Field Notes April 6th-12th

Another week for the see-saw of spring weather. From a Monday in the 70's to a Sunday in the 40's the plants keep on budding, and the stories, both fanciful and factual, keep telling more secrets of Mission Creek. The Maples started blossoming this week and the creek and wetlands were at full capacity this sunday evening. Hope everyone had a good spring break!



April 6th, 2009:
-Sunny!… nice to have the open meadow to enjoy it
-9am Monday of spring break, So quiet! Lots of birds singing and woodpecker tapping. 40° F and sunny
-Our dog is getting too old to walk this far…This might be her last summer.

-Sorry about your doggie. I know you'll enjoy every minute with her
Saw the native brown squirrel scampering up the maple by the trailer on the Northeast side of the park. And the black and white kitty at the beginning of the North Loop. He gets around!


April 7th, 2009:
-It’s a beautiful and sunny afternoon. Me, Heather, and Emily are on a search for wildlife and vegetation.
4:20pm: Roosters can be heard in the distance. Their cries sound angry with sexual frustration
4:25pm: Just braved a treacherous swamp and ate some huckleberries for much needed nourishment.
4:29pm: Bees begin to swirl overhead and I an getting nervous. We seem to have been walking in circles, where is the exit? The Roosters are screaming even louder almost as if they are warning us.
4:30pm: The forest has fallen silent. It is eerily still, which makes us very uneasy
4:32pm: Emily thinks she heard a noise-like something is following us. We hurry our pace.
4:32.5pm: There are crates ahead. Has someone been living here? We wonder if we need to start looking for a place to set up camp.
4:35: We've stripped ourselves completely naked and connected all the fabric from our clothing to make a tent and small blanket.
4:36: We see the shadow of a figure on our makeshift tent and huddle close for warmth.
4:37: A horrifying face just protruded into the tent, His cheeks and brow had a scattering of thick hair, but he only stood about 3 feet tall.
4:37: Demetrio has dropped 3 large fruits into the tent and advised us to consume them.
4:40: We've made our way to the end of the trail with the help of Demetrio and his magical fruits, and we saw this animal.


April 8th, 2009:
1 male and 1 female duck under the bridge here. My dog scared them, but not to flight, continued down the stream to finish courting. Dog on leash is so important, or is it?