Late Winter Meanderings

March 11, 2025

Technically, we are still in winter for a few more days, but the past couple of weeks have been quite spring-like. The lower elevations are snow-free, the pussy willows are out and the robins have arrived: all sure signs that our valleys will soon be bursting back to life after the long winter slumber. Well, longish, anyway. All relative.

I’ve been getting out occasionally for some walks and short hikes, enjoying the mild weather and reacquainting myself with some of the early-season trails. Walking near the Kootenay Canal, I noted these lichens, one of the Psora species (aka fish scale lichens), growing on the boulders alongside the path. The buds of red-osier dogwood, also growing along the path, seem like they are beginning to swell. Looking kind of…person-like?

Out in the Kootenay River, I caught some goldeneye ducks swimming through the reflections of the young cottonwoods on the far shore. The light was quite delightful for scenic shots of the river and its surrounds.

Pileated woodpeckers are incredibly industrious, excavating large holes in solid wood to get at the carpenter ants and other delicacies that reside in the decaying centres of the tree trunks. Other cavity-nesting birds and animals often use the holes created by these master chiselers to make themselves a cozy home.

Red squirrels don’t hibernate. They remain active throughout the winter, feeding on seeds and nuts they have stored in middens (in case you were wondering).

As I was wandering through the woods on the hillside above Brilliant, I had the strange feeling I was being watched.

This family of elk was wary, but not overly concerned, about my presence in their territory. It was a mature cow with three yearling calves, as near as I could tell. They moved to the side and kept their eyes on me as I passed, but were still there a half-hour or so later when I came back the same way.

Speaking of cavity-nesting birds, I just happened to notice this red-breasted nuthatch guarding the opening to its nest high in a dying birch tree.

These benchlands at the base of Mount Sentinel support an older stand of birch and Douglas maple, among other species. Many of the deciduous trees are infirm or dying, making ideal habitat for cavity-nesters and woodpeckers.

Nice view of the Columbia River and Castlegar from here, and a moonrise as a little gift for the walk back to my vehicle.

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