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Minnekhada Walk December 2009

December Minnekhada walk

P1210906
Originally uploaded by youwhocolleen

a heron sits
at creekside
reflected in the
still water

belcarra morning

big log just sailed by

loaded with

seagulls

the aquarium boat
is on its way to

train sea lions

there's a big raft
of winter ducks
out front

crow is coming
for bread

such a great Belcarra

morning

morning moon

the moon's

still awake

this morning ~

good morning

moon

Goldeneye Ducks back in Vancouver November 1 2009

like clockwork,
the Goldeneyes are back
in Vancouver

It's November 1
and the Winter Ducks
have returned to Burrard Inlet
and Indian Arm

We cycled around Stanley Park today
and discovered a huge raft of winter ducks:
Barrow's Goldeneyes
Common Goldeneyes
and Scoters
putting on a show just off
Siwash Rock
circling
flying
diving
doing all their duck things!

come on down and see them!

three crow babies

here's our resident crow

with three babies

this year

dug the clam

out of the sand

flew to the rock

dropped it

pried open the shell

and fed

the squawking babies

then went back

for more

Diana's Seagulls

High on a rooftop

somewhere

in Vancouver

there are seven nests

and lots of seagull chicks

Here's a few pictures

of them

ps - click on picture to see the whole set in Flickr

seagull chick

Newly hatched

and ready

to fly

Cycling in Turkey

top of the hill

an exhausting climb

looking down over the bay

our boat awaits

cruise down hill

we did it!

(click on pix to see the whole set)

gossip

went for a walk
today
got caught up on
all the
gossip

there’s a great horned owl
near the tennis courts
spotted last week
might have a nest

the Barred owl is about
this year’s eggs
might be hatching
any day

there’s a couple of
house finches
watching the walkers
along Marine Avenue
you might see them
when you go past

two kinds of chickadees
are up there
in the cedar tree
looks like they’re fighting over
a territory

--what was that noise?
oh – that’s a crazy bluejay
quite unusual
(I wonder if that’s
politically correct these days)

the chickadee stump
seems to have disappeared
maybe came down
in that last wind
big one, wasn’t it?

there’s a seagull nest
near Twin Islands
and a pigeon guillemont nest
further up the inlet
and there’s the goose nest
on Whiskey Cove Island
and others about
and don’t forget the eagles
looks like the juveniles
are building this year

yup –
lots going on
in the neighbourhood
these days

keep your eyes open
for that owl
won’t you?

swans on the bay

there's a flock of swans

across the bay

sixteen of them

bright white

against the charcoal water

we stand at the window

watching

through binoculars

their long necks stretch

heads wave

as they float

clustered together

surrounded by seagulls

it's the first time we've seen

more than two swans

on the inlet

a whole flock 

-- do you think they're on 

their migration north?

-- they must be

a whole flock

sixteen

-- wow

--that's a lot

the flock lifts and turns north

- there they go

-- they're on their way

they lift

higher

silhouetted against the mountain

they turn

-- looks like they're making a V

-- there they go!

and the they sift

and head back 

towards the cove

mirrored against the still water

they land again

we watch for awhile

then get busy

making toast

pouring coffee

a dash of white

catches my eye as

the flock lifts again

and heads north

we watch

until they're out of sight

and then

they are gone.

23-03-2009

cormorant

cormorants dive deep

to catch fish

and need to 

dry their wings

Indian Arm, BC