News/Reports

Trout Creek Ecological Reserve Warden report, July 7, 2013

Posted July 8, 2013 | Categories : 7,Geology,Invasive Species,Warden Reports |

Laurie Rockwell writes this report for July 7, 2013

  • it was mild early morning at 15c,with little wind and later sunshine.
  • I saw/heard 18 species of birds,none of them unexpected.I heard 3-4 blue-listed Gray Flycatchers. The White-breasted Nuthatch nest,with parents feeding nestlings, that I found last month was abandoned. I presume the nestlings fledged as I found no signs of predation.
  • most plants are in flower or seed heads. One plant, the red-listed Narrow- leafed Brickellia, showed some flower heads as well as many seed heads.It flowers later than the other ER plants,other than Golden Hawkweed and goes to seed within a month.I pulled 2 Sulphur Cinquefoil plants and left the increasing number of Diffuse Knapweed plants for the bio-control weevils; ironically I saw none of these weevils on any plants.The large infestation of Dalmatian Toadflax has been much reduced on the SE slope,but there were still a good number of flower heads and few beetles on the plants. For some reason the plants are all but gone from the SW slope. I found one red-listed Dalles Milk-Vetch just outside the N-S fence, just north of the talus slope where major fence repairs were done last year.
  • I saw no mammals,not even bears at the Saskatoon berries,insects or reptiles.
  • there was no sign of human activity.
  • minor fence repairs are outstanding.
  • I have attached some pictures of  an interesting shard of rock stuck upright in the ground,with a rotting tree behind it,so it has been there a long time.
  • attempts will be made next week to establish 2 long term plant community monitoring plots.
Laurie found this interesting vertically projecting rock shard on his walk through the reserve.

Laurie found this interesting vertically projecting rock shard on his walk through the reserve.