Gardening and Observing Life in SW Washington
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Posted by: BriarCraft, 07 06, 2013 22:31 GMT +3
The Nisqually River Delta wasn't always a place for migratory birds to visit nor was it particularly welcoming to wildlife in general. The first land claims were staked in 1846. In 1875, they saw a new owner, who built the first dikes enclosing some 1,100 acres. More dikes were added in 1904. The dikes were raised in 1925 around what was then known as the Brown Farm. Huge twin barns were constructed in 1932 and still remain as a monument to the croplands and pastures of the past.

In 1974, following a grassroots effort, the Fish and Wildlife Service purchased 1,290 acres for $1,750,000 using money from the Migratory Bird Conservation fund. Fresh water was pumped from the farm's artesian well into old tidal channels, creating new freshwater wetlands.

Since that time, there have been other efforts to restore the land and wetlands to habitat suitable for songbirds, waterfowl, fish, and land animals. The most recent phase of this effort took 4 years, beginning in the summer of 2008. Heavy equipment was brought in to remove old dikes and build new ones. Additionally, raised boardwalks were built.



As compared to the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge on the Columbia River, I saw far fewer birds and animals. In that respect, my visit was a bit of a disappointment. Then again, I am seriously impressed that where nature was destroyed by dikes and farming, nature is now returning. In many places, I could see the snags of dead trees where once dry land was exposed.

The willow thickets and oak groves were alive with songbirds. I caught a quick glimpse of a muskrat towing a green branch across a pond. Long-tailed weasels live there, although I didn't see any. There are problems with invasive bullfrogs and eastern cottontail rabbits and I don't think there is any plan in place to remove them. Canada geese were numerous, as were mallard ducks.

The refuge is a beautiful place to visit now and I can envision Nature's bounty returning more and more in the future.



http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Nisqually/about.html

http://nisquallydeltarestoration.org/about.php
 
 
Updated: 07 06, 2013 22:38 GMT   Permalink | A A A
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Extreme Yardening
Posted by: BriarCraft, 11 05, 2013 05:30 GMT +3
Yardening? No, it's not a typo. It's what many of us do around home -- yard work and gardening -- yardening.

It becomes extreme for many reasons. Depending on where you live, a heat wave, late/early frost, flooding, drought, insect invasion, plant diseases, and/or weed seeds floating over from your neighbor's unkempt yard all can lead to extreme yardening efforts. Or in my case, extreme measures are necessary because my yarden was conquered by weeds l...
 
 
Updated: 20 05, 2013 21:03 GMT   Permalink | A A A
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Extreme Gardening #60
Posted by: BriarCraft, 08 04, 2013 22:38 GMT +2
April 8, 2013:
To Spring or Not to Spring
That is the question.

March gave us less than half the normal amount of rain and a couple of degrees warmer than average. So, on March 31, I rototilled the garden. Of course, it's way too early for warm-weather crops, but I was anticipating some early lettuce and cabbage. Ah, well...

A bit of rain arrived on April 4. That was fine. Give the stiff and sore muscles a chance to recover befor...
 
 
Updated: 02 05, 2013 20:47 GMT   Permalink | A A A
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Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum
Posted by: BriarCraft, 21 03, 2013 01:09 GMT +4


The first thing that draws the eye when approaching the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum is the Boeing 747 airliner sitting atop the Wings and Waves waterpark adjacent to the museum. And yes, that is a real plane, not some scale model. The museum itself is housed in two huge buildings, one containing propeller-driven airplanes and the other housing jets, rockets, drones, and spacecraft. Good thing I wore comfortable walking shoes!

The mo...
Updated: 27 03, 2013 19:44 GMT   Permalink | A A A
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Robins and Frogs
Posted by: BriarCraft, 20 02, 2013 19:12 GMT +7


The robins returned en masse on February 18, a gray day. The sun came out on the 19th, as did my camera. According to the map below, found on All About Birds, robins are year-round residents here. But they're not. They appear in February or March, court, mate, build nests, and make babies. By July, 80% of them are gone. A few remain until September or October and then they are gone, too. I don't know where our local robins winter. Perhaps somepla...
Updated: 07 03, 2013 21:07 GMT   Permalink | A A A
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