A birding first for me. A Cinnamon Teal playing peekaboo in a marshy area at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC, this morning.
Monthly Archives: May 2021
Crow Harassing Bald Eagle at Centennial Beach
Crows often have it in for raptors, and one was giving this Bald Eagle a chase this morning at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC.
Northern Harrier at Centennial Beach
I love roaming the trails at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC, looking for Northern Harriers. Got some good shooting today!
Muddy Bald Eagles Clean Up
On our morning walk in Fraser Foreshore Park in SE Burnaby, BC, we decided to follow the trail past the waste-to-energy facility and further along the river.
We spotted these bedraggled-looking Bald Eagles cleaning up in a tree. Don’t know if they’d been mud wrestling or fishing in the silty Fraser, but they were interesting to watch!
Northern Flicker Cruising Meadow in Burnaby
As we were walking around the meadow in the Big Bend in SE Burnaby, BC, this morning, we saw this Northern Flicker cruising back and forth just above the ground.
Sunny Stroll at Spanish Banks, Vancouver
Parking was crazy on a sunny Saturday, but after we found a spot the beach and low-tide flats were not that crowded.
More Barred Owls in South Burnaby, BC
On our pre-supper walk we saw two Barred Owls, both of them snoozing.
Barred Owl, Bunny in Byrne Creek Ravine Park
We timed our morning walk on Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC, today perfectly, getting home just as the sky opened up and the rain came down.
Yumi spotted a bunny (European Rabbit?), and a Barred Owl that’s been attracting photographers to the ravine for weeks. It was quiet today, apparently the owl chicks have moved on, so the owl is getting some respite.
Swallow Trifecta at Burnaby Lake, Burnaby, BC
There were lots of swallows skimming the water at Burnaby Lake in Burnaby today.
I was happy to get in-flight shots of three species: Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, and Tree Swallow.
Violet-green Swallow
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Another Coho Smolt Kill on Byrne Creek, Burnaby, BC
I got a call from City of Burnaby staff today that people were reporting dead fish in Byrne Creek. Sure enough, yet another first-flush road-wash coho kill.
This is how the creek was running during the rain on Monday. Photo by volunteer Joan.
We released 3,700 coho smolts last Thursday. It rained Monday, and the creek was running awfully dirty. I will add a photo by another volunteer of the dirty creek.
This has been happening for many years on Byrne Creek. We pray for no rain following a coho smolt release, because if road wash enters the creek while the coho are still in the system, they die by the hundreds.
Recent research by Dr. Jen McIntyre at Washington State University points to a chemical in tires that is toxic particularly to coho.
I met a City staffer for a walkabout. I counted four or five dozen dead smolts beteween the sediment pond and the downstream side of Byrne Bridge.
There were several happy herons about, and with this kill likely occuring Monday/Tuesday, probably dozens if not hundreds of dead smolts had been scarfed already. Mother Nature’s cleanup crew is fast and efficient!