Walking Around Stewart Ponds

1-31-2012

It was cloudy and mild as we started to stroll the paths around Stewart Ponds. After so much rain the ponds were full. Standing water was on the sides of the path as we headed toward the blind. Much birdsong greeted us as well as frog chirping. Fungi dotted the woodchips along the path.

Quietly peeking through the blind we saw shovelers, green-winged teal and mallards. Some were exhibiting what may have been mating behavior as they swam around. A submerged log was hosting a mix of shorebirds (yellow-legs or sandpipers?) and green-winged teals. I was wishing I had a camera with a good lens.

Overhead about 600 cackling geese announced their presence and circled for a landing. We noticed how much goose droppings were in the surrounding fields. These droppings fertilize the fields where these geese feed - an important cycle.

Color is coming into the branches of the willows. As the sun comes out the branches turn vibrant but a cloud cover turns them dull again.

Three birds perched in a nearby tree seem to be towhees, but the light is difficult at this hour and angle and so identification is tough.

A surprise sighting; a yellow flower pushing through the woodchips! Spring is coming...

A lone cormorant circles the swampy area to the west as the sun appears again. Swarms of small insects can be seen in the light. To the east we see that the hillsides are greening.

At the far pond we find a man fishing. We wonder what could be caught in this small pond. Would it be edible? A pair of coots swims along with mallards. A pair of male shovelers hunts for some dinner amongst the reeds.

On the walk back on the east side we see juncos in some low shrubs and a gang of noisy starlings high in a tree. The frogs’ chirping is much louder at this hour. The path on this west side is being taken over by the grasses. It may be time for another parks event to re-establish the trails for the public who come to enjoy nature.

Walking on these trails is time well spent. It’s calming. We don’t come to add to our bird lists. We come to be both surprised and reassured by nature.

New Years at Stewart Ponds

By Tom Spofford

1-1-12

It was cold and cloudy when we arrived at Stewart Ponds in West Eugene. We realized it was the day of the annual bird count but didn’t have the energy to devote the day to that endeavor. There was a small group of birders with scopes ahead of us and I imagined they were counting. We’d brought the dog along, a 7 month old chocolate Labrador, and she was behaving quite well as we headed off down the left side path.

The end-of-year rains had filled in the first pond and waterfowl were abundant compared to weeks past when it was dry. Viewing from the blind we saw mallards, widgeons, gulls, green-winged teals, shovelers and a shorebird we couldn’t identify. There was some rotting floorboards in the blind and I made a mental note to report it before someone gets hurt.

As we left the blind, the shorebirds took flight over us, but we were still unable to ID them. Add that to my expanding list of need-to-dos; get at least an elementary grasp of the group that includes sandpipers, plovers, killdeer and curlews. Looking through my Peterson guide I realize that a very important characteristic is beak shape. If I can get a good look at this feature I can very much narrow the field. Birding is fascinating and enriching. There is so much to learn, at one’s own pace, that it is truly a lifelong hobby.

A favorite bird of mine, the kestrel, was surveying the lands from high in dead tree. It seems like many birds favor dead limbs for perching. It also could be that I simply notice more birds overall on dead limbs because they are easily spotted sans leaves. Nearby a solitary jay is quiet and unaffected by our proximity.

In the smaller pond I spot what I believe to be a pintail. We were used to seeing countless pintails in No. California but see far fewer here. The light is beginning to fail and I can’t quite get enough of a view to determine if it is the pintail as it swims into a set of reeds for cover.

The bare trees are beautiful in the afternoon light. Leafless trees have a certain appeal. Without leaves one can really study nature’s design capabilities. It’s fun to spot abandoned nests in these trees along with paper bees nests shaped like footballs.

A gang of about twenty five cackling geese wing overhead looking for a landing strip. A rare sighting! It’s a kingfisher sitting still and being quiet in a distant tree. That is not something one experiences very often. A red-tailed hawk comes in and lands in a small tree and nearby frogs can be heard.

I’m always captivated by the mosses and lichens of the northwest. In certain light it can seem to glow on the branches. Moss and lichen go on the master list for further study... Small songbirds flit in and out of the thickets. I try to identify at least one and think perhaps it’s a vireo. Sparrow-like birds are searching the brush for dinner along the road back by the car.

We are graced with the sight of about 750 cackling geese coming in to land as we climb back into the car.

Spending time out in nature was a good start to the new year. In trying times nature helps slow things down. Fresh air, few man-made distractions and the subtleties of the natural world are ingredients of living well.

Early November

November 2011


By Tom Spofford

For the past year I've been writing about my walks in the west Eugene wetlands as a representative of the WREN organization. I observed nature in a specific stretch of the bike path from the Terry St bridge to just beyond the railroad crossing.

This is west of the WREN offices. As I approach the beginning of my second year I've decided to move east, over to the Stewart Ponds area. I plan to visit the west side area from time to time but will focus on the Stewart Ponds in the coming months.

As I pull into the lot I recall that there is a pair of raptors who nest every year in the evergreens across the street. As hard as I tried I couldn’t see the nest when it was first brought to my attention. On this day it is still well hidden. The drenching rains are late in coming this fall and the main pond area is still dry. It’s disappointing but I will be using this first walk to scout the paths since I haven’t spent a lot of time over here. It’s a chilly and overcast afternoon with a threat of rain as I begin to walk. A familiar call back near the lot and I see a group of waxwings dipping in and out of the trees near the road. I’ve been able to recognize the waxwing call, flight pattern and of course the distinctive silhouette of the head. The Sibley Field Guide points out that the waxwings get their name from them having waxy concentrations at the ends of some of their feathers which is a product of their fruit diet.

I head out on the wood chip path which was spread by volunteers a year previously during an event celebrating the parks service. The grasses have begun to grow back over the chips but I don't have much time to contemplate how quickly nature grabs back what it can from the humans because two very aggressive Chesapeake Retrievers have taken to charging me from the adjoining property. I instinctively yell at them which slows them somewhat and after a brief survey they apparently decide I'm not a threat and head back.

The fields are greening up from the showers of the past month. The brown fields of late summer are now in a second wave of growth. Frogs chirp down in a low spot, quieting as I approach. The trees in this area are a muted palette, more like a Dutch landscape painting versus some of the vibrant Warhol colors of the ornamental maples around town. I love to see photos comparing areas of nature or even urban settings taken 50 or 100 years apart. As a kid I walked through the woods in my neighborhood a lot. Once I came across an old house foundation that was barely visible. Nearby was a goldmine-a dumping area from probably 100 years earlier. It was filled with old bottles, decomposing metal cans and even a horse skull, great fodder for a young imagination.

I squint a little and try to imagine what this field looked like 50 years ago. Was it being farmed? Was it wooded or thick with blackberries? Were there native peoples in this very field 300 years ago? I’ve learned to watch the ground, the trees and the sky on these walks. There is little bird or animal activity but I do see much scat or animal droppings from many different animals. I keep walking the property perimeter. There are many well-used animal paths crisscrossing the field. A small pond offers up some tracks, raccoon and nutria are the likely visitors.

A trio of crows gab as they slowly fly over. A jay lands on a branch and then I hear a whistling call that could be an eagle. I also hear a kingfisher’s unmistakable call. I quietly come to the edge of a larger pond and see a dark duck with an olive bill. It departs quickly and I’m still not sure what it was. If it was an American Black Duck it’s far from home. I need to sharpen my identification skills!

Flickers fly over towards the oaks and chickadees pop in and out of the brush. On the trail heading back to the car I notice the grasses in the setting sunlight. They are fine and ghostlike in the light, beautiful, unlike anything man-made. Back on the road juncos flit through the bushes. I’ve learned to identify them by the flash of white under the tail.

Soon the rains will bring the waterfowl but for now I can appreciate the finer details of the Stewart Ponds.

I am not an expert in any way regarding the natural world. I am a novice who loves to be out in this world. It’s a fine respite from the daily grind of work. I find something new on every walk. I continue to learn if nothing more than how much I have to learn. It’s been a perfect way to spend a couple of hours and I head home relaxed and recharged.

Roving at Dusk

August 21st, 2011, 7:30pm

by Tom Spofford

I’ve mostly walked the West Eugene wetlands during the daylight hours. As a change of pace I headed out close to dusk on a recent Sunday to both view the area activity late in the day and to avoid the heat that has come to the valley.

The ground is dry and hard since we haven’t had significant rain in months. Grasses are quite brown and many plants are dropping their seeds. Swallows have been a constant all summer and they are out this evening, perhaps feeding on the insects I can see in the low sunlight. The stream is down to a very slow flow with much algae growing in areas of the sluggish water.

Blackberries ripening along the bank reminding me of a few years ago when we were hiking in Northern California. We had been warned that a bear and her cub had been seen in the area where we stopped for a quick hike. A ranger was at the trailhead but had yet to see the animals that day and was allowing people into the area. We hiked the trail and, on the return to the parking area, as we came around a bend we came upon the pair heading toward us at 25 yards. We calmly turned and headed back to where we could safely watch where they were going, which was a thick patch of blackberries. We were able to get back to the parking lot. Days later we read a story of a couple who surprised a bear and the wife had to fight it off with an ink pen as it attacked her husband.

I picked some berries in the wetlands and as usual some were perfectly ripe and others were still sour. I’m curious to know which birds and mammals eat these berries. It’s a fleeting yet abundant food supply.

A nutria makes a big splash in the creek then waddles back up the bank scratching it’s side and making a high pitched grunt. A kingfisher flies along the stream making it’s telltale call and flight pattern, not a subtle bird at all. I enjoy the kingfisher. It’s a large and handsome bird, easy to identify by call or sight. Some chickadees come through the low bush. I hadn’t seen any out in the wetlands or our yard for a few months. They must head to some elevation in the summer to breed, escape the heat or maybe find a different food source. I recently saw a few mixed into a gang of cheerful bushtits who swoop through our hedges every evening hunting for spiders.

As the sunlight begins to fail I can sense that the season is shifting. The sound of the leaves in the trees is much different. They sound drier in the wind compared to the lush young leaves of spring and summer. The light is changing as well, appearing slightly muted to my eye.

Down the path the setting sun is seen through thistle that is dropping it’s seed in a slight breeze. It’s not autumn yet as the crickets are still chirping a high note. For years we had generations of crickets outside our bedroom window and their tune slowed more and more through September and October.

The sun tucks in behind the west hills glowing orange while the clouds in the east picked up a striking pink tone at the same time. I take many photographs of the sunset through some plants and I try to capture the pink clouds.

Swallows appear again as I head back towards the car. I make a mental note to learn the difference between swifts and swallows. I can hear birds now but it is too dark to be able to see them. This is when I wish I was more adept at identifying by calls.

This fall I’ll be sure to come to the wetlands at various times of the day. I’ve been more apt to walk in the afternoons. The more difficult will be a sunrise visit but I’m sure it will yield more surprises. The birds will be returning as the rainy season begins and I look forward to noting the changes to the landscape as nature’s wheel turns.

July Roving Report

Mid July 2011

I took the month of June off from walking the wetlands and so I was looking forward to seeing the various changes to the environment I’ve been walking through since December. It was late spring when I last walked the West Eugene Wetlands but today was certainly summer. It was a warm, breezy day of full sun as we arrived. I had forgotten to bring a hat but fortunately did have sunscreen.

It was very quiet and calm with few obvious birds in the skies and vegetation. No one was walking but there were many bicyclists on the path. Much of the grasses had headed to seed and browned. A mix of green and brown was the view across the fields. Many flowers had also seeded.

Summer was in full swing as evidenced by the slow current in the stream and the changes in the flora. Swallows swooped over us catching insects with their graceful turns. I was reminded to watch for the return of the swifts to the chimney of Agate Hall on the U of O campus in late summer. Two summers ago we watched them flying into the chimney at dusk and a hawk was perched at the edge and grabbed one as it came in.

Dragonflies are in abundance now in the wetlands. Add another group to my ever-expanding list of creatures I’d like to be able to identify readily. I see a type with white and black striped wings. I also would like to read more on dragonflies in general. What do they eat? What life stages do they go through? What is the lifespan?

A pheasant scares me for a change as it was very close to the path and flew up in front of me at the last moment. Some bubbles come to the surface of the stream and I wonder what’s down in the cool stream bottom on this hot day.

While there are very few birds, my eye notices how many different flowers are now in bloom. Some have actually already dried and gone to seed, a reminder to enjoy the summer as autumn will come soon. I take photos of at least 15 different flowers with hopes of identifying them later.

The flowers are of various sizes from petite to prehistorically large. I step off the path to examine more closely some of these larger specimens and hear some loud splashing down in the stream. I’d love to see what’s making the noise but the bank is steep and the vegetation tall. It could be fish or ducks. I don’t think it’s a dog as it isn’t quite that loud and I also hear no jingling tags. My shoes, socks and laces are now covered with velcro-like seeds. Nature has evolved some fascinating ways of perpetuating plants. These seeds would grab on to anything and could be distributed great distances.

My legs are also itchy from the plants. I never used to be so sensitive to plants. Now my skin reacts to most all plants rubbing against it. I also seem to come away with some sort of insect bite each time I venture off a path or reach blindly into the garden. I suspect spiders but it could be most anything.

A bug lands on my shirt three times. It looks like what we called Stink Bugs as kids. My entomology class in college seems so long ago...

Minnows can be seen from the bridge trolling small pools. I wonder if they are salmon. A nutria emerges and then disappears again into a stream side thicket. A goldfinch is perched on a dead limb and a wilson’s warbler is feeding on something in the stream.

As we are nearing the car a couple on bikes tells me that they think they saw a fox in the open area down the path near the viewing scope. They weren’t sure because they hadn’t any binoculars. On another day I might make the trip back to verify the sighting but it’s hot and a shade tree, a chaise lounge and a glass of lemonade waits for me.