March 18 - Scatter Creek

It was a sunny day, so I drove out to the WDFW Scatter Creek wildlife area this afternoon to look at the Bluebirds.

Western Bluebird

Many starlings were feeding across the prairie; we can only hope they will move on, rather than usurp the nesting cavities from the bluebirds.

Prairie Starlings

This is still early in the season, so the only flowers I saw were not flowering, the lupine and prairie buttercups.

Not-yet-blooming prairie lupine (Lupinus lepidus)

As I arrived at the west side of the prairie, I saw that the ‘mixed’ forest, where fir trees had invaded the oak savannah, was being restored.

Looks like a clear-cut, but it's not . . .

I was impressed that the agency is removing many Douglas Firs from the prairie area, but the equipment has taken a toll on the soil.

And, on some of the older oaks . . .

Ouch!!  Bark damage invites insects and rot.

There will be a lot of re-seeding work to do to restore this piece to prairie conditions.

The fir removal will certainly help the Oregon White Oaks, but the native grasses and forbs will not recover unless planted back.

But, when the restoration is completed, this will be a nice piece of the Scatter Creek native prairie.

Scatter Creek eBird Checklist is Here