Last year, a Douglas Fir fell across Arboretum Drive. It damaged part of the trellis around the Don Graham Visitor's Center (DGVC). Luckily, I don't think anyone was hurt.
The fallen tree left behind two Western Red Cedar trees. The three trees had grown up side-by-side-by-side. A trio of trees with interdependent root systems. The Cedars depended on the weight of the Fir tree to help hold them in place. With the weight gone there was concern that the Cedars could become unbalanced, fall over and injure someone. This issue was especially concerning because the trees are in one of the busiest parts the Arboretum i.e. just west of the DGVC, and surrounded by multiple well-used walking paths. The UW Arborists decided it would be wise to remove the bulk of the weight from the Cedar trees.
Luckily, Shea Cope decided to leave the lower portions of trees intact as wildlife snags. In fact, as an Arboretum Arborist employed by the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, Shea went out of his way to not only leave portions of the trees but to also carve a nest site for Northern Flickers in the top of the taller one.
Notice how his horizontal cuts are angled at about 45 degrees. The top cut goes up and the lower one goes down. This was followed by a vertical cut that connected to the two prior cuts. This created a slab of bark and trunk that was no longer connected to the tree. This allowed Shea to slide the slab sideways, remove it, and set it to one side, before continuing to excavate the Flicker nesting area. After finishing the nest site, he slid the slab back into place.
Shea also added a small round entrance hole, sized precisely for a Northern Flicker. In this photo the slab has been re-installed. With its perfectly matching bark it is very hard to notice. Look near the top of the taller snag. Nonetheless, the wild things noticed.
The access hole is about 18 inches below the top of the snag. Later, Shea was quite excited when he saw a Douglas Squirrel enter the nest. Douglas Squirrels are a native PNW squirrel. They have only returned to the Arboretum in the last few years. Click Here to learn more about their return.
I was also quite excited about the idea of watching their nesting process. I started watching more closely to see what would happen. Seeing Douglas Squirrels nesting would be a first for me.
This Douglas Squirrel scampered around the tree, but it did not appear to be nesting.
Maybe it felt the site was too exposed.
One quick way to tell a Douglas Squirrel from the more common Eastern Grey Squirrels is the color of the belly.
The non-native, introduced, Eastern Gray Squirrels have white stomachs and chests. Their eyes also seem smaller relative to the size of their heads.
Douglas Squirrels are faster, smaller, louder, and harder to follow. They can be both shy and loudly quarrelsome. Their cantankerous approach seems to serve them well. I have watched one chase away one of the larger Eastern Gray Squirrels.
They often make a rapid "tchoo, tchoo, tchoo" call - which makes me feel like they are angry that I am near their tree and breathing their air.
In February, I saw a Douglas Squirrel removing moss from the Wilcox walking bridge. Later my friend, John, thoughtfully suggested the squirrel may not have been eating the moss - as I had assumed. He thought it might have been stuffing its cheeks and then transporting the moss to line its nest. If only I had watched more closely I might have spotted my first Douglas Squirrel nest site.
By March, there were squirrels around the Western Red Cedar nest site, but they were not the Douglas Squirrels.
They were the Eastern Gray Squirrels. Luckily, they were not the only ones to find value in Shea's Wildlife Snag.
A few week's ago my friend Roy Farrow, Arboretum Grounds Supervisor, informed me that Brown Creepers were nesting there. In the photo above can you barely see the Creeper as it is exiting the nest hidden under the bark on the east side of the snag.
In this photo, an adult is returning to the nest with a mouthful of spiders for its young. This is a fairly conventional nest for a Brown Creeper, but it is not what we might consider a conventional bird's nest.
They typically build their nests under a loose piece of bark that has pulled away from a tree. Often, the bark is not even connected to the tree on the bottom side. I think of these type of nests as "shingle nests".
Whether connected at the bottom or not the critical part seems to be that the bark sticks out just enough so that they can sneak behind it and into the small, safe, vertical space. I suppose shedding rain is a secondary benefit of this nest type.
Even though the Douglas Squirrels did not nest in the Wildlife Snag, my friend Jeff Graham and I did happen to find some using a "hole" in a Big-leaf Maple Tree. We were following the young Ravens in the Arboretum when one of the young Ravens landed on the north side of this tree. The Raven started making curiously unusual sounds. While listening and watching I happened to notice a flicker of motion on the left-hand side of the tree.
At first I saw just one and then two Douglas Squirrels.
Then I noticed a third and...
...and finally, a fourth one.
Every time a raven would fly by, all four would disappear into the hole faster than I could blink my eyes.
This National Park Service website site, says four is the average number of young for Douglas Squirrels. While I cannot prove this was their nest, they seemed to think it was a safe place to hide from the Ravens, which would be an important characteristic of a nest.
This brief clip is from Jeff's video of the squirrels. (Thank You, Jeff!).
The speed of the squirrel's preening and cleaning makes it look like the video has been sped-up. But as you can tell from the sound of the Raven this is the actual speed of the Douglas Squirrel's movements.
Lately, I noticed one more creature in the upper hole in the Wildlife Snag. At first I could not tell what it was.
It was a Red-breasted Nuthatch.
It was apparently just hanging out and resting in the protected site. I have not seen it there since. As it left, I noticed its tail looked short and I suspect it was a young bird curiously inspecting the world.
Shea's wonderful nest site is a great example for anyone who wants to attract wild creatures to their yard. However, Shea's flexibility maybe even more exemplary. He did the best he could to attract a Northern Flicker but then nature happened. Sometimes we have to re-adjust our expectations and just go with the flow. Even though what happened was unexpected we all must agree that Shea's efforts were a total success. The Arboretum would be far less interesting and much less hospitable to nature if Shea had simply removed the Western Red Cedar tree.
Thank you, Shea!
Have a great day on Union Bay...where nature lives in the city and Black Birders are welcome!
Sincerely,
Larry
ps: If you have not responded to the Arboretum Foundation survey there is still time. Please Click Here and and let us know what is important to you.
(I wish I had remembered to write about how important peace and quiet is in the Arboretum. Hearing the birds sing, the wind in the leaves, and the sound of flowing water is so much more soothing than the sounds vehicular traffic. I wonder if Lake Washington Blvd could be closed on Sundays?)
Going Native:
Each of us, who breathes the air, drinks water, and eats food should be helping to protect our environment. Local efforts are most effective and sustainable. Native plants and trees encourage the largest diversity of lifeforms because of their long intertwined history with our local environment and native creatures. Even the microbes in the soil are native to each local landscape.
I hope we can inspire ourselves, our neighbors, and local businesses to respect native flora and support native wildlife at every opportunity. I have learned that our most logical approach to native trees and plants (in order of priority) should be to:
1) Learn and leave established native flora undisturbed.2) Remove invasive species and then wait to see if native plants begin to grow without assistance. (When native plants start on their own, then these plants or trees are likely the most appropriate flora for the habitat.)3) Scatter seeds from nearby native plants in a similar habitat.4) If you feel you must add a new plant then select a native plant while considering how the plant fits with the specific habitat and understanding the plant's logical place in the normal succession of native plants.
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My friend Elaine Chuang shared several resources (that were new to me) from the January 2022 Washington Ornithological Society meeting. By the way, Elaine credits Vicki King for researching and supplying this information. Keystone native plants are an important new idea. Douglas Tallamy in the book "Nature's Best Hope " explains that caterpillars supply more energy to birds than any other plant eater. He also mentions that 14% of our native plants, i.e. Keystone Plants, provide food for 90% of our caterpillars. This unique subset of native plants and trees enables critical moths, butterflies, and caterpillars that in turn provide food for the great majority of birds, especially during the breeding season.
Note: Tallamy also includes those plants that support pollinating bees and bugs as Keystone Plants.
Here are some relevant links.
A video all about native keystone plants for wildlife:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cXccWx030
Resources for adding keystone native plants to your yard.
https://wos.org/wos-wp/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Native-Plant-Resources-10-7-22.pdf
This updated collection includes a variety of new and different books, perspectives, and interactions between plants, birds, and insects. Thank you to Vicki King for continuing to collect all of these exceptionally helpful works. Also, thank you to each of the individuals who contributed.
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In the area below it is my intention to display at least one photo each week to help challenge us to know the difference between native and non-native lifeforms.
B.
Are these flowers native to our area? Both are blooming currently.
Scroll down for the answer.
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Thimbleberry: Photo A is a native Thimbleberry plant. King County endorses this plant as drought tolerant, edible fruit, and good for butterflies & birds.
Hedge Bindweed: Photo B is an invasive weed that grows on other plants and trees using their strength for support while placing flowers and leaves that interfere with the underlying plant's ability to absorb sunlight. In photo B the bindweed is growing on Thimbleberry. The large leaves belong to the Thimbleberry and the smaller heart-shaped leaves belong to the Bindweed.
Click on the names of the plants to learn more.
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The Email Challenge:
In response, I have set up my own email list. With each post, I will manually send out an announcement. If you would like to be added to my personal email list please send me an email requesting to be added. Something like:
Larry, Please add me to your personal email list.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Thank you!
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The Comment Challenge:
Bottom Line:
If you write a long comment, please, copy it before hitting enter. Then, if the comment function fails to record your information, you can send the comment directly to me using email.
My email address is:
LDHubbell@comcast.net
Larry
Thanks for pointing out the bindweed. People tend to think it's morning glory.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if we could get rid of it. Like ivy, the non-native blackberries, and holly it should not be here. Larry
DeleteAnother fun and informative piece, Mr. H. The super photos are icing on the cake. Thanks for doing what you do.
ReplyDeleteThank you! You are very kind! Larry
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