On a ravine walk this evening, Yumi and I noticed that stones in Byrne Creek between the stairs and the footbridge had a white coating. Not all stones across the width of the creek, more like some giant gently dragged a paintbrush a few feet wide across the tops.
Didn’t see any distressed or dead fish.
A piece of folded cardboard, Ferrero Rocher chocolate wrappers, a hot glue gun, a creative wife… et voilà! Miniature golden Japanese screen.
I helped eat the chocolates.
This little scene in our foyer changes every month or two. The base is my late grandmother’s sewing machine, with seasonal Japanese-themed displays.
I was out looking for salmon fry in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby today, and got some video in addition to my usual, er, focus on still photography.
In addition to photographing salmon fry, I also got lots of shots of emerging greenery along Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC.
I spent about two hours this afternoon stalking salmon fry in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC. I saw dozens of wee coho throughout the areas that I checked. So nice to have confirmation that coho spawned successfully in this urban creek last autumn, and that their eggs are hatching out.
There were several dozen fry hanging in a pool under this log in the lower ravine. There were also four or five smolt-size fish there too, either coho yearlings or resident cutthroat trout. I didn’t see them eat any fry while I was there, but I have observed that in other years.
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers will continue a long tradition of participating in the Edmonds Clean Sweep in SE Burnaby. The event is sponsored by EPIC (Edmonds People in Community.)
As usual, streamkeepers will have an alternate registration site from 9:45am on Sat. May 2 in the parking lot of the Edmonds Skytrain Station, and we will clean the area around the station and in upper Byrne Creek Ravine Park.
We will join in the noon-hour lunch and festivities at Gordon Presbyterian on Edmonds St.
There are several nature walks coming up over the next few months in Burnaby, BC, parks. You can sign up here.
I have been on walks with birder George Clulow (check out his excellent nature blog here), and with species-at-risk specialist Pam Zevit (South Coast Conservation Program).
We followed up the Centennial Beach visit with a walk along the dyke at Boundary Bay. I heard killdeer, and soon we saw an amorous couple frolicking before mating.
Beauty!
Displaying before a prospective mate
Easing in a little closer
Male jumps on female’s back
It appeared that only a few seconds is all it takes. They repeated this courtship and mounting a couple of times.
Yumi and I went down to Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen today. We’ve often seen eagles there, and today was no exception.
While I often prefer nature to man-made objects, these Spiderman and Fighter Jet kites were pretty cool, too.
Looking north you can see the towers of Burnaby in the distance
Yumi and I saw dozens of fry in Byrne Creek this afternoon. Lots between the eroded area and the wooden footbridge in the lower ravine, and some further downstream of the bridge. Yumi thought coho due to stripes on anal fins.
It’s great to see a new generation of salmon hatching out in this urban creek!
