Works Cited

Burnie, David. Tree. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988. "Mallard."

Wikipedia. 13 May 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 29 May 2008 .

Observation #8

River Hollow, Wilson
Date: 5/28/08
Time: 4:32 pm
Temperature: 50°
Weather Conditions: Cloudy, Rainy
Wind Conditions: Small- medium breeze
Soil Conditions: Wet

Hypothesis:

Notes: I knew that it wasn't going to stop raining, it really needs to end though. This morning I happened to noticed that there was a lot of smoke around the area. I think that some of it might have happened to reach over to the high school because it kind of smelled like smoke this morning. It must have happened down in Flat Creek, but I don't know. Not much has really changed since the last time but this morning I did see an owl outside of our window, which was pretty cool. The first time I've seen an owl in maybe like 2 weeks. I have noticed that many bugs have been entering around the site and a lot more animals along with it. During the winter time when this man came to snow plow our driveway he kind of happened to push some trees over, but not all the way, and i have realized that they have grown back to their right postiton. A lot of the weeds have been getting a lot taller and wider and there are spots that have so much grass. But other than that nopthing else has really changed.

Observation #7

River Hollow, Wilson
Date: 5/27/08
Time: 6:34 pm
Temperature: 59°
Weather Conditions: Blue Sky and warm
Wind Condition: slite breeze, very small
Soil Conditions: little bit wet, not too bad

Hypothesis:

Notes: Wow, it is pretty amazing that it didn't rain today. After it has been raining for maybe like five days. So much has been growing and getting really green. The trees are so close to being full with leaves, and there is grass and weeds that have been growing like crazy, every where. The Snake River has gotten so full and so has our pond, that had absolutley no water in it during the winter. Not much has really changed except for the tree and grass, and also everything that happened during all of the rain. Oh..... I have finally seen the geese, after so long. I would really like to know where they went to but, geese can't talk human so I probably wont find out(lol).

Flora: The Spruce (Pine Trees)

The Englemann Spruce

There are many different kinds of Spruce trees, from the Englemann Spruce, to the, to the White Spruce, to the Colorado Blue Spruce. The Spruce that lingers in my environment is the, Picea Englemannii, Englemann Spruce. This tree was named after George Englemann because he first discovered it.
The appearance of the Englemann Spruce is unique from one another. Their cones are usually too hard to crush , but these cones are very brittle. There are mant differnet sizes of Englemann cones, they can vary from 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches (4 to 6 cm). The scales on the spruce pine cones are very thin and are wavy along the outer edge. The Spruce needles can be two to three cm long. They have a deep bluish green color and their twigs are very fuzzy.
Many Spruce's can be found in the eastern areas of the world because of their need for cold temperatures. High elevation provides this, leaving it more common to find up high in the forests. They can mostly be found in the higher areas of forests. Most Spruces in Idaho and Montana are the White and Englemann Spruce. Englemann Spruces are very unique because they grow very slowly but very sterdy for about three to four hundred years.
The Englemann Spruce is a very unique tree, and there are plenty at my site. I have noticed the cones starting to fall off of the trees. This may lead to more Englemann Spruces growing here in the future years.

Observation #6

River Hollow, Wilson
Date:
Time:
Temperature:
Weather Conditions:
Wind Conditions:
Soil Conditions:

Hypothesis:

Notes: I have not seen many organisims in my area for about maybe a week or week in a half. The only populations that I have seen lately are probably just flocks of geese flying over our house to the Snack River. The ecosystem that I live in happenes to have many abiotic factor, like dirt, rocks, and water. I have really been wondering why so many animals happen to can into the environment that I, and many more live in. It is probably because where I live has a lot of watery areas, and the animals that I mostly see are animals that live near watery areas. The different kind of biodiversities that are so over populating the other organisism are between the ducks, geese, birds, fox, and moose. Most of the biotic factors are the trees, grass, plants, and so one. Not much succession has happened around the are that I live in because it is so wet that if there was to be a fire, it would probably be cooled down; at least what I have heard. The only competion that I have seen are to geese fighting over, either the female goose or the area that they happen to be in, like the arae only belongs to them. Not much has really changed except for a lot more grass has been growing in and the trees are really starting to get their leaves back. But since it has been raining so much, the Snake River has really been rising, along with our pond.

Observation #5

River Hollow, Wilson
Date: 5/20/08
Time: 6:30pm
Temperature: 62°
Weather Conditions: Warm, not to cold and not to hot
Wind Conditions: slit breeze, not to bad
Soil Conditions: very wet

Hypothesis:

Notes: Much has changed since the last time I had done my last observation. The grass has gotten much greener and much taller. It happens to look like little tiny trees are coming in, but I don't know. And flowers, or weeds, have been growing all over the place. The soil has gotten much wetter because the Snack River is rissing, because all of the snow is melting. The reason why the soil near our house is wet is because where we live the water seems to run all around us, under the ground. Which is probably why there have not been many fires that have acurred around our area. I haven't seen the greese lately but I have still been seeing ducks. The cool thing is that different kinds of species, of ducks, have been hanging around the ponds and the Snake River. I haven't seen the moose in a while and the owl. I don't know if this is when they find a new area or just don't feel like coming back. Many of the tree's leaves's have grown back and look like they are not totally green but just a little.

Fauna: The Mallard Duck

The Mallard Duck, also known as Anas platyrhynchos, breeds throughout North America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. In the winter months they will migrate south of these countries for the warmth. The Mallads live mostly in overgrown ponds, lakes, pools, and slow flowing rivers. The duck usually feeds by dabbling, to splash liquid gently and playfully. for plants or grasses, strangely Mallards even eat frogs.
Most Mallard Ducks can vary from 56 to 65 cm long, have a wingspan of 81 to 98 cm, and weigh up to seven or eight pounds. The male and the female Mallard Ducks do not look alike. The male has a green head, black rear end, purple chest, and a yellow bill with a black tip. The female has a light brown colored body, like most dabbling ducks, because most females have a different color than the male. Dabbling Ducks are various ducks, chiefly of the genus Anas, that feed by dabbling in shallow water and are favored as game birds. However, the similarities between these two ducks are that they both have distinctive purple wings edged with white tips.
Mallard ducks normally nest on the ground close to the water, but other times in trees. The female will usually lay 8 to 13 eggs, that are incubated for 27 to 28 days. When duckling hatch they can immediatley swim and feed themsevles. The ducklings will usually turn to their mother for protection, just incase a predator come along. When Mallard ducks mate, most of the time the male will leave the female and find another. The Mallard duck is a very beautiful duck with unique colors and distinctive features. The two together deffinatly treat each other much more different, than humans treat each other.

Ducks and Geese

Mallard Ducks

Also known as dabbling ducks which breeds throughout the temperate and sub- tropical areas of North America, Europe, Asia, New Zeland, and Australia. Believed be the ancestors of all domestic ducks, are ducks that are raised for meat, eggs and down. The mallard duck is 56 to 65 centemeters long, has a wingspan of 81 to 98 centemeters, and weighs seven to eight pounds. The male is diferent from the female, because it has a green head, black rear end and a yellow bill tipped with black. The female has a difference with a light brown body, like most female dabbling ducks. However, both the female and male Mallards have distinct purple speculum edged with white. The Mallard inhabits most wetlands, including parks, small ponds and rivers, and usually feeds by dabbling for plant food or grazing. There have been reports of it eating frogs. It usually nests on a river bank, but not always near water. It is highly outside of the breeding season and will form large flocks, which are known as a sord. Mallards form pairs only until the female lays eggs, at which time she is left by the male. The clutch is 8 to 13 eggs, which are incubated for 27 to 28 days to hatching with 50 to 60 days to fledging.

Geese

Goose or geese is the English name for a considerable number of birds, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than geese, and ducks, which are smaller. True geese are medium to large birds, always associated to a greater or lesser extent with water.Most species in Europe, Asia, and North America are strongly migratory as wild birds, breeding in the far north and wintering much farther south. All geese eat a largely vegetarian diet, and can become pests when flocks feed on arable crops or inhabit ponds or grassy areas in urban environments. Not all couples are heterosexual, as both females and males will form long-term same-sex couples with greater or lesser frequency depending on species. Geese usually mate for life, though a small number will "divorce" and remate. They tend to lay a smaller number of eggs than ducks but both parents protect the nest and young, which usually results in a higher survival rate for the young geese.

Observation #4

River Hollow, Wilson
Date: 5/12/08
Time: 9:00pm
Temperature: 45°
Weather Conditions: Windy
Wind Conditions: High Breeze
Soil Conditions: Cold

Hypothesis:

Notes: Today(last night), I had seen a moose right when I turned into my driveway and then there was also an owl that was sitting on one of the signs. Which was kind of cool because I havn't seen a moose in my area for quite a while and I have never really seen owls up close. Everything happened to look different because it was darker outside, because the sun was going down. Everything had happened to look the same but with some minor changes. There were still branches on the ground from the rain storm and more animals had happened to be out and about. The one thing that was different was that there had been much more green plants than the last time I had seen it. I think of seems like everthing is growing back pretty fast.

Observation #3

River Hollow, Wilson
Date: 5/10/08
Time 7:00am
Temperature: 47°
Weather Conditions: Chilly, but not too bad
Wind Conditions: Slite breeze
Soil Conditions: Wet and cold

Hypothesis:

Notes: It had rained extremely hard last night, so every thing was very wet and the were many tree branches on the road that had fallen of the trees. The geese were still living around the pond, but this morning I had happened to see them not in the water, which every morning I have seen them in the water, which was different. The trees were darker, because they were wet. Many green plants have been growing in and bigger than they had been before.

Observations #2

River Hollow, Wilson
Date: 5/10/08
Time: 6:17am & 6:30pm
Temperature: 32°
Weather Conditions: chilly and cold, but not too bad, and there was snow
Wind Conditions: slite breeze
Soil Conditions: Wet and cold

Hypothesis:

Notes: My observatrions today are much different from my last time, because today it happend to snow. Mostly everthing had snow covering it. It kind of looked like everything was frozen over. Not very many animals were around, but the geese were still in the pond and there were some bird flying around but not many. Some of the plants had been bent down because of the pressure of the snow. But later that afternoon when I returned, every thing had melted and the temperature had raised to 57°. The geese were still there and the ducks had returned. Not one patch of snow was seen in sight. The soil was wetter then it had been before and some of the plants had rissen up from its down position, from the pressure of the snow.

Observation #1

Location: River Hollow, Wilson
Date: 5/7/08
Time: 6:15
Temperature: 52°
Weather: Cloudy but still Warm
Wind Conditions: Lite
Soil Conditions: Damp in some areas but hard in other areas

Hypothesis:

Notes: None of the trees happen to have any fuits or flowers on them. But the trees that are around my area are pines, cottons, and some aspens. There are already plants that are starting to turn green but some are still taking longer to turn green, still brown. The last time I had seen a moose in the River Hollow area was probably about 5- 7 d ays ago. But the most animals that I have seen are mostly ducks, hocks, and geese. There are these two geese that I have been seeing lately, that might have a nest near that area or around this pond that they have been hanging around. Yesterday I went to take my pictures and walked up to this pond and saw that there were three ducks together. I didn't know that if it was a mom, dad, and baby or if it was two females and a male or two males and one female. There were many trees, plants, and much more. There were sounds of water, because the snake river is right next to our house, the wind blowing, the cars on the highway, and the duck, geese, and birds.