I attended a birding tour around Burnaby BC’s Deer Lake today led by master birder George Clulow. It was a crisp, sunny morning, and great fun. There was plenty to see, but I ended up splitting my photography efforts between birds and blossoms, since I’d decided not to shlep the heavy artillery for the two-hour walk. It’s hard getting a decent hummingbird shot without the big lens and tripod.
The heron rookery. Here’s one carrying material for a nest
Mallard couple at the east beach
American Wigeon couple at the east beach
Snoozing mallards at the east beach
Frog in the lake, likely invasive
Turtles in the lake. They all look like invasive red-eared sliders, though one may not be
Sparrow in the gardens near the Burnaby Art Gallery
Burnaby RCMP sponsored a safety forum today with community partners. The event at Lougheed Town Centre Mall attracted lots of folks. I was out running errands so I dropped by, and enjoyed chatting with RCMP, City of Burnaby staff, and community groups that I’ve worked with through volunteering over the years.
I also reconnected with Transit Police Sergeant Hawthorne, and let her know that Byrne Creek Streamkeeper volunteers would have a registration booth and dumpster set up at the Edmonds Skytrain Station on May 2 from about 9:45am to 11:30am for a community cleanup organized by EPIC. Everyone is welcome to join in!
While my wife foraged in the Salvation Army store for bargains, I pulled out my pocket Canon and got some shots of nearly buildings, the sunny sky, and some cool clouds.
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.
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.
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.
