Nisqually River Delta and Mount Rainier Field Trip

Once again the time to gather with fellow classmates for another field trip had come, bright and early we gathered at Wallace Hall for what was sure to be another fun and educational trip in the great outdoors of Washington.  The weatherman had been predicting heavy rain on this Saturday but we were pleasantly surprised with mere partly cloudy skies for the majority of the day, and partly cloudy west of the cascades always means partly sunny as well.  Our first stop was the Nisqually River Delta, a wildlife preserve south of Seattle which is a well regarded bird haven in the state, and in this aspect it certainly did not disappoint.  Right after disembarking our vans and gathering around  we knew we were in for a treat, numerous bird songs were heard right away and before we could even start out on the trails we had already spotted numerous birds such as a barn swallow and yellow worbler. 

When we finally had our fill of parking lot birds and instructions about our activities for the next few hours we made our way down the trails.  This area is undoubtedly a wetland habitat, as noted by the slow moving water, numerous ponds, plethora of pacific willow, black cottonwood and other wetland indicating vegetation.  

The clouds made for an extra epic sky today, and the lack of total sunshine probably aided our quest for bird viewing. Walking along the trails of this wetland some of the first species we noticed weren't birds but encompassed a wide variety of other wildlife.  

A rather striking garter snake with bright green stripes running down his body was a lucky find.

Hopping on the grass i found this small tree frog.  The tree frog is the most common species of frog in western Washington and is certainly a wetland indicator of sorts.

A rabbit was also seen hopping around the bushes.

This caterpillar was one of the many we found in the delta, at times they formed massive conglomerates held together by what appeared to be a fuzzy web like substance.

This convergent lady beetle is a wonderful reminder of the spring season to all and is best recognized by its bright red coloration with multiple black spots.

Although beautiful this dragonfly seemed to be nearing his last breath as it struggled to move and seemed unable to fly.

Although there were clearly a number of insects, reptiles and amphibians inhabiting this wildlife preserve the primary reason we came here was to see birds, and we managed to see a ton of them. Whilst walking on the trails we managed to see: barn swallow, yellow warbler, Wilsons warbler, crow, raven, bald eagle, bullock's oriole, brown headed cowbird, merganser, coot, rock dove, cinnamon teal, wood duck, mallard, Canada goose, red wing black bird, northern shooter, greater yellow legs and more.  Unfortunately birds are rather tricky to photograph as they always seem intent on flying away as my camera finally zooms in on them, nevertheless I managed to get a few good shots.

Tree swallow made themselves at home in the eaves of a couple defunct barns on the preserve, numerous nests were easily visible and at times you could even sneak a peak at the juveniles still inhabiting them.

 A tree swallow perches on a man made bird house, these birds have a striking blue color to them, combined with their white tummies they're one of the easier birds to recognize in this area.

While some birds make the old barns their home, for some it has meant an untimely demise.  This bird got stuck between the window and fencing inside the barn and most likely died of either dehydration or sheer panic.

A classic wetland bird, this red winged blackbird stood guard of its territory making its presence known with its signature call.

 While the adults may be a bit on the cranky side, this group of Canadian geese provided a much needed dose of cuteness with their flock of goslings which bumbled around the grass looking for tasty morsels and stretching their underdeveloped wings in a most adorable fashion.

The waters of the Nisqually river delta provided an unmatched bird watching experience for having driven under an hour south of Seattle, but it was time for us to depart for our next destination, the origin of the river itself.  We would set our for what would be a rather long and confusing drive to Mount Rainier National Park to see the origins of this river and to visit Paradise, a high alpine wonderland giving visitors up close and personal views of Mount Rainier, Washington's most deadly volcano.

On our way up the mountain we came across this strange stream with a bright orange hue, we learned that this is due to heavy iron deposits in the rocks of this area which are revealed by the continuous water running over them.

Soon we reaches the Nisqually river in all its glory.  The river is a direct result of glacier runoff from the Nisqually glacier, which is currently undergoing rapid retreat along with most other glacial systems in the contiguous United States.

This large glacial valley is impressive no doubt, but the glacier used to be visible from the bridge several decades ago, it has now retreated back to a level which requires further hiking to reach.

The weather was pleasant, and the landscape beautiful, it would be hard to ask for a better place to be.

After a little more driving through some of the most gorgeous scenery one can find in the state we arrived at the Paradise visitors center parking lot to romp around in the snow and learn more about this fantastic, beautiful but ultimately terrifying volcano.

Sub-alpine fir were the dominate tree species at this altitude, notice their shorter limbs all throughout the tree which allow it to shed snow easier.

The snow here was quite deep.  Although there was certainly an academic purpose for us being here many of us could not resist ourselves and let loose our inner child which desired nothing more than to play around in the snow.  Snowball fights eventually broke out which involved nearly everyone in the group, including many of the TAs.

Although the mountain was shrouded in clouds that didn't prevent us from getting some glimpses of the top and a look into the glacially carved ridges and steep valleys of this mountain.  At multiple occasions we could catch clear looks at some of the mountains many glacier systems noticeable by a blue hue of ice.  Climbing this mountain is a dream of mine I wish to attain someday as I can only imagine how much grander the views from the top must be.

 Although our time with Mount Rainier was rather short it was a great pleasure to spend some time up here.  On our way out I shot this fantastic panorama of the mountain and its surrounding peaks which barely do this wonderland justice.