Rock Wren at Miracle Beach Provincial Park

Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus Yesterday morning I took my son Alden out for a walk at Miracle Beach Provincial Park to enjoy the crisp fresh air and the changing colours of the fall. I spent some time birdwatching as best as one can with a two year old in tow. It was a good time of year for photographing …

Termites!

I’ve always enjoyed gently turning over rocks and pieces of wood and bark to discover what is living underneath. Today I was out poking around for snails, inspired by my finds on International Rock Flipping Day back in September. While I did find one new snail (I’ll post on that later this week) I was thrilled to discover a small …

Fabulous Finches

American Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis The sunflowers are done in our back lane but the seeds are now attracting birds – primarily American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) but also house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), chestnut-backed chickadee (Poecile rufescens) and house sparrow (Passer domesticus). That’s one of the many benefits of growing sunflowers. Not only do you (and insects) get to enjoy the …

Flight of the Woolly Aphids

Woolly Aphid, possibly the Woolly Apple Aphid | Eriosoma lanigerum Over the last couple of evenings I’ve noticed a massive flight of woolly aphids both in Courtenay and today up at my mother-in-law’s house in Black Creek. I’ve managed to get a few decent images of these white furred aphids (though they are quite small). I initially thought that they …

Tansy Ragwort

Tansy Rawort (Senecio jacobaea) Early in September I wrote about two tansies that occur in British Columbia. Last weekend while at East Sooke Regional Park looking for turkey vultures I found a species of Senecio growing in an old farm field. Tansy ragwort (Senecio jacobaea), like the common tansy, is an introduced plant from Eurasia. It does well in fields, …

Shootingstars

Delicate colour of shootingstar leaves. I was fascinated by the colour of the leaves of Jeffrey’s shootingstar (Dodecatheon jeffreyi) alongside a cold sub-alpine stream this week in Paradise Meadows, Strathcona Provincial Park. The leaves were a stark contrast to the dark water and grey day and a beautiful sign that winter is not far off. Fall leaves of Jeffrey’s Shootingstar …

Tail of a Newt

Was driving down from Paradise Meadows last week and spotted a rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) crossing the road. I quickly stopped and helped it to some leaves on the other side of the pavement. Rough-skinned Newt | Taricha granulosa You can read more about Rough-skinned newts in British Columbia at the Ministry of Environment’s Frogwatch fact sheet on Rough-skinned newts.

Crimson Wanderers

In this second post about feral carts on Vancouver Island, a small herd of Crimson Wanderers is discovered on a back lot in Courtenay, British Columbia. These fascinating shopping carts are common throughout the city. Crimson Wanderers Crimson Wanderer Classification: B/1 Fairly common in my neighbourhood near downtown Courtenay, Crimson Wanderers tend to graze in small herds or singly. They …

Turkey Vultures at East Sooke Park

The fall migration of Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) is still under way at East Sooke Regional Park near Victoria, British Columbia. Beechey Head is an ideal place to spend a sunny afternoon hawk and vulture watching. Beechey Head is a choke point for raptors on Vancouver Island that are moving south in the fall. Here the turkey vultures pile up …

Why Did the Yellow Bear Cross the Road?

It’s the time of year when things are on the move and if you’re looking at the ground or the sky you’re sure to see something interesting. Some types of caterpillars in the tiger moth family (Arctiidae) like the woolly bears and yellow bears are active in the fall as they move from food plants to a suitable place to …