Brett's Bestiary

30/07/2026

Not all those who wander through the underbrush are furred or feathered. The Northern Garter Snake lays a more cryptic claim to the low places of the earth, patiently slithering through rocks and roots in search of a meal. These cold-blooded carnivores will eat any creature small enough to fit within their expansive jaws, but they are especially adept at hunting insects and arachnids. They're even known to stalk shorelines in search of prey, making quick work of small fish and underwater invertebrates. Though small and timid, Garter Snakes are remarkably well adapted to the varied environments that they call home.

24/07/2026

Springing forth from the tangled shoreline of a southern British Columbia lake, a Brown-Headed Cowbird takes its place among the branches of a Sitka Willow. These parasitic nesters lay their eggs in other birds' nests and leave their young to be raised by parents of entirely other species, often overwhelming the poor couple as they struggle to feed a steadily growing and often significantly larger bird than their own young. This behaviour makes spring and summer much easier for Brown-Headed Cowbirds as they have very little responsibility compared to the unwitting birds that now struggle to raise an impostor among their own brood.





BC Bird Trail

22/07/2026

Standing on the spent stalk of a lupine, a Savannah Sparrow watches over what remains of a once flowered field. The colours of spring’s past paint the landscape as busy sparrows search through the brush for any grubs that remain, eager to ferry them to their rapidly growing young.





BC Bird Trail

17/07/2026

A sleepy Barn Owl roosts high in the canopy of a horse chestnut tree. A faint bloodstain on its beak denotes the success of last night's hunt, earning this owl some well deserved rest under the warm summer sun. Long days and short nights limit the hunting time of these highly nocturnal owls, but the sheer amount of foliage makes hiding during the day much easier than in the cold and leafless winter months.





BC Bird Trail

15/07/2026

Summer skies are abuzz with the hurried flight of hummingbirds as Rufous and Anna's tirelessly compete over their favourite blooms. This sly female Rufous Hummingbird took advantage of the chaos of a nearby territorial dispute to fly in undetected, allowing a few minutes of uninterrupted feeding on the flowers of a Lucifer tongued Copperip.
BC Bird Trail

10/07/2026

Standing guard over the entrance to an expansive underground network of burrows, a Columbian Ground Squirrel belts out an alarm call. As the youth of spring run amok among flowered meadows and wind swept grassland, the elders of the community keep their eyes peeled for anything that could threaten the safety of the colony. While their calls may seem unassuming to us humans, ground squirrels actually have one of the most complex languages currently understood in the animal kingdom. Their alarm calls, while indistinguishable to our naked ear, convey descriptions of approaching threats with remarkable depth. Predators like Hawks, Coyotes, and Ravens all have distinct “words” associated with them. Ground squirrels even have the ability to describe colour and shape. The mountains and prairies of North America have always been a treasure trove of nature's knowledge for those patient enough to learn her lessons. One only needs to listen to the voices that differ from our own.
Manning Park Resort

19/06/2026

The forest allows a brief moment of respite for a mother Black Bear as she sits to watch her cubs feast on the carcass of a beaver. A rest well earned for a bear that spends so much of her time giving her cubs the best start to life that she possibly can.



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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.