I was grateful to be invited to DFO Community Advisor Maurice Coulter-Boisvert’s retirement lunch today in Burnaby. Dozens of representatives from the stewardship volunteer community and DFO staff celebrated his over 35 years of service.
Maurice is a wonderful person, and has done so much for so many years in mentoring and supporting the volunteer community in BC’s lower mainland.
Took advantage of the break in the soggy weather to head up the 99 and poke around in the Squamish, Brackendale, Paradise Valley Road area.
Signs of spring!
Harlequin ducks at Porteau Cove
Streamkeepers are always looking for water critters ‘n fish
Brackendale
Old logging truck
In my latest post for the Editors’ Weekly blog I review basic computer terms that are key to asking questions about hardware or software issues.
Volunteer streamkeepers set out Gee traps overnight in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, with DFO permission. Today we went and pulled the traps. Got lots of trout, including some cool color variations, but unfortunately no coho.
Gee trap emptied into tub for IDing and measuring
Fish trapping is an activity that gets us out into some challenging terrain!
Wondering if this is a “cutbow”? We got a few cutties today that had faint pink lines, or pink dots along their sides.
Interesting color variations — reddish-brown trout and greenish-grey ones.
Great news, we saw lots of fry in pools in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby today. Yumi and Joan managed to dip-net both chum and coho, and of course release them unharmed.
NOTE: Streamkeepers have permission from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to ID fry.
Coho fry
Chum fry
What an amazing day in and around Boundary Bay in Delta, BC, today. Took over 1,000 shots of eagles, harriers, and herons, and came home with a few usable ones : -).
That is one big rodent, and. . .
It went down the hatch in one gulp!
A weekend gathering of the clan in Osoyoos, BC, was colder than expected, but still great to get out of town for a bit.
We saw several dozen quail on our walks
Our trusty ’98 Subaru Outback hit 300,000 kilometers today, or just over 185,000 miles. As you can see, at nearly 20 years old, we don’t put a lot of mileage on it annually. Never used it for commuting until about six months ago, and that commute is only a couple of klicks.
Our mechanic says he regularly services an Outback with over 500,000 kilometers on it. Doubt if we’ll keep ours that long — while still reliable, it’s becoming increasingly expensive to maintain. And we’d also like a hybrid. . .
Yumi found this Anna’s Hummingbird dead near her building on her way home from work today. Sigh. What a beauty.
She brought it home for a close inspection, and a wee burial.
It’s amazing how the colouration changes with different light at different angles.
Happy to see a couple of Byrne Creek Ravine Park trailwalking “elders” out and about now that the snow and ice are gone.
Ran into Dave on the creek trail today, and it was good to chat. He’s 87, and always has a good tale to tell about what it was like growing up in the area. If I recall, he was a boxer in his youth, and he keeps telling me to keep moving! 
Saw Ron the other day, too. Ron’s a retired stonemason also pushing 90, if not there already, who had a hand in some of the magnificent greystone work at the University of Saskatchewan where I did a couple of degrees. He speaks with a hint of a lovely Scottish burr, and also has tales to tell.
Good to see you, gentlemen, and hope I’m still walking the ravine 30 years from now!