All posts by Paul Cipywnyk

Nature, Writing

The Joy of Sharing Nature

The joy of sharing nature. . .

On my Byrne Creek ravine loop this morning I was shooting spiders and webs, and a young woman passing by on the trail stopped and asked me what I was taking pictures of. Usually when I answer “spiders and webs” I get the “crazy old man” look.

But she beamed and said, “Cool, can I show you a spider I shot on my cell phone?”

Uh, OK. She held her phone out at arm’s length, and sure enough she had a neat video of a spider working on a web.

And then later as I was approaching our back gate I saw a young mother with a stroller staring up into the trees. “Look,” she said, “a Pileated Woodpecker!”

Sure enough she’d spotted one of the gorgeous birds and we watched together for a minute while I fired away.

It warms the cockles of my heart to see others taking delight in nature.
Nature, Photography

Assimilated by the iNaturalist Borg

I posted this a few days ago, thinking it was some sort of wasp. I also put it on FB.

Raspberry Crown Borer Moth

Several folks responded that it was a moth that imitates wasps or hornets. A friend suggested I post it to iNaturalist.

The consensus is:
Raspberry Crown Borer Moth

Pennisetia marginata

Also got a comment that this is the first time one has been reported on iNaturalist for the Surrey, BC, area.

I know I am going to learn a lot by having joined up! I’ve posted nearly 100 photos with observations already, just by going back through my blog for three or four months.

I have been assimilated by the Borg 🙂.
Pets

Listening to Sora the Cat’s Troubles

Someone started a thread on FB not too long ago asking if people talked to their cats. Of course! 🙂
 
Cat carers also know that cats talk to people, it’s just harder to interpret what they’re saying.
 
This is particularly true when it comes to illness, for cats are loath to admit/show they are sick. This is likely thousands of years of evolution, in which cats know it’s dangerous to display weakness.
 
Anyway, from the moment we woke up this morning, we noticed Sora was off. The usual “wake up everyone” French kissing and nose chewing was absent. She didn’t even jump on the bed. I had to go out and find her huddled on the stairs where she meowked plaintively at me like a frightened kitten. I had to carry her to bed for the morning cuddle. Odd.
 
Odder still was she ate very little of her breakfast. Now, Yumi and I joke that if I ever stop eating, I’ll be at death’s door :-). And Sora certainly takes after Dad in the eating department.
 
She was at the vet last week, and was given a clean bill of health, so we figured perhaps she’d eaten something weird and kept her under close observation to see if she deteriorated.
 

She fell asleep on my lap for several hours after lunch while I caught up on magazines, and later she had a bit of dinner. Still not the usual ravenous beast, but eating, drinking, and eliminating. Definitely perking up, and even chased her toys a bit.

Whew! Still keeping an eye on her. . .

UPDATE August 22: Back to her normal, bouncy, rascally self. Yay!