The Changing of The Seasons at the Shoreline

Visited on October 20th, 2018.

Weather: Windy, Sunny, 55 degrees

This area has changed a decent amount since last time I came down. Most of the trees have continued to change colors, however, many are now beginning to to turn brown and drop their leaves. I noticed that the Ash trees that has been so full of color last time, now are very sparse on leaves with only a few hanging on. I also saw another dominant species in this area which I believe to be the Eastern Cottonwood tree. Their leaves are now a golden yellow and turning brown and they seem to make up most of the overstory in this area. However, the shrub that grows out of the sand in this area, most likely black willow, are still fully green and do not seem to be changing colors or dying off, even though fall is in full bloom around us.

Birds Eye view of the area:

This area also seems to be an important area for birds as well. Last time I saw a lot of seagulls while I was down here, however this time, there were lots of ducks sitting around in this area. There were bird tracks all over the sand which showed just how many birds dwell in this area. There were also a prominent amount of common sandpipers, which are very small birds with a long beak and white and brown coloration. They traveled in small packs along the water line, most likely looking for food. Other than these ducks and the sandpipers, there were no tracks of any bigger animals, besides possibly some dog tracks.