dee". The number of "dees" seemed to vary between odd numbers, but I can't be certain. It might be hard to follow a bird here, because I make too much noise when I move, and the foliage is pretty dense. But I'll try my darnedest. I saw two hummingbirds flitting about a conifer, and I think I heard the tail feather noise.
I finally found a black capped chickadee in a deciduous tree! It flew back and forth between a cedar tree for about five minutes, before it flew into the brush, and I couldn't find it again. It's flight style was heavy and frequent- they don't sit still that much. It's wing beats were kind of frantic in order to keep its round body up in the air. It hopped around the main trunk and branches of the Thuja plicata, poking holes in bark to get food. I read up on these birds after I got home, and found that half of their diet during the winter is insects and other animal food. So I assume that the chickadee was poking around for inverts to eat. When it grabbed for food with its beak, I saw it simultaneously flick its tail. Chickadees are super acrobatic, and I was witness to this when the bird hung upside-down from a branch in order to poke at it.
When I got home, I watched mini-documentary on chickadees because I'm a huge nerd. I found out that chickadees carry their food away from the site they procured it in order to eat. So that's why they always look so busy at bird feeders! Also, they cache their food in the fall, so that's another possibility for what my specimen was doing.
Here are my four figure sketches-they're pretty small and not very good, had to do them from memory
PART III: MISCELLANEOUS
Okay, so I felt that I should write something about this election. I woke up in the morning, and my first concern was about the environment. Humans can fight for humans, but the biosphere has far less of a voice. I'm so worried about the pipeline. I'm scared that the EPA will be turned into a joke.But when I enter the woods, my nerves turn into determination. In the words of Pramila Jayapal: "This is not the fight that I would have chosen, but I will fight it." I want to work hard, learn what I can, and make sure that the next generation gets to walk through the woods, frolic by the water, and breathe clean air.
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