Trout Creek Ecological Reserve warden’s report: June 8th 2013

Warden’s report by Laurie Rockwell.

• I was in the ER for almost 3 hours early this morning. The weather was perfect at 12c with minimal wind and cloud and sunshine to warm me up later. The reserve is very green right now and looks healthy.
• I saw/heard 22 species of birds including 2 nest records. A pair of White-breasted Nuthatches were feeding young and I flushed up a hen Dusky Grouse and 3 flying,tailless chicks. Exciting! I also heard my first Townsend’s Warbler in the area just outside the E-W fence and even a Western Meadowlark near the golf course, the first one in years. I also heard 5 blue-listed Gray Flycatchers.
• most plants were in flower,but 2 were in bud and one still in leaf. This was the blue-listed Narrow-leafed Brikellia (B. oblongifolia), the latest flowering plant on the ER that I know of.  I was very happy to find more red-listed Dalles Milk-vetch,that I must have walked by more than once! I found a new patch of Diffuse Knapweed, but resisted the temptation to pull/dig them out in favour of letting the bio-control agents deal with them as they have been extremely successful since being seeded in 1986. The Mecinus janthinus beetle, since first seeded in 2003, has severely reduced the Dalmatan Toadflax infestation;so much so that flowers and even plants are hard to find where they once covered sunny slopes.  For the first time I found one Sulphur Cinquefoil plant near the gate, but only 2 where I had 2 dozen a few years ago (digging them out has paid off).
• I saw no mammals,reptiles or insects.
• there was no sign of vandalism or human activity.
• the needed fence repairs that I mentioned previously are outstanding.

Cheers……..Laurie