Final day of surveying

Finally, the vegetation surveys are done. I'm a little sad, but the excuse to stick to trails for awhile is appreciated! We found remains of one of "my" northern harriers, I believe the female. I know that death and consumption are a "fact of life" but it still makes me very sad. The harriers have worked their way into my heart this summer. They've mowed out there too, cut down a ton of the black hawthorn, I guess they're going to burn it again this year. It's probably a good thing I'm not looking at getting into management of this sort, the policies I've seen this summer make me crazy!

I called University of Washington today, to request an admissions packet. The woman I talked to was very friendly. Another phone call was placed to John Marzluff, the professor I want to work with for my graduate degree. Hopefully I'll hear back from him soon.

Vegetation Surveys day 2

We are done at EE Wilson. The vegetation surveys went smoothly today, probably because we didn't have to hike very far to, from or between sites. We watched a juvenile red-tailed hawk for quite some time. It's interesting because we saw it in the same site that I always see a juvenile red-tail in. I wonder if the hunting is ideal, due to the abundance of grass, berries, on not-too-dense forest (meaning the hawk can get in between trees easier). One thing I've come to realize about marshes is that they are blooming and vegetated year-round. There are these tall purplish flowers blooming that weren't there two weeks ago. In most places the heat is killing plants while at EE Wilson things just keep "popping" out of the ground. Amazing.

After we finished the vegetation surveys we decided to pick blackberries. While looking for berries I led us past some prune trees, wanting to see if they were Italian prunes like I'd been suspecting all along. They were indeed Italian prunes, little tiny ones, edible in two or three bites. Being at the peak of ripeness they were quite tasty. Julie and I picked enough to fill my cargo pockets. Funny thing about fresh picked ripe prunes is that putting them in your pockets can make quite a mess! I think we're going to juice them to make either fruit leather or slice and dehydrate them (I LOVE dried prunes). We also picked a large container of blackberries, for either baking, smoothie making or fruit leather making. I love living in the Willamette Valley, there is so much "wild" fruit available for harvesting. In fact we found ripe and plentiful huckleberries downtown (along the water front) the other day.

One more day of vegetation surveys, then Shrewsbury, then my last class of the summer, one more week of "vacation" and then back to school.

vegetation surveys day one

Thanks to my assistants, Julie and Jan, things went quickly and smoothly today. We performed 20 vegetation surveys, hiked at least four miles (possibly closer to five) and had fun doing it. Well, I had fun and they seemed to as well. Anyway, as suspected the dominant vegetation types are blackberries and grass. Throw in a splash of thistle, rose and black hawthorne and you've got an idea of what the sites I've been surveying are composed of. Tomorrow we'll finish up at EE Wilson, then harvest blackberries and maybe some apples (we harvested pears today).

This has got me to thinking about a story I was recently told. A former co-worker of mine has a habit of talking about birds. Having worked with her and knowing the misinformation she often spreads I feel justified in noting that she is a pretend, and not an actual, ornithologist. She once claimed that two turkey vultures (whom I saw with my own eyes) were in actuality red-tailed hawks. Being part Lakota she also felt the need to yell out a greeting to "brother hawk" in front of everyone, showing us all how wise and in touch with nature she is. Recently she claimed that a bird circling high overhead (at work) was a bald eagle. Even better it is part of a mated pair of bald eagles that nest in the trees just behind work. When someone mentioned the dark head she said "they're young." Here I feel the need to note that "young" birds are "immature" and do not breed. An eagle cannot be both mated and immature. Either it has a dark head and tail (is immature) and is unmated or it has a white head and tail and possibly mated. She then started mentioning the mated pair of bald eagles at EE Wilson. There is a pair of osprey at EE Wilson that I've watched each morning when I pass by the water. I have never seen a bald eagle though, maybe they winter there, maybe they just aren't very active. Why does it bother me to hear this woman talk? I suppose because the people she's telling are four and under. Shouldn't we want to lie as little as possible to these kids? Should we care if they think we're cool or impressive? I mean I can impress toddlers by potting on my own, I don't need to lie to them in order to do so. Ultimately I want people to be outside. I loved working with the kids and "birdwatching" with them, birds are a good way for people to connect with nature. I'm just irritated by people that feel the need to show how much they know by lying. It really "gets my goat."

Vegetation Maps

The maps are taking more time than I expected. I think I've figured out the ideal way to do the actual vegetation surveys, at least I hope I have. My first map is almost done and it is lovely.

My bite scar is bothering me a lot today. Every time I think I've got its triggers figured out it pulls something like this. The scar tissue is hard and white, the skin around it is red. What is going on "in there?"

I bought bulk Chai tea today. It not only smells delightful it tastes wonderful too. We also bought shredded coconut. I've recently found a love for coconut, though I'm not sure where it comes from. I used to hate coconut! Julie made coconut chocolate chip cookies. They are the best cookies to date.