Trout Creek  Tour      August  8    2011

 

¥    I was in the ER very early this morning, to beat the heat, for 2.15 hours, plus 30 minutes travel. It was 15degrees at 6.45, but my route kept me in the shade and refreshing breeze for most of it.

¥    I saw or heard 12 bird species, but no blue-listed Gray Flycatcher, I was pleased to see a late Calliope Humming bird and a Chipping Sparrow with one young.

¥    a lone squirrel was the only mammal. I saw no bear or coyote scat.

¥    I suspect that there was no bear scat as the crop of Saskatoon bushes in the dry areas is quite low. Further, the ER has no water so it is not attractive to mammals at this time of the year.

¥    I was delighted to find a new plant species, one that I had walked by many times, the White Clematis (Clematis ligusticifolia). I noticed only because its white seed heads literally glowed in the early light, against the top of the small pine tree that it is growing on. Judging by the size of the basal stem it has been there for some time, although there are only a few new vines growing from it. Maybe the very wet spring invigorated it?  I was pleased to find many Douglas Knotweed (Polygonum douglasii) in flower  along the sandy ridge that I walked from east to west, where the Dalles Milkvetch was found. The blue-listed Narrow-leaved Brikellia (Brikellia oblongifolia) is finally in flower; it is one of the last to flower. The mecinus beetle seems to have done a good job of stressing the toadflax as there are almost no flowers, the plants are all withered and there are relatively few seed pods. I found only 2 small knapweed plants that I pulled out and no Sulphur Cinqufoil after I deracinated about 15 plants this spring.

¥    I found a long nail in the ground, about 30cm. painted blue at the top. It is along the ``dog`s leg`` é-W fence, just above where I dug up the cinquefoil and about 10m north of the fence; I flagged it with orange tape. I have no idea why it is there.

¥    no sign of human activity.

¥    all fence repairs and staining of the stile are outstanding.

 

Cheers.........Laurie