Hamilton Wetlands and Forest

  A visit to a snowy Hamilton Wetlands and Forest. We had a heavy snowfall last week, and although it wasn't particularly cold, a snowpack remained in the Forest and Wetlands.  Because the landmass was covered with snow, but the air was relatively warm, there was dense fog over the area, more apparent over the marsh. We heard Pacific wrens in the forest, but none were visible.  The mossy forest and the snow were in striking contrast. Most of the land was covered in snow, but streams still flowed. Among the fir trees, gazing upward showed the vitality of the forest.   The "muppet"log, which has looked in need of a haircut (or mosscut?) for some months, had a cap of snow and a little plume of fern in addition to his moss-do.      The warm temperatures have prevented ice from forming.   The path was easy to walk and had been well-traveled despite its covering.   The Marsh, still frozen hard, provided us with unsolved mysterie...

  When I left my home to pay our weekly visit to the Hamilton Wetlands and Forest, the thermometer on my deck read -10 Celsius (15 Fahrenheit).  We had anticipated a chilly visit, and indeed it was.  It was likely to have been even colder than on my deck--the HWF is at a higher elevation and a bit inland, which makes for lower temperatures.  Notwithstanding which, it was a very interesting visit, and a beautiful one. Although snow had fallen the day before, the path into the forest had been sheltered and was clear. Unsurprisingly, the soil was frozen, but we were surprised to see that ice crystals had formed, seemingly beneath the top layer of earth and fallen vegetation. Although both of us have lived in much colder places than Parksville, neither of us had seen this phenomenon before.  The crystals were at times as much as an inch long and appeared along the path quite frequently. At a surmise, temperatures as cold as these are usually accompanied (or preceded...

  A visit to the Forest and Wetlands in the dark season.  I had anticipated that there would be less to see in this time of year, and perhaps there is-spring will tell the tale.   There is, however, vitality in the growth of mosses and fungi that I had not expected.  Nor had I realised how beautiful much of that growth would be.   I've decided to record visits on eBird in hopes of increasing public awareness of the area.  There hasn't been an abundance of birds, but it seems as if tracking changes in the bird population may be of interest. https://ebird.org/checklist/S158377470 is the url for this visit's observations.  At times evergreen sword ferns combine with mossy stumps and trees to yield sculptural effects.   Perhaps  this could make a good St. Patrick's Day card?   No shamrocks, of course, but the harp is nicely presented.   Some stumps host a diversity of growth. (Note the teensy orange mushroom amo...

  A final visit to the Forest and Wetlands for 2023, on a dark morning. The weather remained mild, the wind calm.  There had been high winds and heavy rain recently although there wasn't much apparent damage to the forest. The season continues to abound in mushrooms and other fungi.  These "birds-nest fungi" have an unusual means of proliferating:  As raindrops fall into the cup of the fungus, spores contained in the small nodes within the cup are launched by the impact and are said to fly as far as two metres from the fungus.  For an organism that is about .8mm in size, this is an achievement of sorts.  Polypores have thriven this year.   These red-belted conks have grown throughout the season. Delicate lavender-tinted mushrooms emerged from step moss growing on downed logs. It was a quiet morning, apart from occasional comment from ravens and tree frogs. The marsh, too, was quiet.  The duck population that we've seen in past weeks was ...