Monthly Archives: November 2023

Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping

Coho Salmon in Byrne Creek in Burnaby, BC

Coho Salmon returning to spawn in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC.

Coho Salmon spawning in Byrne Creek in Burnaby BC

Coho are usually very shy, and while this one appeared to be pretty fresh and in good condition, it was not hiding. . .

Hmm. In the last photo you can see Yumi has walked past it, and it still hasn’t flushed. You can see the Coho at the bottom left of the photo.

Possibly affected by 6PPD-quinone tire chems off the roads?We have had repeated kills of Coho salmon in Byrne Creek for well over ten years, both at the smolt stage and the spawner stage.

Nature, Photography

Relaxed Heron on Stoney Creek in Burnaby, BC

While we were looking for salmon spawning in Stoney Creek in NE Burnaby, BC, today, this Great Blue Heron came gliding in and landed beside the creek.

It was very chill — we followed it around for 10-15 minutes taking photos.

great blue heron stoney creek burnaby bc

We noticed it was watching both the creek and the bank. It was likely looking for smaller fish like trout that gather to try to steal salmon eggs when salmon are spawning,  and perhaps also keeping an eye on the bush anticipating rodents nibbling on salmon carcasses. . .
Nature, Photography, Travel

I’ll Always Love Saskatchewan Skies

Grain elevators in the distance against a brooding, snow-coming-soon sky during a trip to Saskatchewan last week.

Grain elevators against a grey Saskatchwan wintry sky

I left Saskatchewan in the mid-80s, but damn, I’ll always love those skies. . . Sunny, stormy , . .

They are all gorgeous.

I lived and worked in Japan for nearly 15 years, and since then I’ve lived on Canada’s west coast for over 20 years, and love the mountains, the ocean, the rivers.

But I’ll always be a Saskatchewan boy at heart.
Photography, Society, Travel

Visiting Ancestors’ Graves in Saskatchewan

Paying a visit to honour my paternal grandparents and my Uncle Paul in Saskatchewan in late October.

cipywnyk family graves

It’s important to remember where you come from. . . It keeps you grounded and connected.

The days of a family on every quarter-section of farmland are long gone.

The church is closed, and emptied, in case of vandalism.

But the graves remain. There is a cemetary fund, and a cousin keeps the grounds groomed.

There has never been much First Nations recognition to my knowledge in Saskatchewan “pioneering” and farming communities.

There were vastly differing worldviews.

Nomadic lifestyles vs a “new nation” seeking “hard-working immigrants” to “break the land.”

I honour and respect my ancestors for the huge leap they made from the “old country” to Canada, to work so hard to make new lives, and to give future generations like mine a much better future.