tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55696162011-07-14T17:35:55.293-07:00An occasional log of wildlife observations and other notes about the canyon.Nielsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger481100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-49428930071279698542008-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:002008-10-27T10:23:47.109-07:00

We've moved this blog to a new location, http://blogs.reed.edu/reed_canyon_blog/. This site will stay up for now, but make sure to link to the new location. And subscribe to the RSS feed as well!

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-71200668262252274482008-10-23T09:27:00.000-07:002008-10-23T09:29:25.914-07:00

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1149010691926540552006-05-30T10:36:00.000-07:002006-05-30T10:41:20.960-07:00

This email came in from Larry Gooding:On May 29, 2006, I saw an anglewing butterfly, likely the Satyr Anglewing, Polygonia satyrus, near the first boardwalk in from the SE 37th Ave entrance. It was visiting some low herbs.This is a butterfly I have seen only once in 16 years at my place only a mile to the east, it is nice to know it is right in Portland. Nettles are the host plant for this

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1147800729368544912006-05-16T10:29:00.000-07:002006-05-16T10:32:58.610-07:00

Here's some wonderful pictures of a canyon friend, taken Saturday March 25, 2006 by Beth Keegan.

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1139425688585945172006-02-08T11:06:00.000-08:002006-02-08T11:09:50.833-08:00

A few new pics from when the weather was a wee bit colder, taken by Zac.

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1135028746088166842005-12-19T13:45:00.000-08:002005-12-23T10:29:30.473-08:00

Another recent shot of the canyon by Zac:

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1135028481943982592005-12-19T13:34:00.000-08:002005-12-23T10:29:52.166-08:00

Zac took these pictures 12.8.05 of a pair of pileated woodpeckers that have been around the canyon:

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1126031950275804582005-09-06T11:36:00.000-07:002005-09-06T11:50:30.206-07:00

Here's some new canyon photos, courtesy of Beth Keegan, taken Saturday, August 20!

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1119311681810405852005-06-20T16:51:00.000-07:002005-06-20T16:55:09.246-07:00

Here's several new images from Zac Perry, the canyon zen master!

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1118345175802977632005-06-09T12:20:00.000-07:002005-06-09T12:26:57.670-07:00

The canyon pipe is no more! It was officially removed from the canyon Thursday, June 9, 2005.

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1107890064667280672005-02-08T11:05:00.000-08:002005-02-11T13:32:09.050-08:00

Here's a few recent pictures taken by Heather Whipple on February 1.Also, mark your calendars - Canyon Day is coming around the corner!

tmorenohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327589262277674573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1088640866145454052004-06-30T16:38:00.000-07:002004-06-30T17:21:11.240-07:00

Some of the most common birds you'll see flying around in the canyon at this time of year are the barn swallows. For most of the daylight hours, they seem to be constantly in motion, circling above the lake and the fishladder catching flying insects to take home to their young. You can recognize them by their forked tails, brown undersides, and dark blue backs. As their name suggests, barn

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1083870008601294602004-05-06T11:34:00.000-07:002004-05-06T12:06:24.610-07:00

Canyon fans will have plenty of ways to keep themselves busy this Saturday, as Portland kicks off the start of summer with a slew of outdoor events. First on the list is the annual Mother's Day Rhododendron Show and Plant Sale just across the street from Reed at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden on SE 28th avenue. The garden is open from dawn to dusk and there's a $3 admission charge. (

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1081980597162885062004-04-14T15:08:00.000-07:002004-04-14T15:19:35.983-07:00

Here's a nice note we recently received from some visitors who came by to see what's being done to the canyon: "We brought our Tuesday morning hiking group to Reed Canyon today. The thirteen hikers came from all around the Portland metro area. It was the first time there for all of us. We did the loop trail around the lake, admiring the work that you have done to restore habitat. It is

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1079728412706492192004-03-19T12:19:00.000-08:002004-04-14T15:08:42.983-07:00

We have noticed an injured Cormorant, close to the amphitheater. The bird appears to have something attached to its neck. The Audubon Society has received a few calls, and has suggested watching it until it can be caught. Caution should be used as the beak is quite large, and a blanket and cardboard box will be needed to catch it. Observing the bird until it weakens enough to be caught is all

kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821751842577682217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1076961714925847482004-02-16T11:52:00.000-08:002004-02-16T12:04:33.530-08:00

On Saturday, February 28th, the Johnson Creek Watershed Council will be holding their annual "Watershed Wide Event." Volunteers will be meeting up at sites around southeast Portland and Gresham to help improve habitat for salmon and other wildlife. Activities include removing invasive species, planting native trees and shrubs, and mulching the planting areas. At some sites the volunteers will

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1074033742746387362004-01-13T14:20:00.000-08:002004-01-13T14:44:34.640-08:00

If you skipped town for Winter Break, you missed one of Portland's rare winter storms. Snow fell, temperatures dropped below freezing, and the "City that Works" shut down for three days. Down in the canyon, the water froze over and a few branches broke under the weight of the snow, but the most noticeable effect was the sprinkler that appeared halfway across the "Big Pipe." Freezing

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1071644185366835222003-12-16T22:53:00.000-08:002003-12-17T10:33:33.560-08:00

From the pages of this week's Quest: Reed Canyon--how safe is the water? This year's Bio 101 class performed tests to determine whether the canyon water would be classified as safe to drink or recreate in under EPA criteria. The normal criteria is that no more than 126 coliforms should be found in 100 milliliters of water in order for freshwater to be categorized as safe for recreation and 0

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1071034925541416832003-12-09T21:29:00.000-08:002003-12-09T21:42:50.216-08:00

I went for a walk in the canyon the other evening. Saw the great blue heron, two nutria, and a pair of buffleheads with two chicks. And I heard the frog. The frog seems to hang out somewhere upstream of the pipe, near the island. There was only one - not a chorus - but it went on for quite awhile. Its croak is really more of a creak, like a rusty old door swinging back and forth. To

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1069472764014715672003-11-21T19:29:00.000-08:002003-11-21T19:54:26.186-08:00

So I was sitting on my couch Wednesday morning, drinking the first cup of coffee and reading the Times, when I looked out the window and saw that the weather was starting to change. The clouds had lowered down to the ground and the standard dreary November rain was turning into a sort of slush. Clumps of heavy, wet snow were rapidly covering the ground in one of those rare Portland snowfalls.

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1068745652642659912003-11-13T09:31:00.000-08:002003-11-13T09:50:25.216-08:00

I've gotten behind on sharing the birdwatching notes that show up here at the Canyon Blog desk. David Johnson, Reed's Assistant Director of Foundation and Corporate Support, dropped me a note a few weeks ago to share some thoughts on the community garden hawk: "I saw the hawk you mentioned just the other day, swooping low over the bridge, and I think, though I am not sure, that it is a

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1067796847878669512003-11-02T10:11:00.000-08:002003-11-02T10:14:06.623-08:00

Just a reminder - today is the fall Canyon Day. We'll be meeting at the amphitheater from 9am to 3pm to transplant a few hundred native ferns and shrubs. Come by for a few hours and get your free T-shirt. We'll have hot drinks, live music, and a barbeque. (Dress warm.)

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1066713902930396152003-10-20T22:11:00.000-07:002003-10-20T22:25:39.403-07:00

I've been browsing through the pages of the Botany and Plant Pathology department at Purdue, and it looks like they're doing some really interesting work on weed science. Here's one thing I noticed on the page of Dr. Carole Lembi: "One of her most current interests is the study of the 'bale of hay' method of algae control. Farmers have known for a long time that if they throw a 'bale of hay'

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1066344832774360812003-10-16T15:49:00.000-07:002003-10-16T15:53:52.943-07:00

From the back page of this week's Quest: 90th Annual Canyon Day!!! T-SHIRT CONTEST Showcase your talent. Create a design that celebrates canyon pride at Reed. (Design should mention the 90th anniversary) Submit a design to Box 484 at Reed by 10/27.

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1066176005106884932003-10-14T16:50:00.000-07:002003-10-14T17:02:29.343-07:00

I stopped by the canyon with a digital camera today and got some more mushroom pictures. You can see them on the fungi page. It looks like I got there just a little too late. Most of the new growth that appeared after the rains last week was already starting to fade. But there were still a few nice shots. By the way, I thought it went without saying, but please don't pick the mushrooms. The

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1066018251664504172003-10-12T21:04:00.000-07:002003-10-12T21:12:36.780-07:00

The arrival of the fall rains means that mushroom season has begun here in the Pacific northwest. With lots of moisture and plenty of decaying wood, our own canyon is a perfect place to find a variety of Oregon 'shrooms, so keep your eyes open as you wander around. If you spot anything particularly colorful or unusual, please drop me a note so I can get a photo of it for our Canyon Fungi page.

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1065289108848696282003-10-04T10:15:00.000-07:002003-10-04T10:38:28.420-07:00

More people continue to report seeing the juvenile sharp-shinned hawk in the community garden. Youth is all about discovery, and our bird is in the process of discovering that even predators have their limits. Yesterday evening, the ten-inch-long hawk apparently decided that a nearby hummingbird might make a tasty meal and accordingly launched into the air for an attack. Witnesses described

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1065033030027548482003-10-01T11:26:00.000-07:002003-10-01T11:32:30.346-07:00

Most mornings this fall there's been a hawk hanging out in the community garden on the northwest side of the canyon. We've had a bad mouse infestation this year and that makes the garden a good habitat for predators. The hawk sits on a trellis each morning, waiting for mice to move around, and then it swoops down to get a warm breakfast. It never has to wait long. The bird is a juvenile,

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1064464332474173152003-09-24T21:18:00.000-07:002003-09-24T21:33:06.383-07:00

The Johnson Creek Watershed Council will be holding its Springwater Festival this Saturday, September 27th, from noon to 3pm in Gresham Main City Park. The theme of this year's festival is "Celebrating Johnson Creek." The council invites you to come celebrate the many accomplishments of the year, including the release of the Comprehensive Watershed Action Plan (http://www.jcwc.org/actionPlan/

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1064342161047295782003-09-23T11:12:00.000-07:002003-09-23T11:44:13.220-07:00

Last spring's Canyon Day brought out a bluegrass band, a flock of volunteers, and a camera crew from Oregon Public Broadcasting. The crew was here to get the story on the canyon restoration for "Oregon Field Guide," a tv show that focuses on Oregon's natural areas. While we planted a few hundred native plants, the OPB team interviewed participants and filmed some of the activities. Now we get

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1064267769954052912003-09-22T14:36:00.000-07:002003-09-22T14:57:37.826-07:00

Here's a news release from Corvallis that drifted across my desk a few weeks ago: A new guide to the Pacific Northwest's most dominant or potentially invasive weeds has been published by the Oregon State University Extension Service. "Invasive Weed Identification and Management (Pacific Northwest's Least Wanted List)" is a 44-page guide, written by OSU Extension weed specialist Jed Colquhoun.

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1063948260428885762003-09-18T22:05:00.000-07:002003-09-18T22:16:00.093-07:00

Another interesting bit about river otters, taken from Cascade-Olympic Natural History by Daniel Mathews: Fishermen here see otters regularly. Look on riverbanks and lakeshores for otters' easily recognized slides, tracks or "spraints." The latter are fecal scent-markers placed just out of the water on rocks, mud banks or floating logs, and usually showing fish bones, scales, or crayfish shell

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1063861394271539492003-09-17T21:17:00.000-07:002003-09-17T22:03:14.393-07:00

For all you readers bored with notes about chicory, here's canyon news of a livelier sort: We may have a river otter in the lake! Zac Perry tells me he saw a river otter near the fishladder entrance the other day. Apparently, our otter may be living in a burrow on the edge of the lake near the amphitheater. I've never actually seen a river otter (as far as I know) so I turned to my handy

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1063407049196441562003-09-12T15:37:00.000-07:002003-09-22T14:17:02.326-07:00

I just got a note from Lee Hallagan, class of '03, this afternoon. Lee wrote his Reed thesis on the reintroduction of the Pacific treefrog (Hyla regilla) into the canyon. As part of that thesis, Lee did a habitat analysis and then released 2,638 Hyla regilla larvae on campus after first collecting them from a nearby wildlife refuge. Lee writes "I heard that someone saw a frog early in the

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1063326811723703142003-09-11T17:09:00.000-07:002003-09-11T17:33:31.733-07:00

I saw a green-backed heron again today, under the cross-canyon bridge. It seems to be a very skittish bird. Great blue herons don't like human company, but they're sly enough to stand still and disappear into the scenery when humans pass by. Green-backed herons don't seem to have the same self-control and they launch into the air at the slightest disturbance. The ones on campus seem to spend

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1063228361818939652003-09-10T13:52:00.000-07:002003-09-10T14:12:41.856-07:00

Residents of the RCAs are walking to school through fields of blooming chicory at this time of year. You can see the bright blue flowers in all of the waste areas around the community gardens and there's just a bit of it near the fishladder. Chicory (Cichorium intybus) isn't a native but I haven't listed it on our invasive weeds page because it isn't much of a problem. The plant is a

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1063164628027818582003-09-09T20:30:00.000-07:002003-09-09T21:00:10.836-07:00

As I was walking along the gravel path by the rugby field today, I noticed that we have a tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima) growing on the edge of the canyon. Ailanthus was considered an exotic Asian beauty when it was first imported to the U.S. in 1784. These days it's more commonly considered a nasty, invasive weed. The tree is extremely hard to kill and it's got a deep taproot that

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1062740878153095982003-09-04T22:47:00.000-07:002003-09-04T22:47:58.016-07:00

If you have an interest in the invasive species we're fighting here at Reed, you might want to visit the Invasive Species Weblog to learn more about the subject. Blog owner Jennifer Forman posts almost-daily updates about the various battles against plant and animal invaders around the globe. She's got news reports, current research, and info about upcoming conferences and workshops. She also

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1062282363624222912003-08-30T15:26:00.000-07:002003-08-31T11:48:43.006-07:00

All of the water that flows out of taps here in Portland comes from the Bull Run watershed up on Mt. Hood, where a series of reservoirs capture and store the runoff from melting snow. To protect water quality, the watershed is ordinarily off-limits to the public, so few of us ever get to see the source of our drinking water. But on Saturday, September 13th the Portland Bureau of Water Works

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1061919011781318462003-08-26T10:30:00.000-07:002003-08-26T10:30:11.676-07:00

Zac tells me that the tree with the sweet-smelling flowers on the north side of the canyon near the pipe is a glorybower (Clerodendrum sp.). I don't know if we've got a species ID yet. Some glorybowers are listed as invasive plants in places like Hawaii and Florida, but it doesn't seem to be a problem here. Also, the solitary great blue heron at the east end of the canyon has found a companion

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1061424149586744812003-08-20T17:02:00.000-07:002003-08-27T14:32:27.303-07:00

New to the canyon? Curious about what's going on down there? As part of new student orientation, Zac Perry will be leading a tour of the canyon on Wednesday, August 27th. The one-hour walk will start at the fish ladder at 1:30 p.m. and highlight some of the restoration work taking place around the lake. The tour is really meant for incoming students and their parents, but other people can

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1060727272997355912003-08-12T15:27:00.000-07:002003-08-12T15:29:52.190-07:00

Check out this great picture of an American Bittern sitting in a Doug fir:     The photo was taken by Mac McKinlay '67 in the lower canyon in late July. Has anyone else seen this bird? It doesn't show up on any of our bird lists for the canyon.

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1060291009791138222003-08-07T14:16:00.000-07:002003-08-20T17:10:58.916-07:00

This tuesday, as the thunderstorms rolled in, I saw what looked like a seagull. As it flew closer, and began circling over the Anna Mann lawn, I could the see how much larger the wing span was and that the bird's colorations were that of an Osprey. What a treat! We have often seen this bird or one of the same species, flying around the theatre annex and the recycling center on 28th street.

kathleenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08821751842577682217noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1060047949419509872003-08-04T18:45:00.000-07:002003-09-04T20:40:08.556-07:00

If you're going by the Chemistry building this week, take a moment to climb the main stairwell and look out the big window at Reed's only castor aralia (Kalopanax pictus). The tree was given to Reed as a gift from Harvard's Arnold Arboretum in 1972. Biology professor Bert Brehm planted the tree on the edge of the canyon and it's now almost two stories high. The great thing about the

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1058819208385772612003-07-21T13:26:00.000-07:002003-07-21T13:26:48.510-07:00

The young owls may have left their nest by the art building and moved a little downstream. A gardener at the Reed community gardens saw a young owl in a tree by the rugby field just after sunset last week. She didn't see any older owls around.

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1057972826783495432003-07-11T18:20:00.000-07:002003-07-12T10:32:54.456-07:00

Joshua Kemper and Nadia Fay dropped us a note on July 1 to say they spotted 5 western screech owls on the east end of the art building at the edge of the canyon at about 10:30pm. A breeding pair was hunting and feeding three young, small owls, only 6-8 inches tall. Joshua says the owls were "VERY easy to find this time of year... Adults are quiet but those owlets just won't shut up-- hungry!"

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1057966256030103262003-07-11T16:30:00.000-07:002003-07-11T18:51:30.330-07:00

Here's a great photo that was taken by Orin Bassoff, a Reed student:

Nielsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569616.post-1057960221055452092003-07-11T14:50:00.000-07:002003-07-11T16:48:45.840-07:00

This is the new Reed Canyon Weblog! This site is still very much in the testing phase. Your comments and suggestions are very welcome. If anyone would care to donate some money to this effort, we can get rid of that banner ad at the top of the screen. Just $15/year would give us an ad-free site.

Nielsnoreply@blogger.com