UBC Botanical Garden & Greenheart Canopy Walkway

The past few days has been quite rewarding - volunteering at two different sessions, listening to different researches, and not stressing over the presentations like most of the presenters.  I saw presentations discussing from lizard diversity in Chile to genetically identifying shark species all over the world to the threats to Japanese Giant Salamanders.  Today was the last day of the conference (to be followed by the huge bird conference - NAOC), and I was assigned to help out with the registration table.  A few days ago, I saw a special discount for going to the UBC Botanical Garden plus walking the Greenheart Canopy Walkway for only $11.  I bought the ticket right away and thought this afternoon would be a good time to use it.

A Barn Swallow nest right outside the gift store at the botanical garden.  The parent(s) were flying in and out feeding the young chicks.

Treefrog and Porcupine

I took the Plant Ecology class to the drumlin next to the campus again this afternoon to teach them about forest community sampling.

While doing the point-quarter sampling method, we saw a little Gray Treefrog on the tree the students were measuring.

Photo of the day: Pacific Treefrog

Today I biked all the way to Terra Nova and back. It feels weird seeing this area still in its summer clothes - green and bright colours, while the autumnal equinox is coming in just 3 days. As I was biking past the Terra Nova Natural Area (and noticing its new signs), I saw a Woolly Bearer on the ground, some kind of warbler, and a tiny stranger looking at me through the needle leaves.

It was a Pacific Treefrog (Hyla regilla)! Lifer! Too bad it disappeared while I was trying to get a photo of its dorsal.
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More photos - Awenda & Muskoka Wildlife Centre & others

Good evening everyone. I just spent the past two-and-half days camping in Algonquin Provincial Park and enjoying my long off-days. It was an amazing experience. Hopefully by next time I post, I will have sorted the photos to share, e.g. otters, moose, beautiful lakes, etc. But now, here are photos from the past two weeks and my last off-days.

A nice photo from Awenda Park

More photos from Carden

Here are more photos that I wanted/needed to share:

Mama robin feeding her nestlings. At this moment, the nestlings had already fledged and the nest is now empty.


I think this is one of the fledglings. Who knows, there are many robin nests around our cabin and in the field site.