Category Archives: Photography

Business, Editing, Photography, Technology

Year-End Digital Data Backup

I back up regularly, but I also make a point of making sure I have fresh images of my main computer hard drive, and backups of all data drives, at the end of the year.

There’s no such thing as having too many backups — both onsite and offsite.

Yes, make sure you also have a backup stored with a relative, or at a trusted friend’s place. Or in a safety deposit box.

My project for this cold and rainy afternoon was to check my drives and backups.

My 3TB D: drive, which is dedicated to photos, was near capacity, while my 2TB C: drive was 80% free. I’d been contemplating upgrading to 4TB-plus on D:, but ended up moving several hundred GB of old photos from D: to C:, giving me enough room on D: to keep me going well into the new year.

Now setting up backups of the new configuration to my NAS (network attached storage) RAID drives.

Again: there is no such thing as too many backups!

Nature, Photography

Harriers, Owls, Eagles at Boundary Bay

We spent several hours around Boundary Bay in Delta, BC, today. Lots of eagles, several harriers, and what I think was a Short-Eared Owl.

Birds at Boundary Bay
This Northern Harrier had a large tag. Update: Been informed it’s actually a Rough-Legged Hawk, and that the tag may be part of the YVR relocation program.


I think this is a Short-Eared Owl


The owl chased the harrier, er hawk?!


Great Blue Heron in flight


Saw three pheasants in a field

Bald Eagles

bald eagles

bald eagles

Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping

Spawner Patrols Winding Down on Byrne Creek

Yumi and I headed out for a spawner patrol on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby today. The last live salmon were seen nearly a week ago, two coho in the sediment pond. We have not seen any spawners, dead or alive, for several days now, so the run appears to be over. We’ll likely check once or twice more as the weather allows, because we love creek and ravine rambles, fish or not! : – )
Paul Yumi spawner patrol

Sunny and clear. Good visibility.

Covered from confluence with John Mathews to base of stairs in ravine.

Did not see any spawners, dead or alive.

Heron, thrush, mallards… Racoon tracks…

Nature, Photography

Great Fun ‘Shooting’ Birds at Reifel Today

Yumi and I spent several hours today wandering the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. We try to get down there at least three or four times a year.


This fella reminds me of a story my late Dad used to tell about a psych patient of his who told him: “You know Doc, I get up in the morning, I look in the mirror, and I like what I see.” 

Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary
And that confidence was not misplaced as this girl showed up and chased away any other female that got too close . . .


You look for the tallest tree, and there’s where the bald eagles be. . .


This Northern Harrier was trying hard to have duck for lunch


Then a second harrier showed up, assisting in setting off a duck explosion in the reeds, flushing them to try to pinpoint the young, the sick, the old, the weak. . .


Raptors may have me beat for grandeur, and wood ducks for slick colours, but ya can’t get any cuter than wee me! 


We could hear shotguns far off in the distance, but here’s an example of the only kind of wing-shooting I did today


No, I haven’t had any coffee yet today, is it that obvious? You got a comb?


Here’s a parent/kid shot. Good to see the cranes slowly building up their numbers.