I visited Hastings Park today for the first time in over a month, due to a combination of travel on my part and the annual PNE on the park's part. Workers were busy de-constructing the booths, stages and displays. To my mild surprise, a Green Heron was at the usual perch across from the fishing dock. Green Herons appear to be more tolerant of human presence than I had originally thought. A couple of Wilson's Warblers and a couple of immature or female Common Yellowthroats were present. A group of ten or so Bushtits contained a couple of short-tailed individuals that may have been fledglings only a short time ago. Few other birds of note were seen.
The ponds continued to be nearly covered with a film of duckweed. Only a area of perhaps 20 metres in diametre surrounding the aerator at the north end of the pond remained open.
 |
| Upper pond |
A few blossoms of fireweed and an even fewer blossoms of Wapato or Duck Potato remained. One of two of what I first thought were bees were visiting the small number of persisting Snowberry flowers, most of them having matured into the white berries from which the members of the Symphoricarpos genus get their common name. Further research leads me to believe that what I was seeing were Bald-faced Hornets.
 |
| Wapato |
 |
| Snowberry fruit, blossoms and Bald-faced Hornet |
Other ripening fruits were seen on Red Hawthorn, Mountain Ash, Blue Elderberry and Pacific Crab-apple trees.
 |
| Red Hawthorn |
 |
| Mountain Ash |
 |
| Blue Elderberry |
 |
| Pacific Crab-apple |
Leaves on a variety of trees were changing colours and even falling. The season was changing, with no doubt. Bring on September.
No comments:
Post a Comment