The Experience of Birding
After these past several field trips in the rain, my Nature Vancouver group and I almost felt like we deserved today: look at that sky! It wasn’t warm, barely above freezing most of the day, but irresistibly beautiful all the same at Vanier Park and on the shores of English Bay. As you might expect …
Continue reading “It Takes Two to Pinwheel”
Incredibly, we awoke this morning to snow on the ground and snow in the air. I grumbled for a few minutes, put on another pair of socks, and set out to meet the group for another day’s birding in urban Vancouver. We started at sunrise at Vanier Park, where the little pond did its work …
Continue reading “More Snow, More Birds”
Wow. I’d thought that a maritime climate meant that we wouldn’t have to worry about precipitation of the white flavor, but I was wrong. The north shore mountains were white when I stepped outside, and they stayed that way all day. Fortunately, the dusting on roofs and lawns here in town vanished pretty quickly, and …
Continue reading “Snow, and Some Birds”
I’ve never had any trouble identifying female Eurasian Wigeon. That should be the sort of prideful proclamation that precedes a tumble, but in fact, it’s a shame-faced confession. Put another way, I’ve never managed to find a female wigeon that I thought problematic. And that, sadly, has nothing to do with skill or experience; it …
Continue reading “No Problem! No Problem?”
To my surprise and relief, the Nature Vancouver group this morning neither drowned nor froze: the cold weather seems to have held off, and our three hours at Jericho Park were rain-free–even if dim and damp. The big news of the morning was geese. Thirty-four Cackling Geese were on the beach when I arrived, and …
Continue reading “Canadian Geese”