Sanderlings and Dunlins at Air Force Beach As we gear up for the Christmas Bird Counts in December, now is the time to do a little winter shorebird watching. Last week, during a break in the weather, we got out to Air Force Beach in Comox and scoped out some of the shorebirds on the rocks near a decommissioned boat …
British Columbia
Sunbathers vs. the Large-headed Sedge
Some weeks ago there was a letter in a local paper complaining about the “invasion” of Large-headed Sedge (Carex macrocephala) at Air Force Beach in Comox. The complaint was based on the fact that the sedge was taking over the prime sunbathing area. Removal was the only solution. Jocie and I decided that it was worth taking a drive out …
Jingle Shells
After Monday’s deluge there was a break in the weather yesterday. We made the most of it, taking the kids to Air Force Beach in Comox to enjoy the sun. Surprisingly, we had never been to Air Force Beach before despite the length of time we’ve lived in the Comox Valley. We’ll definitely be back. It’s a beautiful beach that …
A Good Year for Mushrooms
It seems that every time we take a walk we’re seeing mushrooms. Our stroll at Woodhus Slough last week was no exception. In addition to the Lake’s Boletus we found several other spectacular mushrooms that day, some that we were able to identify and others that we weren’t. Rosy Gomphidius at Woodhus Slough Probably the most beautiful (and coolest) mushroom …
Crinoid Country
Imagine being able to travel back in time million years. What would you see? Crinoid stalk – side profile with jackknife for scale (Marble Meadows). Our visit to Karst Creek in early November enabled us to do just that, at least in a figurative sense. The limestone, or karst, landscape of the Karst Creek Trail in Strathcona Provincial Park is …
Backyard Birds – November 8-15
As part of Project FeederWatch, I’m keeping an eye on our feeders two days out of the week to help scientists track winter bird activity, abundance and diversity. It’s a great way to spend an hour or two drinking coffee and peering out into the rain. I’ve also decided to start a yard list of all the birds that visit …
A Cone that is Not a Cone
During a mushroom hunting walk at Merville Woods yesterday we came upon several Vancouver Groundcone (Boschniakia hookeri). Like the name suggests, this root parasite looks like a fir cone. It is actually a parasite that is connected to the roots of nearby plants, in particular Salal (Gaultheria shallon), which is common and commercially harvested in Merville Woods. According to Plants …
Meet a Bolete – Lake’s Boletus
Lake’s Boluteus is part of the boletes, a group of mushrooms that are fairly easy to recognize due to the fact that they have pores instead of gills. Run your finger underneath the cap of a potential boletus. If the texture is smooth it is likely that the mushroom you are looking at is a boletus. Earlier this week I …
Across the Strait – BC Skywatch # 2
We’ve been blessed with some blue skies this week here on the east coast of Vancouver Island. I captured these photographs of clouds building on the mainland across the Strait of Georgia earlier this week. Enjoy this Skywatch post! Air and Water Mix Storm Clouds Build Across the Strait Looks Like It Might Rain
Mushrooms at Miracle Beach – Part Two
Last weekend I collected some mushrooms and made some spore prints. We were lucky to identify a few reasonably conclusively. Today I’m going to introduce you to some of the mushrooms that we struggled to identify. Even though I can’t tell you what these mushrooms are I think that you’ll enjoy them as much as we did! Having a hand …