Photos I’ve taken of scenery, interesting objects and other things.
I went to a physiotherapy assessment at UBC today (more on that later) and afterwards Jeff and I ate lunch on a bench in the Nitobe Memorial Garden. It was sunny and warm, and the scenery was tranquil and beautiful as all get-out (sorry, I ain’t no poet).
A cute little waterfall:
And a pond near to our bench:
Looking especially lush and green after a few weeks of mini-summer.
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
The Birds (and other critters)
Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:
Waterfowl:
Common:
Raptors:
Non-birds:
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.
Answer: No, it’s just an extreme close-up of the coaster I have sitting on my desk.
Er, I mean, yes, art. Totally.
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.
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.
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
The Birds (and other critters)
Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:
Waterfowl:
Common:
Non-birds:
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.
Another late night “must take a photo today” shot:
Just a shot of the river taken on a grey evening, about 10 minutes before sunset.
And with that, I declare an END to April 2023, no BUTTS about it.
