These island ecosystems are profoundly structured around the pulses of food from the irregular fruiting cycles of dominant hardwood trees such as arbutus, ЌEЌEILĆ [SENĆOŦEN], Qaanlhp [HUL’Q’UMI’NUM’], madrone, Arbutus menziesii — as well as Garry oak.
In recent decades at the northern end of its distribution, arbutus has tended to flower and fruit every three years but the last time there was such an exceptional level of arbutus berries was six years back.
These years of plenty are particularly important for birds such as band-tailed pigeon, HEMU [SENĆOŦEN], Patagioenas fasciata. Peaks in cycles of Garry oak acorns, another dominant in a specific kind of ecosystem, are typically, but not necessarily, on other years. “The species [band-tailed pigeon] is listed as Special Concern under Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act.”
