Natural History Wanderings

This morning we went birding at the Arcata Oxidation Ponds. Although not as birdy as the neighboring main section of the Arcata Marsh it was a good place to see water birds and we were able to identify 34 different birds. One of the more interesting observations was watching a group of Shovelers tightly packed intensively working an area. Marsh Wrens were more visible  today and it was the first sightings we had of Ruddy Ducks on this trip. See today’s bird list at: Arcata Oxidation Ponds 10/14/13

In the afternoon we went to Prairie Creek Redwoods SP to the Fern Canyon area. We only went part way up Fern Canyon as it was very wet, required frequent shallow water crossings and there were downed trees along the trail as well. A few of the plants seen were  Alders, Douglas Fir and Blackberry. Ferns included Sword , Leather , Polypody,Wood and Five-fingered. Surprisingly we also saw a buttercup and monkeyflower in bloom. We than hiked along the marsh, pond and  beach. A few lupines were in bloom. We found at least eleven bird species but were unable to identify all the smaller birds darting in the shrubbery. Of greatest interest were our first sightings of Cackling Goose and Gray Jay on this trip. There were also Brown Pelicans flying up and down the beach. To see bird list go to: Prairie Creek Redwoods SP–Fern Canyon area 10/14/13 .

Related articles

• Birding Arcata Marsh (naturalhistorywanderings.com)
• Birding & Hiking In Redwood Country (naturalhistorywanderings.com)