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.
We had the day off today, so Yumi and I headed up to Stoney Creek and the Brunette River in NE Burnaby, BC, to look for salmon. We saw several chum and a coho.
While we were exploring, a Bald Eagle made a brief appearance. We then heard, and eventually spotted a Belted Kingfisher, but true to form it was exteremely skittish, so I didn’t get very good shots of it.
Chum
Coho
Grain elevators in the distance against a brooding, snow-coming-soon sky during a trip to Saskatchewan last week.
Wintry skies in Saskatchewan on a recent trip to visit relatives.
Water tower and grain elevators, Wakaw
Paying a visit to honour my paternal grandparents and my Uncle Paul in Saskatchewan in late October.
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.
Spotted this Northern Harrier while I was driving north on Highway 6 from southern Saskatchewan to Melfort about a week ago.
UPDATE (Oct. 13, 2024) – Was looking at photos on this blog and I think this is a Red-tailed Hawk (dark morph?).
And a coyote on the prowl near the Quill Lakes info sign on the Yellowhead Highway
Looks like a 12-guage shotgun slug hole near the center of the sign, and a scattering of approximately 9mm or .30 cal bullets. Hmmm. . .
This was my chariot for a recent visit to Saskatchewan and Manitoba to see relatives and friends. A Jeep Wrangler Sahara.
I flew into Saskatoon, and had a car booked at the airport. When I got to the rental desk, the gal behind the counter asked if I’d like a Jeep for the same rate.
Having heard there was snow in the works for western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan, I said “sure!”
I’d never driven a Jeep before, but it proved to be a trusty ride on snow and ice. Stiff and bouncy on the highway, but what the heck. . .
Fun ride. . .
A few days ago volunteer streamkeepers spotted salmon returning to spawn in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC.
Today I had a chance to go out and take a look, and was happy to see three magnificent Coho.
It was overcast so this is the best shot I got.
Was listening to some Chris Isaak on Spotify, and remembered attending a concert at the PNE in Vancouver in 2011 where I shot a bunch of photos with a Nikon D300.
Dug up some shots:
Got a Byrne Creek walk in this morning before the storm hit. Have yet to see any salmon coming back to spawn, though they are back in several creeks and rivers in the lower mainland.
We usually start seeing salmon around mid-October in Byrne Creek, but last year they didn’t arrive until the end of the month.
But I did see a gorgeous Steller’s Jay and a shiny Crow.
Steller’s Jay
Crow
Northern Flicker
