Got some nice shots today at the pier in White Rock, BC.
Liftoff!
The heron kept shifting its head from side to side to locate prey
Grooming gull
Monthly Archives: May 2015
Computer Getting Whiny
Fan noises on my tower computer have reached annoying levels, so I pulled the side panel and spent some time dusting with compressed air and a Shop Vac. The whiny sound has been cut at least in half, but it’s still noticeable. It may be time to try a new CPU fan soon, as I think that’s the one that’s most irritating.
It wouldn’t be too bad if it were a steady sound, but the fan responds to load, so it’s constantly rising and falling in pitch.
Hatchery Coho Smolts Die in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC
Well, I was hoping it wouldn’t happen.
I was hoping it wouldn’t rain, because rain flushes all the crap off our roads and into our creeks. Gasoline, oil, antifreeze, metals from brake-lining dust…
But today one of our volunteers from the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society observed 130+ dead coho smolts in the sediment pond, near where they had been released just two days ago. See photos in previous post.
Anger. Sadness. Frustration.
We’ve had years where we’ve counted over 700 dead smolts, or a mortality rate of over 25% of those released, and I’m sure we always miss many morts. Mother Nature cleans up damn quick when a smolt buffet is set for all the birds and beasts who love fish.
The weirdness is that indigenous fish appear to be fine. You’ll see fry and trout swimming about unaffected by the pollutants that kill the coho.
You can see live fry on the right-hand side of this photo
This one was barely alive. It sat on the bottom barely moving, then turned a few circles, and banged its head into the concrete wall of the sediment pond.
Coho Smolt Release on Byrne Creek
Our DFO Community Advisor released about 5,000 coho smolts in Burnaby, BC, south slope creeks this morning. Byrne Creek, on which I volunteer, got a total of about 3,000 of those.
The yearlings are transported in a special tank and then transferred into the creek in buckets
A closeup of the seething mass of life. It appeared that we lost just two or three out of the thousands
DFO is now saying to clip the adipose fins on hatchery coho again, which means streamkeeper volunteers will be able to distinguish hatchery from wild coho when they return to spawn in a few years.
The habitat was looking lush following this morning’s rain
Rain beading on blossoms
Lonely blossom in the rain
OS Numbnuts Need to Take a Break
Earlier tonight I posted in an international editors’ forum about some software I was considering buying. To be clear, the question was about an application, not about operating systems.
I mentioned that I have both Windows and Mac machines, because there are similar apps for both, though in this case I was looking for Windows apps.
One would think that other editors, being literate, professional wordsmiths, would read this and understand it.
No. Of course not.
The first reply (and the only one after several hours) was from someone touting Windows as the ultimate development platform, and by relation, trashing Macs.
Thanks, you just behaved like an idiot, and scared other folks away from the thread. We’ve been there and seen it done so many times. When the first bozo comment appears, we don’t waste our time on the thread any more.
So why am I wasting time on this blog post? I guess I’m still pissed off at this antisocial behaviour.
Why? Why? Why do adults succumb to such stupidity?
Some of us like Windows. Some of us like Macs. Some of us use Linux. I have machines running all three.
Chest Wader Fashion Shoot
I got these new rubber/PVC chest waders for 50% off at Canadian Tire recently. Thought I’d show them off :-).
Work it! That’s it! Hold the smile!
I have a set of fancy Browning chest and hip waders (bought at blowout prices at Surplus Herbies) that have “stocking” feet that require separate boots. I have felt-soled boots for them, but sometimes a simple one-piece rubber outfit is better for muddy in-stream streamkeeping work.
Jane’s Walk Explores New Westminster/Burnaby border trails
I joined a Jane’s Walk today led by Mary Wilson that began in New Westminster BC, and crossed the border into Burnaby to explore the urban trail system. Mary pointed out that while there were great trails in the Edmonds area of Burnaby, there was no connectivity to neighbouring New West. Perhaps this is something that the two municipalities, and particularly NW, could look at.
Mary had come to last month’s Byrne Creek Streamkeeepers Society meeting, since these volunteers help care for the urban creek and ravine park in the area. I tagged along on the walk today, and welcomed the opportunity to chat a bit about urban watersheds, daylighting creeks, the importance to wildlife of natural areas and corridors to connect them, etc.
Thanks Mary!
You can find other New Westminster Jane’s Walks here, and while at this time Burnaby so far appears to lag in variety, there are walks popping up here.
Looking at the massive, near-50-acre former Safeway distribution lands that will be redeveloped soon. There’s an ambitious plan for a walkable, transit-friendly, mixed-use residential and commercial area.
