I spent a couple of hours rambling Byrne Creek Ravine Park and Taylor Park in SE Burnaby, BC, today. It was a lovely sunny day, and lots of birds.
House Finch
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Varied Thrush
Dark-eyed Junco
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Anna’s Hummingbird
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
My morning Byrne Creek and Taylor Park ramble turned up a Cooper’s Hawk, four or five Anna’s Hummingbirds, and a Varied Thrush.
Cooper’s Hawk
Anna’s Hummingbird
Varied Thrush
.Putin is waking up people all over the world who have Ukrainian roots, those who support them, and those who cherish freedom and democracy.
I was a “Super-Uke” in my youth and early adulthood.
For many years I was in a Ukrainian youth chorus, was an altar boy and Sunday school teacher in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada, was Saskatchewan provincial president of the Ukrainian Students’ Union of Canada, was a teacher at Ukrainian youth camps, and a teacher at Ukrainian language summer schools.
And eventually I burned out and abandoned most of my Ukrainian connections.
I went to Japan to teach English for over a decade, and then do journalism for Tokyo-based English-language news services for a few more years. That was about as far away as one could get from Ukrainian-Canadian issues .
It wasn’t until after I returned to Canada in my 40s that I started gradually returning to the Ukrainian world, assisting an aunt and my late mom in translating and editing some 20 volumes of Ukrainian literature into English.
My Ukrainian is very rusty now, after several decades of little involvement with the Ukrainian-Canadian community.
But, Putin, you’ve inspired me to be more active, to perhaps polish my weakened language skills.
P.S. I don’t hate Russians, I love your resistance. I just hate Putin and the oligarachs.
You all deserve better, and I admire your protests.
I came across four or five Steller’s Jays hanging out together during my morning walk in SE Burnaby, BC.
I also heard a bird drumming on metal flashing, and figured it would be a Northern Flicker. I eventually spotted it atop a tall utility pole.
And today, as with many days recently, there were Varied Thrushes hanging around Byrne Creek Ravine Park.
Steller’s Jay
Varied Thrush
Northern Flicker
A quiet walk at Mundy Park in Coquitlam, BC, this morning.
This morning on my walk through Byrne Creek Ravine Park and Taylor Park in SE Burnaby, BC, I spotted a Northern Flicker checking out some real estate, and several Varied Thrushes.
This is going to be bad. Very bad.
The world stood by, the world didn’t believe Putin was willing to start WWIII to reimpose a Russian Empire.
So now what is the West going to do? Declarations and condemnations mean shit.
And keep an eye on China, this Russian “distraction” may be the perfect time to swallow Taiwan.
Meanwhile Ukraine and its citizens will fight as long and as strongly as they can.
Remember that Ukrainian partisans simultaneously fought both Nazi and Communist forces during WWII.
Yes, there were Ukrainians who supported Nazis, and there were Ukrainians who supported Communists. But to reiterate, there were Ukrainians who fought both to try to maintain their language, culture and religions.
Ukraine survived hundreds of years of being carved up by various empires, survived the loss of millions in WWI, more millions in the Soviet Russian-imposed Holodomor artificial famine in the 1930s, more millions in WWII. . .
I rambled the north shore of Burnaby Lake for a couple of hours this morning, starting from the Cariboo Dam and walking to Piper Spit, and as far as Phillips Point and back.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Varied Thrush
Spotted Towhee
Wood Duck
Mandarin Duck
Northern Pintail
Greater Scaup
Green-winged Teal
Pied-billed Grebe
Song Sparrow
American Crow
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron