Heard, and then spotted, this Pileated Woodpecker on a Byrne Creek walk in SE Burnaby.
Category Archives: Nature
Wildlife Photos of 2019 Album
I’ve collected some of my fave wildlife photos that I shot in 2019 into a Flickr album. Enjoy!
Rambling Buntzen Lake Near Anmore, BC
Yumi and I have been fortunate to have the week off and be able to enjoy walks in the woods in different lower mainland locations nearly every day. Today the sun broke through at Buntzen Lake near Anmore, BC.
A Mess of Herons at Iona
Nice to see lots of Great Blue Herons at Iona Beach Regional Park near YVR. Iona is one of many superb natural areas in the Metro Vancouver Regional Parks system.
Peregrine Falcon at Iona Beach Regional Park
Our find of the day at Iona Beach Regional Park near YVR today.
This is the first time I’ve seen or “shot” one!
Salmon Run is Ending on Byrne Creek, Sharing Some Love
As the salmon spawning season draws to a close on urban Byrne Creek in south Burnaby, BC, I have a few thoughts. . .
Thank you to the dog walkers who ask us when the “keep your dogs out of the creek” posters will go up. You’re some of our best eyes on the creek! You’re out there every day.
Thanks to City of Burnaby Parks who approve posting the posters and oversee invasive plant removals, and thanks to City of Burnaby Engineering who follow up when volunteers report issues with water quality.
I also want to thank the increasing numbers of folks who are aware there are salmon in this urban creek, and who stop and chat with streamkeeper volunteers and ask how the run is going.
It’s emotional for me when the spawner run draws to a close. I feel bereft until I start spotting fry in the creek in the spring.
Yes, we do see alevin popping out of the gravel in the spring, and watch as they become fry. It’s a wonder to behold and cherish.
I’m a prairie boy, Yumi is a northern Japan girl, and we have a common passion in BC salmon that started soon after we moved here some 20 years ago.
A lot of that goes to mentors like Stream of Dreams Murals Society founders Joan Carne and Louise Towell, and ZoAnn Morten of the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, and our DFO Community Advisors over the years, Maurice and now Scott. . .
Streamkeepers in British Columbia are an amazing community.
We’ve had some hard years, and we’ve had too many low runs.
Here’s to making things better!
Salmon Run Ending on Burnaby’s Byrne Creek
This pair may well be our last spawning salmon on Byrne Creek in south Burnaby this year.
The run started late and is ending late.
Nice to see that the female was completely spawned, not an egg to be found. Look at her totally abraded tail — she’d been digging hard in the gravel, making a nest for her eggs and covering them up . . .
We didn’t spot any live ones today.
NOTE: Streamkeepers have training and permission to monitor spawning salmon and assess them for species, size, spawning status, etc., after they die. Please keep your dogs on leash around creeks and streams, and stay on trails. And remember that the eggs will remain hidden in the gravel until they start hatching in the spring.
Walking Belcarra Regional Park
We took a walk in Belcarra Regional Park, another gem in the Metro Vancouver Parks system.
No matter how bent we are sometimes, we can still grow tall. . .
A gull in the hand. . .
Herring Feeding Frenzy at White Rock, BC, Pier
We headed down to White Rock, BC, today to check out the amazing herring run that has been attracting a feeding frenzy of sea lions, seals, gulls, cormorants. . .
It was impressive!
Correction: Northern Anchovy
Rice Lake Walk in North Vancouver
Had an errand to run in North Vancouver today, so we combined it with a walk around Rice Lake. It was chilly, but lovely, and fun to watch an American Dipper bop around for awhile.
There were also several Common Mergansers