Walking Further down Wahkiakum Lane, take the first right and you will find yourself standing next to small pond turned summer marsh. During the Springtime this pond is alive with the many curious Gadwalls and Mallards poking around for food, lazily drifting on the waters, and inching closer to you before waddling off again. The pond here curves like a boomerang. It holds a great amount of wildlife, the most noticeable being the brightly colored ducks, varying greatly in hue and slightly in size. The brown females (which vary little between the Gadwalls and Mallards are the more adventures of the group, and wander ever closer to visitors, their male counterparts in tow.
Recently, Summer has generously appeared, and during this time of year the marsh is overgrown with rushes and grasses. A Black Cottonwood with upward reaching fingers, complete with fluffy cotton deposits, stands directly across the pond from the trail.
Initially there are few birds here, only the sounds resonate, but look closer into the rushes, being careful not to disturb the birds, and you will find a Marsh Wren nest.
Copyright © 2011 Steve Zamek
Around to the other section of your pond (a slight left from your current location), observe is a group of birds swooping about and singing furiously.
Throughout the entire walk you may hear various bird calls greeting you from above and below, there will also be birds far overhead gliding through the air between the trees, so keep your eyes open and don't forget to look up!
List of common birds at UBNA:
Mallard:
(c) Charles Lam, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Gadwall:
(c) Luciano Giussani, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Great Blue Heron:
(c) Mike Baird, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Red-Winged Blackbird:
c) Joby Joseph, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Song Sparrow:
(c) NatureShutterbug, all rights reserved
Savannah Sparrow:
(c) Mike Baird, some rights reserved (CC BY)
Anna's Hummingbird:
(c) , all rights reserved
House Finch:
(c) Rick Leche, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
Common Yellowthroat:
(c) Henry T. McLin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
Marsh Wren:
(c) Rick Leche, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
American Coot:
(c) Mike, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
Bring a pair of binoculars if you can to get a closer look!
Invertebrates (Brown Star On Map)
Along the section of Loop Trail that overlooks the south side of Union Bay Natural Area bordering with Lake Washington there are many small trails leading to the water's edge. Take one or two of these and count how many invertebrates you can spot as you get closer to the lake. When taking these trails, again, be careful not to step off of the beaten path. Though you may like the idea, many of the nesting birds near your feet reserve the right too hatch their young without human feet stomping down upon them.
Here is one of these small trails will take you here, it does not lead directly to the water's edge, but is still a great sight for spotting some invertebrates hanging around the shallow waters.
Along some of the other trails you will most likely see some dragonflies buzzing around and possibly mating. Look closely at the earth and you will no doubt see tiny flashes of movement, to get a closer look take a moment to observe the ground around your feet and you will see many black ants and spiders (don't be scared, it's now you that has invaded their home!).
List of common invertebrates at UBNA:
Green Darner Dragonfly (WA State Insect):
(c) Lisa Brown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Ant:
(c) Farhan Bokhari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
Invertebrates (Brown Star On Map)
Along the section of Loop Trail that overlooks the south side of Union Bay Natural Area bordering with Lake Washington there are many small trails leading to the water's edge. Take one or two of these and count how many invertebrates you can spot as you get closer to the lake. When taking these trails, again, be careful not to step off of the beaten path. Though you may like the idea, many of the nesting birds near your feet reserve the right too hatch their young without human feet stomping down upon them.
Here is one of these small trails will take you here, it does not lead directly to the water's edge, but is still a great sight for spotting some invertebrates hanging around the shallow waters.
Along some of the other trails you will most likely see some dragonflies buzzing around and possibly mating. Look closely at the earth and you will no doubt see tiny flashes of movement, to get a closer look take a moment to observe the ground around your feet and you will see many black ants and spiders (don't be scared, it's now you that has invaded their home!).
List of common invertebrates at UBNA:
Green Darner Dragonfly (WA State Insect):
(c) Lisa Brown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Ant:
(c) Farhan Bokhari, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)
Spider:
It has eight legs and eight eyes.
Bees:
(c) RobMan170, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Flies:
(c) Michael Jefferies, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Butterflies:
(c) Didier, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
While it may seem difficult to spot invertebrates due to their size, it is actually quite easy to find them. Turn over stones, peer into the grass, their abundance makes it far easier to find them than you would think!
Animal Behavior (Royal Purple On Map)
A great site for animal behavior is where I have placed the purple star, on the edge of Union bay Natural Area facing Southeast. When you approach coming from Shoveler's Pond, you will notice that this area is shaded by tall deciduous and coniferous trees. Taking advantage of the shade, and the wood that has washed up against the land there are many species prone to water which have chosen to rest here.
Here there are many Pond Turtles on a log, there have even been Canada Geese spotted here among the Pond Turtles. Pond Turtles favor habitats that facilitate their need for group aggregation so that they may bask. This log is a fine example of the natural habitat of the Pond Turtles, other sightings are commonly located on logs such as this or upon large boulders. The turtles here are unperturbed by the presence of a few other species as well, such as a female Gadwall.
Survival relies a great deal upon animal behavior. The most easy observed animal behavior at UBNA is that of the abundant birds populations here. The female Gadwall above is one among many of the Gadwalls and Mallards found at UBNA, and have very distinct duck behavoir. If seen on the ground, the Gadwall is often searching for food, grazing for grains. In the shallow waters like above, Gadwalls feed by dipping their head into the water and feed on vegetation, or if their lucky, on some fish, worms, small insects, and aquatic invertebrates. This is common for waterfowl, though there is of course variation.
(Photos with Copyright information gathered from iNaturalist.org)
Animal Behavior (Royal Purple On Map)
A great site for animal behavior is where I have placed the purple star, on the edge of Union bay Natural Area facing Southeast. When you approach coming from Shoveler's Pond, you will notice that this area is shaded by tall deciduous and coniferous trees. Taking advantage of the shade, and the wood that has washed up against the land there are many species prone to water which have chosen to rest here.
(Photos with Copyright information gathered from iNaturalist.org)
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