How to eat breakfast like a Heron

Gaze into the cupboard or fridge

Remember to check the lower shelves

Lower still!

And....dive and grab!

Selection made!

A quick toss and a gulp....

And off you go, ready to start your day!

Pretty pictures

We've had a couple of weeks of amazing hikes and amazing beach walks. Here's just a taste of some of my favourite photos from the past few days:

A barred owl
Seen on a hike to Christie Falls on Thursday

Breakfast time!
From our beach walk, Sunday

Maggie
On a hike at Stoney Hill Regional Park,  Monday

Enjoy your day!

Low Tide Treasure Hunt

Walking the beach at low tide is like going on a treasure hunt.  I never know what I will see, and I'm fortunate enough to live near beaches where I can walk for miles in relative isolation.

Yesterday's treasure, on the Parksville Beach a couple of blocks from my house, was....Opalescent Squid Eggs!

A heaping dinner plate pile of  Opalescent Squid eggs! 

Squids mate in shallow sandy bays and lay clusters of these finger-like eggs. When the squid mature, they will be almost a foot long, with eight short arms and two long tentacles.  Over time, their colour changes from the translucent white of the eggs to a more mottled brown and gold. (Source:  Pacific Reef and Shore, by Rick Harbo).

Today's treasures, on a beach about ten minutes' drive away,  were multiple - various jellyfish ranging in size from a loonie to a large dinner plate; crabs from the size of a quarter that run all over your barefeet, to ones twice the size of my hand; masses of shellfish - dogwinkles or whelps, I'm not sure which - clinging to the side of a small boulder in a tidal pool;  the beautiful purple ochre seastars; and of course the usual assortment of heron and eagle, gull and oystercatcher. 

Lion's mane jellyfish

Moon jelly - deceased - but note the tiny crab in the centre! 

Crab (I don't know the names of crabs) in a pool with many tiny fish
(I think that's what those little things swimming all around the crab are).

Another type of crab - this one with barnacles on his carapice (upper shell)

Purple Ochre Seastar

Heron

Bald Eagle

Maggie staring at the empty beach! 

Have I mentioned that I love where I live?????

A Walk on the Wild Side

Red Eared Slider Turtle
 A non native turtle introduced to BC by pet stores in the 1960s

One of my favourite local places to spend a few hours is the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in Errington BC.  At the centre, injured or orphaned animals and birds are cared for and rehabilitated before being returned to the wild when possible.  Those that cannot be released are provided life long care in spacious, enriched habitats.  In addition, the centre epitomizes the tranquility and diversity of nature, with wooded nature paths, and ponds surrounded with wildflowers, and even a Magical Field of Stones.

Patrick, a permanent resident Peregrine Falcon
who is subject to seizures. 

Wildflowers along the bank of a pond

Education is also paramount - through wonderfully informative boards that tell you not only about the animals in their care (including why each permanent resident cannot be released) but many other helpful tidbits, like what to do if you find a specific species of baby animals or birds.  Did you know that deer may leave their fawn for as long as 24 hours, or that baby birds often take several days to learn to fly after they have fledged from the nest?  Special events and dedicated educational buildings have also contributed to my understanding of wildlife considerably.

Casey, a young bald eagle.
He fell or was kicked out of the nest and suffered a seriously dislocated wing
which could not be mended.  He is now a permanent resident at NIWRA.

But mostly I go there to relax among nature - both flora and fauna - in a safe environment.  There are lots of places to sit, the paths are level, the volunteers helpful.  When I need an afternoon in nature, but have no one to hike with, that's often where I go. The residents have become old friends now - from Wobbles the Barred Owl, to Casey the young eagle, to Dougal the blind raven, to Knut and Rae the black bears.  I never tire of saying hello, watching them play, reading their stories.

Wobbles, a Barred Owl
He's always the first I visit, and also does public education in summer time, going on
walk-abouts with a volunteer.

Some of the least wild or dangerous animals are among my favourites - the Indian Runner ducks in the Quack Shack habitat, the turkeys, the ducks and geese and turtles at the big open turtle pond.

Indian Runner Duck.
They walk upright like penguins, and the don't waddle, they run!
They are hilarious to watch chasing each other around their large enclosure.

Wild Turkey
Who can resist such a handsome puffed-up male turkey?

Mallard duck

Duck and Canada Goose

Red-eared slider enjoying the sun

Turtle Logjam

Young Western Painted Turtle
showing a lovely carapice (upper shell) and beautiful red spots on legs and trunk.
The lack of a red slash behind the eye easily differentiates this variety from the Red-eared Slider.
This one was only about the size of my palm - the others were at least triple that size. 

More turtles, on a board in the pond, catching some rays.

The small fenced Wildlife Garden, so full of varieties of native plants, also houses a small pond of water plants, on which I saw a small lizard this trip.  He was too fast to photograph, but these beautiful lilies were worth capturing:

After visiting the animals and birds, walking the Nature Path,  and watching the ducks and turtles on the big pond, I spent some time around two ponds that are either new or that I hadn't noticed before - small fountains keeping the water moving, surrounded by banks covered with wildflowers, and nice little sitting areas from which to enjoy it. 

The staff and volunteers have been busy during the Covid shutdown, building new enclosures, improving the grounds, maintaining the habitats, and of course caring for the animals.  It's an organization worth its weight in gold, and one well worth supporting by visiting, buying a membership, and/or donating. 

A puffed-up bird in a smaller bird (that is, not birds of prey) habitat,
keeping an eye on me!

Extension Ridge

Views of the Salish Sea from Extension Ridge

Last week, my friend Sally and I resumed our Monday hikes.  We chose Extension Ridge, in the Nanaimo area, starting at the trailhead to The Abyss on Harewood Mines Rd.   We had hiked the Abyss and a short distance along Extension Ridge once before  but turned back for a number of reasons (lack of time, bad joints, difficulty of trail).  In better shape and with more time this year, we set out in moderate temperatures and mostly sunny skies.

The trail up to The Abyss climbs somewhat steeply over exposed bedrock, alongside a light covering of trees.    We saw this little bird perched above a Covid-19 heart, and took it as a sign that it would be a great hike:

After twenty to thirty minutes, we reached The Abyss - a large, long crack in the ground, supposedly from a long-ago earthquake.  It is 12-16" across, probably 75 - 100 feet long (though if you look closely on the hike up and beyond, you will see evidence of smaller sections), and of unknown depth.  I forgot to take photos this time, but here's a couple from last year:

After a brief stop to catch our breath and gaze down the fissure, we continued on along the Extension Ridge Trail, which is part of the Trans-Canada Trail. It is a lightly treed trail on dirt and exposed bedrock, and with a few exceptions mostly flat, with just a couple of tricky sections for short-legged seniors with weak knees.  Hiking poles and good hiking boots helped!

 And it truly is a ridge - looking to our left we had frequent views of the valley across to Mt Benson, looking to our right we had frequent views of the City of Nanaimo and the Salish Sea.

Looking across to the Salish Sea.
Specifically, the long narrow finger of land is Jack Point, another favourite hike. 

Looking down the hydro line across to Mt Benson (to the right of the photo, I think).

When not gazing at the views, we were admiring the many wildflowers - honeysuckle and Nootka rose, lupins and camas lily, stonecrop, sea blush, wild sweet pea, and more.  Add to that the beautiful reds and yellows of the arbutus trees along the trail, and there was no lack of colour.

Stonecrop

Ground cones.  These look just like pine cones but grow straight out of the ground.
They are a parasitic plant. 

Lupins

The last of the spring's seablush

Beautiful colours and smooth wood of the arbutus tree.
Arbutus is a broadleaf evergreen, prominent along the coastal part of the island,
and sheds its thin bark to reveal the gorgeous colours beneath.

We could hear plenty of birdsong, and were fortunate enough to spot a pair of red-breasted sapsuckers, one of which allowed this paparazzi to capture a shot:

Red-breasted sapsucker.
They drill small holes in trees, often in neat little rows, and then return to eat the sap
(and any insects that have been trapped in the sap)

We saw a bit of dried bear scat, and some possible cougar scrapings low on a tree, the birds and at least a dozen little cyanide millipedes were the only wildlife we saw.

Cyanide Millipede

The cyanide millipede, also known as the yellow-spotted millipede, releases cyanide to ward off predators - it is toxic to them, and eighteen times the amount needed to kill a pigeon should a pigeon choose to eat one.  They do not bite, however, and the cyanide is not sufficient to harm a human, though it can cause skin irritation and even blisters so handling them is not advised.

After a couple of hours of hiking (including stops for photos and admiring the views), we came to the edge of a former clear cut, now greening up again, where we found two convenient chairs made from tree stumps.  And there we had our lunch, gazing out over the city to the sea, where we watched ferries leaving Duke Point, and sailboats taking advantage of the day's light breeze.

After lunch, we continued on - more views, more flowers, more wonderful fresh air and exercise.  We had read of a 'fairy circle' along the route - one is supposed to circle it three times, counter clockwise, for good luck.  We never did figure out exactly where it was, but in consultation with a couple of other hikers we met along the way, we decided it must be a flat area at approximately the highest point of the ridge, and there we did our three counter-clockwise turns.

There were no fairies and no apparent circle here, but we turned around three times just in case
this was the fabled "fairy circle". 

Information on the trail from this point on was a bit vague - some described it as a loop trail, some show just a loop at the end, some show it going right through to Extension Road.  Several mentioned a bench further on, though we never saw it.  Mountain bike trails criss-cross the area, and the signage marking the TransCanada trail disappears, so we set ourselves a time limit and turned around to return the way we came.  We did learn from a couple coming from the other direction that there is an access on Extension Road, so another time we will come in from that way.  As we did a little over 6 miles round trip (just under 10 km), we were probably pretty close to the end when our watches said it was time to head back.

Although we saw a few other hikers and a few mountain bikers, it was a perfect covid-19 hike, with lots of space to step off the trail and everyone we met respectful of distance.   The climb to the Abyss would be slippery when wet and is not stroller friendly (nor great for those with knee issues, though I was fine with two hiking poles and no dog), but is a great outing for most age groups. Watch your small kids and small dogs near the Abyss - some parts are wide enough for them to fall in!