June 1, 2011
Glen R: 16:30 to 18:30, TNC lower lagoon beach front at Purple Martin bird box complex. Overcast, temp about 60. Winds variable 2-8 mph. Showers began about 18:00 and continued a few hours. Hi tide 8.5 feet at 19:52. Cleaned out the 6 birdboxes to put up for the summer. They were stashed up against a pile of old wooden fencing. Each one of the 6 houses had a small Wasp nest with 1 to 2 attendant Wasps sitting on it. Each nest had about 10 or so cells. Not aggressive. Looked like Yellow-jackets but perhaps thinner, with brown wings. Took pics. When I filed the pics in my computers wasp pic folder, I noticed that I had taken pictures of one of the same Wasp species inside one bird box immediately after I took the birdboxes down on 12-10-10. In one box was a dead one on the floor. In another box was a shell of an eaten Wasp in a corner of the Bird box. While I was putting up the birdboxes a Killdeer frequently circled me. Also, during the 2 hours there, the Killdeer frequently approached me and did a ‘wounded’ wing behavior, flapping its wings up and laying on its side. If I stood up it ran away and then waited for me to follow. When I didn’t it came back closer to me. This went on throughout my stay, with 3 minutes of such display and then 5 minutes of the bird being gone and then returning again. Sometimes the Killdeer got within 15 feet of me. I made a cursory look for a possible nest but didn’t find anything. When leaving at 18:30 there were hundreds of small fish, 2 to 5 inches surfacing and jumping , maybe about a fish jumping on average every 4 seconds, all along the frontage of the lagoon down to the TNC beach trail head. They were more concentrated toward the west end. Also occasionally something spooked the fish and I saw swirls of larger fish, (probably less than 16 inches) moving through some of the schools.
June 2, 2011
Glen R: 14:10 to 14:40, Mail Bay meadow. Overcast 10%, temp about 53 Fh. Wind 0 to 2 mph. Watched a Red- tailed Hawk circling about 75 m high in the meadow, concentrating its efforts above the very active bird feeder at Stan and Gretchen W.’s . A single Swallow (not a Barn) repeatedly harassed the Red-tail. The W’s also have a Swallow birdbox near their feeder.
2011 June 3, 15:00, GR: Cowlitz Dock. Sunny, Wind 0 to 2 mph. Air temp 71 Fh, 21 C. 0 m out from beach at .5 m deep water temp=50 degrees Fh. Salinity=1.024 density (32 ppt). No Herring. David L reports that with the first days this year of plus 70 degrees temps, that he has seen a band of Crab Zooea about 30 m wide and stretching from the County dock southwest out to about Point Disney. They appear to all be interlocked together. If he dips a jar, he gets a dense conglomeration.
2011 June 3, 15:00, GR: Cowlitz Dock. Sunny, Wind 0 to 2 mph. Air temp 71 Fh, 21 C. 0 m out from beach at .5 m deep water temp=50 degrees Fh. Salinity=1.024 density (32 ppt). No Herring. David L reports that with the first days this year of plus 70 degrees temps, that he has seen a band of Crab Zooea about 30 m wide and stretching from the County dock southwest out to about Point Disney. They appear to all be interlocked together. If he dips a jar, he gets a dense conglomeration.
June 3, 2011
Glen R, 15:00: Tent Caterpillars seem to be a little more this year. Folks on North Beach report an Apple Tree stripped of leaves. Other place like in Mail Bay, hardly any sign of them. At orchard S of the T about 1/4 mile moderate outbreak. On Alders by County dock, sometimes 6 to 10 clumps per tree but about football sized. Some of them are wiggling erratically . Barry M hypothesizes that this behavior means that they are infected with BT (Bacillus Thurengensis).
June 3, 2011
A lone bat flew around the school outside at around 15:00
June 4, 2011
Glen R: After temps got over 65 Fh. For the first time this year 2 days ago, saw winged Carpenter Ants for the first time this year today. I saw them in Baatz field SW woods. Heard reports of them scurrying yesterday out of Cabin on Tibbs landing at North Bay Beach. Saw them today for first time this year scurrying around Mail Bay Cabin. New moon on June 3. Hearing Band-tailed pigeons most every day NW of Mail Bay Cabin. Also, Band-Tails are yet active in Madrona J.L. field.
June 6, 2011
Julie L: Carpenter ants are out! In bloom in the garden: Lupine, last year's brassicas, salal, oriental poppies, California poppies, peonies (at last!), iris, leopard's bane.
June 8, 2011
Glen R, 18:00: County Dock Highlands.. Barry M and I together counted 20 Band Tailed Pigeons flying back and forth out of Madronas at W end of J. Lov. field. BM reports that 10 Turkey Vultures appear to be roosting overnight in conifers above Fran Cove. (On June 15 B.M. reports seeing an adult Harbor Seal Carcass partially eaten on rocks at Fran Cove. Bald Eagles also hanging out here.) Tent Caterpillars seem to be biggest outbreak in about a dozen years. Rolf T. says same conclusion, and thinks they are on a 9 year cycle with either this year or the next apparently the peak. GR remembers about 5 years from 1994 to 1998 when Tent caterpillars bad and hasn’t seen a bad outbreak like this since then. Rolf T says bad about 5 to 6 years ago. Peak of outbreak localized. Modest amount on Nootka Roses lower Nature Conservancy trail. Almost none in Mail Bay. Baatz field and next orchard to South had fruit trees about totally defoliated. At Baatz field they also munched heavy on domestic Currants, some on domestic Blueberries. Steve O at Sawmill Corner reports today picking 3 gallons of Tent Caterpillars off his orchard. A few fruit trees SW corner of Pt Hamm orchard totally defoliated, other part of orchard modest damage. Some of these tent Caterpillars are largest I can remember ever seeing. Some amount of dead ones beginning to show in webs.
June 13, 2011
Glen R: Barry M reports seeing Cedar Waxwings in Mountain Ash Upper County Dock Highlands since about June 7, J. Lov. field. Singles, sometimes a pair or a perhaps 3 or 4. GR recalls that the only time he ever saw Cedar Waxwings at J. Lov.’s while living there 2004 to 2006 was in early June when 2 to 4 would come down to feed on domestic strawberries in garden. Barry M recalls seeing them at Pt Hammond orchard in June in unripe Pie Cherry trees.
June 15, 2011
Glen R notes from report by Barry M: saw 2 apparent Caspian Terns by the Martin colony birdhouses late morning. In the same area while kayaking along shore saw what appeared to be (90% sure) a Fox that dashed into the shore logs and grasses. Big bushy tail. Fox- sized and Canine movement behavior. (3 days later Susan T. Said that there was a black feral cat hanging out in that neighborhood. When described to Barry, he said he doubted that is what he saw but it could have been. ) Meanwhile, GR went out on boat with DL for Cowlitz Plankton tows. Thousands of Salmon in the water. Most about 100 to 120 mm but at least 2 by the dock that were about 250 to 300 mm long (8" to 10 inches) .
June 17, 2011
Glen R 16:00 to 18:30: Cowlitz Dock. Overcast. Wind variable 5 to 15, dropped to 0 to 5 mph by 16:00. Shore water turbid to 10-15 meters out, gradually clearer further out. Low tide -2.7 at 12:30; High Tide 9.1 at 8:52. Herring report from Glen late (at 17 :40) with Jim Dahl... and Dana S..... , besides notes and reports from. Julie notes say 101 Herring total, 1 at 8 inches, 1 at 7 ½ inches, 1 at 7". Size ranged down to 4 inches. Jim and Dana recorded 95 mm, 100 mm, 170 mm, 170 mm, 180 mm, 184 mm, 200 mm. Susan Thistle and Dana recorded 110 mm, 113 mm , 115 mm, 11 7 mm, 130 mm, 135 mm, 150 mm, 135 mm.
