News/Reports
Trout Creek Ecological Reserve Warden’s Report June 10, 2014
Ecological Reserve Warden Laurie Rockwell has provided this report based on his most recent trip to Trout Creek ER # 7 on June 0, 2014.
- a magnificent early morning 3 hour hike ; 17c at 6:30, some periods of wind and a few scattered clouds.
- I saw or heard 18 species of birds, but no young; although I flushed a couple of Vesper Sparrows I could not find a nest. I saw one and heard 6 blue listed Gray Flycatchers (Empidonax wrightii).
- the vegetation is green and lush so much so that the few trails and the main old road are all but covered over. Another wet spring has resulted in an extensive cover of grasses. I found only one knapweed (Centaura diffusa) rossette on the old road and dug up only one Sulphur Cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) . The Dalmation Toadflax(Linaria genistifolia) showed few flowers and there were many bio-control beetles at work. Interestingly, some plants had several, others, none.
- most plants were in flower,some in seed. The Prickly Pear Cactus(Opuntia fragilis) was in bud and the usually late floweringNarrow-leaved Brickellia (Brickellia oblongifolia), blue listed, andColumbia Goldenweed (Pyrocomma carthamoides) were still in leaf.
- the only insect was a butterfly, one of out 2 local Arctics; I favour the Chryxus Arctic (Oeneis chryxus), a first for me.
- there was no sign of human activity.
- previously mentioned fence repairs are needed ……..Laurie Rockwell