Overcast and Showers
61 Degrees
2:28 PM
Ravenna Park Erratic
Today it was raining lightly and It seemed like a good time to go searching in Ravenna for some Fungi. Also it was a good time to practice identifying some more birds before the final comes up. Overall the park was today very similar to last week and I did not feel as though things had changed much. The green is still lush and almost overwhelming and the creek is still flowing steady maybe even a little more so as the rain fell and gathered at the bottom of the river bed. The smell of the forest as the rain washed away the dryness of the past days was fresh and relieving it reminded me of the fall and the rains that come and seem to give life back to the forest after our dry summers, it was not nearly as pronounced but still had some of the ora of the fall rains for sure.
As I walked through the park I heard many song sparrows, robins, and crows, there was two other birds that I found that were unique and I had not seen around yet. First was the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco Hyemalis) This bird is about 6" and is from the oregon race. Its head and chest are distinguished from the rest of its body and are a dark grey or black. its sides are rusty and its mid belly is white. with a yellowy pink bill and outer tail feathers being white it is easy to pick this bird out from some of the others.
While following a song sparrow around I ended up on and embankment on the west side of the creek, as i was climbing around after the song sparrow I heard a very loud and distinguished hoot of an owl I could not see it but it was definitely an owl, I cannot identify for sure which owl it was but it was calling and had a response call from the other side of the banks. It was a low loud hoot in a series of 10 calls that seemed to speed up and be grouped together, the last call was slightly different with some oscillation on the end of it. My theory is that is a Barred Owl or maybe a Great Horned Owl but I struggled to find calls online that matched what I was hearing. I could see it being a Spotted Owl but I find that unlikely because they are so rare and finding one of them in the city would be just short of a miracle.
Outside of the birds my main focus was on the assigned focus of the extra credit session which was the Fungi present in the forest. Most of the Fungi I found on this trip was present closer to the base of the valley where there were downed trees or moist soil and debris for them to grow on. I didn't find any mushrooms which I thought would be easier to track down but it may have something to do with the pollution of the city like we were told earlier in the quarter. I struggled to find the typical Fungi that is common on red alder trunks but managed to find it slightly on the side of a Beaked Hazelnut. Below are some pictures of the Fungi I found, the most common was Brackets on the side of dead tree trunks.
Bracket, (Unknown, possibly Artist's Fungus)
A darker bracket than i have seen before but resembled the shape of the typical Artist's Fungus, refer to image below which was on the same log.
Bracket, (Unknown)
A dark black and red with a white edge this Bracket protruded from the same log as above but was definatley of another color and shape, it is possible that these are both just common Artist's Fungus (Ganoderma Applanatum) these could just be variations in the way the fungus develops or they may be different species it is unclear for now which is the case.
Oakmoss Lichen (Evernia Prunastri)
This Lichen is distinguished by soft tufts of yellow greenish forking branches with white undersides. It often has scattered powdery patches. It is commonly found on broadleaf trees and the edges of branches.
Lettuce Lichen "Oregon Lungwart" (Lobaria Oregana)
This fungi is lettuce like in appearance and is yellowish to pale green, its lobes are criss crossed with a network of ridges and edges. It is common on the sides of coniferous trees and is usually higher off the ground. I found this guy about halfway up the trunk of a good sized doug fir.
Artist's Fungus "Artists Conk" (Ganoderma Applanatum)
This is a prime example of the Artist's Fungus on the side of a dead tree stump, the two lumps seen on the side of this stump were huge fungi. these fungi are usually about 16 inches in width and are a darker grey or brown. They are wrinkled and tough and attached directly to the wood. the undersides are white with pores and they are found in forest year round on dead or dying trees.
On the Erratic that is the center of my site I found some Veined Lichen (Peltigera Membranacea) this species of fungus is composed of brown or greyish lobes where the edges are downturned and there is a distinct veined pattern on the surface of the fungus lobes. There are fruiting bodies on the extended lobe tips and these are a distinct orange color. They are commonly found on moist soils, moss, rocks, or rotting stumps in humid forests.
Oakmoss Lichen
This is one more example of Oakmoss Lichen that I found on the side of a Beaked Hazelnut.
A darker bracket than i have seen before but resembled the shape of the typical Artist's Fungus, refer to image below which was on the same log.
A dark black and red with a white edge this Bracket protruded from the same log as above but was definatley of another color and shape, it is possible that these are both just common Artist's Fungus (Ganoderma Applanatum) these could just be variations in the way the fungus develops or they may be different species it is unclear for now which is the case.
This Lichen is distinguished by soft tufts of yellow greenish forking branches with white undersides. It often has scattered powdery patches. It is commonly found on broadleaf trees and the edges of branches.
This fungi is lettuce like in appearance and is yellowish to pale green, its lobes are criss crossed with a network of ridges and edges. It is common on the sides of coniferous trees and is usually higher off the ground. I found this guy about halfway up the trunk of a good sized doug fir.
This is a prime example of the Artist's Fungus on the side of a dead tree stump, the two lumps seen on the side of this stump were huge fungi. these fungi are usually about 16 inches in width and are a darker grey or brown. They are wrinkled and tough and attached directly to the wood. the undersides are white with pores and they are found in forest year round on dead or dying trees.
This is one more example of Oakmoss Lichen that I found on the side of a Beaked Hazelnut.
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