Trout Creek Ecological Reserve Warden’s Report: August 14, 2014

Laurie Rockwell, warden for the Ecological reserve reported:

• ◦  A mild early morning at 17c under and an overcast sky, with enough fire smoke in it to make the sun an orangy-yellow. Light to gusty breezes were periodic. The reserve was very dry.
• ◦  I saw or heard 13 species of birds,including Pygmy, White and Red-breasted nuthatches, which does not happen very often. Juvenile Cassin’s Finch and Townsend’s Solitaire were seen. There was no singing, only infrequent calls, so it was relatively quiet. The blue-listed Gray Flycatcher was absent, heralding the beginning of migration.
• ◦  I saw no insects and only some fresh bear scat laced with the seeds of dry Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia) berries.
• ◦  most plants were in seed and very desiccated. Two plants were in flower: Douglas’ Knotweed (Polygonum douglasii) and Rabbit Bush (Ericamera nauseosa) and the late blooming Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) was in bud. I found no Sulphur Cinqefoil (Potentilla recta) after removing at least a dozen plants this year. No knapweed (Centuria diffusa) was seen on the old road.
• ◦  fence repairs will be done in cooler weather.
• ◦  Irrigation water from the 12th green of the golf course is still watering the reserve vegetation.
• ◦  again, there was no sign of human activity.
• ◦  on July 19th I GPSd and recorded habitat,in two polygons, for 32 red-listed Dalles Milk Vetch (Astragalus sclerocarpus) that I found in a new location June 19th.