Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge 4/1

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is located in Olympia. It is on top of an estuary; where the Nisqually River meets the ocean. While there I mostly observed birds, and a couple amphibians. I first saw a robin and a song sparrow. The song sparrow was playing in a puddle just off of the boardwalk that has been built over most of the refuge. Later on I saw two Canadian Geese feeding just off the boardwalk, and I also saw a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk perched in a Red Alder tree. I knew the bird had to be juvenile because it had not developed its trademark red tail yet. Later on i saw a lichen called Antler Perfume that Kat, one of the volunteers had taken off of a conifer. Moving off the boardwalk onto a gravel trail I saw more geese in flocks as well as some Mallard Ducks. On the other side of the trail a student found a Garter Snake in a bush, and we also found a Pacific Tree Frog on the ground in close proximity to the snake. The trail was next to an area that had been flooded, it looked like a wasteland with only a few snags left, the perfect perches for hawks. This area was wet and muddy.

Questions: Do Garter Snakes eat Pacific Tree Frogs? When we found the snake were we interrupting it’s dinner time? Do hawks also eat frogs? Are the hawks competing with the snakes for food?

Species List:
Robin
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis)
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Red Alder (Alnus rubra)
Antler Perfume
Mallard Duck (Anas platyrhynchos)
Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans)
Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla)

Publicado el 05 de abril de 2012 por lmcthe01