Great weather for ducks

Island Wild for Fri. January 29, 2010

The male Green-winged Teal sports a cinnamon-coloured head with a shimmering emerald ear patch. Photo Jim Dubois.
It’s been a long, wet winter, and a common greeting on the streets these days is: “Great weather for ducks, eh?” In truth, it’s an accurate assessment. This time of year, the waterfront is flooded with about 40 different species of waterfowl and shorebirds ... just waiting to be discovered.
So many birds make our local offshore waters their winter home that it’s a virtual smorgasbord of wet feathered delights. February’s increase in daylight makes any rainless day a great time to grab binoculars and head down to the shore.
Gulls are challenging, with at least eight different species, leaving ducks as the easiest waterfowl to learn. Mallards win the trophy as the area’s most common dabbling duck, easily seen on any river, pond or shore. The male’s iridescent green head and chestnut breast are unique, while females are a drab brown – like most female ducks.
Three species of teal may be found locally on occasion, but normally, only the Green-winged is common here in winter. These smallest of the puddle ducks, 38-41 cm (15-16 in.) bring stunning colour to our grey winter waters. The male Green-winged Teal sports a cinnamon-coloured head with a shimmering emerald ear patch, along with a green ‘speculum’ (trailing edge of secondary feathers). A grand total of 48 Green-winged Teal were counted during Campbell River’s 2009 Christmas Bird Count.
Another duck worth knowing is the elegant, long-necked Northern Pintail. Almost twice as large as a teal, the pintail grows to about 66 cm (26 in). A winter visitor, the Northern Pintail features a pointed, pin-like tail (thus the name). The male’s chestnut-coloured head features a bold white line extending up from the white neck.
Day after day, rain or shine, cormorants stand their ground on offshore boulders, dive for small fish, or hitch a ride on floating logs. Identification is challenging, as slight size and colour variations exist between three West Coast cormorant species (Pelagic, Brandt’s and Double-crested). These large, dark seabirds often stand upright, holding their wings out to dry; cormorants lack the waterproofing found in most seabirds.
Other common waterfowl in local waters include shoveler, gadwall, wigeon, the colourful harlequin, little bufflehead and merganser. Scaup and scoters usually swim a bit further offshore. Oystercatchers can occasionally be seen at Rotary Park.

Indian Plum a late winter bloomer

Island Wild Jan. 22, 2010

Indian Plum (Osoberry) is among the first wild plants to leaf out and flower in early springtime. Photo Christine Scott.

"Plum blossoms soften a stone wall, and give warmth to the moon." (Tony Black Feather, 1934-2004).

Nothing says spring like the first wild blooms on our native plants. Although the familiar hot-pink Salmonberry is well-known to Pacific Northwest residents, another early indigenous fruit shrub recently caught my attention.

Indian Plum (Osoberry) is among the first wild plants to leaf out and flower in early springtime, and it’s a beauty, both in floral delight and for its multi-coloured, edible little plums. Delicate white bell-shaped flowers with five little petals hang in pendant clusters from reddish-brown branches bearing long pale-green leaves with a cucumber scent.

Oemleria cerasiformis, a shrub native to the Pacific coast, grows on Vancouver Island; it’s known to grow naturally as far north as Comox but was once successfully transplanted at Sayward. Gardeners would do well to find and cultivate this wild shrub, which attains a height of 1.5 to 5 metres.

Indian Plum is already leafing out on the Lower Mainland, with blossoms rushing out almost before the leaves. How precious those first fresh greens must have been to First Nations groups, who ate the cucumber-flavoured leaves, the ripe fruit, and tea made of the bark.

One to five little plums – about 1 cm long – grow per cluster. Ever resourceful, aboriginal peoples also dried the fruit for winter use, although a taste-test last summer revealed it to be slightly bitter – but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a little honey.

Bees and hummingbirds relish Indian Plum’s early nectar, and birds ravenously attack the fruit. For people, however, it’s only safe to eat in small quantities; indeed, only a thin layer of flesh is available, along with one large pit.

A member of the Rosaceae family, this deciduous shrub does a triple-header, offering blooms in late winter, tiny plums in summer and early yellow leaves by mid-summer.

Indian Plum – a perennial – grows in moist, humus-rich soil in part-shade, from ripe seeds or greenwood cuttings, and suckers may be transplanted in the dormant season. The flowers are ‘dioecious’ (individual plants are either male or female, so both are needed for pollination.

This is one shrub well worth seeking out at a native plant nursery for backyard wildlife habitat or native plant restoration purposes.

Forests present a winter cone-undrum

Island Wild for Fri. Jan. 15, 2010

Western Redcedar cones resemble a small wooden flower. Photo Karalyn Hubbard.

Winter woodlands are chock-full of cones, but not the creamy summertime treats. Forest cones –dry, scaly, and brown – (botanically referred to as strobili, single strobilus) are organs on conifer plants containing the reproductive structures.

Cone-bearing trees developed on earth about 300 million years ago, making conifers some of the most successful plants in the world. A conifer is a category of evergreen tree with needle-like leaves (Sitka spruce, pines, firs, hemlocks) or scale-like leaves (cedar and juniper).

The term “pinecone” is often used to describe any species of cone, but it’s more accurate to include the tree’s name (spruce cone, Douglas-fir cone, cedar cone, hemlock cone, etc.).

Conifer trees bear both male and female cones – usually on the same plant. The more recognizable woody cones (females) produce seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, look very different and may be difficult to see. Always the clever one, Mother Nature positioned the female cones on the higher branches, a configuration thought to improve chances of cross-fertilization.

Although cones may be brown, dry and common, they are far from boring. Complex factors lead to remarkable variations in size, shape, and colour. Cones can be tiny or huge, and cylindrical, egg- or cone-shaped. Together with needles and bark, cones help identify different conifer tree species.

The term ‘scale’ doesn’t usually conjure up images of pine cones, but all conifer cones have scales. Many species have overlapping scales (individual plates) spirally-arranged in one of nature’s most beautiful configurations. Some cones close their scales when wet and open when dry, over and over again, a mechanism that assures seed dispersal by wind in dry weather.

Children love to collect pine cones – and the more different species they can find, the better. Cones are not perishable, so they can decorate a child’s shelf forever, and when the novelty of the cone wanes, they can be tossed to the backyard birds.

You don’t have to be a conehead to appreciate cones, and cone-hunts should be on the agenda for all winter family outings. Mid-winter is a great time for a woodland walk in search of cones, and it’s not difficult to find half a dozen different kinds on most nature trails.

Photo source: http://karalynhubbardphotography.blogspot.com.

New Year’s facelift underway for Oyster River trail

Island Wild for Fri. Jan. 8, 2010

Vancouver Island’s only native squirrel, the Red Squirrel must increasingly compete with the imported Gray Squirrel.

Some nature parks lose their lustre in the coldest months, with deciduous trees bereft of foliage, wildflowers absent, and many woodland critters snoozing in their dens.
One noteworthy exception is Oyster River Nature Park, one of the area’s premiere winter destinations, where trees reach up to touch the sky. A bevy of animals including Red Squirrels, Coastal Black-tailed Deer and Little Brown Bats make this forest their home.
This dense five hectare (12 acre) wedge of old- and second-growth forest nestles between the Oyster River (near its estuary), the Strait of Georgia and the former UBC farmlands. One of the area’s most charming sandy beaches is located just a short stroll from the park trailhead.
Major changes are underway for the popular park, located midway between Campbell River and Courtenay. Better trailhead signage, more interpretive information and new cedar fencing will all enhance visitor enjoyment of the park, which already attracts about a hundred users daily, says Peter Woods, Parks Coordinator, Strathcona Regional District.
“These trails are suitable for all demographics,” says Woods, noting that families, joggers, seniors and dog-walkers all seem to enjoy Oyster River park.
One improvement already in place is a new wooden footbridge over the old channel – an amenity that turned a popular pathway into a loop trail – always a desirable option for users. The park’s woodland, heavily logged 60-70 years ago, still boasts impressive specimens of old-growth Douglas-fir and Bigleaf Maple.

Photo buffs will find dozens of winter nature subjects alongside the four major trails within this park. Mosses and lichens become shining delights when no leaves mask their beauty; rows of pores on coppery cherry bark resemble amber jewels; Rattlesnake Plantain orchid leaves look vivid in striped white and green.
A daytime nature walk may include a peek at the wild Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) – the only squirrel native to Vancouver Island. These shy charmers are active by day, even in cold weather, foraging primarily on seeds and cones.
The smaller ‘Red’ averaging 230 grams, must now expend energy to defend its territory against the Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) – an introduced species twice its size – which continues a troubling northward expansion on Vancouver Island. The Red Squirrel is protected as a furbearer under the BC Wildlife Act (Yellow-listed).
Oyster River Nature Park falls within the jurisdiction of Strathcona Regional District, maintained under the stewardship of Oyster River Enhancement Society.
Check out the improvements at Oyster River Nature Park. From the Old Island Highway, take Regent Road east to the parking area, located across from the Glenmore Road intersection.