Looking especially lush and green after a few weeks of mini-summer.
Photography
Photos I’ve taken of scenery, interesting objects and other things.
Birding May 22, 2023: Killdeer peeps and diving swallows
Where: Centennial Beach, Delta Weather: Cloudy, 15C
The Outing
Nic and I headed out for the first time in three weeks, now that he is back in the Pacific time zone, in body, if not in mind. Alas, after two weeks of warm, summer-like weather, the clouds have returned. It actually wasn’t that cold overall, but the wind coming over the bay was a little chilly. Shorts weather, but without the chance of sunburn.
We did technically see two raptors, way up high–an eagle and what Merlin says was a northern harrier. I’ve never seen them fly in proximity before.
The birding turned out to be a bit better than expected, especially as we returned along the trails, with a goldfinch proving elusive, then somewhat more cooperative. All of my shots of it were poo. I did get one when it was up closer, but didn’t have time to properly focus. If it had sat still for two more seconds, I would have gotten a great shot.
I consoled myself by getting a bunch of shots of a positively adorable rabbit. While the first one dashed into the undergrowth before we could get any shots, the next proved suitably chill. And adorable. I’m going to assume there were about a thousand others we didn’t see, just out of sight.
I attempted to get some shots of diving swallows and managed a few that were surprisingly half-decent. Like, you can not just tell they’re swallows, you can see feathers and stuff. Neat!
Overall, it was nice to be back out. While better light would have been nice, at least we didn’t have to find the right spot to avoid the harsh glare of the sun. Yeah, that’s it!
The Shots
Tide out at Boundary Bay
A northern harrier and bald eagle, seemingly flying together. Or at least very close to each other.
Field of focal points
A bunny!
A bunny being even more adorable.
Brooding sky. It never threatened to rain, though.
Mallard in a pond
Female gadwall
Male gadwall trailing behind the missus
Killdeer with tail up
Killdeer pondering, possibly
Killdeer on the move
Starling in the seaweed
European starling with a look
Crow grooming, which looks kind of weird and creepy
Crow grooming nearly complete
Another shot of the tidal flats of the bay
The first and closest shot of the goldfinch. Also, the best shot, which gives you an idea of what the rest looked like (Narrator: Not good.)
This is cropped in quite close, so it's not exactly crisp, but you can clearly see the swallow about to nab a bug just above the surface of the water.
Diving swallow #2
Diving swallow #3
Diving swallow #4
Diving swallow #5
Diving swallow #6 to complete the set
Tree swallow, hanging out on the roof of his home
Poofy house sparrow declaring victory on ownership of the bird box
Savannah sparrow on a log
Savannah sparrow on the beach
The Birds (and other critters)
Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:
- Barn swallow
- European starling
- Goldfinch
- House sparrow
- Savannah sparrow
- Spotted towhee
- Tree swallow
Waterfowl:
- Gadwall
- Killdeer
- Mallard
Common:
- Crow
- Seagull
Raptors:
- Bald eagle
- Northern harrier
Non-birds:
- Rabbits
- Some bugs if you squinted or were a swallow
Time for another desperation photo
It’s getting late, and I realized I’d not taken a photo all day. Panic? Yes! But also, as usual, I used this as an opportunity to do something a little different.
I placed one of the drawing figures I have flat on the black mat my keyboard and mouse sit on, then adjusted the light levels for a touch more contrast. He looks like he’s chained to a wall, or maybe just glued to one. The light source is from my desk lamp.
It occurs to me that this is a great way to pose the figure without it toppling over all the time. Hmm.
But is it art?
Answer: No, it’s just an extreme close-up of the coaster I have sitting on my desk.
Er, I mean, yes, art. Totally.
Brunette River, May 13 2023: Hot spring
It’s 30C today, like it would be in the middle of July, except not even then. Crazy climate.
The river looks nice, though. I got some photos of a heron hunting fishies as a bonus, too.
Baby geese! Baby ducks!
I’ll post the full gallery tomorrow (it’s getting late), but here are some shots of the first baby geese and ducks I’ve seen this spring at Burnaby Lake. The coots may be gone, but the fluffballs have arrived.
Birding, May 7, 2023: Herons and more herons
Where: Sapperton Landing, New Westminster Weather: Partly sunny, 17C
The Outing
With the weather being perfectly spring-like, I stretched my legs and spent an hour or so strolling along the path at Sapperton Landing, taking in the scenery along the Fraser River, and shooting what birds I could see.
I spotted a heron early on, which was nice, then realized there were at least four others with it. It was a heronfest, a bounty of herons, a heroncopia.
I actually got several decent shots of robins–score! And a terrifying shot of a crow cawing directly at my camera. And speaking of creepy, I shot a passing boat and when I zoomed in later a guy in the boat appeared to be staring back at me with a “I’ll git you!” look on his face.
Surprisingly, I saw a pair of gadwalls in the river, still not interested in migrating north, apparently.
In all, it was a fine little outing.
The Shots
Going for the catch
Fishy successfully acquired
Great Blue Heron and a gadwall couple that have not yet migrated north
Heron leaving, heron standing
Heron in flight over the Fraser River
Heron landing, cormorant in the background
Fish mosaic at Sapperton Landing
A pair of cormorants plying the river
Song sparrow in the grass being most birb
Hook and chain on a moored boat near Sapperton Landing
View of the Fraser, with log booms and the Port Mann Bridge in the background
Flower with bonus ladybugs
Song sparrow singing, as they do
Reflecting crow at the pier
Crow cawing directly at the camera. Terrifying.
I can't decide if towing giant barges of wood chips would be awesome or awful.
Life preserver on moored boat near Sapperton Landing
SkyBridge, Patullo Bridge, railroad bridge and the forthcoming Patullo Bridge 2.0
Robin on the alert for worms
The Birds (and other critters)
Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:
- American robin
- Song sparrow
Waterfowl:
- Canada goose
- Cormorant
- Gadwall
- Great Blue Heron
- Mallard
Common:
- Crow
Non-birds:
- A few well-behaved dogs
- A spider
Sapperton Landing, May 7, 2023: Herons herons herons!
Full gallery soon™ but for now here’s one of the five herons I saw while strolling Sapperton Landing this afternoon with camera in hand.
Night pencils
Another late night “must take a photo today” shot:
Brunette River, May 5, 2023
Just a shot of the river taken on a grey evening, about 10 minutes before sunset.
Goose butt
And with that, I declare an END to April 2023, no BUTTS about it.
I have purchased sunscreen in April, let summer begin!
With the forecast calling for sun tomorrow (weird, I know) and expecting to spend some hours in said sun, I have purchased sunscreen because as I’ve learned, if you spend any time in the sun, it will burn you. This year, I’m ready! As long as I remember to put it on. Which I will. For sure.
Also, speaking of summer, they have already filled the swimming pool at Hume Park, even though the pool normally doesn’t open until late June. It’s not actually open now, but it looks like it could be. Maybe it’s a test run. Or maybe a family of adorable otters will live there until late June.
