19 August

 Summer keeps its hold on the Forest and Wetlands, and indeed everywhere else. That said, there were more birds in evidence in our weekly visit than in previous weeks;  more about that to follow. 

The light may have had a touch of the widespread haze from forest fires throughout the province.  Things did seem to have a slight reddish tinge.

 

I only learned recently that the forest was burnt when it was logged back in the 1920s.  Having learned that, I now notice that the stumps remaining from that clearcut all show signs of fire, unlike the more recent growth.

A century later the diversity and resilience of the forest is evident even on a burnt stump, host to moss, dust lichen, and a young huckleberry.

 

 

Sometimes the fallen trees take on a sculptural quality.

Apparently a very popular food stump among the woodpeckers has shrunk visibly in the past months.

For contrast, the first photo was taken this May.

And the second one (same stump)  mid-August.

Some of the trees are showing a varied growth of mosses, in addition to the feed holes drilled by woodpeckers.

Nest holes continue to be under construction.

The water level in the marsh continues to sink.

Although there is still open water, the amount of exposed mud and peat increases.

Dragonflies were abundant, including this white-faced meadowhawk.  It sat on my arm for some time while my walking partner said repeatedly, "HOLD STILL!  DON'T MOVE!!!"  Finally I understood what the situation was, and she managed quite a good photo (apart from the background...).  

Two birds, visible in the distance, were flying low over the marsh, hunting the dragonflies.  Asking a lot of my zoom lens, I managed this shot, which makes it clear that we were watching a pair of merlins.

It's not a great photo, but the wing shape, striped tail, and behaviour make the species pretty plain.

A second dragonfly hunter was easier to photograph.  This juvenile song sparrow captured a blue skimmer, but seemed uncertain about what to do with it.

Eventually he gave up, took a drink of water (dragonflies must be a bit scratchy to swallow), and posed nicely on a nearby branch.

Despite haze, Mt. Arrowsmith was clearly visible.

It seems as if the butterfly season may be nearing its end, but this common wood nymph sat and absorbed the sunlight.

We made our way back from the dock.  As always, the forest's vitality, even in a time of drought, remains a wonder.