June 14 2011 Trout Creek ER. Tour

Laurie Rockwell wrote:

Here are the news:

• it was a pleasant hike in the ER as it was 18C at 8am,with clear skies, no wind and sunshine. I accidentally met  Kirk Safford doing a bird census in the ER. In fact he saw a Dusky Grouse and one small young which confirms breeding status in that BC Breeding Bird Atlas square.

• I saw or heard 22 species of birds in a little over 2 hours, including the first ever European Starlings (about 12!). I will soon send you a revised bird list for the ER.

• I GPS’d the site of a 30cm Gopher Snake, that we saw on May 21st during the Meadowlark Hiking event, for Orville Dyer and noted all the dominant vegetation for his records. That was the first snake I have seen in the ER for years.

• I saw no mammals and only a few insects, all flies of some kind.

• Many plants are in (late)flower and some like the Brown-eyed Susan are just in bud while others are yet in leaf, like the late blooming blue-listed Narrow-leaved Brikellia. I found only one knapweed plant and none on the old road that was covered with it less than 10 years ago, so bio-control has been very effective. The mecinus beetle is happily munching on most  toadflax plants; there are almost no plants in flower and many look unhealthy. I dug out 8 Sulphur Cinquefoil plants where I usually find them. The grasses and some plants like Timber milk Vetch are having a banner year !

• a local resident told me that he some others recently found a bear den on the ER after seeing a sow with 2 young.

• all fence repairs and the staining of the new stile are outstanding.

• I saw no sign of human activity.