Brown-Lowery Provincial Park 2

Four days ago, 8 August 2015, I decided to drive SW of the city for a while. It was a Saturday, so I thought I would go and check if there were other people parked at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. I had more or less stopped going into the forest there by myself, especially the last couple of years, knowing that Cougar and Bears can be seen there. All I have seen - so far! - is a Moose on a couple of occasions. The place gives me the creeps, so I usually just walk through the trees closest to the parking lot. So, this is what I did. Just a minute or two after entering the forest near the trail, I flushed a Grouse, which scared the life out of me. The opposite side of the trail, where I usually find a few mushrooms, had pools of water after the two devastating rain and hail storms that we had very recently. With several cars in the small parking lot, I decided to go just a short way into the park, trying to forget that animals can "smell fear". I did come across a few quite nice mushrooms, but with such a dry, hot summer, this is not a good year for fungi. The second time my heart started beating really fast was when I was trying to focus on a mushroom and I was aware of a deep, huffing kind of sound coming from right behind me. Turning around, dreading what I might see, I discovered it was just a small Red Squirrel, low down on his/her tree, just a couple of feet away from me. I've never ever heard a Squirrel make this kind of sound before! Sounded rather like what I imagine a bear might sound like. Almost back at the edge of the forest, I was happy as can be to hear quite a commotion that I then recognized as being American Three-toed Woodpeckers. There were three of them high up a tree, with at least one of them being a noisy, hungry juvenile that was feeding itself but every now and then would want the adult to feed it. Not sure if this was an adult or a young one in this photo. The light in the forest is not good for photos, but fortunately I got enough light on this bird's face. This species is uncommon in Alberta, year round, so it's always a treat to see one - and especially three. "The American Three-toed Woodpecker is found in boreal forests and montane coniferous forests across North America. Because of its choice of habitat, it is infrequently seen by most people." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Three-toed_Woodpecke... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_three-toed_woodpecker

Ten days ago, on 8 August 2015, I decided to drive SW of the city for a while. It was a Saturday, so I thought I would go and check if there were other people parked at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. I had more or less stopped going into the forest there by myself, especially the last couple of years, knowing that Cougar and Bears can be seen there. All I have seen - so far! - is a Moose on a couple of occasions. The place gives me the creeps, so I usually just walk through the trees closest to the parking lot. Just a minute or two after entering the forest near the trail, I flushed a Grouse, which scared the life out of me. They tend to wait, hidden, and then when you are almost by them, they suddenly "explode" out of the bushes, making ones heart beat fast. The opposite side of the trail, where I usually find a few mushrooms, had pools of water after the two devastating rain and hail storms that we had recently. With several cars in the small parking lot, I decided to go just a short way into the park, trying to forget that animals can "smell fear". I did come across a few quite nice mushrooms, but with such a dry, hot summer, this will most likely not be a good year for fungi. The second time my heart started beating really fast was when I was trying to focus on a mushroom and I was aware of a deep, huffing kind of sound coming from right behind me. Turning around, dreading what I might see, I discovered it was just a small Red Squirrel, low down on his/her tree, just a couple of feet away from me. I've never ever heard a Squirrel make this kind of sound before! Sounded rather like what I imagine a bear might sound like. Almost back at the edge of the forest, I was happy as can be to hear quite a commotion that I recognized as being American Three-toed Woodpeckers. There were three of them high up a tree, with at least one of them being a noisy, hungry juvenile that was feeding itself but every now and then would want the adult to feed it. Not sure if this was an adult or a young one in this photo. The light in the forest is not good for photos, but fortunately I got enough light on this bird's face. This species is uncommon in Alberta, year round, so it's always a treat to see one - and especially three. "The American Three-toed Woodpecker is found in boreal forests and montane coniferous forests across North America. Because of its choice of habitat, it is infrequently seen by most people." From AllAboutBirds. www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Three-toed_Woodpecke... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_three-toed_woodpecker

Almost 3:00 pm and there are only 8 new photos on My Contacts page. Nothing new in 5 or 6 hours, which is most unusual. Wonder if there is a problem with Flickr, or if people just aren't posting. Update on my daughter, 24 August 2015: she is still waiting to find out if she will need surgery. Still feeling a lot better, but no doubt getting more and more bored by the minute : ) She knows quite a few of the staff at the hospital, and they pop in to see her, or she drags her IV stand to go and see them, which all helps. This is how a lot of my photos turned out from a two-hour visit to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park yesterday, 23 August 2015 - blurry! So frustrating. This was such a pretty little cluster, too. After visiting my daughter in hospital the day before, I thought I had better get out and do a bit of walking, so I drove SW of the city and plucked up my courage and went into Brown-Lowery. I only went in a short way, but managed to find a few fungi fit to photograph. The light is never good in the forest, but the sun managed to come through and touch a few of the mushrooms - not these ones, though, so the image is horribly grainy and blurred. I met a couple of delightful young women along the path. I tried to point out an American Three-toed Woodpecker that was unfortunately very high up in a tree and barely visible. I had seen two others further along the path. Also lots of small birds, some of which were Warblers, but they were much too fast and distant for me to get photos. Then we got talking about mushrooms : ) Had a very interesting and enjoyable chat with them.

I know a lot of people aren't all that interested in fungi, but I loved this one. When I look at it, it looks as if it has been sprinkled with grated milk chocolate with a ring of chocolate curls around the edge of the cap : ) About two and a half weeks ago, on 8 August 2015, I decided to drive SW of the city for a while. It was a Saturday, so I thought I would go and check if there were other people parked at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. I had more or less stopped going into the forest there by myself, especially the last couple of years, knowing that Cougar and Bears can be seen there. All I have seen - so far! - is a large Moose on a couple of occasions. The place gives me the creeps, so I usually just walk through the trees closest to the parking lot. Just a minute or two after entering the forest near the parking lot, I flushed a Grouse, which scared the life out of me. They tend to wait, hidden, and then when you are almost by them, they suddenly "explode" out of the bushes, making ones heart beat fast. The opposite side of the trail, where I usually find a few mushrooms, had pools of water after the two devastating rain and hail storms that we had had recently. With several cars in the small parking lot, I decided to go just a short way into the park, trying to forget that animals can "smell fear". I did come across a few quite nice mushrooms, but with such a dry, hot summer, this will most likely not be a good year for fungi. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this might be a Pholiota? There were two or three clusters of these mushrooms around the base of trees. When I went back to the park on 23 August, there were none of these left. The second time my heart started beating really fast was when I was trying to focus on a mushroom and I was aware of a deep, huffing kind of sound coming from right behind me. Turning around, dreading what I might see, I discovered it was just a small Red Squirrel, low down on his/her tree, just a couple of feet away from me. I've never ever heard a Squirrel make this kind of sound before! Sounded rather like what I imagine a bear might sound like. Almost back at the edge of the forest, I was happy as can be to hear quite a commotion that I recognized as being American Three-toed Woodpeckers. There were three of them high up a tree, with at least one of them being a noisy, hungry juvenile that was feeding itself but every now and then would want the adult to feed it. This species is uncommon in Alberta, year round, so it's always a treat to see one - and especially three.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the start of September! Public schools here reopen tomorrow and no doubt many parents will heave a huge sigh of relief - and many kids will be happy to reunite with friends. Others will have very different feelings. On a drive yesterday afternoon, it simply felt like fall. Two Magpies were the only birds I saw, and the landscape felt empty of living creatures. After a great summer of seeing so many things, it was a sad feeling to now see so little. The smoke blown from the dreadful forest fires in the northwest United States had lessened by yesterday, 30 August 2015, so I decided to drive out to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park for a couple of hours. I made myself go into the park a short way, as there were a number of cars in the parking lot, so I knew there would be other people who would hopefully not flush any bears or cougars in my direction, ha! Like on my previous visit, I found just a few fungi to photograph, including this small patch of Coral Fungus. It was growing against a fallen, rotting log that was covered with beautiful mosses. However, it was dark enough under the log that I almost didn't see this fungus - brightened it up once I had downloaded it to my computer. Leaves from the deciduous trees had started to fall and these will make it so difficult to see anything growing on the forest floor from now on.

I suspect the mushroom season is over, as I went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park yesterday afternoon, 20 September 2015. The grasses and plants have withered and, along with fallen leaves from the deciduous trees, have covered anything that might just be hiding underneath. The very few fungi that I did see were mostly old and definitely not photogenic. In this photo, I liked the setting rather than the mushroom itself that is way past its prime. Most of my photos came out blurry, too. This may have been the last time I go there this year, unless I go there just for the exercise. No sign of the American Three-toed Woodpeckers. I didn't see many birds on this drive, either, not a single raptor, and mainly Magpies. Can't wait for next spring!!

This photo is from deep within my archives and was taken on 31 August 2010. Can't remember for sure, but I think 2010 was the last really good year for fungi, here at least. Taken at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. Not the greatest shot, but wanted to add it to my fungi album. As for this year, 2015, the mushroom season has not been very good, thanks to a very hot, dry summer.

This fungus was one of only a handful I saw at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park this year, and was taken on 23 August 2015. Such a lovely, bright colour to come across in the forest, surrounded by lush moss. After visiting my daughter in hospital the day before, I thought I had better get out and do a bit of walking, so I drove SW of the city and plucked up my courage and went into Brown-Lowery. I only went in a short way, but managed to find a few fungi fit to photograph. The light is never good in the forest, but the sun managed to come through and touch a few of the mushrooms. Talking of my daughter, she has to go in for surgery, but I've no idea how long she will have to wait for this. I met a couple of delightful young women along the path. I tried to point out an American Three-toed Woodpecker that was unfortunately very high up in a tree and barely visible. I had seen two others further along the path. Also lots of small birds, some of which were Warblers, but they were much too fast and distant for me to get photos. Then we got talking about mushrooms : ) Had a very interesting and enjoyable chat with them.

An overcast morning today, 22 October 2015, with a temperature of 10C. The sun is supposed to shine this afternoon - I'm just hoping it won't rain, as I washed my car yesterday and vacuumed it out, ready for the arrival of winter. I then dropped it off at my Tire place to get my winter tires put on today - thought that if I left it any longer, too many people would be making appointments to get the same done. Another thing completed this week was having two people come and remove everything from my tiny back yard. It had become one tangled jungle mess and, as I can't bend or kneel to do anything, it had been become totally out of control. It now looks completely bare and wonderfully tidy! That big, black cloud that has been hanging over my head for years has finally gone, and it feels so good. On 8 August 2015, I decided to drive SW of the city for a while. It was a Saturday, so I thought I would go and check if there were other people parked at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. I had more or less stopped going into the forest there by myself, especially the last couple of years, knowing that Cougar and Bears can be seen there. All I have seen - so far! - is a large Moose on a couple of occasions. The place gives me the creeps, so I usually just walk through the trees closest to the parking lot. Just a minute or two after entering the forest near the parking lot, I flushed a Grouse, which scared the life out of me. They tend to wait, hidden, and then when you are almost by them, they suddenly "explode" out of the bushes, making ones heart beat fast. The opposite side of the trail, where I usually find a few mushrooms, had pools of water after the two devastating rain and hail storms that we had had recently. With several cars in the small parking lot, I decided to go just a short way into the park, trying to forget that animals can "smell fear". I did come across a few quite nice mushrooms, but with such a dry, hot summer, this this season has not been good for fungi. I'm not 100% sure, but I think this might be a Pholiota? There were two or three clusters of these mushrooms around the base of trees. When I went back to the park on 23 August, there were none of these left. The second time my heart started beating really fast was when I was trying to focus on a mushroom and I was aware of a deep, huffing kind of sound coming from right behind me. Turning around, dreading what I might see, I discovered it was just a small Red Squirrel, low down on his/her tree, just a couple of feet away from me. I've never ever heard a Squirrel make this kind of sound before! Sounded rather like what I imagine a bear might sound like, ha. Almost back at the edge of the forest, I was happy as can be to hear quite a commotion that I recognized as being American Three-toed Woodpeckers. There were three of them high up in a tree, with at least one of them being a noisy, hungry juvenile that was feeding itself but every now and then would want the adult to feed it. This species is uncommon in Alberta, year round, so it's always a treat to see one - and especially three.