Burnt Trees near Skihist Provincial Park

I took these pictures while on a recent camping trip. We knew that Skihist was closed due to the wild fires in that region of the province, but we wanted to know for ourselves what had happened to this beautiful place.  We have gone camping in the park for many years, hiked its trails and enjoyed the breathtaking scenery of the Thompson River canyon.  It captures your heart, and it is very sad to see it like this.  The loss is enormous. We don't yet know the extent of the damage to the park. 

 

In happier times:

 

A Black Bear Finds a Wasp Nest

The discovery of the underground wasp nest really began in the morning when I was pruning some bushes and didn't realize there was a wasp colony very close to me.  I got stung on my arm by one of the angry wasps, and that put an end to my pruning for the day.  It wasn't the end of the story though.

In the late afternoon, a sow with her cub wandered through the property and also found the nest. For her, this was a food source.  The two bears thrashed around in the bushes digging a hole to get at whatever eggs and  larvae* were there.  The sow finally emerged shaking her head several times to rid herself of all the wasps that were attacking her before walking away.  What a sight!

*Bears will also eat bees and wasps.

   

Ruffed Grouse - Hello and Good Evening

Be careful, won't you? There are foxes around. We have seen them travelling through these woods on several occasions lately.

Fledglings Are Everywhere

In the sunshine after a recent rain shower

Northern Flicker

Robin and another little bird

 

They are very accident-prone at this stage, and we have to keep our curtains/blinds closed so they don't crash into a window.