Paddling eleven miles down the Black River from Little Rock WA on Saturday
provided great entertainment for my party of six. Heritage Park has an
awesome stand of old garry oaks, and a pileated woodpecker flew past as we
put our boats in the water. I was keeping an eye out for a Lewis'
woodpecker, but didn't see one until several miles down river. A few weeks
ago Kris Baker saw one near the public access upriver. Heritage park is
directly across from Black River canoe rentals, where we put in. Rough
winged swallows were among the first birds to greet us.
Kingfishers, green herons, and cedar waxwings were frequently in view. A
family of ospreys was impossible to miss, with the incessant calls of the
fledglings and the nest so close to the river. A bald eagle and turkey
vulture were also present.
A big treat was the sight of at least a half dozen large freshwater
bryozoans; these are highly odd-looking colonial animals that attach to
wood, forming greenish translucent blobs of up to several feet across. I've
identified ones in Seattle as Pectinatella magnifica, and I suppose these
are the same. One was about four feet across and nearly a foot thick.
Another odd sight for us was a coypu (also known as a nutria), a large
rodent of sorts that has been introduced to various parts of North America
from Central and South America. We saw one casually munching on vegetation
just a mile or so up river from highway 12. Two mink were the other
mammalian highlights.

Kevin Li
Seattle, WA
e-mail: kevin.li at metrokc.gov