Tag: Wetlands

Species Profile — Rough-skinned Newt

Taricha granulosa, or the ‘Rough-skinned Newt’, is the only newt species in British Columbia. Confined to the coast, the Rough-skinned Newt relies on wetlands for breeding, while foraging is conducted in open seral and mixed forests near permanent water (including wetlands). Their principal targets when foraging are slugs and worms, while also commonly preying on…
Species Profile — Long-Toed Salamander

The long-toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum) is a small but fascinating amphibian found throughout much of British Columbia. Named for the distinctive elongated fourth toe on each hind foot, this species is a common—though often overlooked—resident of wetland habitats across the province. These salamanders are highly adaptable and occupy a variety of moist environments, including forests,…
Species Profile — Steller’s Jay

As the weather warms and the daylight extends, we being to hear an active chorus of springtime birds. Commonly seen foraging for food around campgrounds and parks, Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) are the blue-winged symbol of B.C.’s healthy evergreen forests, as well as, our provincial bird! They’re known for their unmistakably blue feathers, triangle-crested heads, and…
Species Profile — Bald Eagle

Question: What is up to 4 metres deep, 2.5 metres wide, and nearly one metric ton in weight? No, the answer we are looking for is not a boat. Rather, a bald eagle’s nest. With such incredible size, it is no surprise that it houses an incredibly large bird. bald eagles have a wingspan that reaches 2.3 metres,…
Species Profile — Western Painted Turtle

The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) lives in relatively slow-moving fresh waters, with a large range across North America; in fact, it is the continent’s most widespread native turtle. During the last ice age, four subspecies evolved based on their regional distribution. The western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) can be found in British Columbia and…
Species Profile — Virginia Rail

The Virginia Rail: a small, secretive bird of North American wetlands that inhabits southern British Columbia during the summer breeding months. Despite its rather compact body, the Virginia Rail (and other Rail species) have the highest ratio of leg muscles to flight muscles of any bird. Perhaps more fascinating is its creation of “dummy nests”,…
Species Profile — Great Blue Heron

Given how common they are around wetlands, it only makes sense to learn a bit about them. That way, the next time someone points one out, you’ll be able to rattle off a few fun facts and earn the title of Heron Expert—because really, who doesn’t want that? In British Columbia, two subspecies of Great…
A wetlands fire in New Zealand, and how it relates to us in B.C.

This week, a large fire destroyed more than 400 hectares of the internationally recognized Waituna Wetlands Scientific Reserve, located in the Southland Region of New Zealand. The massive fire lasted for nearly 24 hours, and destroyed mature manuka trees (Leptospermum scoparium) and a variety of important wetland plants. Birds and skinks were lost in the…
Wetland Institute Alumni Restores Wetland in Fraser Valley

Why did the farmer restore a wetland? Because it mud perfect sense. Terrible puns aside, Celia Serrano probably didn’t anticipate how deep she would wade into B.C.’s wetland culture when she boarded her plane from Spain to start her internship with Balance Ecological in the Lower Mainland. She spent numerous weeks monitoring the endangered Oregon Spotted…
Species Profile — American White Pelican

Every last member of our wetlands team voted for this shot of an American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) to feature as our Photo of the Week. The bird certainly makes a striking impression both frozen in an image and when spotted in person. It was taken at the Scout Island Nature Centre in Williams Lake, BC this July by Tania…