Album of Oak Harbor Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford from my 28 April 2016 bus-and-ferry spider collecting trip to parks in the city of Oak Harbor, northern Whidbey Island, Washington. From the end (Harbor Station) of the #1 Island Transit bus line, I took a roughly 5-mile walk around the city visiting parks and a cemetery that looked promising in aerial photos. Most turned out to be lawn-type parks, or had other problems, but one of the smallest, Ridgewood Park, saved the day with some very nice natural habitat. I got 28-29 species from the new gridspace and added several in the next one south as well.
READ TRIP NARRATIVE PHOTO ALBUM INDEX MAIN JOURNAL INDEX
Approaching Clinton ferry dock on the Mukilteo-Whidbey Island ferry Hal Ramaley Park, waterfront of Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Approaching Clinton on the ferry        © Rod Crawford A small, too-groomed park on Oak Harbor's waterfront          © Rod Crawford
grass habitat in field behind Hal Ramaley Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington grass field behind Hal Ramaley Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
The best part was behind the actual park   © Rod Crawford Very good grass-field habitat added several species              © Rod Crawford
2016 aerial view of Smith Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington Smith Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Smith Park looks like habitat from above     (Island County, 2016) Alas, there's nothing but lawn under the oak trees            © Rod Crawford
aerial view of Tyhuis Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington Tyhuis Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Could Tyhuis Park be forested?       (Island County, 2016) Nope, nothing but lawn under the firs                © Rod Crawford
US Navy forest on east side of Regatta Drive, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington Navy-owned habitat all on wrong side of fence, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Large Navy-owned forest east of Regatta Drive  (Island County, 2016) As I feared, all the habitat behind barbed wire                   © Rod Crawford
understory of undeveloped forest on Regatta Drive, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington dense undeveloped forest on Regatta Drive, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Across the road: finally, understory habitat!  © Rod Crawford But this undeveloped tract too dense to get very far            © Rod Crawford
aerial view of Maple Leaf Cemetery, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington Maple Leaf Cemetery, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Maple Leaf Cemetery: promising!      (Island County, 2016) But the shrubs didn't produce very much           © Rod Crawford
2016? aerial view of Ridgewood Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington narrow grass field at entrance of Ridgewood Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Ridgewood Park, greatest in town (for spiders)  (Island County, 2016) Narrow but productive grass field habitat          © Rod Crawford
ventral view of female microspider Grammonota kincaidi from Ridgewood Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington Douglas-fir foliage at edge of Ridgewood Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Grammonota kincaidi from fir foliage        © Rod Crawford Productive Douglas-fir foliage at park edge              © Rod Crawford
madrona trees in Ridgewood Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington willow grove in Ridgewood Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington
Madronas in Ridgewood Park             © Rod Crawford Willow grove had the day's only productive leaf litter          © Rod Crawford
grass and shrubs along fence, edge of Ridgewood Park, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington ferry arrives in the evening at Clinton Ferry Dock, Whidbey Island, Washington
Grass & shrubs by fence also productive     © Rod Crawford And here comes the ferry to take me homeward                © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 1 May, 2016