Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush, Fox Sparrow in Byrne Creek Ravine Park in the rain in SE Burnaby, BC.
The Kinglet would not sit still, flitting about in the bushes, and I had to push the ISO to 6,400 to get a half-decent shutter speed.
Nya Nya! : – )
Varied Thrush
Fox Sparrow
As I was patrolling for spawning salmon this morning, a Belted Kingfisher exploded down the length of the sediment pond on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC.
I’d heard it cackling, but it still took me by surprize, so this is the best shot I got.
Zoom! Looks like a fighter jet!
This Varied Thrush in Ron McLean Park sat still for about five seconds : – )
There were three or four Steller’s Jays rooting around in moss on tree branches in the lower ravine in Byrne Creek Ravine Park in SE Burnaby, BC, this morning.
We’ve been getting so few spawners back that this is a wonderful sight to see. Especially with Coho, since many of the few females that come back to our creek die before spawning.
The female with her tail abraded from digging in the gravel/cobble. You can see the redd, or nest of eggs, to the right.
A few mintues later when she hid under a log with the larger, darker colored male
Taking a lesson from the flooding and refreshed our quake/disaster Go bags today.
They are backpacks that we keep at the front door with changes of clothing, rain jackets, toques, heavy socks, mittens, emergency sleeping shelter (a reflective sleeping bag that weighs a few ounces), flashlights, extra batteries, granola bars, chocolate, water, Life Straw personal water filter, fixed-blade knife with a fire-steel in the handle, first aid kits, etc. . .
His and hers.
Oh, yeah, also a Zip bag full of cat food and a small carrier.
Yowza, sure was a lot of water! And the mouth of Byrne Creek was about as high as I’ve ever seen it.
We were watching TV when this Northern Flicker checked out our balcony feeder. We’ve neve seen one at the feeder before. Grabbed this shot with my cell phone.
As I come across more old photos, this looks like my Uncle Paul.
As I recall the story, he suddenly collapsed and died during recess in the yard of a one-room schoolhouse in Saskatchewan.
I think it was an undiagnosed heart issue.
There’s another photo that I remember of my paternal grandmother stricken with grief at his funeral as his coffin was carried out of the tiny prairie church.
Such raw pain etched on her usually stoic face . . .
She was one of toughest pioneer women I’ve ever known, dedicated to work, family, and church, and yet so accepting and loving of us all.
I was named after him.
I love that in this photo he is holding books and a trophy, for I have always loved reading, writing, and editing.
I just updated the firmware on a couple of my Nikon DSLRs.
I should check for updates more often, for they often incorporate small fixes and feature enhancements like faster focusing, improved metering, better video features, enhanced compatibility with certain lenses, etc.
Sometimes I forget that aside from the mechanical bits, digital cameras are basically computers with imaging sensors.
This hawk was in a tree just above our balcony when some crows spotted it. It flew further down the treeline, the crows followed, and eventually chased it off out of sight.
