2011/03/15

Heron and other critter watching

Haven't gone out biking in a few days - busy with stuff, bad weather, etc. Anyways, there was a couple of sunny breaks in the afternoon and so I thought it might be good enough to bike to Terra Nova.

Sky-watching from Garry Point Park. The large puddle/pond has disappeared!?

Then I didn't took any photos until I go to Terra Nova - watching this lonely female Hooded Merganser taking a nap.

I saw several Great Blue Herons today. This was one of them. It didn't seem to pay much attention to me when I was biking behind its back. So I stopped and took a few photos.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
After it stabbed into the water and caught nothing, the heron turned around and was kind of surprised to see me there and also kept walking towards me.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Eventually, it flew to the other side of the ditch to be left alone.

Hyacinths flowers
Taking photos of the Snowdrops (in the background) and this single Hyacinth plant (Previously seen here)

Align CenterWhile biking along the dyke, I kept looking out to the ocean and thinking that on the other side of the ocean, there are tens of thousands people suffering because of the earthquakes, tsunamis, and the latest string of nuclear explosions. I really hope the worst is over for Japan. I was also thinking how high a tsunami would look if one were to strike the west coast.

The Forsythia shrubs have flower buds now, and a few are even flowering (previously seen here). In it was a midge (Family Chironomidae) that we will see now when we cross the dyke trail.

Too fast to photograph.

There was a pair of Brown Creepers gleaning for insects, with several robins around them.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Another heron that I encountered today.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

It stabbed into the water, and first I thought it was a (halibut!?) fish.

Turned out to be a piece of wood or leaf.

On the ground, across from the eagle's nest by the golf course, someone dropped their wing (dinner?).

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