Snow fell last weekend – temperatures have remained near zero since and much still remains. Ponds are frozen over, and I contemplate what daily life must be like for birds and animals that cannot retreat into warm, lit boxes like ourselves.

I’m almost recovered from an illness that’s been battling with my immune system for two weeks now. Finally, here’s an update with some photos from excursions I’ve made in the previous few weeks.

I originally considered ranting for paragraphs about the concentrated human idiocy unfolding to the south, but I can’t be bothered… I did hear the phrase ‘data prepper’ for the first time. Download and archive EVERYTHING that is important to you.

You can download ALL of Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Database download

Also recommened:

• ArchiveBox - powerful, open-source software that lets you archive data from the web.
• Shiori - a self-hosted ‘read-it-later’ service. Save articles and information from the web locally.
• Readeck - another self-hosted ‘read-it-later’ service.

Good luck everybody.

North American Beaver (Castor canadensis)

Behaving entirely out of character, this beaver let me get remarkably close as it sat carelessly in the icy-cold water near its den.

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)

A wonderful surprise on a cold, early morning. I love these birds.

Boundary Bay Regional Park

I made a trip out to Boundary Bay Regional Park a few weekends ago. Despite the lack of information on the board, I spent a wonderful morning with Sanderlings and Dunlin on the beach.

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

I lost myself with these birds. 20-30 of them were foraging along the beach in the cold, and I was kneeling motionless in the wet sand to photograph them as they wandered so close to me. Shorebirds can be intimidating, even to experienced birders, but don’t be afraid. Who cares if you can’t ID them. They are other living beings who are as important and meaningful as you. (maybe more-so? they’ve been around longer.)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

A flock of Sanderling and Dunlin flew in right past me. Strange to have to go sit at a desk at an absurd job the day after being surrounded by these irrepressible birds.

Lighthouse Park

I rarely make it to Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. It’s fascinating – it’s only a half-hour drive, but the geology is entirely different than the alluvial floodplain I live on. And if I’ve learnt anything from Joey at Crime Pays But Botany Doesnt it’s that geology is a major determinant on flora, which is, in turn, a significant determinant on fauna.

As a child I was fixated on rocks. What a shame I didn’t follow that passion. I recently read ‘Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks’ by Marcia Bjornerud and if you know nothing about rocks, try that. Also, Nick Zentner has a great youtube channel if you want to get deeper into geology.

California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus)

While I was scoping for birds on the Grebe Islets from Kloochman Park I heard what I thought was a whale breeching the water, an explosion of breath. Quickly I turned and discovered a huge male Sea Lion passing past the base of the cliff. These guys can get up to almost 9 feet long and 700+ lbs.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

This immature Bald Eagle was perched on a rocky bar near the ferry terminal, understandably keeping the many other birds usually in the area at bay.

Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)

Despite the name, they don’t eat oysters.

Bewick’s Wren (Thryomanes bewickii)

A surprise to see (and photograph) these usually skulking and hard-to-see wrens.

Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)

We’ve had a group of about 7 of these geese at a local park – not a common occurrence.

Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)

A young Common Goldeneye snacking on a crab.

I’m sure you’ve see the videos about Carcinisation – animals evolving into crab-like body plans: PBS Video: Why Do Things Keep Evolving into Crabs?

But I see so many birds eating crabs, that I have to wonder if it’s a good move?

American Robin (Turdis migratorius)

Robins are common, and can be easy to ignore – but remarkably there’s a lot we don’t know about them, including their range of migratory behaviors. Despite often being considered a herald of spring, many Robins don’t migrate at all!

Zeitgeist snowman

In closing, here’s a snowman I saw on my walk home from work recently. I can’t help feeling, despite the intentions of the creator, that it utterly captures the zeitgeist we find ourselves trapped in.

Until next time, get the fuck out of your house and experience the real world.

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