ballev's Journal

Date and Time: June 3, 4:00pm
Location: Lincoln Park, King County, Seattle, WA (June 3)
Weather: Partly cloudy about 59 degrees
Air Conditions: Relatively mild
Soil Conditions: Slightly moist
Tide Conditions: Relatively high

Longitude: -122.39751900000, Latitude: 47.53142100000

Lincoln Park is located in West Seattle and it has many activities available to its visitors. Lincoln Park is shaped like a nose-shaped on the Puget Sound just north of the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal. Lincoln Park has many trails you can walk, rocky beaches, grassy fields and forests, with meadows to play and have picnics. Lincoln Park is an amazing place as it is so rich in diversity relative to its size, this park has about 4.6 miles of walking paths, 3.9 miles of bike trails, about five picnic shelters, acres and acres of playfields, and an outdoor heated saltwater pool and bathhouse! This Park is just the total package. It is about a half an hour away from Seattle.

Today, as I was walking toward my coordinates of longitude: -122.39751900000 and latitude: 47.53142100000, I had noticed that the understory was very green and covered with grasses, the mid-section of the forest seemed brown and dead, and then the canopy was very green. Another thing that caught my attention was that on one side of the forest it was very dry and brown looking and then when I faced the opposite section of the forest it was very green in color. There were also a lot of trees that looked like they were rotting and felt soft. Many also looked like they were inhabited by woodpeckers because there were numerous holes in the trunks of many trees. There were many different types of trees however, coniferous trees were most abundant, more specifically, Western Hemlocks and Western Red Cedars were the most abundant trees. In addition, many trees had lumps in the trunk, I always wanted to know why some trees have then lumps in them, some ranging from the size of baseballs to basketballs. Sword ferns and lady ferns were some of the many plants that inhabited the understory of these forests. Some of the sword ferns were about ten feet in circumference! There was also a large grass-field that was covered in little white flowers, I think they were Common Daisy, it looked so pretty. Overall, this place was pretty peaceful besides the kids playing hide-and-seek and squealing like wild boars, when they left, I could hear the chickadees chirping and the Crows cawing. One thing is did not see were any mammals, no squirrels or other small mammals and because it had been damp and rainy the past few days, I especially noticed the abundance of mosses and lichens covering the trees. I once learned that the way to tell your direction in the woods is when you see Moss growing on a tree that means that direction is north. This may be partially true because moss plants grow in moist and shady places and north-sides of trees generally don't get sunlight, however, as long a location is shaded and has high moisture most of the time, then the moss can survive. Therefore, don't always trust that. Overall, Lincoln Park was a very unique experience for me as this was my first time coming here. And boy, was I amazed by the depth of this place. It truly is one of a kind and I will make sure to visit this Park more often to learn more about the natural history of this area.

Date and Time: June 2, 12:00pm
Location: Twin Harbors Beach State Park, Westport, WA
Weather: Mostly cloudy about 51 degrees
Air Conditions: Relatively windy, cool, and moist
Soil Conditions: Slightly moist
Tide Conditions: Relatively low

Twin Harbors Beach State Park is about 172 acres of land consisting of camping opportunities on the Pacific coast and is four miles south of Westhaven. Located in Westport, Washington,this area allows for great opportunities to study nature, as I'm doing and provides various activities along the ocean shore. To me this is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Today, I am at Twin Harbors Beach State Park in Westport, WA to harvest Manila clams. Manila clams are not native to North America, however, when it was introduced to this region the creature quickly adapted to our waters and ranges from locations of British Columbia to northern California. They look similar in size and appearance to littleneck clams; however, Manila clams are oblong in shape and are a little longer. The internal surface of the Manila clam's shell near the siphon end is generally a dark purple color or sometimes yellow. The shells completely close. They favor habitats from gravel to mud to sand, and where the tidal levels are half-way, which is higher than the zone that butter and littleneck clams favor. The black siphon tips on Manilas are split and short. Manila clams can be found in the Puget Sound and can grow rapidly in size. The Manila clam is about 3 inches across and about 1.4 inches in width. Their color is very variable, but, it is commonly grayish brown in color. One thing that I always wondered is if they look different in the location in which these creatures originated?

Date and Time: May 27, 11:15am
Location: Kalaloch, Jefferson County, WA
Weather: Mostly cloudy about 46 degrees
Air Conditions: Relatively windy, cool, and moist
Soil Conditions: Slightly moist

Olympic National Park is located in the Washington State, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park is large in size that it can be divided into four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side of the Park. The nearest city to this area is Port Angeles. The beach stretches across miles and miles of area and is adjacent to the forest. Although the beach is a huge part of the Olympic National Forest, I will talk about the temperate forest that covers a lot of the land and receives an annual precipitation of about 150 inches. The forests here are mostly populated by coniferous trees, including Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Coast Douglas-fir and Western redcedar. There is also an abundance of mosses that coat the bark of many trees and even grow along their branches, anywhere where it's moist. What truly makes this place unique is that this park contains an about 366,000 acres of old-growth forests!

Today, I decided to go on a little hike on one of the trails and to my surprise, I spotted a Common Garter Snake, which quickly slithered right into the brush. The Common Garter Snake is indigenous to North America and most garter snakes are brown or green in color and have yellow stripes, their average length is about 22 inches and a maximum of about 54 inches and weighs about 5.3 ounces. Garter Snakes favor cooler temperatures and seasons. Snakes are scary to me and after seeing this I wondered how poisonous these snakes were and I learned that the saliva of a garter snake may be toxic to amphibians and other small animals, but as for humans their bite is not dangerous, but, it may cause slight itching, burning, and/or swelling. The Common Garter Snake favors habitats near water. Their diet consists mainly of amphibians and earthworms, but also fish, small birds, and rodents. These creatures are very good at camouflage that I once thought the Garter Snake was a twig!

Date and Time: May 26, 12:30pm
Location: Kalaloch, Jefferson County, WA
Weather: Mostly cloudy about 53 degrees
Air Conditions: Relatively windy, cool, and moist
Soil Conditions: Slightly moist

Kalaloch is a small community in western Jefferson County, Washington located on the bluffs just off of Highway 101 on the Olympic Peninsula, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Kalaloch is located in the Olympic National Park and contains several beach trails that lead to coastal hikes and to the Kalaloch Creek. Kalaloch is an Indian term meaning "good place to land" and indeed it is. I love coming out here to camp, it's a fresh breath of air.

Tonight, I am sitting around the campfire at the Kalaloch Campground and it is so peaceful and quiet. All I hear is the crackling of the firewood burning in the fire. Occasionally, during the night I have learned that Raccoons like to come out and look for food. So I decided to take my flashlight and see if I can spot their glowing eyes in the trees or around the ground and what do you know, I spot a raccoon not too far from my chair hiding by a sword fern. Yes, I was a little startled as they could have rabies or some other disease. But, what really sparked my interest about these creatures is that they are pretty abundant around the Pacific Northwest. I have seen them in many neighborhoods and I will never forget the time when I was about eight years old, I had forgotten to bring my bag of candy in the tent one night and the next morning I see traces of my candy wrappers on the ground and the bag in a tree. I was so amazed by this. Raccoons are very smart animals. The raccoon is a native mammal that is about 3 feet long which includes its foot long, bushy, ringed black and gray tail. I have also noticed that their hind legs are longer than the front legs therefore, raccoons looked like they are hunched backed when they walk or run. Their front feet have five toes that allow them to grasp and manipulate food. Raccoons favor forest areas, particularly near a stream or water source. However, they have adapted to many different environments throughout Washington. Adult raccoons weigh about 15 to 40 pounds but, males have weighed in at over 60 pounds!It is observed that a raccoon in the wild will most likely weigh less than an urbanized raccoon that basically is fed by humans, eats pet food, and leftovers from garbage-cans. Raccoons favor clams, crayfish, frogs, fish, and snails, however, they also eat things from insects, slugs, dead animals, birds and bird eggs, to fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. It's crazy how Raccoons have adapted to the things humans do, that they seen in densely populated areas.

Date and Time: May 22, 1:30pm
Location: Seattle, King County, WA
Weather: Mostly sunny about 55 degrees
Air Conditions: Relatively mild
Soil Conditions: Slightly moist

Today, we are having a tour on Fungi in the Union Bay Natural Area and out of all the Fungi discussed and discovered here, I found the Artist's Bracket Fungi the most interesting. Ross had led this part of the tour and we wandered of the trail into the forest. And it was in this hidden place that we saw about three Artist's Brackets on a horizontal log. The spore body of the Artist's Bracket are up to 12–16 inches across and they have a hard, woody-texture and are inedible, When they are still in the process of developing, they are fully white in color at first but soon turn into a dark red-brownish color. The Artist's Bracket it found colonizing on dead wood and older trees. This fungi got its name by having the ability to be as a drawing medium for artists. This is what I find most fascinating about this fungi, when the surface of the Artist's Bracket is rubbed or scratched with a sharp object, it changes from light to dark brown, making the scratch or design visible for as long as it lives. Artist's Bracket Fungi has been used for medical purposes from being able to cure colds, help cure cancers to being able to cure AIDS. The fungi is grounded and made into a tea that can cure these illnesses. Although, people may say it can cure these sicknesses, there are still many skeptics. I just love that this Fungi is very unique in that you could draw and use it as a canvas for works of art.

Date and Time: May 20, 2:00pm
Location: Normandy Park, King County, WA
Weather: Mostly sunny about 62 degrees
Tide conditions: Relatively high
Soil Conditions: Relatively dry

Normandy Park is a small city in King County, Washington and borders the cities of Burien, WA and Des Moines, WA. With a population of about 6,335 people. The Normandy Park Cove is a fairly hidden area and you have to have beach rights to go to the cove.

Today, I decided to visit the cove, it was an overall wonderful day, the weather was just right however, as I was sitting on the drift logs, I had glanced over to my left and saw about three American Crows. They were eating food around the trash would not leave. The American Crow is very common in places around much of North America. The American Crow is a bird you can't miss, with its black body, beak, legs, and feet. Although, the American Crow is distinguishable by the color, two other birds look very similar, the Common Raven by the size and behavior and the Fish Crow by call of the American Crow. American Crows are smaller in size than the Common Raven and it has a more curved bill in comparison to the parallel bill of the raven, and its squared tail. American Crows are about 16 to 21 inches in length, the tail makes up about 40% of the length and weigh about 11.1 to 22 ounces. The male crows generally tend to be larger than females. One thing that can really distinguish an American Crow from other birds that look similar to it is a loud, short, and rapid call, sounding like 'caaw-caaw-caaw.' And when the Crow does this call, they usually move their heads up and down. American Crows are very intelligent birds as they can also produce a wide variety of sounds and are at times heard mimicking noises made by other animals, including other birds! The American Crow's diet varies from human scraps of food, eggs, and seeds to mice, frogs, and other small animals. In the winter and fall, Crow's diet mainly consists of acorns and nuts. The American Crow is special in that it is one of the very few species that had been observed using 'tools' to get food. Like the Western Gull, the Crows too, scavenge around waste landfill areas, scattering garbage around the site. I came across a very interesting fact that crows are considered nuisances as they favor food like corn and wheat (i.e. farmed crops) but, Crows are said to eat insects that are harmful pests to crops. It just amazes me how Crows a nearly everywhere.

Date and Time: May 19, 6:00pm
Location: Sequim, Clallam County, WA
Weather: Mostly cloudy about 58 degrees
Tide conditions: Relatively high
Grassland Conditions: Relatively dry

Sequim is considered the "Lavender Capital of North America" and is located in Clallam County in the Port Angeles metro area by the Olympic Peninsula. The Name Sequim is derived from the Indian term meaning "quiet water." The elevation is approximately 184 feet and the estimated population is about 4,704. The vegetation in Sequim is quite different from vegetation around Seattle. In Sequim there is much more grassland and open fields. It's more meadow-like than in forests further from the coast. Sequim lies within the rainshadow of the Olympic Mountains therefore, Sequim gets an average of less than 15 inches of rain per year. This is pretty incredible.

Today, when I was looking out into the meadow I spotted a group of Columbian Black-Tailed Deer! Columbian Black-Tailed Deer are a subspecies of the Mule Deer, that are located on North America's Pacific Coast. The Columbian black-tailed deer is found in western North America, ranging from Northern California into the Pacific Northwest to coastal British Columbia. This species of Deer favors the edge of the forest and because dark, thick forests don't allow light from the sun to penetrate through to the understory, the understory lacks, therefore the grasslands are where the Black-Tailed Deer go to find food. However, these places are completely open and lack hiding spots and places for shelter during harsh weather. So black-tailed deer have one plant that they have grown to eat, western poison oak, despite it being poisonous. The best time to see this deer is around dawn and dusk. The Columbian Black-Tailed Deer is distinguishable by its black tail, the tail is broad and the backside of the tail is covered with a dark brown color that gets black near the tip. And when the Deer is alarmed or fleeing from danger, the tail may be raised to display its broad, white underside. An average adult black-tailed deer buck weighs about 140 to 200 pounds and adult doe weighs about 90 to 130 pounds. What interests me about Deer is that they are found in the most populated areas at times and they just continue with their day ignoring the humans around them.

Date and Time: May 19, 3:00pm
Location: Kitsap Memorial State Park, Kitsap County, WA
Weather: Mostly cloudy about 57 degrees
Water temperature: about 40 degrees
Tide conditions: Relatively high
Soil Conditions: Relatively dry

Kitsap Memorial State Park is a 58-acre camping park with about 1,797 feet of saltwater shoreline located on the Kitsap Peninsula on Hood Canal. Here, there are grassy fields, a saltwater beach with tide pools and the best thing about this place that most people love is that you are able to harvest shellfish at this park. While the beach place is a very beautiful location i did most of my hanging out in the woods. The understory of the forest was covered with ferns and ground covering plants such as clover and grasses. But what really caught my attention was the abundance of coniferous trees such as Douglas Firs and Western Red Cedars.

Today, as I was walking under a tree something from the tree fell near me and startled me. And I found out it was a pine cone. I then looked up in the tree and spotted a Chipmunk! A Townsend's Chipmunk to be exact. Townsend's chipmunks are a species of rodent in the squirrel family Sciuridae. They live in forests in the Pacific Northwest of North America, ranging from British Columbia to western Washington and Oregon. A large Townsend's chipmunk can be about 14 inches from its nose to tail. The Townsend's Chipmunk can be distinguishable by its grayish tail on the top and a reddish color beneath the tail, and it has a brownish color to it with black and white stripes. They favor places with mild climates. Their diets include a variety of plants and insects and even birds' eggs. However, in the summer and early fall, Townsend's chipmunks eat a variety of berries such as, blackberries, salal berries, and thimble berries. And in the late fall, they eat acorns, huckleberries, maple seeds, thistle seeds, grain seeds, grass, roots, and conifer seeds. Overall, their diet is variable. Chipmunks are very adorable creatures and here in the Pacific Northwest it's very interesting that the Townsend's Chipmunk is one of the only in this region.

Date and Time: May 18, 1:00pm
Location: Redondo Beach Park, Des Moines/Federal Way, WA
Weather: Mostly cloudy about 60 degrees
Water temperature: about 40 degrees
Tide conditions: Relatively high

Redondo is a small community located in the city of Des Moines however, it is located near the border of Federal Way in King County, Washington. At first Redondo was a resort, however, it gradually grew into a middle-class residential community. Redondo is a beautiful place with a small dock and boardwalk. While on the way to Redondo, the roads are lined with coniferous trees.

Today, as I was on the dock and walking along the boardwalk to spotted a black round thing in the water bobbing up and down and then it would disappear. I was wondering what that was and then it came about 100 feet from the dock and I finally figured that it was a Harbor Seal! The sea was most likely looking for food, particularly fish. Harbor Seals vary in color from a light silver grayish color to a brown or black color and has spots ranging from small to medium sized spots (quarter sized and larger). Their spotted grayish, brown coats are great for camouflaging on pebbled beaches. They can reach up to five or six feet in length and weigh up to 300 pounds! They can be massive, however, the one i spotted was probably a younger Harbor Seal, not fully grown yet. They have no external ears, small flippers, and move on land by bouncing on their bellies. They also have a small tail that hides between their rear flippers. Harbor Seals are often found in the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, north of the equator. They favor shallow waters close to the shore. Harbor Seals are so cute, however, when you're fishing, they are not so cute!

Date and Time: May 16, 4:00pm
Location: Des Moines Marina Beach Park, Des Moines, WA
Weather: Mostly cloudy about 60 degrees
Water temperature: about 40 degrees
Tide conditions: Relatively high

Today, as I was walking along the docks at the Marina, I spotted about five Purple Sea Stars. They ranged from colors of orange, red, and purple, never pink and had five arms. They are about medium in size and are round on rocky shores where barnacles are abundant, their arms are relatively short in length, about four to ten inches. What's really interesting about the Purple Sea Star is that they are not always purple and they are such strong creatures. The Purple Sea Star has netlike pattern coming out from the center of the Sea Star and have many suckers at the bottom of their arms that allows them to attach to the rocky surfaces and live in water where the waves are plenty. While I'm certain this is a Purple Sea Star, there are three other species that are often mistaken for the Purple Sea Star and these include: the Giant Sea Star that has blue rings around the purple or white spines, the Pink Sea Star that is pink with small white spines, and the mottled star that has a small disc and five long narrow arms that are often turned up at the tip of them. Purple Sea Stars feed on barnacles and mussels. Purple Sea Stars can be found in abundant numbers that large boulders are turned white, leaving evidence that these Sea Stars have consumed large amounts of barnacles leaving the barnacle's cemented shells on these boulders. One thing i will never forget about Sea Stars is their ability to re-grow arms if one loses an arm due to injury. This really amazes me!