Citizen Scientists on the Living Roof - part two

You can't help but feel just a little bit special walking through the gate, down the stairs onto the roof, leaving the observation deck behind. Gabions, wire cages filled with rocks, criss-cross the living roof. These were installed to prevent erosion but also provide walking paths through the area. The section of roof we were to study was on the opposite from the observation deck, hidden behind the hills. When we arrived at our transect everyone's face sort of fell, it was all brown. Alana explained to us that the roof had been taken over by self-heal and beach strawberry and in an effort to regain the original diversity the botanists were experimenting with less irrigation to see if some of the other plants would take hold.

In teams of three we set our square quadrats on our designated roof section. The quadrat is a square of plastic tubing, further divided into four squares used for sampling. Once the quadrat was in the proper place we recorded which plants were in each square. For example beach strawberry in all four squares, self heal in all four squares, one cudweed plant in one square, some bare ground. As I looked at the square longer I started to see more, some moss, a fireweed. After examining our quadrat our group walked the gabion around the section we were in for general observations. Walking carefully, our eyes intent on the roof, someone would occasionally exclaim - "I see a poppy!" or "Alana what is this?" Each group had a field guide, but some plants can be hard to identify when not in bloom.

After recording data for two quadrats in different parts of the roof it was time to head back to the observation deck to swap places with the other group. While walking around on the roof we had heard hawks screaming above us. Three red tailed hawks were flying in and out of the nearby trees. It seemed we might be in luck as birding was next on our agenda.

Back on the observation deck we picked up binoculars and clipboards, ready to record the birds we might see. A bird can be counted if identified by two people, all the information is recorded in the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology e-bird database. Unfortunately it was now well past mid morning and the bird activity was dying down. At first we saw a few Brewer's Blackbirds, and some Western Gulls. Then over in the west came a loud ruckus, some gulls were mobbing a Red Shouldered hawk. Two Red Shouldered Hawks flew around for a few minutes before disappearing into the trees. It was interesting to see the clear difference between the Red Shouldered and the Red Tail hawk we saw earlier. Another half hour or so produced no other birds, but lots of opportunity to chat with the naturalist. A Great Blue Heron flew overhead, on its way to Stow Lake, where they nest. And with that we called it a day.

The Living Roof Project was fun, interesting and educational, a great way to spend a morning. I believe the program accomplishes the goals of making people more aware of the research the CAS does while involving and educating the public. Hopefully the living roof project will still be going on in the fall, dates haven't been released yet. I would be interested to see how life might be different at various times of the year. A morning well spent, and well worth the $3 ticket price!