Towers in the fog viewed from the Central Valley Greenway in Burnaby, BC, this morning. No filters, no effects. . .
My 2023 Birds of BC Wildlife Calendar
Here’s my first venture into making and selling a calendar to support my photography.
Northern Harrier, Great Blue Heron, Cooper’s Hawk, Bald Eagle, Barn Owl, Anna’s Hummingbird, Baby Barred Owl, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Cedar Waxwing.
Birds of BC 2023 Wildlife Calendar
The printing – ordering – shipping site is in the US. I’ll try to find a Canadian supplier as well.
35th Anniversary of My Only Marathon
It’s the Honolulu Marathon a week from today.
I still get emails to sign up — 35 years after the one and only time I did the Honolulu Marathon.
Well, my one and only marathon! 
Dang, I was skinny back then. . .
Decorations Trigger Sora the Cat
Yumi suspended a few of her crafty decorations from the living room fixture, causing Sora the Cat to stare in amazement, and even yowl.
You never know what will trigger the kitty .
A few of these hung over the dining room table for months without any such response. . .
‘Early Adopter’ Me Appears to be Slowing Down
Funny how “early adopter” me has become “things are running fine, why change?” me. . .
I wonder if that’s a reflection of age?
I began building my own computers back in the mid-1980s, and in those days I was always tinkering, swapping video cards, adding memory, installing larger hard drives, upgrading fax/modems (remember those?). . .
I’ve had an “upgrade to Windows 11” icon sitting in the taskbar on my notebook computer for many months. OTOH, my tower computer is so old, it won’t run Windows 11.
I’m starting to itch to click that icon on my laptop. . . . At least if there’s a bit of a learning curve, I’ll still have Windows 10 on my tower, eh?
And since my tower and my laptop pretty much have all the same applications and utilities on them, if something breaks, I’ll know what else needs upgrading before going Win11 on a slightly newer refurbished tower computer that I’ve never used yet.
Northern Flickers Near Byrne Creek, Burnaby, BC
There were three Northern Flickers hanging out together near the tennis courts at Ron McLean Park in SE Burnaby, BC, today.
Common Raven on Snowy Byrne Creek Walk in Burnaby
Common Raven, Varied Thrush, Snowy scenes on Byrne Creek in Burnaby.
Heron, Finch, Robin at Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby, BC
A chilly stroll at Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby, BC, today.
A Great Blue Heron patiently let me take over a hundred shots from a few meters away, American Robins were eating berries, and there were several House Finches. There was also a variety of ducks in the pond, will get to those photos later. . .
Super Salmon Spawner Patrol on Byrne Creek in Burnaby
Had my best spawner patrol of the year so far on Byrne Creek, with a total of 6 live Coho and 1 live Chum salmon. I also processed (species, sex, length, spawning status) 5 dead Coho and 1 dead Chum.
I also got to watch a pair of Coho spawning. They tend to by shy, and I don’t get to see this that often!
Some photos and a video:
Chum
Coho
Four Coho and a Chum ready for processing
Coho
Coho at the gate in the sediment trap
Video of Coho spawning in the lower ravine:
NOTE: Volunteer Streamkeepers have training and permission to monitor spawning salmon, and to process them after they die. We cut carcasses in half after we’ve gathered the data so that we know they’ve been assessed, and return them to the stream to provide nutrients to the ecosystem.
Remembering Mom on Her Birthday
Lit a candle for my Mom on her birthday.
She would have been 89 today if cancer hadn’t taken her. She had the genes and lifestyle to make that number, but not the luck in the cancer draw. . .
Hard to believe we said goodbye 15 years ago.
Small personal rituals and remembrances.
A wee glass of Jackson-Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon, her fave reasonbly priced wine.
And a wee glass of fresh water. . .