We heard, and then saw this Pileated Woodpecker near the tennis courts at the top end of Byrne Creek Ravine Park. It then flew into a yard to enjoy this feeder.
Monthly Archives: February 2017
Nature Patterns at Burnaby Lake
After spending an hour or more shooting birds at Burnaby Lake (see previous post), I wandered off down the trails, mentally shifting gears to focus on isolating patterns with a telephoto lens.
Enjoyed Lots of Birds at Burnaby Lake
Spent an hour or so over lunch at Burnaby Lake. Superb array of birds!
A Few Cool Birds
Yumi and I took Skytrain and Sea Bus to Lonsdale Quay today and wandered around the North Shore.
There were six or seven of these cool birds patrolling the pier just east of the Quay. We’d never seen them before, and once we got home figured out they were Pigeon Guillemot.
There was also the usual gang of cormorants protecting their turf near the Sea Bus terminal.
And when we got home, we spotted this gorgeous little female Downy Woodpecker just off our balcony.
First I shot through the window with my little pocket camera. Then I ran down to my office and grabbed a DSLR. I gently opened the balcony door and she just sat there, a few meters away. I talked to her in low, quiet tones — I find this sometimes seems to reassure birds that you’re not trying to sneak up on them, and sometimes I think it just makes them curious.
Forty or fifty shots later I ran downstairs and grabbed a longer telephoto zoom and took another couple dozen shots. She was still just hanging out, so I ran down again to dig out Big Bertha, my Tamron 150-600 and she was still there when I got back, so I fired off another thirty or forty shots. Thank you for your patience!
Rescuing Tofu’s Bad Rep
Tofu.
I think tofu has an unnecessarily bad rep. You just have to know where to get the good stuff. And there are few places to get the good stuff.
I have never yet found any tofu in a major “western” supermarket that I liked. It’s rubbery. It’s tasteless. It’s ickilly smooth.
Here’s what I look for: It’s bought in an Asian market, preferably Japanese. It’s “momen,” or “momendofu” meaning it has weight and a non-icky, slightly textured consistency.
Once opened, you have to eat it in a day or two. If it lasts longer than that in your fridge, it’s got too many preservatives and who knows what other chemicals in it.
If you can serve it cold, cubed, with only a dash of quality soy sauce and sprinkled with bonito flakes, and it’s yummy — that’s my tofu.
If it’s some weirdness shaped into “hot dogs” or “hamburgers” and saturated with artificial flavours, yuck.
Winter Walk at Rice Lake
Blues skies and snowy views at Rice Lake in North Vancouver today.
Snowy Deer Lake Circumrambulation
Yumi and I enjoyed a sunny, snowy walk around Deer Lake.
Rain After Weeks of Snow Poses Fresh Challenges
Our gutters are overflowing here in SE Burnaby, BC, as a steady rain kicks in after weeks of snow.
Checking out the issue, I discovered that the gutters and downspouts on the shady side of our home are plugged solid with ice.
So today’s morning workout was to dig a trench away from the worst spot, drop a board in to help with deflection, and chip away at the gutter with a hatchet — a task I soon discovered was futile. Will simply have to redirect the flow away from the foundation as best as possible and wait for the downspouts to clear.
I suppose I could try pouring boiling water down, but that would take a loooong time : – ).
Just checked the weather and it’s supposed to reach around 8 C today, so hopefully it’ll melt soon.
UPDATE: Going on the principle of nothing ventured nothing gained, I just spent ten minutes boiling ~4 liters of water and pouring it into the gutter near the downspout, and it does seem to have helped a bit.
Celebrating Burnaby Enviro Strategy Steering Committee
Dinner and certificates tonight for folks who served on the City of Burnaby’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy Steering Committee. It was a great team!
Snowy Byrne Creek Miniatures
I can’t get enough of snowy Byrne Creek Ravine Park in SE Burnaby.
