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

March 7 - Tumwater Falls oil and PCB spill

I dropped a car off in Tumwater, intending to walk home, taking the trails at the Tumwater Falls Park, the city of Tumwater’s Heritage Park, and along the south Capitol Lake trail.  However, the trails were blocked off, and considerable work was occurring along my planned route.

Construction work at WDFW Tumwater Falls salmon hatchery

At Tumwater Falls, there was a construction crew working on repairs to the 1953 WDFW Fish Hatchery facility.  Then, just below the upper falls, there were signs and barricades due to a toxic chemical spill.

According to the State Department of Ecology, an oil leak was caused by vandals at the former Olympia Brewery, attempting to steal copper from an electrical transformer to fuel their drug habit.  The spill from the former Olympia Brewery on Boston Street SW impacted the Deschutes River, and was first discovered on February 25th and stopped on the 26th.  The spill is believed to have entered the Deschutes River through a series of storm drains.

Toxic oil runoff entered the river just below the Upper Falls

Authorities do not know exactly how much oil spilled, but the transformer had a capacity of 677 gallons.

Photo from Washington Dept. of Ecology

The State Dept. of Ecology is waiting for lab results of oil samples that were collected at the spill site to help identify the product that was spilled. Transformer oil contains PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), a toxic chemical that gets into the food chain.  Although federal law banned PCBs in 1979, there are widespread reservoirs of this toxic chemical in old caulk, electrical transformers, fluorescent light ballasts, and paint.  Laboratory results show the oil contains less than 0.005 percent PCBs (approximately 30 - 50 parts per million).  State Department of Health toxicologist and PCB expert Barb Morrissey promises us that “…this spill does not pose an immediate public health threat.”

The Solution to Pollution is Dilution?

The Department of Ecology, the city of Tumwater, and Thurston County Health Department are working together with the owner of the brewery property on a cleanup plan.  Cowlitz Clean Sweep is the brewery’s cleanup contractor.

Sediment sampling is underway to determine the extent of contamination in the river, lake and connected culverts.

The steps to the base of the Lower Falls were closed off

Multiple lengths of oil containment boom are deployed between the spill site and down the Deschutes River into the north end of Capitol Lake.

Containment boom at the railroad trestle over Capitol Lake

Spilled oil is contained by using boom that floats on the surface of water. The boom helps concentrate oil so that it can be skimmed off the surface of the water and recovered in larger volumes. Skimming physically removes oil from the environment, allows for proper disposal and minimizes environmental impacts.

Boom at the Capitol Lake dam - keeping PCB from Puget Sound?

Apparently, Tumwater Falls Park re-opened today for the first time since the spill, however the park’s trail on the brewery side of the river remains closed.

Overall, the response is going well but is expected to continue for a while, according to Spills Program lead Alison Meyers.  As the website reported, “… the spilled oil does not pose an immediate public health threat.”  Cleanup crews continue to recover oil sheen from the water, and are wearing protective clothing because of their close proximity to the spill.

Upper Tumwater Falls

But, I did get to walk along the west side of the river at Tumwater Falls.  A Dipper was on a log below the upper falls.

As I watched, two Dippers visited a grass clump on the east side of the falls, and one of them entered at the base of the grasses. 

Who doesn't love Dippers?

Hopefully, this is a nest site for them.

Likely nest site?

I continued into the City of Tumwater’s Heritage Park, and indeed, the trail along the shoreline also remained closed.

Away from the water, the Canada Geese loafed, 

gulls hunted for earthworms,

and Robins fed in the woods.

Keeping his eye on the prize . . .

However, the Great Blue Heron apparently did not get the memo about toxic PCBs contaminating her feed.

On my way back out of the park, I passed the Crosby House museum.  I’ve lived in this community for 30 years, and have yet to visit when it is open.

Crosby House

Leaving Heritage Park, I crossed under Interstate 5, finding the South Capitol Lake trail likewise closed.

I hope this path is re-opened by the time the warblers return . . .

So, I walked along the sidewalk to Percival Cove, which is an embayment of the former Deschutes River estuary that was dammed to create the Capitol Lake reservoir.

Mud and gravel from the creek is building up at its mouth, contributing to the sedimentation issues for the lake.

But, there must be good forage for the Ring-necked Ducks.

I left the lake for home, hoping that the oil spill clean-up is successful.

Tumwater Falls Park eBird Checklist is Here

Tumwater Heritage Park eBird Checklist is Here

Percival Cove eBird Checklist is Here