Llandover Woods

Llandover Woods

New for 2006 in Llandover Woods

The last 6 months have brought great changes to Llandover Woods. Human and natural forces can be seen throughout…

- - The giant Bigleaf Maple that fell over the trail in two places

- - The restoration area that Penny Rose started in 2004 was cleared and mulched, and now baby Cedar, Hemlock, and Fir are happily reaching to the sky to become the new, sustainable canopy in 40 or 50 years.

- - Work started on a new restoration area at the base of the steps. Magically revealed with removal of blackberry and Scotch Broom are lovely stands of Madrona, Fir, Salal, and a High Bush Cranberry- natives with a new lease on life.

- - Sightings included numerous daytime encounters with the Barred Owl and even Coyotes. Their songs have punctuated many nights in Llandover Woods.

- Extensive trail work has been done to keep the mud at bay-with mixed success.

- Our wonderful volunteers continue to clear invasive weeds and thoughtless litter to keep Llandover pristine.

Tons of Towhees in Llandover Woods 

Male Pileated Woodpecker  

Chipmunk out of hibernation around March 16 

Douglas Squirrel rests in the sun 

Sharp Shinned Hawk  

Llandover Woods

Llandover Woods News
Lovers of Llandover Woods have united to provide volunteer stewardship of the woods in cooperation with Seattle City Parks www.seattle.gov/parks, Washington State Native Plant Society http://www.wnps.org/ and Carkeek groundskeepers under the direction of Nancie Jaramillo nancie.jaramillo@ci.seattle.wa.us. Special thanks to Penny Rose penny.rose@seattle.gov, the education naturalist from Discovery Park, for starting the Llandover Steward program last year and stimulating us with her wonderful birding by ear walks.

This experimental blog (my first) is an effort to provide extended dialog and information about the woods. Contact me: gaustin@path.org, or 206-364-9252 home phone. See the pictures for recent sightings in the Woods.

WORK PARTIES
Happen 9 am to 12 noon the 2nd Sunday of each month (except holiday weekends). Each work party will start with a walk in the woods to share that month's surprises, blooms, birds, and special spots. Volunteers meet at the 145th Street parking area at 9AM. Wear sturdy grungies. Tools and gloves are provided.

NEXT WORK PARTY- April 10

We will take a walk to look at the new blooms and focus on finishing up the mulch in the "Penny Rose park-let". We'll also work on eliminating as much of the Stinky Bob (Herb Robert, Cranesbill) as possible as it is starting to set flowers. We'll bring books to try to ID some of the new plants.

APRIL NEWS
The woods are filling with bird song, nesting, and territorial "neogtiations". Pileated and Hairy (or Downy) Woodpeckers and Red Shafted Flickers are working on their new homes throughout the woods. A Winter Wren couple are building a nest in the split tree about 50 feet west of the 2nd left hand branch of the trail just a few feet from the big snag with the massive woodpecker damage.

Chipmunks have come out of hibernation and there is a lot of new sign of Mountain Beaver activity. Extra hawk and eagle sightings and nightime coyote song fests may have something to do with this.

Our lone Barred Owl continues to hoot for hours nightly - possibly for the mate that may never come.


MARCH NEWS
For the past 4 or 5 days I’ve heard a very different flight sound from the hummingbird feeders and wondered if it was the Rufous or an Anna’s with a damaged wing. The wing sound has a more mechanical tone with some clackity undertones compared to the smoother low hum of the Anna’s in flight. Is that a characteristic?

No Ravens again today- that’s 4 days in a row of silence after over 3 weeks of daily song and Crow attacks…guess they’ve moved on.

The Towhees are really jumping each other and chasing each other more vigorously than a few weeks ago- territory and nesting I presume.

I saw a Flicker working on a big hole in a tall snag this morning (perhaps from a Pileated Woodpecker?) Also saw a coyote cub last week and LOTS of new Mountain Beaver activity. Still no sign of chipmunks…are they still hibernating?

FEBRUARY NEWS
I heard that there was some news on a Cougar sighting in Highlands. Do you know anything about it?
I noticed this morning on my walk that there is already some new bird song happening...spring is just around the corner.

What have YOU discovered in Llandover Woods?