Trout Creek ER warden’s report: May 8th 2013

Laurie Rockwell sends this report and photos. [ bulletlist]

• A good day to hike at 5c at 6.30 am, light, periodic breezes and sunshine.

• I saw/heard 15 species of birds including 6 blue-listed Gray Flycatchers ( 2 calling from a new area), many Cassin’s Finches and Townsend’s Solitaires and a Bullock’s Oriole, an infrequent visitor to the reserve.

• Most plants were in flower, a few in bud and some in leaf, like the blue-listed Narrow Leaved Brickellia. The red-listed Dalles Milk-Vetch was already showing seed pods.

• This is a spectacular year for Balsam Root![/bulletlist]

• I dug up about a dozen small knapweed rosettes and 2 small Sulphur Cinquefoil plants. The Mecinus beetle is active in the toadflax.
• A small black fly-like critter and a grasshopper , that I could not locate after it landed, were the only insects.
• I saw no mammals or reptiles; only one patch of coyote scat.
•  I also saw no Mule Deer in April, so this is unusual. no vandalism was seen.
• Terry McIntosh and Don Gayton led a small group in the reserve early in May to look for rare/endangered plants.
• minor fence repairs are needed.
• the reserve looks green and lush!

Laurie Rockwell

Astragalus sclerocarpus, Dalles Milk Vetch,                          photo by Ryan Batten