Observation #5

Site: 21750 Buffalo Valley Road

Date: 20/5/2008

Time: 5:30 p.m.

Temperature: 62 degrees farenheit

Weather: Very sunny. No breeze or clouds

Soil: Dry

Several new species are visible in the area today. There is a hummingbird, which has probably just migrated here, an enormous population of insects that look like ants with wings, spiders, and a red mite. The mite is incredibly bright, almost neon red. This might be aposematic coloration to warn other animals not to eat it. A sandhill crane, ducks, magpies, blackbirds, crows and grouse are still here. The bird life is very diverse. One of the most prominent abiotic factors in the area, the brook, is gorged from recent snow melt. The marsh is practically flooded.
All of the moisture has invigorated new growth. The willows are budding, and so are the aspens. The aspen buds are in such profusion that the slightest breeze carries hundreds to the ground. The first flower of the season has arrived: a lone natal violet is blooming by the marsh. The frogs aren't quiet for a span of five minutes. Their mating calls are continuous. A snipe winnows, also in an attempt to attract a mate.
The frogs' noise, though essential to the continuation of their species, is a dead give away. The sandhill crane has no trouble locating its prey. It swallows frogs and bugs at its leisure. Because both of these are r-strategists, the crane is not a threat to the overall health of their populations. The crane occupies an important niche: without it, boreal chorus frogs and marsh bugs might take over the community.