December 6, 2019 - Capitol Lake Traverse

It was 44º F and foggy when I took my CrossTrek to Tumwater Automotive at 8:30 for maintenance.  Since I had a while before the auto work would be finished, I had the rest of the morning to do some birding.

I walked down Capitol Boulevard toward Tumwater Falls Park, and as I got even with the historical Carlyon Bridge on “Old 99”, I heard a Black Phoebe vocalizing from near the river.  I finally got a view of the bird, but it stayed behind the alder limbs and I didn’t have the opportunity to get a photo before it quit calling and foraging, and I lost sight of it. 

The Black Phoebe is a fairly recent addition to Washington’s avifauna, with the first “official” record coming in 1980 over at the Coast in Moclips.  Since then, the species has expanded its range north from its ‘stronghold’ in California and southern Oregon to the point it was dropped from the “Review List” of the Washington Bird Records Committee in 2011.  A pair of these Phoebes was regularly seen at the nearby Hawks Prairie settling ponds from 2011 to 2018, and was suspected of breeding there.

I let a few of the Olympia birders know about the Phoebe, and birded my way through Tumwater Falls and Tumwater Heritage parks, and along Capitol Lake to downtown Olympia.

The Olympia Tumwater Foundation has developed a Native Plant Garden at Tumwater Falls Park in association with the local tribes.  Along with the plants, there is representation of ‘aboriginal art’.

There’s a “culture” of couples who place a padlock on fences, tree branches, etc. to proclaim their love for one another.  An off-the-main-trail spot at the upper falls at Tumwater Falls Park is festooned with dozens (hundreds?) of these locks.  I can only wish them all the best and hope that the Love expressed here has lasted as long as some of the hardware.  Of course, there are always those who Don’t See The Love . . .

One of the reasons that Tumwater Falls attracts birders is that it is one of the easiest places around to “twitch” an American Dipper.  The birds nest near or underneath waterfalls, building moss nests that are constantly damp, but they seem to fare well here.  The birds wade along the water’s edge, and often surprise new birders by swimming out into the current or just stepping underwater to hunt their prey of aquatic insects, fish eggs, and the like.

As I walked along the path above the Deschutes River, I noticed an odd shape floating in the water and presumed it was a piece of trash washed in from upstream.

Closer inspection, though, revealed that it was a cup-shaped ball of foam.  Foam is a natural phenomenon that occurs on many streams, produced when molecules such as fatty acids act as 'surfactants', interfering with the surface tension of water and allowing air and water to mix more easily. These molecules often float on the surface of the water as a thin film.  The action of the waterfall froths the organics in the water, producing the foam.  This can be a natural event with no adverse environmental implications; alternatively this can be a sign of pollution and high phosphorous levels.  In any event, it was a curious effect.

Traversing from the Tumwater Falls Park to the City of Lacey’s Tumwater Historical Park, you pass by the “Old Olympia Brewhouse”, which is in the process of being renovated.

This structure was built in 1906, but had deteriorated pretty badly.

The Historical Park is situated at what used to be the southernmost extent of “Puget Sound”, before the estuary was turned into a reservoir in 1951 when a dam was built across the mouth of the river to create a “Reflecting Pool”.  Perhaps some day in the future, the Estuary can be Restored . . .  As it is, the south pool of the former estuary is being allowed to silt-in, and it will be interesting to see whether the upper estuary functions as such when & if it is ever restored.

The city park has a large “lawn” area that attracts grazing waterfowl, including these Canada Geese.  A migrant Cackling Goose had joined the resident flock.

The trail continues north along the “middle pool” of the former estuary, often called “South Capitol Lake”.  Here, there is riparian vegetation, willows, red alders, and some planted conifers (yes, I’m aware that alders have cones . . .) adjacent to the “lake”, so it’s a great place to see a variety of waterfowl and songbirds.

This autumn, there has been a fairly sizeable flock of Canvasbacks on the lake.

These are among our largest diving ducks, and are distinctive among waterfowl breeding in North America with the profile of their head sloping upward from tip of long bill to the back of the crown.

Both diving ducks and “dabbling ducks” are common along this stretch of the trail.  Here are three Northern Pintails, a hen American Wigeon, and a pair of Gadwalls.  Although one of the Pintails appears to be significantly more drab than the brightly-plumaged adult males, it is not a hen, but rather a male; an immature bird just moulting into its first pre-alternate plumage.

The main walkway is paved; there is a ‘side loop’ that sometimes serves as access to homeless campsites.  I have never been bothered by these unfortunate folks, but some birders feel uncomfortable birding the ‘back trail’.  There are often some nice birds tucked away along the west side of the loop.

I had to go into downtown Olympia for an errand or two, and was glad that I wasn’t driving.  One never knows when the Citizenry of the town/State will join together to express their opinions and wishes for the betterment of Society . . .

Finishing, I caught the IT Bus back to Tumwater to pick up my car, and on the way home, I saw Ken Brown near the entrance to the Valley, searching for the Black Phoebe, and stopped to see whether he'd been successful.  He had not seen the phoebe, but we had a flock of White-fronted Geese fly up the river to land at the golf course.

Finally, I arrived home to read in a recent Capital Press that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to “delist” the Bradshaw’s Desert Parsley Lomatium bradshawii from the list of Endangered Species.  Endemic to and once widespread in the wet, open areas of the Willamette Valley of western Oregon, Bradshaw's Lomatium is limited now to a few sites in Lane, Marion, and Benton Counties. Most of its habitat has been destroyed by land development for agriculture, industry, and housing.  There had been a few of these Endangered plants in the wet prairies on Ankeny NWR when I worked there back in the 1970s-80s, but the USFWS (who listed the damned thing species) partnered with Ducks Unlimited to ‘develop’ “Eagle Marsh” as a waterfowl pond, and wiped out the only spot in the area that I’d ever seen the species.  Follow-up: This plant was “delisted” from ESA-Endangered on March 7, 2021.

 

Tumwater Falls Park eBird checklist is Here

Tumwater Historical Park eBird checklist is Here

South Capitol Lake Trail eBird checklist is Here

Capitol Lake eBird checklist is Here

Tumwater Valley eBird checklist is Here

December 3 - Capitol Lake North Pool

I had errands in town this morning, and when I was finished, I stopped at Marathon Park to circumambulate the north pool of Capitol Lake.

This is actually a reservoir, rather than a “lake”.  In 1951, the State of Washington constructed a dam across the mouth of the Deschutes River estuary.  Something that no one could get away with in the 21^st Century.  For several decades, people could swim and wade in the lake, go fishing and boating, and enjoy the view and the experience.

Now, the lake stinks in the summer.  Aquatic plants and algae bloom and die off, reducing the oxygen content of the water.  Capitol Lake is currently in violation of state and federal waterquality standards, and is closed to active public use.  The high nitrogen-potassium-phosphorous concentrations in the water result in the ‘lake’ not meeting the water quality standards and is on the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) list of impaired waters for Temperature, Fecal Coliform Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and Fine Sediment.

The General Administration Department, which ‘owns’ and ‘manages’ the ‘lake’ has a number of informational signs around the lake, explaining a number of options for future management and use.

The Squaxin Island Tribe has been advocating a removal of the dam and a return to a more natural estuary for a number of years.  However, until the rich homeowners on the bluffs above the lake quit whining, lobbying, and paying off the local officials, I expect the lake will remain in Status Quo. 

But, Capitol Lake is usually a pretty active and interesting place to go birding. There was a moderately large raft of coots and diving ducks, including a group of 56 Canvasbacks mixed in with the Ring-necked Ducks, scaup, and coots

Then, I saw - ‘way out in the middle - a drake Redhead.  Just as I was trying to get a shot of it, the flock spooked and I lost track of this bird, which is a somewhat unusual species in the local area.

I continued around, admiring the bright red of the bittersweet nightshade berries in the afternoon sun.

Bittersweet Nightshade - Solanum dulcamara

This species is a slender perennial vine found throughout western Washington and Oregon, especially in riparian areas, wetlands, field edges, gardens, parks, and roadsides. This plant is toxic to people, pets, and livestock.

This is not the same plant as “deadly nightshade” (Atropa belladonna), which is an extremely poisonous plant.  However, bittersweet nightshade is somewhat poisonous and has caused loss of livestock, pet poisoning and, more rarely, sickness and even death in children who have eaten the berries.  Fortunately, bittersweet nightshade has a strong, unpleasant odor, so most animals will avoid it, and poisonings from this plant are not very frequent.

The entire plant contains solanine, the same toxin found in green potatoes and other members of the nightshade family, and it also contains a glycoside called dulcamarine, similar in structure and effects to atropine, one of the toxins found in deadly nightshade. The toxin amount varies with soil, light, climate and growth stage. They say ripe fruits are generally less toxic than the leaves and unripe berries, but even ripe berries can be poisonous.

As I was about to leave the lake, I saw that the raft of diving ducks had reassembled near the west shoreline, so stopped to scan again for the Redhead.  I found not one, but TWO, drake Redheads!  One was an adult & the other appeared to be a younger bird.

Pair of Redhead drakes in the flock of Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaup

As I was watching the flock of diving ducks, another red duck swam past.  It was a bright male Cinnamon Teal!

Cropped shot of a Cinnamon Teal drake in December

It is pretty late for one of these to be hanging around, but I enjoyed seeing what is usually a “summer duck” in with the wintering waterfowl flock.

Capitol Lake eBird checklist