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.
365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Black-Capped Chickadee, Poecile Atricapillus
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.
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