Forest Fungi Fun

Or, I suppose I could write the title as, phorest phungi phun, as a way to introduce Phallus impudicus, aka the Stinkhorn, pictured below.

As you know I’m a bird guy, but who could resist this striking, and stinking denizen of our woodlands? I found a whole collection of these “surprising” mushrooms on the Deer Lake forest floor this morning. I just had to share.

And really, I haven’t gone over to the dark side; they are exactly as pictured. No wonder Victorians used to destroy them so as not to offend the delicate sensibilities of young women who might be strolling in the woods on a summer’s morning to be greeted by this spectacular member of the fungi family.

Phallus impudicus

This is the mature mushroom, the business end so to speak. Note the flies feeding on the olive-green slime, or gleba, that coats the cap when it first emerges. The stinkhorn stinks to attract the flies that then pick up the reproductive spores of the fungi on their feet as they feed on the slime. When the flies leave the stinkhorn to forage elsewhere in the forest, they spread the spores for the next generation of fungi.

Once the flies have cleaned up the gleba, the Stinkhorn’s reproductive phase is over, and the fruiting body takes on a decidedly spent appearance. The cap shows its underlying net-like structure on which the one lingering fly here is likely trying to lap up some last shreds of slime.

Spent Stinkhorn no longer standing erect in the forest

Stinkhorns are saprophytes, that is they feed on dead and decaying organic matter, in this case on the forest floor. Although stinky, they are not poisonous, and they often appear in groups as was the case this morning. The earliest part of the reproductive phase is the so-called egg which arises from the underground, invisible part of the fungus called the mycelium. The stalked mushroom with its smelly cap grows rapidly from the “egg” illustrated below.

Stinkhorn “egg” about ready to pop

The Latin name for the fungus, Phallus impudicus, translates to the ‘shameless phallus.’ Oh, those Victorians!

 

Bobcat Close Up

Events can unfold in such surprising ways that make them impossible to ignore, or impossible not to share with others. This past Saturday was one of those events; I had my most memorable encounter yet with one of Deer Lake’s bobcats. I had my camera with me, and managed to take some good photos.

One click on each photo will enlarge the images nicely. Click the back arrow to return to where you were.

Looking right at me.

And an even closer look…

So how come the bobcat was so close? What’s the story here? A good one I think, and one worth retelling. It gives some lessons about our wildlife, and says a lot too about luck, among other things.

So read on if you want the longer story, or just scroll through the pictures. As the bobcat gets closer, the pictures get better.

The south shore of Deer Lake where events unfolded – the willows glowing in the winter sun.

The photo above shows that the weather the day before the encounter was spectacular. At this very spot, I briefly saw a bobcat being mercilessly harassed by crows, crossing the meadow below from right to left. It was a binocular view only, too distant and too fleeting to get pictures.

I’d gone many months without seeing a bobcat in the park; the sighting made my morning walk for me. Hoping for some pictures, I did spend a half hour waiting for the animal to re-emerge from the riparian thicket into which it had disappeared. Even the crows gave up, and I eventually did too.

Next day, the weather was heavy overcast, but I was out on my walk expecting the snow to start again at any moment. Passing the same location as Friday’s sighting, I heard the crows suddenly start up again with some excited mobbing. Surely, this was too good to be true – bobcat sightings on two consecutive days.

But there it was! The bobcat walked out into the field, this time crossing from left to right. Below is a picture hurriedly taken with an animal recognizable, probably a feline.

First sighting.

With crows harassing it, the bobcat takes refuge in a stream side thicket.

At least this photo shows it’s a bobcat – notice the bobbed tail.

The crows were relentless. I couldn’t see the cat, but the crows were showing me where it was and the direction it was travelling. It must be tough on a predator to be continually harassed in this way.

Finally, the bobcat slumped down in the snow, seeming to rest and attempt to get some relief from the crows.

Hiding out

The attempt to hide out was unsuccessful; the crows soon got the cat moving again.

The animal was now travelling upstream along the edge of Third Beach Creek, but needed to cross the water to continue its journey. It definitely gave me the impression here that it didn’t want to wade the creek and seemed quite irritated at the prospect, ears back and flicking its tail.

A brief snarl seemed to confirm its continuing irritation at the stream and the crows

Crossing Third Beach Creek

It soon found a place to cross without getting wet and proceeded upstream, all the while heading in my direction where I was partly hidden by a stream side blackberry thicket.

I was then able to get some closer pictures, but not before it spotted me.

Seen ya

However, the bobcat kept coming up the meadow, taking a somewhat indirect track, angling away from me, but still getting closer all the time.

The two photographs above show some key features of the bobcat. First, the thin ear tassels are unlike those of its close relative the lynx. The lynx has thick ear tufts that stand up prominently. The thick fur ruff around the neck is another feature of the bobcat. Finally, the bobcat shows distinctive white patches behind its ears which show a family connection with the world’s largest wild cat, the tiger. What functions these white patches serve are not known. Although many species of wild cats have them, they are not universal among the wild felines.

Finally, the bobcat needed to cross the trail I was standing on to continue its journey up hill into the forest above. My presence seemed to give it pause. Although I hadn’t advanced from where I was watching, and was slow and careful moving the camera, we were pretty close, only fifteen to twenty meters apart.

He seemed to have second thoughts and turned.

Taking a few steps back into the field, the bobcat paused again, turned one more time and continued on its original course, finally crossing the trail in front of me and disappearing into the hill side forest.

The crows continued their scolding for a while, but then fell silent. The bobcat was out of sight.

A number of things were at play in this fabulous opportunity to observe and photograph this wildcat in our midst.

These wild animals are living in urban environments, and even come into gardens. They see people continually, and although they remain cautious, they are not apt to bolt at the first sight of humans. They have some tolerance of our presence, and are no threat to us.

The trails were quite empty that day; I was the only person on that section of the trail during the whole event described above. I suspect, had there been a lot of walkers, and even dogs on the trail, the bobcat might well have behaved differently.

I made no moves toward the animal, staying put and trying to look non-threatening.

And lastly, I had remembered to bring along my camera! When you get outside, you never know what will turn up. Sometimes you’re just plain lucky.

For my earlier posts featuring Deer Lake’s bobcats check out:

https://burnabybirdguy.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/bobcat/ 

https://burnabybirdguy.wordpress.com/2018/03/25/wild-cat-in-the-city-another-sighting/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Guided Walks – May 6, 12, and 26

Spring is sprung the grass is ris
I wonder where the birdies is.

So goes the two-line opening of that well-known short poem by Anon.

So, where are the birds? Well, they’re arriving in numbers in our parks right now.

I’ll be leading three walks in May at this very birdy time of year. Please sign-up and join me as we explore Deer Lake Park, and Burnaby Mountain’s birdlife.

The first walk is on Sunday, May 6 offered as part of the City’s Rhododendron Festival.

The Bird Walk tour will run from 8:30am-10:30am

Meeting place will be west side of the SHADBOLT Centre.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Deer Lake Park

The other two walks are part of a series of walks I offer for the City of Burnaby’s Exploring Burnaby’s Parks and Natural Areas program:

Dawn Chorus at Deer Lake – Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, 12 May 2018 Webreg Bar Code 461987

This tour is for the early risers. It’s true the early birds catch the worms, and in this case it will be the early birders who catch the chorus. In spring, birds sing most vigorously and loudly early in the day to confirm their territorial claims and attract mates. This tour will focus on listening to our feathered dawn choristers and learn who’s who from their songs.

Note: Early Start 6:00 am, (3 km walk). Meet at the parking lot on Sperling Avenue next to the children’s playground at the east end of the lake. Access is via Sperling Avenue off Canada Way.

American Robin, Burnaby Mountain Park

Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, Spring Songbirds – Saturday, 26 May 2018 Webreg Bar Code 461988

On this tour we’re going to take a bit of a hike. A moderate to good level of fitness is required. We usually explore Burnaby Mountain’s south slope, but this spring we’re going to take a look at the steeper north side’s forests. A loop that takes in Pandora Trail, Nature Trail, and Ridgeview Trail is our goal. We won’t miss out on the spectacular scenic views that the mountain offers, but our focus will be on spring bird migration in the forests.

Note: Early Start 8:00 am. (6 km walk approx with uphill and downhill sections). Meet at the parking area at the top of Centennial Way, below Horizons Restaurant.

Brown-headed Cowbird – Burnaby Lake Regional Park

Exploring Burnaby’s Parks and Natural Areas General Information

Leader: George Clulow (BC Field Ornithologists) aka the Burnaby Bird Guy

Max participants per trip: 15 people

Participants should dress for the weather, and bring a drink and a snack. Trips go rain or shine.

Trips are approximately three hours, from 9:00 to 12:00, except where noted above.

Trips will focus on the wildlife and natural history of the City’s parks and wild areas, with a particular emphasis on Burnaby’s bird life.

Bring binoculars, and bird guides if you have them. The leader will have a spotting scope for the group’s use.

Sage Thrasher at Burnaby Lake

Sage Thrasher? No, it’s not some kind of intemperate gardener, nor an indignant dweller of the Okanagan Valley, but is actually a thrush-like bird that showed up at Piper Spit this past Monday and Tuesday. Way off-course on its migration, it was a surprise, very rare visitor.

So rare in fact that the Sage Thrasher is classed as an endangered species in Canada, breeding in only very small numbers in the South Okanagan, south-eastern Alberta and south-western Saskatchewan. Canada is the northern limit of its range and numbers are very low here: five to 12 pairs in the Okanagan, and from one to 12 birds in the area of Alberta and Saskatchewn, where it also breeds.

An endemic bird of the western deserts of North America, our visitor was quite a way off its usual migration route through these arid sagebrush regions. Arriving in Burnaby, where sagebrush is rarer than hen’s teeth, it didn’t look entirely comfortable among the moss draped branches and wet, dripping trees. Probably carried here by unfavourable weather in the continental interior, it likely had been blown off-course.

I was lucky enough to see the bird on Tuesday morning following a tip from a birder friend of mine who had seen the bird in poor light and through rain on Monday evening. Unsure of the bird’s identity, he thought it might have been a Sage Thrasher. He was correct, and a number of birders, including me, were very grateful for the sighting.

The skittish bird was active early in the morning, but proved difficult to find for many on Tuesday. Despite searches by many more birders on Wednesday morning, it could not be found again.

It seems to have figuratively turned its back on us, and headed for locales where the sagebrush it needs is available.

The Sage Thrasher is the smallest of the several North American thrasher species in the Mimidae family. Its rather drab appearance is made up for by its beautiful song. Unfortunately, our recent visitor was silent, and who can blame it? Rainy Burnaby must have proved to be an unsuitable landing place when, what you’re really looking for, is a desert.

 

 

Wild Cat in the City – Another Sighting

Pedalling along Deer Lake Parkway bike path this morning on one of my frequent bike rides around Deer Lake Park, I heard a raucous “murder” of crows causing a real commotion ahead in the trees just off the roadside. Mobbing an owl? I wondered. Maybe another raptor the birds were taking exception to? Maybe an eagle?

Greeted with a loud chorus of caws, I stopped underneath the tree and looked up at the “lump” that was the centre of all that attention. Looking down at me was a bobcat.

People in cars driving by, people walking along the sidewalk all seemed oblivious to the cat and crow action above them.

And there was Bobby (or Bobbi) the object of all that fury.

Even a couple of Common Ravens chimed-in, adding their gruff cronks to the cacophony.

Raven, Crow and Bobcat

And a few minutes later a Red-tailed Hawk also took a fly-by look at all the action. Despite all the fuss, the bobcat was remarkably relaxed.

So relaxed, in fact, that he/she even took a couple of power naps.

What a beautiful animal!

For more information on our local bobcats check out my earlier post on this Wild Cat in the City.

Exploring Burnaby’s Parks & Natural Areas program continues Saturday, January 13 with a walk to Barnet Marine Park

Winter Wildlife on Burrard Inlet at Barnet Marine Park

Burnaby has limited accessible salt water shoreline, but Barnet Marine Park offers the best we have in the City. Views over Burrard Inlet and its junction with Indian Arm can turn up many surprises in winter from wintering waterfowl, through loons and grebes to eagles, and maybe if we’re lucky, a Marbled Murrelet. The spectacular stands of black cottonwood trees here also harbour many of our wintering songbirds and other forest species. An important historical site in Burnaby, we’ll see what winter has to offer when all the summer crowds have departed.

Meet at the upper west parking lot. Turn immediately left off Takeda Drive after entering the park from Barnet Highway. Do not drive down to the lower part of the park where parking is restricted.

To register for this walk go to: www.burnaby.ca/webreg. Use barcode 461531. There is a nominal fee charged by the City for participation. Registration is required.

The walk will start at 9:00 am and finish at noon, and will cover approx 5 kms on level ground.

Barrow’s Goldeneyes

_________________________

A full schedule of the walks I will be leading is given below. I will post notices and registration information for these walks on this website nearer the dates they take place.

Exploring Burnaby’s Parks and Natural Areas
2017/2018 Fall/Winter program

Leader: George Clulow (BC Field Ornithologists) aka the Burnaby Bird Guy

Max participants per trip: 15 people

Participants should dress for the weather, and bring a drink and a snack. Trips go rain or shine.

Trips are approximately three hours, from 9:00 to 12:00, except where noted below.

Trips will focus on the wildlife and natural history of the City’s parks and wild areas, with a particular emphasis on Burnaby’s bird life.

Bring binoculars, and bird guides if you have them. The leader will have a spotting scope for the group’s use.

 

Winter Wildlife on Burrard Inlet at Barnet Marine Park – Saturday, 13 January 2018

Burnaby has limited accessible salt water shoreline, but Barnet Marine Park offers the best we have in the City. Views over Burrard Inlet and its junction with Indian Arm can turn up many surprises in winter from wintering waterfowl, through loons and grebes to eagles, and maybe if we’re lucky, a Marbled Murrelet. The spectacular stands of black cottonwood trees here also harbour many of our wintering songbirds and other forest species. An important historical site in Burnaby, we’ll see what winter has to offer when all the summer crowds have departed.
Expect to walk around 5km total. Meet at the upper west parking lot. Turn immediately left off Takeda Drive after entering the park from Barnet Highway. Do not drive down to the lower part of the park where parking is restricted.

Early Spring at Deer Lake Park – Saturday, 24 March 2018

One of the jewels in the crown of Burnaby’s Parks, Deer Lake has a wide variety of habitats that harbour an impressive array of birds and animals. This tour will circle the lake and the west meadows to see the signs of spring. Our Great Blue Herons should be actively nest-building in the heronry, and we’ll observe their antics. In the fields and forests we will look and listen for songbirds. Some early migrants may have arrived, and most of our wintering and resident songbirds will be getting active for spring’s arrival. Waterfowl will still be numerous on the lake.

(5 km walk approx). Meet in the parking lot at the west side of Burnaby Art Gallery (Ceperley House), 6344 Deer Lake Avenue, opposite the RCMP station. This is the old mansion west of the Shadbolt Centre.

Dawn Chorus at Deer Lake – Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, 12 May 2018 Webreg Bar Code 461987

This tour is for the early risers. While it’s true the early birds catch the worms, and in this case it will be the early birders who catch the chorus. In spring, birds sing most vigorously and loudly early in the day to confirm their territorial claims and attract mates. This tour will focus on listening to our feathered dawn choristers and learn who’s who from their songs.

Note: Early Start 6:00 am, (3 km walk). Meet at the parking lot on Sperling Avenue next to the children’s playground at the east end of the lake. Access is via Sperling Avenue off Canada Way.

Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, Spring Songbirds – Saturday, 26 May 2018
Webreg Bar Code 461988

On this tour we’re going to take a bit of a hike. A moderate to good level of fitness is required. We usually explore Burnaby Mountain’s south slope, but this spring were going to take a look at the steeper north side’s forests. A loop that takes in Pandora Trail, Nature Trail, and Ridgeview Trail is our goal. We won’t miss out on the spectacular scenic views that the mountain offers, but our focus will be on spring bird migration in the forests.

Note: Early Start 8:00 am. (6 km walk approx with uphill and downhill sections). Meet at the parking area at the top of Centennial Way, below Horizons Restaurant.

Guided Bird and Nature Walk Fraser Foreshore Park. Sunday, 19 November 2017

You are invited to join me for a morning’s exploration of this very interesting part of Burnaby. We’ll walk the Fraser River shoreline, the surrounding forests, and also the nearby active farmland in Burnaby’s Big Bend – a rare landscape in Burnaby today.

Song Sparrow – Burnaby Fraser Foreshore. A common resident, breeding bird of forests and farmland.

We’ll compare the birdlife of farmland and parkland to see the values that each offer for our wintering birds and migrating birds. Which ones have arrived for the winter season and which ones have likely bred here this past spring and summer, and which ones may be just here on their way south.

Hermit Thrush, Burnaby Fraser Foreshore. A winter visitor to our local lowland forests.

The walk is one of a series I offer for the City of Burnaby’s Exploring Burnaby’s Parks and Natural Areas program.

To register for this walk go to: www.burnaby.ca/webreg. Use barcode 461527. There is a nominal fee charged by the City for participation. Registration is required.

The walk will start at 9:00 am and finish at noon, and will cover approx 4 kms on level ground.

Meet at the parking area for Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Pak at the south foot of Byrne Road. 7751 Fraser Park Drive – @ Byrne Road.

Participants should dress for the weather, and bring a drink and a snack. Trips go rain or shine.

 

A full schedule of the walks I will be leading is given below. I will post notices and registration information for these walks on this website nearer the dates they take place.

 

Exploring Burnaby’s Parks and Natural Areas
2017/2018 Fall/Winter program

Leader: George Clulow (BC Field Ornithologists) aka the Burnaby Bird Guy

Max participants per trip: 15 people

Participants should dress for the weather, and bring a drink and a snack. Trips go rain or shine.

Trips are approximately three hours, from 9:00 to 12:00, except where noted below.

Trips will focus on the wildlife and natural history of the City’s parks and wild areas, with a particular emphasis on Burnaby’s bird life.

Bring binoculars, and bird guides if you have them. The leader will have a spotting scope for the group’s use.

Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park – Sunday, 19 November 2017

This walk will take a somewhat different focus from the previous ones George has led here. Of course, we’ll still explore the Fraser River and its surrounding forests, but we’ll extend our walk just a couple of blocks away from the river into the nearby farmland. The change of habitats will allow us to observe which species of birds and animals use Burnaby’s small amount of remaining, active farmland in the Big Bend area. What value does this rare landscape in Burnaby have for our wildlife, and how does it complement what’s available in the nearby designated park. Which birds have arrived for the winter season, which ones are staying put after breeding here, and which ones are lingering before the colder weather moves them on?
(4km walk approx) Meet at the parking area at the south foot of Byrne Road. 7751 Fraser Park Drive (@ Byrne Road).

Winter Wildlife on Burrard Inlet at Barnet Marine Park – Saturday, 13 January 2018

Burnaby has limited accessible salt water shoreline, but Barnet Marine Park offers the best we have in the City. Views over Burrard Inlet and its junction with Indian Arm can turn up many surprises in winter from wintering waterfowl, through loons and grebes to eagles, and maybe if we’re lucky, a Marbled Murrelet. The spectacular stands of black cottonwood trees here also harbour many of our wintering songbirds and other forest species. An important historical site in Burnaby, we’ll see what winter has to offer when all the summer crowds have departed.
Expect to walk around 5km total. Meet at the upper west parking lot. Turn immediately left off Takeda Drive after entering the park from Barnet Highway. Do not drive down to the lower part of the park where parking is restricted.

Early Spring at Deer Lake Park – Saturday, 24 March 2018

One of the jewels in the crown of Burnaby’s Parks, Deer Lake has a wide variety of habitats that harbour an impressive array of birds and animals. This tour will circle the lake and the west meadows to see the signs of spring. Our Great Blue Herons should be actively nest-building in the heronry, and we’ll observe their antics. In the fields and forests we will look and listen for songbirds. Some early migrants may have arrived, and most of our wintering and resident songbirds will be getting active for spring’s arrival. Waterfowl will still be numerous on the lake.

(5 km walk approx). Meet in the parking lot at the west side of Burnaby Art Gallery (Ceperley House), 6344 Deer Lake Avenue, opposite the RCMP station. This is the old mansion west of the Shadbolt Centre.

Dawn Chorus at Deer Lake – Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, 12 May 2018

This tour is for the early risers. While it’s true the early birds catch the worms, and in this case it will be the early birders who catch the chorus. In spring, birds sing most vigorously and loudly early in the day to confirm their territorial claims and attract mates. This tour will focus on listening to our feathered dawn choristers and learn who’s who from their songs.

Note: Early Start 6:00 am, (3 km walk). Meet at the parking lot on Sperling Avenue next to the children’s playground at the east end of the lake. Access is via Sperling Avenue off Canada Way.

Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, Spring Songbirds – Saturday, 26 May 2018

On this tour we’re going to take a bit of a hike. A moderate to good level of fitness is required. We usually explore Burnaby Mountain’s south slope, but this spring were going to take a look at the steeper north side’s forests. A loop that takes in Pandora Trail, Nature Trail, and Ridgeview Trail is our goal. We won’t miss out on the spectacular scenic views that the mountain offers, but our focus will be on spring bird migration in the forests.

Note: Early Start 8:00 am. (6 km walk approx with uphill and downhill sections). Meet at the parking area at the top of Centennial Way, below Horizons Restaurant.

The lady, the bear, and the elephant

The what? An elephant in Burnaby’s parks – a wild one? Has the circus come to town and there’s been escapees? And how come it’s not in the news? Well, read on to find out. I have an interesting miscellany of sightings made during August and September to report. And they’re all true!

The Lady

Let’s take a look at the lady first. In this case it’s a beautiful one: the painted lady butterfly.

Painted lady butterfly nectaring on black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) in my yard

Painted ladies are summer migrants to British Columbia from the arid regions of the southwestern US. The first migrants arrive here in spring, lay their eggs and produce a second generation of adults, of which this beautiful specimen is certainly one.

These second generation adults, unlike monarch butterflies, do not return south to the country of their ancestors. Most just hang on here, to finally die when the colder weather arrives. However, some do occasionally hibernate and make it through our winter as adult butterflies, to reappear the following spring. So this one does have some chance at a very long life for a butterfly.

Click on the image for a closer look

Look at the opalescent eye, and at the proboscis coming from the head to suck nectar from the black-eyed Susan.

Even the underwing view of the butterfly presents a treat for the eyes. The mix of pink/orange, the various shades of brown and tans, and the blue-centred eyespots on the hindwing all add to the powerful effect of this little beauty.

The Bear

And now for the bear. There have been sightings in the cul-de-sac where I live, which backs on to Deer Lake Park, but I missed bruin’s visit. A number of the walkers I meet in the park have asked: “Have you seen the bear?” “No”, I reply. It seems I’ve missed bruin in the park too.

Finally, I got talking to regular park walker John Gerbrandt this week. “Seen the bear?” he asked. Quick on the uptake, I replied, “Have you?” “Yup,” he said, “just down around the corner on this trail we’re on now.” Bruin missed again, and right on my regular route around the park too!

“Get a photo?” “Yes,” says John “with my cell phone.” Deer Lake’s bruin finally sighted, albeit second hand via John’s photo. As I said earlier, it’s all true, and here’s the photo to prove it.

Black bear on Deer Lake trail. Photo: John Gerbrandt

I don’t know if the bear is still in the park, but by all accounts it’s not aggressive. Likely in the park to feed on blackberries, which are now coming to the end of their season, it may have moved on looking for food elsewhere. However, if you do have an encounter, the animal shouldn’t be approached; just back off slowly, and take another route, or wait for the animal to move on. Bears may look cuddly, but they are powerful animals and somewhat unpredictable. Utmost caution is called for.

In one of those surprising coincidences that happen sometimes, I hadn’t quite finished writing this post when I had a live bear encounter of my very own today (Sept 16) at Burnaby Lake.

On the sports fields at the west end of the park, with all the excitement of the weekend’s sports activities going on busily and loudly, this bear was spotted sauntering along the east side of the field along the trail that parallels Still Creek before it empties into the lake. It too did not appear aggressive, nor afraid of the athletes at play nearby.

Black bear, Burnaby Lake Regional Park

The Elephant

And now for what I expect many readers have been waiting for – the elephant. Well, actually this elephant is a lot smaller than the pachyderm variety; it’s the enormous caterpillar of the elephant hawk-moth. At about 7.5 centimetres (3 inches) in length and about 1 cm in diameter, this guy is truly elephantine for a caterpillar. The moth’s name, however, is not due to its size, but due another feature of the caterpillar.

The front or head end of the caterpillar has a trunk-like snout that to some looks like an elephant trunk. You can see it partially protruding in the photograph below. It’s the extendable part that includes the head, beyond the four false eye spots.

Besides the partially protruding “trunk”, note the horn on the tail.

 

Here, the “trunk” is withdrawn into the head-end segment of the caterpillar’s body to make it look snake-like.

And what about those striking false eyes? With the trunk withdrawn, as shown above, the animal resembles a snake with a large head and four large eyes. A caterpillar this size would be a prized food item for a bird or other predator. However, these potential predators are frightened away by the caterpillar looking like a snake displaying those dramatic eyes.

As I write, the caterpillar has now almost certainly burrowed into the soil to pupate below the fuchsia on which it was feeding. It will spend the winter as a pupa, and with luck next July the spectacular adult hawk-moth will emerge to be appreciated for its beauty.

Elephant hawk-moth adult. Photo: jean pierre Hamon. Licensed under creative commons

This beautiful animal is, however, not native to North America but to Europe and parts of Asia. Not considered a pest, it was apparently introduced into British Columbia in the 1990’s, and seems to be well established in and around Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Lucky us.

 

 

 

Purple Martins – First Confirmed Nesting in Burnaby

Back in September 2012 I wrote a blog post here on the pre-migration gathering of Purple Martins at Deer Lake Park.

In Martins Departin’? the birds involved in the “… noisy, energetic, and exuberant convocation in the tree tops along the boardwalk”  were almost certainly from the colonies at Maplewood Flats, North Vancouver, and at Rock Point, Port Moody. There were no breeding locations in Burnaby at that time.

Adult female and immature Purple Martins, August, 2012.

But now, almost five years later, I’m delighted to report that Purple Martins are actually breeding here in Burnaby, down at Burnaby Lake on the pilings at the west end of the rowing course. Not only is this a first modern-day record for the City (they likely did breed here historically), but there’s a special bonus involved here too.

The spectacular, province-wide recovery of Purple Martins, described in the earlier post, has been almost entirely due to the use of nestboxes erected by many dedicated volunteers here on the Mainland, and on Vancouver Island. Nearly all these locations have been over salt water, usually on wooden docks and pilings.

For some years now there has been great anticipation that, with the expanding population, martins will nest again over freshwater locations, which they historically did. Bingo! Burnaby Lake is freshwater, and the nesting here is one of only four very recent locations where nesting around freshwater has been confirmed – the others being in the mid-Fraser Valley.

How do we know they are nesting at Burnaby Lake? Well, head down to the Rowing Pavilion and take a look for yourself. With a little patience, every 10 to 15 minutes you’ll see the martins entering the upper-right nestbox on the fourth piling from the left. If all the numbers on the box were were readable, it would be 06 – 24. See the picture below.

Adult male Purple Martin exiting the occupied nestbox

A brief aside: this post is notable for its poor pictures. Unfortunately, the birds are distant, fast moving, and adding an additional murky quality today, was the smoke-filled air. Earlier pictures like the above are a little brighter. Today’s are, well, foggier.

Take your binoculars, and you’ll notice the returning adults are carrying food (mainly dragonflies and other large flying insects) into the nest. Try clicking once on the picture below for a larger view. Look carefully at the bird’s bill to see it’s stuffed with insects.

Male Purple Martin about to enter nestbox with food

Carrying food into the nest is one thing, but are there actually young birds inside? We can’t see them after all. However, a higher level of certainty is provided by the picture below. Here you can see the female departing the nest which a large white blob in her bill which she will very quickly drop into the lake. Like many birds, young Purple Martins’ poop is contained in a white mucous membrane “bag” which enables parents to keep the nest clean.

Female Purple Martin carrying fecal sac from nestbox confirming “someone” pooped inside.

Parents carrying out the fecal sacs suggests the youngsters are older than 8 days. After about 13 to 14 days, the young will defecate at the entrance to the nestbox from where parents carry off the fecal sac. I saw no evidence of fecal sacs at the nestbox entrance during my two visits. I estimate from these observations that the young are between about 10 and 14 days old.

Natural Hazards

After about 28 days the young should be ready to fledge i.e. take their first flight – always a risky time for all young birds as they learn the skills of flying and maneuvering, catching prey and avoiding predators.

An added hazard for these young martins is that there is at least one, and probably a pair of Merlins in the area, probably nesting too. I have seen one on both my visits. The parent martins are very vigilant however. Along with the Barn Swallows, which are quite numerous here, they instantly go into attack mode, calling loudly, and vigorously diving and swooping at the Merlin to drive it out of the area. The male seems to be more aggressive than the female in these interactions.

Distant shot of Merlin. The bird was aggressively chased from this perch by the adult male Purple Martin soon after this photo was taken.

However, Merlins, small falcons, are for their size, powerful bird predators. Often making their captures in mid-air after a high speed chase, they could be a significant threat to an inexperienced young martin taking one of its first flights.

A Long History Finally Rewarded

Joe Sadowski, a founding member of the Burnaby Lake Park Association, trail builder, and nestbox constructor extraordinaire, has been waiting 20 years, he tells me, for the Purple Martins to nest in the nestboxes he was instrumental in putting up at the lake. Along with the Park Association, Roy Teo, and Kiyoshi Takahashi have been monitoring these nest boxes and other Purple Martin nesting colonies for many years.

It’s a credit to all their hard work that we finally have these largest North American Swallows nesting in our midst. Rewarded indeed.

 

Kestrels Breeding in Burnaby

This past Sunday (July 16), following my own advice to “… get out there and take a look”, I was cycling east along North Fraser Way in Burnaby’s Big Bend area when an interesting bird silhouette caught my eye.

Kestrel silhouetted on a dead snag in the Big Bend area

Grabbing my bins from the bike pannier to get a better look, I was soon able to resolve the dark shape into that of a Kestrel. A “good” bird anywhere in the Lower Mainland, and a real and unexpected treat to see in Burnaby.

Grabbing my camera, I started a slow walk along Abbotsford Street toward the perched bird hoping for some good pictures, or at least a record shot of this Burnaby rarity, when I noticed a second Kestrel, this one sitting low down but half hidden in a thicket next to the tree in which the the first bird was perched. Two Kestrels! Wow!

Juvenile American Kestrel

Juvenile Kestrels are difficult to visually tell apart from their adult parents; however, this guy (yes, it’s a male), was making the occasional begging call, and when the adult male swooped down into the grassy road edge to catch some prey, and then flew up with it, junior was in hot pursuit for a meal.

So this was a recently fledged bird, which virtually guarantees it was hatched right here in the Big Bend area. In the 1 to 2 weeks immediately post-fledging, the young birds solicit food from their parents. After this period they cease begging as they become adept at capturing prey independently. So this young guy left the nest and took his first flights within the previous 2 weeks, and as a young, relatively weak flyer would not have travelled into the area from outside. It was Burnaby born and raised. Yay!

The Kestrel diet is primarily insects, especially grasshoppers, beetles, and dragonflies, and small rodents, especially voles and mice. All of the these prey items would be available in the area. The farming here is predominantly mixed vegetables, with some large areas of cranberry bogs to the north. The field edges are nicely unkempt, scruffy, and weedy providing lots of just the kinds of foods Kestrels need. Farming and wildlife can happily co-exist if the farming isn’t too industrialized and intensive.

Fields of vegetables with good Kestrel foraging habitat along its weedy edges in Burnaby’s Big Bend.

 

Fallow field of rough grass meadow full of insects, and small rodents – Kestrel food

I don’t know how much pesticide use there is on these farms, but the insect life was abundant when I visited. Perhaps this is a sign it is minimal, which is not only good for our health, but also that of the insect-eating Kestrels and other birds. Along the Byrne Road side of the area, the organic farm that was Urban Digs is now getting going again under new stewardship and name – Seed of Life Farm. No pesticide use there for sure. Another positive for the Kestrels.

So where would the nest itself likely have been? Kestrels are cavity nesters, using woodpecker-excavated and natural cavities in larger trees which are surrounded by large open areas for hunting food. We’ve got the open patches in Big Bend, but not so much the larger trees in the immediate area where I saw the birds.  However, there are many large black cottonwoods surrounding the fields, and Kestrels are known to use buildings too for nesting. A number of the old farm buildings in the area looked quite suitable to me.

Vegetable fields surrounded by the old farm buildings which may have provided a suitable Kestrel nest site

Both male and female Kestrels feed the young except for a short period after first hatching when the male provisions the female and the chicks on the nest. After 7-10 days both parents feed the young and this continues through the post-hatching period.

Breaking News (July18)

Went down to Big Bend again this morning to check up on the progress of the Kestrels. Despite the fact that somehow I had put a mostly un-charged battery in my camera and as a result missed all sorts of photo opportunities, it was a wonderful morning. The news is getting better.

There were at least 4 kestrels there this morning. Two adults, a male and female, and two juveniles, a male and female. Likely this represents the whole family, but given the birds were very active hunting and begging, I could have missed more family members. The young are still being fed by the parents, but are taking up perches and stances showing they are making the transition to feeding on their own. No more perching low down and tucked in like the juvenile I first observed Sunday.

The accepted common name for this species is American Kestrel. These ones, of course, are “Canadian” born and raised. In fact, I think we can safely claim this family group as “Burnaby” Kestrels.

Adult male “Burnaby” American Kestrel

If you head down to N Fraser Way and Abbotsford St. to see the happenings for yourself, please respect the farmland and private property, and stay on the roads. This area is not a public park.