Observation 2

Place: Fish Creek Bridge, Wilson WY
Date: 5/11/08
Time: 9:35 am
Temp: 51 degrees
Weather: Sunny, with clouds accumulating near the Grand
Wind: Cold, but not very strong
Soil: Dry, moister with runoff. Grass sprouting up

Today at the Fish Creek bridge I observed two Canadian Geese and, again, many species of insects. Some of them seem to have been here for I long time, and I wonder if they managed to live in such a harsh enviroment over the winter. The aspens are beginning to pollinate, and the trees that I believe are Cottonwoods have fluffy, cottony, caterpillar looking things hanging off their branches. There is about double the grass in my area than there was last week. The water level has also risen, and is swifter than last week. Again, I saw mallards, which seem to live comfortabley in this habitat. The niche the occupy is as follows: Mallards usually live in wetlands, in small ponds or streams. They usually nest on the banks of creeks or rivers, but not necessarily close to the water. They eat by dabbling for plants at the bottom of the creek. They do have many predators. Fish creek seems to be their home, and whenever I walk or drive by, I can hear them. I hypothesise that the next time I observe my area, the grass will all me grown and green, and the remaining snow on the banks will be melted, with the creek level rising some more. I also believe more and more organisms will begin to move into this area as food becomes more ample.