WSP11215 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

01~$~ Table 5. '.I." ~.\~~ ~' Waterbird sightings in Grand Canyon compiled f(om selected historic diaries. .,~ , " Year Diarist Date Notes . , , 1ul30 Ju]31 ]Y48 F. Ma~land JulD ]048 O.MarslOn 1ul13 ]lJ4R J Dot:'rr 1u120 Jul22 1ul28 1949 P.T. Reilly 1953 P.T. Reilly 1954 o Marston Jun 14 1955 P.T. Reilly Jul2 Jul5 1ul6 1956 P.T. Reilly Jun 27 1957 P.T. Reilly 1458 P.T. Reilly May:!l May21 IQ59 P.T. Reilly Jun 22 Jun 23 1962 P.T. ReIlly Jul 9 1964 P,T. Reilly Apr 28 May 10 May II May 12 May IJ Several Greal Blut.' Herons nl."ur Diamond Creek. Heard get'se flying Dy;ooring the night a\ Dlilmllnd Creek. Blue-Winged Teal ,J( Vasey.., Pamdise. Blue-Winged Teal al Vaseys PLlradise. Two Great Blue Herons between Gramte and Hermit RapIds. Great Blue Heron a\ Tapeals Creek. Grcut Blue Herons at mile 2]4. No mt"nlion nf walerbird~. No mention of waterhirds. Two Snowy Egrel~ near Lava Falls. Twu Blue-Winged Tl':ll at milt.- 155.4. Greal B]ue Heron hetween 205 and 217-Mile Rapid~. Blue-Winged Teal::Jl Separation Canyon. Two Mallanh al Tapem~ Creek No mentilln (Jf waterhlrds Two ducks at Crystal. Three ~bllards at Hakatai. Three Juds ahove SOJp Cn:-d:. Duck al milt.- 14 Two duck~ at mile 152. Five Blue.Wing Teal at mile 17.4. Snowy Egret helow Kanab Creek. Snuwy Egret almile 160 and two abo\'e Nationa]; B]ue WIng Teo] at mtle 16J. four ducks ahove National. Two Great Blue Heron above Lava Fall.... TWll egrets at mile 2]4; IWO Blue-Winged Teal at mile 221; Great Blue Heron and Snowy Egrel at 225.-1. Terrestrial Animals One of the largest problems with interpreting anecdotal information is the vague or imprecise use of common names of animals. In the following sections, we attempt to connect the names used by the Old Timers and in diaries with the animals that we believe they are referring to. Much of this information. while interesting. is inconclusive if only for the reason that it is imprecise in tenns of scientific names. ) Birds and Bats Water birds were commonly observed on early river trips (Table 5). Even as early as 1890. Edwards noted the presence of "lots of ducks" downstream from Lava Falls Rapid, In 1937, Sharp reported many duck sightings (Table 5). In 1940, Goldwater may have summed up the frequency of observance: "Ducks and geese are constantly rising from the water ahead of us." Species mentioned by name include Red-Breasted Mergansers, Mallards. and Blue-Wing Teal. Snowy egrets commonly were seen near or with other water birds. Great Blue Heron were commonly seen. par1icularly in western Grand Canyon. Water birds have greatly increased along the river since closure of Glen Canyon Dam (Stevens and others. 1997). The Old Timers with us on the 1994. trip found nothing unusual in the current water bird population along the river. with the exception of Great Blue Herons. which they felt had decreased. Hummingbirds occasionally were observed. sometimes flying about the drifting boats. Reilly specifically mentions seeing a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird at mile 155.8 and a Black-Chinned Hummingbird between Hermit and Boucher Rapids in 1956. Bats were commonly observed. panicularly in the early morning hours, Nevills saw many bats at the SPECIFIC CHANGES OBSERVED IN GRAND CANYON 23