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26-28 April

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  Three fine visits to the Hamilton Wetlands and Forest in three days.   On the 26th I was privileged to join a very knowledgeable, very pleasant biologist.  We enjoyed our explorations, and she spotted some species I'd not noticed before.   There are at least three yew trees in the forest, two of which were new to me. The 27th was the annual Hamilton Marsh open day--exhibitions by several groups supporting biodiversity, and tours led by members of Arrowsmith Naturalists.   The day threatened rain, but remained relatively dry until we had closed up tents and displays.  The school in Hilliers, nearby, had a tent near the Marsh, where the students displayed an assortment of aquatic critters that they'd netted and that they returned to the Marsh at the close of the day. The 26th and 27th were both fine days, but not conducive to photography.  At this season there is a lot to show, so I decided to take a solo walk with my camera on the following day.    The swordfern is evergreen,
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20 April

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  Back in the Forest and Wetlands after two weeks of respiratory bug imposed absence.  Spring has definitely arrived.   The forest is starting to show its flowers.   The first deep pink of salmonberry is always a welcome sight. Skunk cabbage, or more poetically "swamp lantern" has yet to bloom, but is showing energetic growth. Huckleberry bushes show delicate pink blooms. The forest chimed with birdsong, although few were visible.   Spring brings in new mushrooms.   Clusters of mica caps are appearing on fallen deciduous trees. We found one lethal false morel.  Unlike the true morel, this mushroom is deadly poisonous, so much so that even the fumes from heating it can be dangerous. Amazingly, one of our number found these miniscule mushrooms sprouting from an alder cone. Given that the alder cone is smaller than my fingernail, these mushrooms are incredibly tiny.  Beyond the salal, the hardhack along the marsh's fringe is leafing out. Soon it will have deep red spires of
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24 March

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  Setting out this morning in dense fog along the shore, I’d expected limited visibility in the Forest and Wetlands.   To my delight, the fog had cleared inland, illuminating the cat-tail moss festooned on the trees and revealing a gloriously sunny forest. The path shows signs of spring.  Although new growth remains limited, buds and leaves are increasingly evident each week.  This huckleberry is definitely showing vigorous growth. Less lovely (at least to most of us), this slug should still be welcomed as the first of the season. The first salmonberry blossom has appeared. In the wetter patches of the forest, skunk cabbage is sprouting. I chanced to meet the very fine nature photographer, Deb Freeman, on the trail.  She greeted me happily with, "I've got something for you!" and she most certainly did have something wonderful: She had taken several photos of a Virginia rail in the Marsh, an uncommon, elusive, even secretive bird, very infrequently reported in the area.  I
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17 March

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  Gradually, spring is making its way into the Forest and Wetlands.  The frogs were in full voice this morning, celebrating the change of the season.       https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kEgrY6-12eF-hQS9O2krJc-B62u7uAg-/view?usp=sharing     It was, finally, a sunny morning, and the forest is becoming increasingly lush.  Skunk cabbage shoots are just appearing. A variety of mosses are emerging, some of which we hadn't seen before.  We'll hope for identification. We've only seen the moss below in one spot.  It seems uncommon for this area;  it will be worth monitoring its development as well as submitting it to iNaturalist. There were a couple of patches of birds-nest fungus among the mosses. I've observed the branches of this conifer before, thinking it was a western hemlock, but looking for the parent tree or cones to confirm my identification. Today I realised that it is actually an entire young tree, with the central trunk emerging from the fallen tree that is visib
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