Hamilton Wetlands and Forest

  Our visit to the Hamilton Wetlands and Forest followed on two days of atmospheric river--record-breaking rainfall along coastal British Columbia and unseasonably mild temperatures.  The Monday following the weekend's dramatic weather was quite pleasant, but the effects of the disruption were apparent.   The huckleberry are still fruiting, while the bracken fern is now dying back, producing a striking backdrop for the berry bushes. The autumn foliage gleamed in the morning light. After the days of heavy rain, we agreed to give the loop path (often very boggy) a miss.   The wild weather had brought down a tree that had been a favoured nest site for a red-breasted sapsucker. Here's the tree, inhabited two years ago: The warm, wet weather had brought up an abundance of fungi.  Reviewing Mackinnon and Luther's Mushrooms of British Columbia , these jelly fungus appear to be what are called "spirit gummy bears." I'd known of LBBs --"Little Brown Birds," f

  There really is no such thing as an indifferent visit to the Hamilton Wetlands and Forest, but Saturday was exceptional.  The brilliantly clear sunlight illumined the forest,  initially from a low angle as the sun moves to the south seasonally.   As I set out, I realised with a bit of a cringe that it was the autumn Big Day for birders, which likely meant that the paths would be filled with talkative folks.  I've nothing against birders (duh--I am one, after all), but the amount of blether that accompanies a Big Day unfortunately reduces the number of birds that will emerge to be recorded.   As luck would have it, there were only two groups of any size in the Forest, both young and enthusiastic and --oh well--vocal. At the point where the path branches off to the loop, I hesitated, and saw that the first group was headed straight to the dock.  Fine, I thought, and made my way to the branched path. The sun set the hemlock aglow. New fungus appeared along the branch route. These lo