Black-Capped Chickadee, Poecile Atricapillus

Day 289: Any day I get a photo of a Black-Capped Chickadee is a good day, even better when I've also made my first 100% positive sighting of a Yellowthroat (a member of the Warbler family) and get to tick it off my Life List. The Yellowthroat flew before I could zoom in on it, but the black mask was unmistakable.

Ohop Valley is a great spot for birdwatching even though you'll be making most of your sightings from the paved surface of a quiet country road. The valley is owned largely by the Nisqually Land Trust. Primarily, it exists now as a trailless wetland and is presently undergoing rehabilitation as a wildlife refuge. Years ago, this area was cleared of trees and brush with the hopes of turning it into farmland. The plan failed, partly because of the clayey soil and partly because the valley flooded on a fairly frequent basis. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, several groups put together a plan to replant the valley with native species, restoring habitat for birds and other wildlife, as well as recovering the stream for spawning salmon. Volunteers (myself included) planted hundreds of saplings, species ranging from Red-Osier Dogwood to various types of cedar, alder and willow. The project is on-going, but already the effects of restoration can be seen in the wide variety of bird species residing in the wetland. Ohop Valley is a success story in the making, and I am proud to have been part of its recovery.