Tyler Starr: 9/20, Garden North of Eaton Hall

Tyler Starr

20 September 2008 from 1541-1556

Location: The small garden north or Eaton Hall

Weather: 66 ̊ F, overcast skies, no wind.

General: I came to the north side of campus for the third time in a row now. I really like how secluded it is on this side. No one comes through here on the way to classes or dorms or anything like that, because all of the buildings on campus are to the south. It’s so peaceful and relaxing. A few bees are buzzing from flower to flower, but not as many as in the botanical gardens. The flowers are a variety of colors, including white, pink, red, orange, and yellow. Each one has a small plaque underneath it with a title for the flower, and then a commemoration of somebody. It is pretty peaceful right now—there aren’t even that many cars driving along State Street on my back. I hear a few cars, but most of the sounds consist of several different birdcalls. The most prominent is the “cawing” from the crows across the street next to the capitol building. There is also a standard “tweet tweet,” as well as a loud, screech-like call from across the street. I saw yet another squirrel today. This one was a lot smaller than most. Perhaps it was just born this summer. It didn’t seem to be too frightened of me. When I leaned back on the bench I was sitting on, I got poked in the head by some thorns. The plant was a climber, and it had red thorns along its branches.

Observation September 20th

Philip Colburn
20 September 2008
Time: 1100-1120 hours
Weather: cloudy
Location: near the side entrance of Smolin hall.

I went down by the side entrance near Smolin hall because I had seen raccoons there the previous night and was hoping to find some evidence that they had been there the night before. However, all that I found were some purple flowers that hang down from thin green stalks. The raccoons from the night before however, were not accustomed to humans at all and stayed extremely far away from me and hissed when anyone tried to approach them. This is good, it means that they understand how to stay away from humans. However, they seem to have a great interest in the human food that is left behind. This is not good for the species, because it causes them to become too dependent upon people for food.

Asian themed Theatre?

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 19 September 2008
Location: North of Theatre entrance, Willamette University
Time: 1346-1400
Weather: 63˚F (where did the sun go?!!)

The plants that graced the entryway of the theatre have always intrigued me. I passed by the guardian beasts (white Chinese lions) at the front of the entrance several times, each time recalling my Art History class, but not once have I registered the tall 30-foot or more slender rods that lined the face of the building. The bamboos had yellow-green stalks, about 4 inches in circumference, with a notch at every one foot. At each segment, branches sprouted forth, each holding long elliptical leaves with parallel venetion similar to a grass blade. The oppositely arranged leaves grew at an upward slant, creating a spike effect. Interestingly, the structure and widths of the branches seems to resemble a lung. Thick trunks, followed by slender junctions, and then the finest of all that lead to a precariously adhered alveoli sac…err… I mean, leaf. Surrounded by the dark metal railing, the bamboos did not grow alone; a vine with ovate leaves appears to be dying off after attempting to scale the cage. The leaves were still green yet the vines themselves were frailly yellow. Despite the yellowed bamboo leaves and mulch covering the ground, weeds sprang up readily. They were 3 inches tall and had dark green leaves arranged radially around the stems. Small ferns also sprouted sporadically. I noticed that the bamboo seemed yellowish, but I was uncertain as to the cause, whether it has been the weather or if the color was what it appeared as a month ago. The stalks nearer the ground were curved, all in random directions. Could it be that they were planted poorly and not vertical enough? Maybe after their planting there was a strong wind that forced them to angle slightly in the ground? Was the sunlight varying during that time? But if it were, then most of the curves would be in similar directions. Too many questions, too few answers at hand.

Tyler Starr: 9/19, NE corner of campus

Tyler Starr

19 September 2008 from 1519-1537

Location: The far northeastern corner of campus on the lawn just north of East House.

Weather: 63 ̊ F, sunny, 5 mph breeze, slight humidity

General: This place is so secluded from the rest of campus. It is cut off from the rest of the North side of campus by the construction, making it even more remote. I really enjoy finding all of these places where I can be alone, since I need time to myself every once in a while, which is a hard time to find in college. I now know many places across campus I can go to get some alone time. The entire time I was sitting there doing my observation, two people passed by, probably on their way to Safeway. It was pretty loud though. The intersection of 12^th and State is pretty crowded, and there were lots of sounds of cars and buses. Also, the construction makes quite a bit of noise. I am sitting next to an interesting tree. It is a conifer, complete with pine cones and needles, but its shape is like that of a broadleaf tree, where there’s a trunk and then a big clumpy, bush-like mass of branches leaves (but in this case, pine needles), as opposed to the classic Christmas-tree-like shape of conifers. Tons of pine cones are scattered by its trunk, but I don’t see any on the tree itself. There is a birdhouse about 6 feet off the ground. It is the fourth identical birdhouse I have seen on campus (the other ones are on the big tree I sat under for my last observation on the north side of campus, on the Smith Auditorium way at the top looking over the Mill Stream over Jackson Plaza, and in one of the horse chestnut trees along the north side of the quad. It’s strange, but I never see the birdhouses unless I’m actually sitting there to do an observation. When walking by, I never notice them. I guess we as humans just don’t take the time to look at trees while we’re walking by. I haven’t seen any of the birdhouses being used. I’m starting to see some signs of fall, as have the squirrels who have been rapidly foraging as of late (I saw another one across the lawn from where I was sitting). A couple of the trees that I can see are beginning to change colors (see picture), although all of the trees are still mostly green, and some don’t have any color change at all yet. Also, some leaves are beginning to fall in the breeze.

Peculiar Duck Behavior.

H.R. Waller

Date: 18 September, 2008

Time: 0948

Weather: Overcast, 61 degrees

Location: Near the Millstream, with the library directly across the sidewalk behind me, facing Goudy.

Today is the first cool day we've had so far, and even though it is still early in the morning, I can tell it's not going to be another sweltering afternoon. The sky is all one white-grey color, and the campus looks, feels and acts in a subtle, but still completely different way. Things seems to move slower. Although I love the sunshine, I feel more relaxed and alert right now than I have thus far on campus. There are about 20 ducks in the river in front of me as I sit leaned against a tree. Two mallards a male and female, seem to be enjoying a liesurely float in front of me. The male just leaned over and touched the female on the neck, a gesture that looked like a kiss. The female then let out a soft, high pitched quack. The male swam a near perfect circle around her. She got up on her rear end, body almost totally vertical and flapped her wings before ducking back down and inverting her body, tail up out of the water. It looked very playful. What were those two doing? Were they playing, fighting, or communicating? Several other ducks a way down swim liesurely through the river, while many more sit on the bank sleeping. Two ducks are walking around on the grass, occasionally dipping their headsto the ground as if eating bugs. A single duck sits huddled down on the grass about 10 meters away from the larger mass of activity. Why are some ducks antisocial?

Picture courtesy of Google Images.

Yellowed, dried up tree

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 18 September 2008
Location: Southwest of Olin, directly outside of entrance
Time: 1656-1714
Weather: Still overcast, slight sunshine, 63˚F

I was heading toward the Transit Mall when I saw an oddity I the trees. Deciduous trees about 50-foot tall to the southwest all had vibrant green hues and few, if any had lost their leaves. However, to the west, a single tree in front of Olin’s had all of its leaves shriveled and dried. Even more curious, the leaves were still attached to the branches and none had fallen. The light brown trunk was long and slender with slight furrows. Weeds grew furiously in the mulch. Perhaps the tree is slowly dying? Or maybe it has felt the affects of Autumn sooner than most. To the east, a short maple, with branching trunks at the ground level, had a few reddish leaves, yet the majority was still verdant. The north side had the greatest concentration of reds. The south had a mass of red seeds with wings on them. Each wing drooped downward lifelessly, but I could only imagine how they would look in a strong gust of wind! They’d be cast off and glide gracefully down in a helicopter fashion. I think the anomaly may be due to the sunlight. Those areas that get the most sun, the north, have leaves that reddens sooner than the rest of the plant. A squirrel with an auburn coat, a dark undercoat, a white belly, and white ring around the eyes, carried what looks like a corn nut. After digging shallow holes three, four times at the base of the maple, it finally settled on a location and dug passionately into the ground. A moment later, it covered it up with its front paws, patting the ground tenderly, before commencing with sniffing at the ground and running off into the underbrush.

Duck Watching

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 18 September 2008
Location: Slightly southwest of the bridge to the east of Goudy's
Time: 935 to 959
Weather: Overcast, cloudy, 56˚F

The mallards intrigued me in the morning. At about 750, I discovered a majority of them swimming in the water and dunking their entire heads into the Mill Stream in search of insects. They were situated about the Jackson plaza area, but 2 hours later, I found half of them downstream directly to the north of the entrance to Putnam. The other half, primarily females, sat on the lawn near Putnam, all staring lazily at the water. In the past, I found them on the opposite shore, near Smith’s, but perhaps that was due to the bright sunlight? The weather today is overcast so they wouldn’t have needed the shade from the cedars opposite them. Why don’t they look around at the students passing noisily by? Were they observing their mates and friends? Did they just find nothing interesting to look at and faced the water out of ennui? Occasionally, a drake would upend into the water. How they keep their balance amazes me, for I would most likely have sank or fallen back. I see now; it propels hard with its feet to exert enough force to maintain its verticality. A loud quack was suddenly issued like a newsboy shouting the current events. Was that in response to a passing crow? As a drake cleaned its right wing, I could see its tail was completely black and the wings had a streak of iridescent colorings. Preoccupied, it gently floated off course toward me downstream. During the past minutes, I feel that the mallards have been steadily moving toward me downstream. A drake I noticed was moving in a weird little bob or performing “the wave”, finally ending by beating its wings emphatically, settling down, and shaking its tail.

Observation September 18

Phil colburn
18 September 2008
Location: The bridge to the west of Sparks across the millstream
Time: 1515-1530 hours
Weather: Sunny after clouds in the morning
I was sitting on the edge of the bridge on the way to Sparks from Baxter, just looking into the millstream looking for some sort of fish when a chittering noise made me jump. When I looked up, a squirrel was hanging off of a flexible branch, right in front of my face. He chattered at me for a few minutes, but quickly moved away. The wildlife here is very accustomed to human interaction, and easily will come up to any person on the campus and look for some sort of handout. I also saw a Blue Jay that was hopping from branch to branch on one of the small, whippy trees growing almost directly out of the blue. I was alerted to his presence by the hoarse caw that they make that is so in conflict with how they look.

Picture courtesy of http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/blue-jay.jpg

Observation Sep 17

Phil Colburn
17 September 2008
Location: Millstream
Time: 1200-1220 hours
Weather- Sunny and clear

While relaxing by the millstream today, I saw quite a few mallard ducks. They would walk around on the grass and float in the stream. They caught little pieces of food that people threw to them and were obviously very accustomed to associating with people. They would let most people get very close but would quickly shy away from actual contact, jumping into the millstream to get away. It seemed as though a few of them could not fly, as when chased, they would only jump into the millstream and paddle frantically away rather than taking off. Professor Craig did mention something about the males being unable to fly at a certain time of year, but exactly what he said escapes me.

Picture- http://fohn.net/duck-pictures-facts/mallard-duck.jpg

The Quad- 9-17-08

Place: facing Smith Auditorium from the corner of the Quad in a chair in front of Eaton

Time: 1803-1827

Climate: about 65 degrees, chilly in the shade

I was walking back from Smullin and was looking at the quad and realized that it is a very interesting area on campus.  From where i am sitting, i feel as though i can see mostly everything going on.  I am watching groups of students walking towards Goudy Commons and i am watching other groups walking back towards their dorms.  The Quad is an interesting place on campus.  It has many different uses and has a different purpose to everyone around.  There are people studying in groups, people studying alone, people sleeping, people playing sports, and then there are the people merely sauntering across it.  It is a nice community meeting place on campus and when it is nice outside it is even more appreciated.  The history of the Quad was also very interesting to me as well.  That all the bricks that made up waller hall were made from the clay under the quad.  I think everyone knows that history and most feel similar to me in the sense that whenever looking at the quad and at waller hall they picture it happening in their head and don't really believe it.  

While there is not much nature that is catching my eye at the moment, the fresh taken care of grass just doesn't even look real to me.  In Philadelphia you are lucky if you have green grass through the summer, at least where i am.  The grass is thin, prickly, and a dull green.  Here it is thick and luscious and you can walk barefoot on it and not regret not wearing shoes.  Its all even and so perfect looking that when you take a certain group of people to focus in on it looks like a postcard, or a picture that could easily be used on the school web page.  Its such an interesting area on campus and is very fun to relax here and watch what's happening around you.

Herman the Spider: 18 September 2008

Rose Dickson

18 September 2008 

0846 – 0903 hours

30 yards south of Belknap Hall on Willamette University campus, Salem, OR, USA

55 degrees, all cloud covering

            I look for the different textures and rhythms that nature provides as I leisurely brush my fingertips against my natural surroundings. A daily routine as I walk back to my dorm from a long day of class. Yuck, I got fooled by a spider web, this must be how a fly feels. However, I can’t help but acknowledge that this cobwebbed mess, now stuck to my fingers, was once the comfortable home to a, currently, pretty destitute spider. Oh god, SPIDER. As that thought ran threw my head I noticed a tickling of legs climbing up my arm. He had a brownish grey body and 8 twig-like legs. He moved slowly but right as I noticed him he stopped. It felt as though he could feel my presence. Despite my first instincts to forcefully brush the little critter off, I decided it was my rightful duty to find him a new home. I ventured on my way back to Matthews dormitory and on the way I came a cross a labyrinth of cobwebs. A spiders mansion. It was sparkling with fresh dew and decorated ever so nicely with leaves and pine needles. I dropped off my new friend at this place to make a home for himself and I watched as he climbed around this new residence.

I’m looking forward to frequent visits and observations with this creepy crawler. I think I'll name him Herman.  

Tyler Starr: 9/17, Northside of Campus

Tyler Starr

17 September 2008 from 1520 to 1539

Location: On a bench under a large tree on the northern edge of campus, just off the northeast corner of Eaton Hall

Weather: 77 ̊ F, constant breeze at about 5 mph, sunny, 43% humidity

General: It’s strange, but this area of campus, despite its beauty, is rarely visited by students. I’m under the shade of a gigantic tree. It’s only about 60 or so feet high, but at the base, its leaves extend as widely as the tree is tall. Its trunk is about 6 feet in diameter. The main base of the trunk extends about 10 feet up, where it diverges into many large limbs. Some of the limbs twist and turn in all sorts of convoluted shapes. The bark is a light brown, flaky in parts, and smooth in others. The trunk is covered in tumor-like knots (see picture). The leaves are palmately lobed like a maple leaf, but with many small fingers off each of the three main extensions. In many places, small spots of moss are growing on the branches of the tree. The shape of the entire tree is interesting—it gets very wide at the base, and stays that wide all the way until the top. Due to one extended limb, from a certain angle, the shape sort of reminds me of a snail (see picture, the little ball on the left looks like it’s a different tree, but it’s really part of the main tree). As seems to be the theme recently, I also saw a squirrel foraging out on the lawn north of Eaton Hall.

Dark thoughts....

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 17 September 2008
Location: West of Sigma Chi, East of Walton, South of Ford Hall
Time: 1424-1441
Weather: 77˚F, very warm

This afternoon, I was endeavoring to consume my late lunch outdoors, but the yellow jackets managed to find me as usual; they always seemed to be attracted to the ingredients. In my mad dash, I found myself at the west end of Sigma Chi. I was pleasantly startled by a raucous bird call. Usually unable to identify most birdcalls, I was even more surprised when a streak of blue glided from a nearby birch tree down into the brush at the East of Walton. The bird had a back and head of a vibrant blue hue and white underbelly. It was rummaging in a hole in the dry dust caused by the construction nearby. I could only imagine how difficult it would be to find vitals in the desert-like terrain. Or perhaps it was storing supplies? It hopped up a 10-foot shrub behind it, which had elliptical leaves arranged oppositely. They were fading from a pale green into a dull red. The bird, which I later identified quite confidently as a western scrub jay, hopped/flew to an adjacent 15-foot tree, which resembled an ash. The tree had primarily red leaves along the outer leaves where the sun had burnt away the chlorophyll. Shrieking, it turned and hopped up to higher branches, like one going up a spiraling stairwell, calling each time it faced a new direction. Satisfied by its accomplishment, it soared onto Sigma Chi’s brick, rectangular chimney, from where it flew off into the distance. Now that it had gone though, I finally took in the full barren landscape. The dry yellowing grass ended at a field of yellow dust, the grass was littered with shriveled leaves. On top of all of that, a Dreyer’s Ice Cream truck pulled up behind me into the driveway and stirred up a cloud of dust, which consequentially spread out toward me and the future Ford Hall. Everything seemed desolate, life obliterated. It always amazes me how much destruction must occur before something can be created. What happens once there’s nothing left to destroy? Will everything be chaos once more?

Berries at bush park!

13 September 2008
1430
Bush Park by the stream.

Today some friends and I walked from Willamette University to Bush Park in hopes of gathering black berries. The weather is perfect today for this kind of activity, on arrival to the park we walked along the flat trails of the park and then cut down to a path by the stream in hopes of finding the berries. Inatly we were unable to find any black berries on all the black berry bushes. However we were able to find some berries on the other side of the bush. I found the solution to getting these berries by going into the stream and picking the fruit from that angle. It was most excellent the berries were delicious and wading in the stream to pick them was such a nice activity for a lazy Saturday. Although it is quite late in the season for berries there were many hidden clumps quite high so a friend went up into the tree and was able to pick them that way. So as our friend sat in the tree passing us berries I was able to appreciate the small stream that we were wading in. It was full of many smooth stones and if you looked close enough there are little organisms living in the stream. I also really liked watching the fallen leaves be taken past me by the current. Overall it was a very fun activity and I look forward to coming back to this park and watching it change through the seasons.

The Fall Tree

11 September 2008
1500
A random tree on the Willamette campus near the back of office of admissions and the tennis courts.
I have found a glorious tree. It is in the transition between its summer and fall colors. I am sitting beneath it looking up at the tree and its fantastic leaves. I find it very intriguing see the change between the seasons in such a confined area. In this single tree there must be thousands of shades of green, red and yellow. I find the plethora of colors really is amazing thing that there is that much variation in nature. This wonder of nature makes me have faith in the world and its natural balance.

Minto Brown

7 September 2008
1330
Minto Brown Island Park, on a bank of the Willamette River.

Today my colloquium and I went on a visit to Minto Brown Island Park; it is really nice to be here since we are reading book of this parks natural history this weekend. At the moment I am sitting on a stony bank of the Willamette River. The bank is covered by thousands of colorful stones that must have been washed smooth by the river. This river is beastly it must be at least 100 feet wide here. From my earlier experience of swimming in the river I learned that is becomes quite deep just a few feet off shore. Although I did swim in the river I do not think it is something that I would do again or recommend, the river is not clean and seems to be polluted since it goes through a few urban Ares. Otherwise the river was very nice and there were small probably baby fish that I could not identify. There have also been a few ospreys that I saw from my seat on the bank. I assume that they are hunting the fish in the river, which reminds me of the osprey I would see this summer in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. These birds have so much grace and might as they dive down and catch and unsuspecting fish. It is truly a joy to watch these birds fish.

The Quad

12 September 2008
1330
In the Willamette University quad
I am in the quad. It is nice I really just want to sleep here. There is not much nature here. There is the grass which I am going to assume is not native because it need to be maintained and watered very frequently. However it is nice to sit in the quad. There are other groups of people that are around and in the quad. There are also big maple trees on the far side of the quad but I do not believe that those are also native.

Ducks!!

September 2008
1900
On the grass by the Mill Stream in fount of the University Center.
I have just finished another horrid dinner at Goudy and some friends and I are sitting soaking up the ending rays of the day’s sun. The weather has been so nice these first few weeks of school so naturally the grass by the Mill stream is covered with groups of university students. As we are sitting in the grass a pair of ducks (a drake and hen) come and land in the stream. They are odd little creatures and it is interesting to watch them land. It appears as if they will have the most ungraceful landing but in reality it is quite the opposite. They come into the water in the most elegant fashion. A few minutes after the first two ducks land a group of about 6 to 10 more come and land into the Mill Stream. Once these ducks land another group with about the same amount of ducks comes and lands in the stream also! The Mill stream is now flooded with ducks of what appear to be al different ages and both drakes and hens. The ducks mill about the stream seemingly uninterested in the groups of young adults surrounding them. One thing that I find interesting about these ducks it last week at riverfront park I saw ducts that appeared to be in the middle of eclipse molting and none of the duck here seem to be going through that process.

Redwood and Cottonwood, Round 2: 16 September 2008

Rose Dickson

16 September 2008 from 1803 – 1829 hours

Facing the Millstream, with my back about 30 yards from The Bistro on Willamette University campus, Salem, OR, USA

87 degrees, partly cloudy skies

            I am compelled to go back to the same spot I recorded about a week ago. A spot I visit frequently but still only on occasion really take the time to observe. The place where my Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and Black Cottonwood, (Populus tremuloides) reside, day in and day out. I focus all my attention on the trees and I study the rhythm in which their branches move. The redwood is separated in bundles, the lighter or more obtruding sections contrasted with those in the shadows. The cottonwood has a delicate labyrinth of both vines and leaves elegantly intertwined. As I lock my gaze at the trees I let my hand flow unconsciously on my sketchpad. My hand follows my eye involuntarily as it moves meticulously around the branches. I chose to do these sketches in India ink, in order to get a wild feel, just as trees and nature are wild. As I study the intricate details of the trees, I notice my gain in respect and wonder for mother nature’s creations. I make the decision that I do not want to be ecologically indifferent any longer. These wonders are waiting to be discovered and admired everywhere. I want to see them!

(Photos: Cottonwood left, Redwood right)

Itchy squirrel? probably not....

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 16 September 2008
Time: 935-955
Location: West of Waller and Smullin
Weather: 67˚F, clear

I discovered an evergreen tree not unlike the Ponderosa Pine, with green elliptical cones that resembled eggs. The 4” cones all grew upright from the tips of the branches. They appear smoother than most kinds because their scales were closed. The diamond patterning made the cones appear ridged horizontally. A single branch stretched out toward the East entrance of Waller Hall to create a low entryway for the entrance. The needles grew in small clusters and formed small spiky balls of leaves. A western gray squirrel surreptitiously leaped up the dullish maize or brown trunk while I was writing. The trunk I noticed had shallow furrows. Circles from where the branches were removed show that the lowest branch would have extended from about 20 feet off of the ground. On the trunk was a 15-foot long auburn streak that spread up to the first branch of . . . you guessed it: squirrel feces. East of the base was a hole where a squirrel most likely dug for vitals. Hazelnut shells and other hulls surrounded the shallow depression. Nearby I heard a bird call out, a monotones and repetitive tone that I nearly mistook it for a hammer ringing in the construction site nearby. Yet, the notes were high and crisp and clear. It ended its long call with a series of quick successive chirps and then went silent. Later on in my day, I caught sight of it; it was a dark-eyed junco. Back to the tree though, as I was about to leave, I noticed that one of its lower branches was intending to grow out horizontal but then decided to grow upward. The exponentially shaped curve makes me believe that the sunlight must have changed drastically for the northeast side. It was probably due to the construction of Waller Hall. Sitting down on a bench to finish up this journal, at the West entrance to Smullin, at the north end of the bench, a squirrel was curiously rolling around in the dirt. It dragged its forelimbs and used its head as a shovel, almost as if to scratch an itch on its back that it couldn’t quite reach. I mistook it for being injured but as I looked on, it suddenly sprang away before my camera was out and ran across the field as if nothing had happened.

Observation September 16th

Philip Colburn
16 September 2008
Location: Deep in the park north of the construction site.
Weather: Sunny and Clear at 80 degrees
Time: 1430 1445 hours

As I venture deeper into the park near the construction site in hopes of finding any sort of animal life, the fact that it is midday and HOT tells me that I am unlikely to find much of anything alive out here because of the noise from the construction site and the heat of the day. However, I was able to find some Barn Swallows perched in the trees farther away from the construction site. They weren’t flying around, but it seemed as if they were trying to conserve their energy and resources and stay cool in the heat. I was very surprised to find anything alive out here because of the reasons I mentioned earlier all working together to make the outside a hostile place for animals during the time of my walk. However, once I had gotten deep enough into the park, the sounds from the construction site were somewhat muffled, so the animals who live there may escape some of the effects of the construction site, making the effects less far reaching than I had imagined.

Squirrels like to creep up on me for some reason...

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 15 September 2008
Time: 1425-1443
Location: North of Hatfield Library,
Weather: 85˚F, extremely hot and sunny

As I wandered past the library, I headed toward Springer’s Garden by way of a small path between the Mill and the library. Walking East, I discovered plants with large 3-foot wide leaves that resembled those of the squash family. I also saw a bush about 3-foot tall, sporting plump red berries and dark shiny leaves. A mass of slender reeds and bushes lined the Mill, where I found several western gray squirrels digging intently into the ground. One was placing its entire torso into the ground and digging at a 45˚ slant and plowing forward as it advanced toward me. Every so often, it looked up to ensure its safety. A little further east, before the gardening shed, I noticed two 200-foot trees that had a light reddish bark, deeply furrowed trunk, and slender, radiating branches. The leaves were long and slim, creating a feathery appearance. Small 6-inch long birds hopped to and fro between a wooden box and the trees. They pecked at the bark chips surround the bases. The males had a dark black head, while the females were a dullish dark brown. The undersides were white, with the primaries and tail feathers black. The beaks were small and conical. Their shapes and physiques were all sleek and slim. I think they are most likely dark-eyed juncos. They took off quickly and the flight was short. I believed their song was a series of low guttural tones following another of sharp “tits.” As I headed out, a squirrel jumped up a tree behind me and looked at me rather curiously.

A floating duck.

Hannah Waller
Date: 15 September, 2008
Time: 1115
Location: The Millstream between the Hatfield Library and Rogers
Weather: Hot, sunny, 79 degrees

As I was sitting on the bank of the Millstream about to begin my nature observation process, I was startled and actually jumped when an exceedingly loud "QUACK" broke the quiet morning rustle of students passing by. I then chortled softly to myself as I saw a lone female mallard floating down the river in a current, her body traveling sideways. She was facing me and it was as if she quacked so to warn me of her location and that I better not step on her or otherwise invade her space. She had a strange looking growth on her beak resembling a white marble. I wonder if she's unattractive to males, hence why she is alone? It is very strange to see ducks not paired with a mate. Watching her float on, I got a sense that she is more intelligent than one tends to believe when considering waterfoul. This duck seemed to know just how to place her body so as not to move in the current to quickly. At one point in the stream there was a rock creating a period of more rapid flow. She eyed it warily as it got closer, and then strategically twisted her body to slow down enough and go over the rocky spot without losing control or getting hurt. I watched a while longer, until finally I saw 3 more mallards pop out of some bushes along the stream and smiled to myself as I watched the four of them let the flow take them where it pleased.

Tyler Starr: 9/15, Center area between East Side dorms

Tyler Starr

15 September 2008 from 1733 to 1751

Location: Lawn along the corner of Belknap and Matthews, on the side toward Montag and Baxter, by the Writing Center and Office of International Education.

Weather: 83 ̊ F, no wind, clear skies, but the sun was behind a building so it was shady

General: I first noticed a squirrel on the tree outside the window of my dorm on the second floor of Belknap, so I decided to go outside of my window to do my observation. The squirrel I decided to watch was very active. It kept climbing up one of the three oak trees along Belknap, where it would hang upside down and eat acorns. Oftentimes it would come down the tree with acorns in its mouth, and bury them under one of two bushes. One time I got a perfectly clear view of it burying its acorns, which was interesting. I also got a pretty good view through the trees of it eating an acorn, and so I took a picture. When it is up in the trees, many acorns fall off onto the ground. I also saw a dragonfly fly over us in a zigzag pattern. The people I was with were looking at the ground, and one spotted a four-leaf clover within a minute. We all then kept looking, and in less than 5 minutes time, we had found 4 four-leaf clovers, and even 1 five-leaf clover. There must be a genetic mutation or something in the patch of clovers where we were sitting for there to be so many of them.

White Oak/Road!

Leo Castillo

13 September, 08

9:00am-9:35am

Temperature: 75*

Bush Pasture Park, Salem Oregon. Early morning is about nine, it’s a little chilly just headed over to cross country practice. Today the park seems to be a little busy this morning, it seem to me that we have a high school cross-country meet going on. This park is not only used for the public but also to host events of such kind. There are paved roads along the park and on the outside of those roads are white oak trees. Also I notice how there are many playgrounds scattered throughout the park. So if you don’t want to play in one side of the park you can go somewhere else.

Quad

Flower Power

Date: 14 September 2008
Time: 1800 hours
Location: Rose Garden behind Eaton Hall
Weather: Warm

I went to sit in the spot that I was researching for my paper and found it to be quite relaxing. The sun was going down, there were shadows cast everywhere, and the rose's fragrance was filling the air. I truly felt at peace and discovered a simplistic beauty that everyone could enjoy. This little park is no bigger than about 15x15 feet but it's the single most relaxing place I've ever visted on this campus. Surrounded by reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks the likes of which people have ever dared even to imagine is simply an experience that I've little had the pleasure of enacting. I can't say that there is a more beautiful area on the campus.

Grasshoppers Galor

Date: 09 September 2008
Time: 1900 hours
Location: Baxter 3rd, Room 308
Weather: a little warm

Well, I caught those grasshoppers I might as well tell someone about them. I was actually rather fascinated by the whole ordeal. Rather, the catching of them was the best part. It's just so much fun to catch bugs. I have three now because I squished one on accident but I've got them all pinned up and cool looking. When I was down by the water at Riverfront Park, I didn't notice this but the smaller ones don't really have that big of wings which was then clarified to me by Dave that they were in fact just younger versions of the large, fully-grown one I'd caught previously. They are actually very beautiful bugs but very fragile. I like looking at them and it inspires me to keep working because I've already accomplished something around here.

Photo courtesy of: www.insectidentification.org

Moths!

Date: 10 September 2008
Time: 2330 hours
Place: Baxter Entryway
Weather: Cool and dry

I've taken one look around and just had to write this down. I have counted fourteen moths just in the vacinity of my sight range. I honestly don't think I've ever seen so many big moths in one place before! It's a sight to behold for me honestly. Most of the moths I've ever seen weren't that big let alone so many of them that big all in one place. They seem so delicate in the light. I'm rather impressed by their stupidity however and yet interested in their cleverness for one has managed to climb inside the light fixture and cannot get back out.

Squirrel Squabble

Date: 11 September 2008
Time: 0945 hours
Place: Near Baxter Dorms
Weather: Mild

I had just had my first class of the day and was on my way back to my room to shower and change when along path home I saw two squirrels. They were not happy squirrels. At least they didn't seem happy. One squirrel ran away while the other one chased it. Around and around and around they ran all over the place and couldn't help but laugh. What on earth could make a squirrel so upset at another? Problems in the workplace? Trouble at home? Not bringing home the bacon? I like to think that maybe they were playing a very one-sided game of tag. Oh to be so free again.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.sierrapotomac.org

The Eagle has landed.

Date: 12 September 2008
Time: Approximately 1930 hours
Location: YWAM Ropes Course-Giant Swing
Weather: Mild, in a shaded area

As my group of choir students and I were growing in our teamwork together I happened to look up to see a giant shape soaring above us. With wings that looked almost as long as I am tall, it moved through the air almost effortlessly. I was so enamored by the sight I nearly forgot what I was doing and loosened my grip on the belay cord as one of my choir buddies climbed the twenty-five foot pole. The creature was so majestic in how it flew. I was entranced, almost awestruck by it's beauty. I've never actually seen a bald eagle so close in the trees near me. It simply sat and I instantly knew how such an animal could be the symbol of a nation.

Photo courtesy of: www.audubon.org

Riverfront Park: 14 September 2008

Rose Dickson

14 September 2008

1203 to 1256 hours

Stream bank about 100 meters SW of the globe at Riverfront Park. Salem, OR, USA

 

73 degrees, clear skies

 

I’m sitting on the rocky riverbank, my feet in front of me and the world at my back. I sit patiently in still silence; my body absorbing the warmth from the sunbathed rocks, my eyes and mind alert. I allow the chilling current to sweep over my bare toes. As I sit in observation the story of the Salem Riverfront comes alive to me. I find instead of in books and on the web, it lies within the crevasse of a rock or the root of a tree. The story is not of man, but of how nature has developed and grown over the ages. Man is only an influence, as flood waters and soil are influence. I dig my fingertips deep into the soil of the earth and I examine each speckle of dirt stuck to my hand. I’m in awe as I wonder what each tiny speck could contribute to unraveling the story. Some pieces of the soil look very dark as some seem lighter, some red and some tan. Nature is a story being told by those who influence it. As a part of society I feel compelled to walk with nature hand in hand. To gladly use what our earth provides as well as give back to it what we consume. As individuals couldn’t we down size our materialistic wants? Do we need all our extra accessories? With our extras today we are taking away our children’s necessities for tomorrow. The accessibility has become so small because of the lack of pure wild. Buildings are suffocating natural habitat and life.

If people would take the time to listen to what nature is telling us and think more critically, together we could create a sustainable earth and a healthy global environment. I am committed to do my part

Coyote Chorus

Date: 13 September 2008
Time: Approximately 100 hours
Location: YWAM living quarters
Weather: Very cold

We have just finished our day of the ropes course for Chamber Choir and have settled into bed. A couple of the tenors and I were having an interesting conversation when, out of the dark forest, a howl erupted. Not just one howl either. It was multiple ones spanning across the area of dark trees. Barks and snarls came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was almost as if a war of coyotes had sprung from the trees around us and we were right in the middle of it all. Simply a symphony of howls and barks to put my mind into restlessness. I've heard coyotes before but not this many, this close, this loud, or this intimidating.

Forgotten Post...I feel a sense of deja vu...didn't I post this already?

Observer: Estella Yee
Date: 11 September 2008
Time: 940-1010
Location: North of Putnam Center
Weather: 67˚F, sunny

Eleven mallard ducks are all facing the East along the bank of the Smith’s Auditorium. A majority sat with their heads resting down upon their breasts. As a person on a longboard passes by, half of them closest to the East stand up suddenly, looking around. Occasionally, they preen their breast feathers with their flat bills. The others to the West are in the shadows of the trees. Perhaps they are sleeping or hitting the snooze button. Splash! At 943, the first one dives off by slightly getting airborne and then skimming smoothly into the water. It got out of the Mill a minute later, shaking water off of its wings. Two crows and a squirrel move about to the North, behind the trees. There seems to be only 1 male mallard, and he is closest to the East. A single female has been preening herself for nearly 10 minutes now. One goose flew overhead ENE toward the Hatfield Library. When did the mallards arrive? I don’t believe there were here sleeping at night. Where do they go during the day? 955: I smell sensuously delectable pastries baking behind me in the Bistro. The mallards appear to have black-tipped secondary feathers, yellow bills, and white body. The females have brown breasts and head, while a brilliant emerald characterizes the male. They clump in an interesting arrangement; 3 in east with the male, and 10 feet away, 4 or 5 in a group to the west, all avoiding the sun. 1000: the male stands up. They’re preening involve scratching their underbelly, shaking from head down to tail, and perhaps opening and closing their wings. Then, they settle right back down onto the grass. At 1005, the 4-5 females move west to wake the other group with gentle quacks. They later nosed about the bark chip at the base of an ash tree.

More Squirrels

Observer: Eloise Bacher
Date: 11 September, 2008
Time: 0604-0619
Place: North of Goudy, under an unidentified tree.
Weather: Slight breeze, still warm but cooling off as it gets later.

I’m having great luck with the squirrels that inhabit Willamette; it’s been very easy to observe them almost anywhere. This one, another Eastern Gray Squirrel, is climbing about on a tree to the north of Goudy. I can’t really tell what it’s trying to do, but whatever it is involves a lot of falling…I’m remembering talking in class about how 16% of squirrels get broken limbs that heal back, and that some get injured so badly they die. This squirrel seems to be having a lot of close calls; it’s climbing on very thing branches and keeps falling or slipping and having to grab onto the branch. I wonder what it’s doing…what do squirrels normally do in the evening? It would make sense that they would try and bed down for the evening, but this one doesn’t seem to be doing that. Now it’s disappeared behind some leaves….and reappeared again, this time clutching some kind of nut. It sits on a branch and begins chewing. Was it looking specifically for food, or did it happen to find it as it played? The squirrel’s not saying anything, so I guess we’ll never know.

Mill Stream and outside Shephard House

Time: 1603-1624

Date: 14 September 2008

Location: Outside Shephard House and sitting by the Mill Stream with my back to the Bistro

Weather: ~89 degrees

Today I walked back to my room in Shephard house to grab my field guide to go sit by the Mill Stream.  Going into the house i spotted what i am almost positive to be 2 Columbian Ground Squirrels. But when i looked them up i found out that they should be hibernating at this time. I am sure they were ground squirrels but i am not sure which kind.  They were both sitting upright with something in their front legs that they were eating.  They just stared at me and scurried around for other things to eat.  I slowly approached them to take a picture with my phone but my keys knocked against my metal water bottle alarming them both and scaring them away.  Unfortunately i was unable to get the picture.  When i came back outside however i saw another one (or perhaps one of the same...) across the street where i slowly walked closer to it to watch.  It circled around and scurried up and down a tree.  Then it ran off and i didn't see it again.   

I made my way over to the Mill Stream and sat down with my back to the Bistro.  I sat for a while and looked at some flowers that i couldnt identify in my Field Guide which was frustrating.  I think that is because they are not native flowers, they look to be planted and taken care of.  Two  mallard ducks (Anas plathyrhynchos) were sitting in the water, wading there not doing much.  They were both female and one was quite noisy at one point.  One of them tipped up and tried to get something to eat but i am not sure if there was success.  After a few minutes the both slowly swam away under the bridge on the left of me.  

Tyler Starr: 9/14, Martha Springer Botanical Garden

Tyler Starr

14 September 2008 from 1455 to 1517

Location: The Martha Springer Botanical Garden

Weather: Sunny, no clouds in the sky, about 80 ̊ F, little to no wind.

General: This was my first time in the Botanical Garden, and it was a great visit. I saw so many different types of animals, not to mention the variety of plants. The first thing I noticed was an answer to my question of where the mallard ducks go during the day—I saw about 15 of them in the Mill Stream next to the Botanical Garden. They were just paddling in place in the shade of a tree. They were largely inactive. I also saw a squirrel walking along the top of a fence. I saw another squirrel deeper into the garden. It was sitting on a rock, almost as if it was posing for the picture I took. I have seen a ton of these squirrels in the past few days. Since the last batch of baby squirrels were born already, most of the squirrels are probably beginning to stock up on food for the upcoming winter months. There are bees all over in the garden among all of the flowers—this must be a bee’s paradise. There are a few different species of bees as far as I can tell; some are fuzzy, and some are not, and there seem to be a couple of different sizes for each one. I watched a bee crawl into the narrow opening of a flower to gather its nectar, inadvertently transferring pollen between flowers. I also watched two mice scurrying around. They were tiny, gray, and maybe two inches long not including tails. Every time my camera made a noise, they would dart behind a tree or rock, so the picture above was the best I could get. I hear tons of different birdcalls as well, from screeches to tweets. I heard a distinct chickadee call, and so followed the call and saw two of the birds in a tree.

Jane Martin, Lincoln City Seals and Coast, 9-13-08

Time: 1528-1549

Date:13 September 2008

Location: Lincoln City Coast sitting on the beach facing the ocean, west

Temperature: started at~65, dropped about 10 degrees very quickly

As i sit looking at the ocean, i see huge creatures across the water.  At first i couldn't tell what they were, especially being from a place where creatures like Seals aren't a common thing to see.  Once they started moving around and making faint noises it occurred to me that they were in fact seals.  They are huge creatures, which i never really knew.  I always knew they were large but i didn't know they were THAT big.  They are very interesting creatures to watch because they have to wiggle to get anywhere.  There were so many of them, sprawled out along the coast, about 30 in total.  They lay quite still for a while and then all of a sudden a group of about 5 started wiggling around creating chaos and disturbing the other resting seals.  They settled down a few minutes later and they all lay still again.  It became less thrilling after watching them for a little while so i started looking at other things that caught my eye.  

         At one point, the sky was a beautiful light blue.  When we got there it was about 65 degrees and not much wind.  But all of a sudden the sky turned completely gray in a matter of minutes.  It dropped at least 10 degrees and the wind picked up.  This not only made it cold but it also created the sand to blow everywhere.  The sand was a very interesting texture.  It was very thick, granular sand, which i am not used to either.  It had all different colors to it as well and was very interesting to look at.  

Jackson Plaza

12 September 2008
1412-1229
Jackson Plaza, Willamette University, Salem, OR

The weather is sunny and cloudless and there is a light breeze, just enough to flutter the leaves on the tree above me. the water of the mill stream is clear and cool. The stream only seems to be 3-4 inches deep and only 2 inches deep in other locations. Directly infront of me there are 2 different species of seaweed intertwined together. One type has an alternating leaf structure and the leaves themselves look like tiny immitations of ferns. The other type has much wispier leaves and they branch off of the stem in small clusters in a very irregular pattern. The bottom of the mill stream is partially covered by rocks of all different sizes. The rest of the ground is covered in a silt-like material that looks brownish-grey. The water is so low that tiny cascades have formed over the rocks on the bottom creating a tiny current. By the time the water reaches me though, the current is almost completely gone.

Library view of the mill stream

11 September 2008
1040-1053
Library side of the mill stream, Mill Stream, Willamette University, Salem, OR

The area I am in is densely bushed and it seems as though the ground that I am standing on has been freshly dug. The mill stream in front of me flows at a fairly swift current bumping and curving along the rocks across the stream there is a maple tree with fresh woodchips around the base of the trunk. The ground on both sides slopes smoothly into the stream. From my vantage point I can see no plants growing out of the water although there are a few patches of green weedy plants below the surface of the water

Botanical Garden

10 September 2008
1700-1717
Location: Botanical Garden, Willamette University, Salem, OR

The weather is warm and sunny about 78 degrees, although since i am in the shade it feels a bit cooler than that. I am sitting on a rootless tree stump in between 2 others. Directly in front of me there are two rocks protruding above the rough current of the mill stream. One rock, which is slightly larger is covered in moss and has a few grass-like protrusions. Directly next to me there are two douglas firs and a bit beyond these two is another type of evergreen with reddish almost rust colored bark. it is amazing to me to see how many different species can live together. On my right side there is another species of evergreen with longer more protrusive needles, the cones on this tree are slightly smaller and the bark seems to be a rust color. The bush to my front/right is a tangle of branches and there are very few leaves on it in proportion to the branch space. The walls/sides of the mill stream are almost lined with a cement wall. In places this wall seems to have come under disreppair. Jutting out of the ground at various places are small purple flowers. Their color is most inense near the stigma then fades to a very light purple, they have no leaves.