03-23-15 Field Note

03-23-15 Field Note

March 23, 2015

Jeff Clarke's field note shows wildflowers, Columbian ground squirrels, and bluebirds.

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Bird boxes, basin wildrye, wildflowers, cross bill, bridge construction

The basin wildrye we transplanted last year has grown more than a foot! We will transplant more in the next few weeks.

A new cottonwood bud grows through a clump of elk fur that was deposited while the ungulate rubbed on an adjacent stem.

The Columbian ground squirrels work to tidy up their tunnels.

We piled a bunch of logs and constructed a walkway to replace the old bridge. We observed pike using the woody debris for cover.

Leafy spurge is back. Let the battle begin!

The field crew cleaned out all the bird boxes. One day later a pair of bluebirds inspected our work.

Mike Henning and crew continue to build log piles for the small birds and mammals. We saw a cottontail and four bird species using the pile in less than a minute of observation.

Exclosure maintenance has begun; all the electric fences have been repaired.

River levels are on the rise! We remove fence lines that may be affected.

Mergansers use the high waters to explore new areas.

A goose spooked from behind a log, leaving her nest unguarded. Her eggs should hatch in a few weeks.

A few seeds cling to their cone.

The early bloomers show their beauty. We saw buttercups, yellow bells, fleabane daisies and woodland stars this week.

Over time, antlers fade into the earth.

We’ve observed several eagles atop this ponderosa pine in past years.

Beneath the tree we found several eaten duck carcasses. We assume that eagles use the perch tree to feed.

A cross bill soaks in the afternoon sun.

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