Lopez Hill, 17 June 2012

David and I arrived at Lopez Hill at 11:45. As soon as we started down the trail, we heard a ruckus of American Robins in the conifers north of the trail. After some listening and scoping with binos, we couldn't see the source of the noise, but thought an owl might be perched nearby. We continued on, hearing the fluting song of the Swainson's Thrush, the bubbling of a Winter Wren, the whistle of a Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and the "zee-zee" notes of a Townsend's Warbler. The drupes of Salmonberry shrubs ranged from yellow to reddish-purple, the latter coming easily from the plant and being the most flavorful and juicy. In "Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast," Pojar and Mackinnon write: "Throughout the Northwest Coast, the ripening of salmonberries is associated with the song of Swainson's thrush, called 'salmonberry bird' in many languages."

Hearing a slow song coming from an open stand of conifers, we pished and were lucky enough to have a spectacled vireo fly into view. It was a Cassin's Vireo, olive-green with white circles around its eyes, joined by a bridge across its bill. It was good to see the bird and associate it with its slow, robin-like song. Next we heard the distinctive "hiccup" call of a Western Tanager, a bird we'd not observed on the island until now.

A very light sprinkle fell as we walked along the Burnt Stump Trail and listened to the trills of both Dark-eyed Junco (monotone) and Orange-crowned Warbler (staccato), the White-crowned Sparrow's twittering trill, and the gurgling of a Brown-headed Cowbird. Twinflowers bloomed in abundance, carpeting the ground and outlining the trunks of Douglas-firs. I took photo after photo, trying to capture the extent of their glory. A bit further along, the bright blossoms of Orange Honeysuckle hung on vines from a tangle of vines almost strangling an ocean spray shrub. The tall, slender stalk of a Spotted Coralroot rose red from the mossy ground, dainty flowers spotted white.

Near the Hookup Trail wetlands, a Chestnut-backed Chickadees "dee-deed," a Wilson's Warbler's sang its series of "chees", and a Rufous Hummingbird buzzed by. We continued west on the Burnt Stump Trail, stopping to admire a pileated-ravaged snag and clumps of pale tan Oyster Mushrooms just out of reach on an alder snag. On the trunk of a nearby fir, a Banana Slug left its slime trail along the bark. Alongside the trail, wild strawberries sported white blossoms and a few green berries. Bending over for a closer look, I noticed a land snail crawling on a twig arched above the moss. Its brown and black bands identified it as a Pacific Sideband Snail.

As we walked on, the nasal "ankh" of a Red-breasted Nuthatch carried through the forest. After about nine-tenths of a mile, we turned south onto the 3 Cedars Trail. A House Wren chattered around us, carrying food; fledglings must have been nearby. I spotted a female Hairy Woodpecker on a Douglas-fir trunk. Another Western Tanager "hiccuped" as we started up the Hilltop Trail.

A pleasant breeze blew atop the hill at 13:15. Hooker's Onion bloomed in the grasses of the rocky bald. I enjoyed the hammock for a few minutes before we started back down, following the Hilltop Trail east to the Rainbow Trail. In a dense Western Red-Cedar grove, I saw movement in the lower limbs and raised my binoculars to see the lovely blue-grey and burnt-orange patterns of male Varied Thrush. In the same grove, a Brown Creeper climbed along the trunk of a small cedar, then swooped down to a nearby tree and began again, all the while emitting a high, thin "tseet." A short ways along the trail we spotted two more creepers.

Turning north on the Hook-up Trail, we then retraced our path along the Burnt Stump Trail to the parking area, arriving there at 14:15. More blue sky showed through the clouds. On the way back to Odlin, we spotted a Cooper's Hawk flying over the shallow lake along Port Stanley Road by Swift's Bay. Double-crested Cormorants swam in the bay.

When we returned to camp at 15:00, a spike Columbian Black-tailed Deer browsed in the group campsite across from our site. His coat was a rich orange-brown, his antlers in velvet, his large eyes dark and calm as her peered at us over his shoulder. He stood for photos, then trotted slowly into the trees, disappearing from view.

Publicado el agosto 7, 2012 06:32 TARDE por cbchickadee