Journal 9-10

Above is the canopy at my observation spot at the beginning of the quarter on the left, and at the end of the quarter on the right. Obviously, the right picture is much fuller.

Above is are two panoramas from the beginning of the quarter (top) and the end of the quarter (bottom). The bottom picture is a bit wider of a shot, but the visible green is much more vibrant and apparent.

Above is the view of my right side at my observation spot, shown at the beginning of the quarter and the end of the quarter.

Two more shots of my right side, but further down the incline. 

The view of my left side at the observation spot, one quarter apart.

Above is my favorite transition set of photos from my observation spot. This shot is taken looking at my spot from the trail. This transition exhibits the description I used earlier of a "bursting" forest in later journal entries. The right picture is obviously fuller, bursting with growth, and flowing more with greenery. It is much more vibrant and full. 

Final Journal Entry

It is June 2nd, 2017 at 12:20 pm at my observation spot at Ravenna Park today. It is 66 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly cloudy and quite humid outside. The air feels moist. However, it seems drier than my last visit, with the creek flowing more quietly and a with a lack of puddles on the trail. The forest doesn't smell moist at all like it has during my past visits, further indicating that it hasn't rained recently. The soil feels quite dry to the touch. On my way to my observation spot,  saw multiple crows lying around along the path and perching in trees. I saw them in groups of two and three. I also saw what I believe were two Song Sparrows fighting over territory , or at least one herding the other out. The two birds were flying and kind of chasing each other, and one flew away while the other stayed for a couple of moments before going deeper into what I believe was his territory. The bird that drove the other out was small, with a straight triangular beak, was brown and streaked with darker brown. It could also be a female House Finch, but due to the little skirmish I witnessed, I think it was a male Song Sparrow. I saw a bee feeding from a Pacific Ninebark plant, buzzing from white flower to flower and no doubt pollinating them. At my spot right now, I have heard American Crows, and Anna's Hummingbird, Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, and what I believe to be a Bewick's Wren. There are many insects and other invertebrates buzzing around, too. Three spiderwebs have been built behind where I am standing at the base of a Western Hemlock tree. I also saw some sort of wasp or hornet, and I saw three (house?)flies. 

What I believe to be a beetle on a Nootka Rose flower

A bee on another Nootka Rose

The birds at the moment are very active, flying around and singing. I would have thought they would be foraging right now, but I haven't noticed any doing so, even amongst the crows, who I usually see foraging on the ground the most. I also saw a squirrel cross the trail and disappear into the bushes. While I have been standing here, there have been what I believe are birds moving around in the bushes. Perhaps they're foraging! I haven't been able to identify them, except for when two flew down into the bushes for a couple of seconds- I believe they were either American Robins or Spotted Towhees. In the dim lighting I could only see the generally brownish body with a darker head, back, and wings. I think they were American Robins because I don't think they had white bellies like Spotted Towhees do, and they seemed more slender like American Robins. I couldn't get a very good look though, so I'm not sure. The Sword Ferns around my spot have continued to grow since my last visit; they seem to be bursting from the ground and are all 3-4 feet tall now. The Western Hemlocks that dominate my spot have fresh needles that are even more developed and mature than my last visit. They have almost reached the deeper green color of the older needles.

Baby needles are almost indistinguishable from older needles

The lichens and fungi on the trees around me have gotten slightly larger. There are a lot of people around the park today- couples, friends, parents with children, lone joggers, all sitting on benches, walking jogging, or playing in the creek. There are a ton of Salmonberry berries this visit! They all seem to have developed- some are salmon colored, wile a couple of bushes are bursting with ripe red berries.

Tiny Pacific Yew growing!

Dying W. Hemlock leaves. These needles are in the shade, and I posted pictures of them on my last journal as well. They have gotten progressively worse looking, indicating that it is due to the lack of shade that they aren't faring so well. 

When I was leaving the park, I was walking along the trail next to the creek which is one of my favorite things to do during my visits because there are always crows along the path or in the creek preening themselves in the water. Today, I had stopped to watch two crows preening themselves in the water and about five crows perching in a nearby tree, when a bunch of crows started mobbing about 50 m across the path in the trees. At first it sounded like about three or four crows cawing, but by the time I was leaving, all of the crows in the area had flown to the area, and the sound of the crows mobbing filled the forest. I could hear them even when I was outside of the park. There were at least twenty crows from the park that had flown to the area. I have no idea what kind of disturbance there was that caused them to mob in the way they did, but it was impressive to hear. The crows may have spotted one of the owls that live in Ravenna Park, because crows tend to mob owls immensely if they spot them in the daylight.

Crows preening in the creek

Comparatively, the animals seem to be less "busy" than my last visit, but the birds are calling to each other often, their cries echoing through the forest. I am sure they are very active, just not in such a way that is visually apparent to me. The plants and trees have all grown a lot, and the forest is a cool refuge from the sun, bursting with life.

Nice panorama shot of the trail next to my observation spot. Nestled in the top right corner is the spot where I've sat for hours this quarter.

Final Reflection

1) My perception of my observation site has definitely matured and expanded throughout the quarter, rather than necessarily changing. As the quarter progressed from winter to spring, I was able to see buds burst, ferns and trees extend farther than I could ever have imagined they could within just a few short months, and I was able to witness the transformation of the forest into a place bursting with animal activity. Learning about plants and then watching their growth and development through stages (pollination, flowering, growth of berries) out in the park deepened my understanding and my passion for the Natural History around me. At the beginning of the quarter, I was very unaware of the understanding I would come to have about my site. The first day I went and sat at my spot, I could only identify the couple of plants we had learned that day, identified the birds around me as one whole group (birds), and I hadn't developed the methods one needs to truly observe what's around them. By the end of this quarter, however, I was able to witness the growth and dispersement of plants and the behavior of different animals (birds, rabbits, squirrels, invertebrates) that occur in the springtime. My knowledge about and understanding of the natural history and processes around me grew as the evidence of those same things increased and bloomed in the spring; the crescendo of both aspects together really made me appreciate my site more than I could have expected. I left my site for the last time (probably not the last ;) ) full of appreciation for the amount of activity and life within the forest.
2) My understanding of the geology and history of the land and the species of the Puget Sound Region has expanded immensely during this quarter. I didn't know anything about the glaciation or the refugia or the plants that exist in this region. Learning about the glaciation that has caused the drumlins, the geology (layering), the erratics, and the waterways of the Puget Sound Region has developed my knowledge of the area so that I can look around me outside and see the history of the land and the nature that I see. Something very exciting has been learning about the plants and animals and their interaction during this course. Learning about many of the plants and animals in class that we did, I often thought they were nice in theory but that I would probably never see any of them; however, the diversity of this region has shocked me the entire quarter. The plethora of plants, birds, and even insects around us everywhere is amazing and makes me ever so excited about living in this area.
3) I think that the ability to intimately know the natural history of a place is something that is much more exciting than visiting a place. Rather than getting a snapshot image of the nature present somewhere from one visit, you can sit and watch an entire movie (or T.V. Show series, if you will) as the nature and the interconnected processes unfold in front of you. Closely viewing an observation site, learning about the processes that the plants and animals go through, and getting to witness all of these processes is something  that increases your understanding and passion for natural history more than a mere snapshot ever could. Furthermore, getting to witness all of the interplays between species and the natural processes these species go through has made the field trips even more interesting, because I have had a deeper understanding of the processes that all plants and animals undergo, helping me appreciate the field trips even more. I thoroughly enjoyed the field trips and going to my observation site, but there is something very special and much more rewarding about getting to know a specific site at a park for an entire quarter.
4) My most important personal outcomes from this class was probably gaining a deeper understanding of Natural History, however obvious that may sound. I have always loved nature and being in and surrounded by it and have always loved animals, but after taking this course I can now go to a nearby park and understand all of the complex systems at work in order to maintain and enrich what I am viewing. I can now walk through the forest and not only identify but also understand what's around me. During this course, I have gained a deeper appreciation of plants and animals because I know the differences between them, the reasons for these differences, and the ways these differences affect the interactions between these species. Before this course, I thought all leaves basically looked the same, but now I can see the vivid and beautiful differences between all of the leaves and plants and animals in this region. Being able to understand the differences one needs to understand in order to identify any species has helped me truly understand the diversity of the region I am living in and nature itself. Nature observation coupled with an understanding and knowledge of that nature makes it very difficult not to appreciate what one is seeing.
5) My overall perception of nature hasn't really changed. I have always loved being outside and looking at plants and animals. However, I have definitely come to appreciate the plants side of natural history a lot more than before this course when I only really considered animals as truly interesting. Before this course I saw nature as calming and animals as amazing and interesting. Now, however, I see all of nature as calming, amazing, interesting, and fulfilling! I am a Nature Fan, as you can probably tell. My perception of natural history has definitely changed, however. I never understood the value in being able to identify and understand nature. However, as I stated before, throughout this course I have come understand the complex systems at work in nature- the geology, the development and competition of species, the growth and the processes that plants and animals go through- so much more. I can understand how important these aspects of natural history are now because I see how they open eyes to the masterful elements at work in nature. It is truly amazing to be able to understand what has occurred throughout history for nature to have developed into what it currently is. At my observation spot this quarter, I have also developed a greater appreciation for humans in nature, surprisingly. Every week at my observation site next to a trail, countless groups of people would pass by doing all sorts of activities. Be it catching up with an old friend, going for a jog, playing with their children, or enduring an uncomfortable but magical first date, countless people chose nature as their refuge, as humans have throughout history. Nature has been a comforting presence for humans as long as we have existed, and it continues to be so. I love that people still choose to spend their time out in nature, when it feels like so many people have lost the ability to see how important it truly is. I loved this class and I loved what I learned in it.