Why does it seem like COP30 is sounding a lot like Cop-out 30?
We know the problems, we know the solutions, let’s just do.
Lovely Colors at Nikkei Place in Burnaby, BC
I walked up the hill to Nikkei Place in Burnaby, BC, today.
A recipe for contentment is Paul + Japadog = Happy Boy!
Kurobuta Okonomi, eh?
Reviving Old Mac Mini with Ubuntu
I have an aging Mac Mini that was no longer getting updates from Apple, and that in turn meant some apps were no longer getting updates either.
Though it dates to 2012, the machine’s specs are good, with a Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB HD.
I’ve tinkered with Linux off and on for decades, and usually have Ubuntu running on an older computer.
Today I installed Ubuntu on the Mini using a USB stick onto which I’d put the Ubuntu installer, and the process was completely painless and automated. Everything was recognized, printers connected. . .
I was impressed by how smoothly it all went.
This also means I can get rid of a big old tower computer that is my current Ubuntu machine, freeing up a nice chunk of space around my computer stand.
Conservation Connections 2025
Thanks to the South Coast Conservation Program for a great Conservation Connections 2025 workshop in Langley, BC, today. Lots of excellent speakers and a chance to catch up with many fellow travellers in the enviro sector!
My favourite line of the day came from Steve Clegg, Land Stewardship Manager with the S.A.Y. Lands Office (the land management office for the Sq’ewqéyl (Skowkale), Áthelets (Aitchelitz), and Yeqwyeqwí:ws (Yakweakwioose) First Nations in Chilliwack):
“See things the way they can be, rather than the way they are.”
Inspirational work being done by FNs in that area on stream and habitat restoration.
Kingfisher and Heron on Byrne Creek in Burnaby
I walked Byrne Creek from Ron McLean Park all the way to the Fraser River and back this morning. Lovely day!
Here are two characters spotted along the way, a Belted Kingfisher and a Great Blue Heron.
Coho Dying on Byrne Creek Unspawned
Sigh. Streamkeeper volunteers processed a dead male Coho salmon on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, today. The fish was very fresh, not even much colour, but its milt sacs were full and firm.
Looks like the tire chemical 6PPD-Q is hitting the coho in our local creek yet again.
It’s so frustrating. Volunteers have been observing Coho pre-spawn mortality and released smolt mortality for decades on Byrne Creek.
Moody Walk at Burnaby’s Fraser Foreshore, Yet Lovely Colours
I took a stroll at Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby, BC, this morning. The colours were lovely despite it being overcast. I was also pleased to get several decent bird photos.
Crow diving on hawk
Spotted Towhee
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Gadwall
Autumn Colours on Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC
It’s a bit early for salmon to return to spawn in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, but I did a few spot checks here and there while shooting autumn colours.
Lovely Birding Day at Centennial Beach
It was a glorious sunny day at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC, today.
I’m thinking Merlin?
We watched this Belted Kingfisher hover over the water, dive, and come up with a fish.
Bald Eagle
There were several Great Blue Herons
Northern Flicker
American Wigeon couple
Northern Shoveller
Fly Agaric
Kulshan, or Mt. Baker in Washington State
Burnaby Lake Stroll
We walked from the Cariboo Dam to the mouth of Stoney Creek on the Brunette River, and then all the way back and along Burnaby Lake to Piper Spit. Didn’t see any salmon spawning yet, but lots of birds. . .
Wood Duck couple
Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Pigeon
Red-winged Blackbird
Outfall of Stoney Creek into the Brunette River
Female Wood Duck coming in for a landing
Male Wood Duck