Campbell Valley Regional Park, Saturday, March 5, 2022

First, a few observations about the park in list form:

  • It’s very big
  • The perimeter trail has little to see and is near enough to the roads that the buzz of traffic is a distraction
  • It’s apparently prone to flooding and unsafe conditions. I wanted to check out the abandoned Langley Speedway, but the trails approaching it from the north and south were a) closed due to unsafe conditions on the boardwalk and b) flooded. We could have braved the flooded side, as a few branches and logs had been placed to make it passable, but it was getting late and we didn’t feel like dealing with getting our toes wet at that point.
  • Horses! We saw horses, as they can ride on some of the trails.
  • Bikes! We saw a few bikes, as they are allowed on the perimeter trail (another reason to avoid, perhaps).
  • Birds! They tended to be clustered in a few areas and while there weren’t oodles of them, there were enough to make the trip out not be a bust
  • “Patriots”! A bunch of yahoos were gathered at an intersection near to the park and were waving flags and crying about having no freedom boo hoo because sometimes you’re required to wear a mask to keep yourself from infecting others (or getting infected) with a highly contagious virus that has killed millions of people. Meanwhile, Russia has invaded Ukraine because Putin is a bloodthirsty psychopath and maybe Ukrainians have more concerns about actual freedom than the idiots waving their stupid signs and annoying motorists.

Anyway, the weather was nice and I got some shots. Here are a few!

This squirrel’s belly fur freakily lines up with the railing it’s standing on
This is where we turned back, our hopes of seeing the speedway dashed. Others were more willing to risk getting a bit damp.
Junco giving me the eye
Evergreens providing a splash of color amongst the yellow and brown
Chickadee hanging out
Spotted towhee with those red, red eyes
Mallard apparently swimming by herself