MAKEUP Nisqually Wildlife Refuge - April 1, 2012

I never composed a journal entry for the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge so I have decided to do so here. Today we visited the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge. It is located near the southernmost end of Puget Sound. As soon as we started walking there were many things to see. First there were birds, including two waterfowl which were Canada Geese, feeding along the edge of the path. There was also an American Robin feeding and flying around. As I continued down the path, there were many large trees. The first I identified was a Big Leaf Maple. There was also a cottonwood and red alder. These trees were a good introduction to understanding tree species. Further along the path there were more birds. In one of the trees was a Red-Tailed Hawk, which was very still on a branch moving its head back and forth until it decided to fly away. It was great to be able to watch this hawk individually for so long. Though that was exciting, I became more excited when I saw a Great Horned Owl. Owls are quite interesting and seeing this resting in a tree was memorable. At the end of the path I saw a Pacific Chorus Frog. I initially noticed it in a pile of leaves, and after I thought I lost it, even digging through leaves to try to see it, it re-emerged. It was bright green and tiny. The owl and the frog were my favorite things of the day. Near the frog there was a lookout onto the river, where some other types of waterfowl were located. There was a Great Blue Heron sitting behind a bush and flying around, as well as two common merganser's. These were particularly interesting because they perfectly displayed sexual dimorphism. The male and the female were very clear. I find common merganser's very interesting and have seen them even as far as the San Juan Islands here in Washington State. It was enjoyable because the merganser's disappeared for a while but then came back to show us their coloration display. Leaving the lookout area I walked until there was a large field. Great Blue Herons were located in this field, and in the distance on a large tree there was even a Bald Eagle. Near a pond there were Wood Ducks, which were great to see because I had seen the wood duck houses on trees that were built for them to use. Though many Great Blue Herons were present it was still interesting to see. There were many sights and sounds along this refuge it was quite an enjoyable experience.

Publicado el junio 5, 2012 05:52 TARDE por skylarwilkins