Nothing from this baker’s dozen of July images has had a posting of its own.
A few birds avoid the valleys and prefer the mountains. One of these is the White-crowned Sparrow. Wintering to the south, it breeds here in the summer.
Another mountain bird, at least in the summer, is the Townsend’s Solitaire. Although it eats berries in the valleys during the winter, in the summer it switches to mainly insects.
The solitaire flies off after an insect.
Also seen in the mountains is a male Lazuli Bunting. That may be a female it is chasing.
A Cherry-faced Meadowhawk hunts insects from the ground.
Two fawns frolic in a field.
Another summer resident, the Willow Flycatcher does just that: It hunts bugs, often from a willow.
This Cedar Waxwing looks as if it is going after the seeds of the common tansy.
I was struck by the colour of this large beetle found on the beach.
A Double-crested Cormorant often swims low in the water.
A painted turtle is on a log in a pond, and all are covered in duckweed. Duckweed depletes oxygen in the water and so is hard on fish, yet it is welcomed by turtles, which feast upon it.
I don’t often see a goldfinch for we are near the northern edge of its breeding range.
A Barn Swallow obligingly poses on its nest.
Kokanee Wild
Once a year, I mention a presentation that I will be giving — this is the one for 2019.
Topic: Kokanee Wild
Presenter: Alistair Fraser
Occasion: Science in the Park
When: 7-8 pm, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019
Where: Nature Centre, Kokanee Creek Park
Proposed donation to the Nature Centre: $5
This will be a richly illustrated, observer’s guide to some of the wildness in and around the Park. After an introduction, the audience will pick a few topics to cover from a menu offering many.
The menu: Now, what will be chosen?
Given the vagaries of being able to make only a few choices out of many options, it is likely that any subsequent presentation of Kokanee Wild would be somewhat different.