A two-hour ramble ’round Deer Lake in Burnaby, BC, today produced some nice shots.
Northern Flicker
Cormorant drying its wings
Salmonberry blossoms
More blossoms
Category Archives: Nature
Bounty of Birds at Reifel Sanctuary in Delta, BC
Yumi and I wandered the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Delta, BC, for hours today. Tired, but happy with the number of species spotted and successfully “shot”.
Male red-winged blackbirds were putting on a show
American Coot
Juvenile baldy?
Why not take the biggest one?
Great Blue Heron in flight
Gone fishin’
Standing pretty
Lesser Scaup
Northern Pintail
Northern Harrier
Northern Shoveler
Ring-Necked Duck
Sandhill Crane
Taking cough syrup?
Having a scratch
Saw-Whet Owl
American Wigeon
Wood Duck
Spotted Towhee
Tom Cruise ain’t got nothin’ on me!
Byrne Creek Miniatures
My self-assignment today was to walk Byrne Creek Ravine Park in SE Burnaby and shoot photos using only my 35-year-old Micro-Nikkor 55mm/3.5 all-manual macro lens. I had a great time, and here are 32 shots on Flickr.
The experience was stimulating. Limiting the technology, and reverting to all-manual focus and exposure really made me concentrate, and look, and think.
It’s good to slow down…
Signs of Spring in Burnaby, BC
Had a lovely walk on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby today. I was looking for salmon fry hatching out of the gravel and spotted several.
Coho fry
Byrne Creek’s Got Babies!
I’ve been looking for salmon fry in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, the last several times I’ve gone on ravine walks. Today I spotted what was likely a coho fry, judging by its orange tail. Chum would likely have a clear tail, and I think it’s too early for cutthroat fry.
Not the greatest photo, but I’ll be shooting more whenever there’s a sunny day…
Flickers Flock to Burnaby, BC
I’ve been hearing, and seeing, lots of flickers around Burnaby, BC, these days. Saw at least three in Ron McLean Park on my daily walk today.
Not the best of shots, but had only my teeny pocket cam along, and the birds were being coy, playing hide and seek among the branches.
Full Moon Over Burnaby, BC
It was great to squeeze in a one-hour ravine and Burnaby south slope ramble tonight after a solid 1-1/2 days of meetings this weekend.
I felt like this gorgeous full moon was rewarding me and my fellow volunteer Salmon Enhancement and Habitat Advisory Board members for our efforts over the weekend.
We’re off to Department of Fisheries and Oceans Pacific Regional HQ tomorrow to share highs, lows, and advice from the BC stewardship community.
Burnaby Lake Birding with George Clulow
Had a great morning on a Burnaby Parks birding tour of Burnaby Lake led by George Clulow. I believe the outing’s tally was over 35 species of birds. And while it was spitting when we started, the rain stopped for most of the walk. I didn’t want to carry my DSLR gear on this walk, and my teeny shirt-pocket Canon Elph 520HS did an admirable job of pinch hitting.
The crew
George brings along his spotting scope and encourages folks to share it
Heading out on Piper Spit
Red-winged Blackbird
Long-billed Dowitcher
Spotted Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Mid-February South Burnaby Blossoms
Spotted on my pre-lunch south slope walk today.
Meeting the Herring Whisperer
I’d heard about the great success that Squamish Streamkeepers have had in wrapping pier pilings so that spawning herrings’ eggs are not killed by creosote and other chemicals. Today my wife Yumi and I had a chance to meet Dr. Jonn Matsen at Fishermen’s Wharf on False Creek in Vancouver to see some of the techniques in action.
Jonn and my wife Yumi hold up a net as a TV news cameraman lines up a shot
Jonn points out how creosote kills herring eggs. There’s no eelgrass or kelp left around here for more natural spawning sites
Net suspended in the water from the wharf
Closer view of herring eggs on piling