Trout Creek ER tour October 9 2011

Here are the news:

• I was in the ER for about 2.5 hours, plus 30 minutes travel in and out. It was a pleasant day, 13C at 8.30 and with only a few breezes under cloudy skies with some sunshine. It was very quiet as I expect this time of the year.

• I was very pleased to enter the ER via Don's new "WYE"; a lot easier than climbing over the fence!

• I saw or heard 16 species of birds, but still no Sandhill Cranes overhead. I was pleased to see a Red-tailed Hawk and hear a Hairy Woodpecker: a species that occur infrequently in the ER.

• I saw only one insect, a small grasshopper.

• I saw no mammals and heard only one chipmunk. 

• The only plant in flower was the Douglass Knotweed (Polygonum douglasii). I was surprised to see pink flowers as well as the usual white flowers. The plant is very prolific this year after being almost a no-show for a few years.

• I saw no signs of vandalism eg. fences cut, tracks left by (hunters) ATV’s .

• I noted that the newest stile has been stained, thanks to Trevor, I believe. 

• Needed fence repairs are outstanding. While the portion of the fence at the talus slope, the most extensive to repair, is not critical to repair right now due to its location, there are a few fence posts in key areas that have rotted out and which should be replaced with steel T-bar. We can anticipate many more rotted out posts in the coming years since some fencing was done in 1977 and some in 1984.

Cheers.........Laurie