Earlier today I came across Sora the Cat occupying my office chair.
You want to work, Daddy? You’ll have to deal with my super-cuteness first. . . : – )
Earlier today I came across Sora the Cat occupying my office chair.
You want to work, Daddy? You’ll have to deal with my super-cuteness first. . . : – )
It’s been a late start to the Chum salmon spawning season on Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC, and numbers are far below usual. Apparently Chum returns in lower mainland Fraser River watershed creeks are critically low.
Byrne Creek Streamkeeper volunteers were happy to spot three Chum in the creek today. Here’s a short video of a pair hiding.
Volunteers processed one dead Chum male, saw two live Chum females, and noted two redds (nests of eggs in the gravel/cobble) on a spawner patrol today.
Chum numbers are very low this year.
Volunteers have training and permission to process dead salmon for species, size, and spawning status.
This chum female was just downstream of the footbridge in the lower ravine
Same fish viewed from the bridge
A big male chum
It can be tough getting at dead fish at times!
I had some errands to run and managed to incorporate a quick stop at the Historic Stewart Farm in south Surrey, BC. It’s one of my favourite place to photograph wildlife, but I only had time to stroll the farm for a few minutes today.
Cooper’s Hawk trying to catch an Eastern Grey Squirrel at Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby, BC, this morning. The hawk dove a couple of times but the squirrel got away.
(Correct: I’d previously posted that I thought this was a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but now have a “Research Grade” confirmation from iNaturalist of a Cooper’s.)
I got out today for a Byrne Creek ravine walk in Burnaby, BC, before the rain hit. The colors are gorgeous though many leaves are already on the ground.
Bald Eagles were adding sticks to two existing nests at Fraser Foreshore Park in south Burnaby, BC, today. There were also several hawks.
Balancing on left talon while right talon carries a stick
The Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society had a tour of the creek in SE Burnaby, BC, today to orient new volunteers to monitoring spawning salmon.
We had a great turnout, lovely weather, and YAY, saw a male and a female chum salmon. The fish have been late this year, to the point that we were getting concerned if they’d show at all . . .
Here are a few photos and a short video.
Wow, came across this print today while looking for some family photos.
Moi, at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo circa 1985 or 1986, shooting a Yabusame demonstration (Japanese archery from horseback.)
If I recall, that would be a Nikon F2 and a Nikkormat FT2 draped around my neck.
I still have both of those 35mm cameras though I haven’t used either in decades, since digital took over.
Byrne Creek was high and dirty from the recent rain so I didn’t see any salmon spawning today, but I did catch this Great Blue Heron checking out the dike upgrades just south of the bridge at Byrne Road in SE Burnaby.