Here are a few of my fave photos from a walk around Deer Lake in Burnaby, BC, this morning.
Cooper’s Hawk
Anna’s Hummingbird
River Otter
Monthly Archives: February 2022
Donating Stuff for Breathing Space
I’m gradually getting better at getting rid of stuff.
We inherited a good amount of furniture from my late Mom and her husband when they downsized many years ago. A lot of that we still use, but some has been sitting in the garage for years.
It’s hard to let it go, but I’ve been listing some on Craiglist for ridiculously cheap prices, with nary a bite. So the other day we donated two armchairs in great condition to the local Salvation Army Thrift Store.
A couple of well-used rolling office chairs likely beyond anyone’s interest we arranged for a City of Burnaby “large item” pickup. One of them we got at a Restore outlet for $5 or $10 about five years ago, and the other was a salvage when Yumi’s workplace downsized during Covid.
And the garage looks much more spacious as a result.
Yay!
Reporting on Public Commitment to Lose Weight
I vaguely recall making a public commitment to lose weight, so am reporting that I’m pleased to be down 10kg, or 22lb, from where I was at this time last year.
Slow but steady, eh?
No special diets, no fads or programs. Just simply tracking every single calorie eaten, and every calorie expended through exercise.
If I repeat that this year, I won’t have to buy any pants for years because I’ve got several pairs of jeans and several pairs of cargo pants that I, er, outgrew over the years, and that are still in great condition 
.
There are already a few pairs that I can wear now that were too tight a year ago. . .
Ganbarimasu!
South Burnaby Bird Walk
A few birds that I saw on my SE Burnaby, BC, power walk this morning:
Varied Thrush
Varied Thrush
House Finch
European Starling
Northern Flicker
American Robin
Bald Eagles, Northern Harrier at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC
Had a great morning shooting Bald Eagles and a Northern Harrier at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC, this morning.
My Main Handy Reference Tome is Replaced
I’ve been an editor/writer, both in-house and freelance, for over 30 years.
There’s a handy space between the two printers (laser and colour inkjet) on my computer stand in which I keep my most-used reference book.
Well, today I realized I’ve been getting up and walking to a nearby bookcase to grab Stokes Birds way more often than I was reaching up for The Chicago Manual of Style.
Sorry, Chicago, but you’re being displaced . . .
Streamkeeper Volunteers See Lots of Wildlife on Byrne Creek Tour in Burnaby
A group of Byrne Creek Streamkeepers volunteers toured the creek this morning. We focused on the upper third to see where the water comes from, and the bottom third, to see the dykes and the outfall into the Fraser River.
We were fortunate to be treated to many birds ‘n beasts along the way!
This Red-tailed Hawk came soaring in over the dyke
It perched in a tree for a minute or two . . .
and then it took off
We spotted this raccoon near the mouth of the creek
It swam away across the creek
We saw three Great Blue Herons over the course of the tour. This one was just upstream of Edmonds Skytrain Station
This one was in the pond near the Byrne Creek outfall
And this Great Blue Heron was perched on a light standard along the dyke
A Double-crested Cormorant in the pond near the outfall of Byrne Creek
Hooded Merganser near the mouth of Byrne Creek
Ring-necked Duck
House Finch near the top end of the creek
Soviet/Russian Horrors Against Ukraine Run Deep and Long
The horrors of the Russian-Soviet induced Holodomor/Genocide that purposely killed millions of Ukrainians in the 1930s will reberverate to the end of time.
But tonight, it occurs to me in these troubled times that I’ve never been to the villages in Ukraine where my paternal and maternal grandparents were born.
The closest I got was as a pre-teen in 1972.
But when we got near the village, our 24/7 KGB minder got freaked, and wouldn’t let us go the final few miles. Our entire tour group, who all had family ties in the area, was deported across the border into Romania.
Even in those dark days, I fondly recall the Romanian border “guards” greeting us with bread, and cold cuts, and cheese, and wine, after observing our 12-hour interogation/ordeal at the border.
The damn KGB still owe me several rolls of Fujichrome that they confiscated from 12-year-old me, eh?
But as we were driving through the border town the day before we got kicked out by the KGB, my lingering memory is of an aunt spotting a relative on a street near the family origins (gait and facial features umistakable — an image of grandad), and demanding to stop and being allowed to see if he was really who we thought he was.
He was, and said he’d been told by the KGB to go home because we were not coming.
How cruel.
And to the KGB minder’s dismay he stayed with us for our final night and shared stories of the KGB’s inhumanity, and the Soviet Russian attempts to destroy the Ukrainian language and culture.
He said he didn’t care about what they would do to him, he’d seen so much horror in his life.
He had only a few teeth left, despite vaunted Soviet medical care, and no glasses. . . again despite vaunted Soviet medical care . . . Sigh.
So all of us in our group who had glasses let him try them out and we left a pair.
Through the night he shared stories of horrors upon horrors infilcted upon Ukrainians by Soviet killers, and we all cried.
And he crept away before dawn.
This is so sad, and. . .
Another reason why we must all Stand for Ukraine.
Abused for centuries, but still standing. . .
Varied Thrushes, Northern Flickers in Byrne Creek Ravine Park
I took a walk in Byrne Creek Ravine Park in SE Burnaby this morning and was happy to come across several Varied Thrushes and Northern Flickers.
Cavity in a dead tree — potential nesting site?
This Flicker was drumming on the top of a street lamp to spread notice of its presence far and wide : – )
Foggy Drizzle Graces Foliage in South Burnaby
It was lovely to walk Byrne Creek Ravine Park and Taylor Park in SE Burnaby, BC in the foggy drizzle this morning.
