Trout Creek ER report April 8 2012

Laurie Rockwell, the Ecological Reserve Warden for Trout Creek provides this report on his latest visit to the reserve.

• I was in the park for 2 hours this morning. It was cool at 5C,but with little wind and periods of sunshine.
• I saw or heard 10 species of birds including many singing Cassin’s Finches,my first Vesper Sparrow of the year and a female Dusky Grouse. A male grouse was hooting nearby,but out of the ER.
• I noted 15 plants in flower,bud or leaf. Fortunately I found only one Sulpher Cinquefoil plant and 2 Diffuse Knapweed plants ;I dug them up.

 

 

Diffuse Knapweed  (Centaurea diffusa) Invasise species.

Images from Field Guide to Noxious and Other Selected Weeds of British Columbia

 

 

• there were no insects,not even the usual early Mourning Cloak Butterfly.
• I saw only 2 Mule Deer and only a few scats of coyotes. Usually I see more deer this time of the year.
• needless to say fence repairs are still needed.
• Don Gayton and forestry staff conducted a mini prescribed burn on the 4th. Other than that there was no sign of human activity.
• I saw more evident of trees killed by Western Pine Beetle.
• I plant to move the ER sign on the fence north of the ‘gate’ entrance to the park closer to the gate as that is where most folk will now enter the ER.