Observation 5

Site: Marsh/Pond area
Date: 5/19/08
Time: 5:05
Temp: 82 degrees F
Weather: partly cloudy, slight breez
Soil: dry

During this observation I saw many different kinds of birds; over the fifteen minutes I was there I saw two yellow headed blackbirds (one male one female), one brewers blackbird, two red winged blackbirds, one crow, three sparrows, and a few geese. Although only a few of these birds were right in the site , most were chirping around in the willows about 100 feet east of the Marsh area. I hypothesize that the birds go to the site later to feed, because during my first observations I went to the marsh around 8:00 and spotted more birds. The algae on the pond had turned bright white and green in the back, with only a thin layer in the front. I noticed that once again the site became greener and a few dandelions and buckwheat had nosed their way through the dry soil. The willows seem to be getting greener and disbursing green leaf things out of there limbs. Brown dust flew over the area (probably from the dike around the site) covering the grasses and scruffy cattails, which have yet to rebuild fully. But the biggest change was the population of insects. The bugs seemed to swarm the area, as well as a few butterflies. I will try to go to the site later to see more birds, and maybe after this week the cattail heads will reshape.