Brett's Bestiary

17/06/2026

Safely tucked away from the light of day yet betrayed by a roving flock of songbirds, this Barred Owl was roused from its slumber for a moment by the incessant commotion of nervous chickadees and kinglets.





BC Bird Trail

11/06/2026

04/06/2026

Adrift in a sea of lupines, a Savannah Sparrow sings its spring song into the countryside. A meadow like this can support hundreds of sparrows through the spring and summer as they comb through the dense undergrowth of flowers in search of insects for their nestlings. As the season carries onward and flowers turn to seed, the sparrows diet shifts to match. Not only do these fat-rich meals give sparrows the energy they need for their migration, they also spread forth future lupines as birds leave their droppings across the landscape.

29/05/2026

Alabaster wings carry the fragile frame of the Pale Swallowtail far and wide as the fair spring breeze ushers these butterflies from blackberry patches to flowered meadows.

28/05/2026

Waiting patiently to reap the rewards of the red tide, a Turkey Vulture stands sentinel over the shoreline of Salt Spring Island. An exceptionally warm spring has caused a series of toxic algal blooms across the Gulf islands of British Columbia, washing up freshly dead sea life with every rise and fall of the tides. Creatures killed by this red tide carry the toxicity of the algae within their flesh, making them a wasted meal to all but the Turkey Vulture. Evolution has given these remarkable birds the ability to sustain themselves on rotting and putrid flesh, even flesh tainted by red tide. What seems like a blighted wasteland to many is a banquet hall to these farriers of the dead, ever eager to usher the souls of nature's lost to the great beyond.




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23/05/2026

Hidden deep within the sheltered recesses of the undergrowth, an Orange-Crowned Warbler hops into view. These small songbirds spend much of their spring and summer foraging for insects across North America as they lay claim to their breeding territory and raise their young. With the eventual arrival of the autumn migration, these little explorers embark on a long journey back to their wintering grounds across Central and South America.

21/05/2026

Few know the rainforests of the west coast as well as the adorable Douglas's Squirrel. Forever foraging beneath the towering trees of British Columbia's coastal mountain range, these intrepid little squirrels spend their lives scaling monumental pines in search of food as they avoid the incessant gaze of predators. Their expansive forest homes are a daunting setting for a squirrel that weighs only 10 grams, but their size and agility allows them to use this environment to their advantage as they bound between branches with ease.

17/05/2026

Silent wings take to the dry mountain sky by night. After a long winter spent in its chrysalis, the warmth of spring stirs the Ceanothus Silk Moth from its slumber. These massive moths emerge with no mouth parts, awakened solely to breed as their bodies slowly starve. Using only the energy that it gathered during its time spent as a caterpillar, the adult moth only has about 2 weeks to find a mate before its body gives out; falling quietly to the forest floor from whence it came. Despite their ephemeral nature, the intricate details of these moths' wings is as breathtaking as the cycle of sacrifice that they lead.

15/05/2026

Under the restful boughs of a sturdy Lodgepole Pine, mother American Robin incubates the future generation. Her and her mate have worked hard through the cold early spring to build this nest and watched as the mountains awaken with life as summer steadily approaches. Now with her brood hatched and eager to take to the wing, she and her mate spend their days ferrying beakfuls of wayward insects to the insatiable maws of their offspring.

28/04/2026

A Brown Pelican surfs the warm waters off the coast of Puerto Vallarta. These large and majestic sea birds spend their time soaring over the ocean in search of shoaling fish beneath the water's surface. Upon sighting a sizable school, pelicans tuck their massive wings into a dive; gulping up sea water and unsuspecting fish in their expansive throat pouch. With a successful catch, the pelican tilts it head, leaving only the unfortunate fish to be swallowed whole.