Birthday Weekend

It was fun turning 63 this weekend. There seems to have been a shift in my thinking about birthdays. Getting older still has a fairly significant number of aspects I could do without, but being around for another year to enjoy all the things that make life good is not a guarantee, whatever the age. I appreciate still being here, and having friends and family to share in my little celebration of continued life. Here are a few of the highlights of my birthday weekend:

As Black Jack and I left for a walk at Jericho on Saturday morning, we saw this squirrel. I love their athleticism, and I enjoy Black Jack's response to them. Seeing her with every fibre of her being engaged is always a thrill. I know her alertness is motivated by the "hunt" mode, but since she can have the excitement without the catch, it works well for both of us.

There was sun on Saturday, and the light over the pond was magnificent.

A Red-winged Blackbird sang a beautiful song, and the red-yellow of its wings swelled in harmony.

The comical Mallards came to meet me as soon as they heard the rustle of seeds in my plastic bag. This one really made me laugh, as it stretched up over the others, saying, "Look at me!"

The green of this American Wigeon caught the sunlight.

This Blue Heron was standing in what is becoming a familiar spot, on top of the birdhouse. It flexed gracefully as it preened, and the way it blended into the background reminded me of Jean's post about watercolours.

A Golden-crowned Sparrow was nibbling goodies in the rabbit patch. I was happy that I now recognize many more bird species than I did a year ago, thanks partly to photographers like Shiprock who have encouraged me to observe my world a bit more thoroughly.

On the way home, Black Jack and this dog, Indy, insisted on a little meeting. Black Jack adds so much to my life, and Indy and his humans were great fun to meet.

Indy is a mix of Deerhound and Greyhound. Check out those ears,

that long face,

and those expressive eyes. What a beauty!

The crocuses were coming up, and Saturday sang the "Spring" song at top volume.

Home for a short time, and then off to North Vancouver with Bill. As we walked out the door, this robin sat almost at the front door. It waited patiently while I got my camera out.

Bill took me to an old haunt from a couple of years ago. That is where I first met a pair of Bald Eagles, and some friendly people who told me about them. Before we got as far as the trail, I took a moment to check out the water view, and the tugs.

It was a special treat to bump into one of those friendly people, and their dear dog, Sophie, who did me the honour of remembering me.

These beautiful ferns - at least that is what I will call them - rose magnificently into the sunlight.

Dear Bill! Have I mentioned how grateful I am to have him in my life. He danced with Black Jack along the trail.

And, there was the eagles' nest!

Bill and Black Jack ran up the trail ahead of me. When Black Jack became absolutely beside herself with curiosity and excitement, Bill picked her up for a few "calming" seconds.

My friend, Dianne, had passed on a message from her very good friend, Doran, that the eagle was in the area, and that message had inspired our visit, but I was still thrilled beyond measure when I looked to the right of the nest, and saw this beauty. I am 99% certain it was one of the pair I watched raise a chick two (or was it three?) years ago.

There was even a very brief visit from this hawk (Red-tailed, thinks Doran). How often in life does one get to see a hawk and an eagle sitting side by side on the same branch?

A cropped version of the hawk, to give a bit more detail.

Okay, I admit it. I felt sorry for the fish. (Does anyone know what kind it is?) I always feel sorry for the prey, but am slowly coming to terms with the facts of nature. The eagle must eat, if it (no clues as to gender) is to successfully parent a chick or two, as I hope it will.

Magnificent wings, with just a touch of sunlight, and absolute enthusiasm over the meal.

The eagle looked up at the nest, as the mate flew in. I couldn't get that flying shot, but it was beautiful to watch.

Thinking of Shiprock's advice, I kept trying to find the correct camera settings to get a bit of detail in the black, and not wash out the whites in the head. Here, a couple of my attempts.

Part of the fish broke away just after this shot, and fell to the ground. The eagle didn't go after it as I thought it might. Shortly afterwards, both eagles flew off. Now that I think of it, perhaps they went to share the leftover bits on the ground.

We left, to join Dianne and Doran for a wonderful meal of vegetarian chile. Here, Dianne lovingly arranges the gift of Pussy Willows that Doran had given her. Everything in Dianne's house has her personal touch. She has an extraordinary eye and the artistic talent to bring her vision to fruition.

Dianne's grandmother lived in the house, and that lamp was hers. Doran brought home the driftwood and the glass balls from beaches he has travelled. The house is full of artifacts. He is an outdoorsman, originally from Newfoundland, and his adventure stories were spellbinding.

Just a few of the photos I took. Everywhere I looked was evidence of Dianne and Doran's love of nature.

Dianne hand-painted this clock. Just beautiful!

Black Jack has no sense of personal space. She was meeting Doran for the first time, and she clearly..
found him fascinating.

On Sunday, the phone rang early. My wonderful friend, Kitty, was calling with a birthday song and good wishes from Saskatoon. My heart is with Kitty right now, as she spends time with her dear parents. After that, Black Jack and I again walked at Jericho. A Blue Heron was sitting on a small tree by the pond. I have "enhanced" this picture, so it is not absolutely true, but there is once more a "watercolour" feel to it that I like.

I spent a few moments sitting on a bench, with Black Jack on my knee, as the ducks ate their seeds.

Some flowers on the way home..

a wonderful meal at the Naam with Bill, and with Jock, who is batching it for a few weeks until Kitty returns, and a phone call from my sister when I arrived home, topped off an idyllic weekend. Jock gave me this beautiful little book of photographs. Not having posted much about bikes lately, this picture from the book of a penny farthing bicycle in Tatton Park seems the perfect one to conclude the post. The write-up explained it was "a swift and independent means of exploring the British countryside."

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday a great one, and to you, for taking time to read about it.

Wednesday walk and 20 minutes by the river on Thursday

On Wednesday afternoon, I walked along the waterfront in North Vancouver with my friend, Dianne, and her beautiful dog, Haley. At the shipyard across the river, we could see this set of olympic rings. Curious, I googled to find this tiny bit of information:

A giant set of Olympic rings are seen being refitted with hydrogen fuel cells at the north shore shipyard in Vancouver harbor Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010. The LED lights which light up the rings at night will now showcase cutting edge sustainable technology and will be even greener than before. Vancouver is the host city to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games which begin on Feb. 12, 2010. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

I have always wondered what kind of work is done at that shipyard. At least, I know now that some of the work does not involve ships. I am also curious to know just how many sets of olympic rings there are in total.

Haley wasn't interested in olympic rings. Things to smell,
roll on/in,
and run through/along, were much more fun.

On Thursday, I sat on a rock by the river for about twenty minutes. A Blue Heron was across the river. It walked toward the shipyard.

My attention strayed for a moment to this seagull, flying by.

When I looked back, the heron had flown to a tree quite a distance down the river to my left. I had missed the take-off.

It stayed in the tree for a couple of minutes, and then came back towards me. (an aside: I'm never sure whether to use "toward" or towards" - sometimes one feels right and sometimes the other. Maybe a reader will fill me in.)

It flew past the shipyard spotlights,

past me,
continued along the river towards the trees,
and finally, headed to the mountains.

I took a moment to admire the barnacles on the rock in front of me,

and then noticed a female Hooded Merganser. She was soon joined by an amorous suitor.

I guess she approved, because they swam together for a moment or two, and then flew off, a beautiful sight as they sped through the sky. They sure are speedy flyers - I couldn't capture their flight.
Break time was over, and I headed inside, grateful one more time for the wildlife and other observation potential right at the doorstep of my workplace.

Some thoughts and photos since Sunday

I began writing this post on Sunday, but it waited in drafts for a few days, while I grappled with a couple of things that were on my mind. Now, early on Wednesday morning, it seems time to finish it.

First, two pictures taken by the river yesterday in North Vancouver. A Northern Flicker,

and a Blue Heron.

The issues that grabbed hold of me on Sunday had to do with a news broadcast that began, just as I started writing. The story was about the critically poor health of a young giraffe at Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre near Fort Langley, B.C. He was to be seen by a vet this week, and, depending on the outcome of that visit, may have to be euthanized. The link I show here is a news story of two other giraffes at the same centre that recently died because of cold temperatures and improper diet.

Update to this story: On Tuesday an article in The Province stated that the giraffe was having a life-or-death operation on its hoof. It also said that the centre is working towards moving the exotic animals somewhere more appropriate, and concentrating instead on threatened, native to B.C, species only. Encouraging news, I think.

And, on Saturday, I watched a documentary called The Cove - a terribly disturbing story of the slaughter of thousands of dolphins in a small cove of Japan. An excellent movie, if you can bear to watch it. Two very different stories, but each driving home the point that mankind has a long way to go to reach an understanding of what constitutes ethical treatment of pets, wildlife, and farm or working animals.

Both stories make me feel sad and powerless, and I'm not eager to pass on these feelings to you. So many of us are just trying to get along in our day-to-day lives, and the reality is that taking on a battle against an injustice can be a heartbreaking and sometimes, even self-destructive project. In the case of people with a long tradition of hunting/killing to feed their families, protesters like those involved with Greenpeace have made some serious errors in judgment as to the way they go about attacking that way of life. But, I am struck with the inescapable feeling that keeping silent in the face of situations we know in our hearts are wrong, and that includes injustices in the way we treat our fellow humans, is just not an option any more. I signed the petition at the "Cove" link. I'm not sure it is the best way of speaking out against something I can barely dare to think about, but that, and I guess, this post, are the ways I have chosen for now.

I was looking for the famous quote by Gandhi:

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

and in that search, came across this quote by Albert Schweitzer. It makes a lot of sense to me:

Very little of the great cruelty shown by men can really be attributed to cruel instinct. Most of it comes from thoughtlessness or inherited habit. The roots of cruelty, therefore, are not so much strong as widespread. But the time must come when inhumanity protected by custom and thoughtlessness will succumb before humanity championed by thought. Let us work that this time may come. ~Albert Schweitzer

The weekend? On Saturday, Black Jack and I walked at Jericho Park late in the afternoon when the rain had lessened to more or less a fine mist. Not wanting to get my camera wet, I took only a couple of pictures. I met a lady who takes some fine photos indeed. Not only that, but she is very generous in offering suggestions as to the locations of some of the more rare birds. She informed me that she had seen thrushes, creepers, and even a Pileated Woodpecker. I searched, and found sparrows, juncos, chickadees, red-winged blackbirds and lots of robins. Just goes to show that what I actually see on most outings is just the surface of what is actually present.

Identifying seems to be more challenging by the day. Young red-winged blackbird or sparrow? I'm not sure.

This one, I can definitely say, is an American Robin.

On Sunday, a former student visited, and he joined me for a walk at Jericho. He must have brought luck, because, for the first time in quite a few weeks, Oli, the otter, made an appearance. At least, I am choosing to think this must be Oli. He was on the other side of the pond, and I had difficulty getting any kind of photo. To be honest, I even wondered if I was perhaps seeing a beaver. And, it also occurred to me that there may be two otters in this photo, each struggling for ownership of a reed. Or, sharing it? Oh, for a clearer image, and/or time to go back and spend more time scouting out the pond. Maybe this weekend.

It (they) was/were not staying above water for long, but diving every few seconds. In this one, I am quite certain there is only one, so either the second one is still below water, or there never was a second one. Still, I was excited to at least be sure that one water mammal appeared on Sunday at Jericho.

The robins were numerous again, and very active.

Another sighting that made me happy. I hadn't seen the pair of Ring-necked Ducks for quite some time. Although this photo of the male isn't the best, one thing it shows clearly for the first time (out of the shots I have taken), is the distinctive ring around the neck that gives it its name.
Here is the female, swimming away..
and then turning to come back towards the camera.
We saw the hawk (Cooper's, I think), way off in the distance, trying to hunt, but being harassed quite a bit by crows. It was definitely a day for some of the "old gang" to make an appearance.

A Blue Heron was sitting on one of the bird houses.

Around this time, Bill met us, and we stood on the little bridge, watching Mallards land and take off.

Bill seemed to bring beautiful light with him. All of a sudden, the grey day turned to gold.

The masts across the bay grabbed the light and held on.

Photographers, hungry for light after many grey days, seemed to be everywhere I looked.

This seagull landed close to us on the bridge railing.

Not at all shy, it watched us quizzically, but turned down the little piece of dried salmon (Black Jack's treats) that I offered it.

It's legs and feet seemed a rather washed-out shade of orange.

The last shot for Sunday was of this beautiful Mallard.

There you have the mid-week post. Thanks for taking time to read it.

The cherry blossoms are just beginning to bloom

Last Tuesday, I saw my first cherry blossoms of the season. They were blooming vigorously on a small tree on the north side of 5th Avenue in Kitsilano, as I cycled to school, early in the morning. It was a bit rainy, and a bit dark and I was just a tad pressed for time, so I didn't stop, but they brightened the day, and I thought I might return soon for a photo. The next cherry blossom sighting was a day later, near my school in North Vancouver, and once more, there was no time to stop. On Friday, I saw the 5th Avenue tree again, on yet another day when there was no time to stop. I was on the way to keep an appointment at the license bureau, hopefully to get an enhanced driver's license.

*This next paragraph is a bit of a rant, and you may want to skip it.

That appointment was one of the few times when I was sadly reminded that I do have a mostly hidden, but occasionally surfacing, temper. It seems, the combination of bureaucracy and my own time management challenges will do it. I had brought four versions of my Quebec birth certificate (one handwritten with ink from the year 1947, dated five weeks after I was born, and certified by the minister of the church where I was baptized to be an "exact copy from the church register", another dated in 1962, and one more "official seal" document dated 1968, that one also fortified with a plastic card issued by the government. As the, I'm sorry to say it, very prissy young lady at the license bureau reminded me, if I had only read the instructions more carefully, I would have known that I needed the special new form of certificate issued in 1994. I had read the paper instructions included with my driver's license application, but had not gone to the web site, as suggested, for the complete version. The paper stated, "original birth certificate" required, and I truly thought I couldn't go wrong. I had underestimated the lengths officials will go, to make sure this ten-year resident of BC, with two police checks under her belt to get her teacher's certificate, a current license with photo in hand, a medical card, social insurance number, and several other id's, is exactly who she says she is. To those of you who work in bureaucratic positions, a word of advice. Just because you are right, and understand all the regulations perfectly, is no reason why you shouldn't restrain yourself from reminding someone less inclined to such regulatory perfection, that she lacks reading skills. Although you can't possibly know that the old-enough-to-be-your-grandmother lady has mistakenly biked all the way up the very, very steep hill of MacDonald Street to the corner of 42nd Street, which unkindly turned into Larch Street without much warning, has finally asked directions, turned around and biked back down to 24th, and is standing in front of you now, quite proud to have still kept her appointment on time, and certain that she has all the necessary documents to acquire the coveted EDL (enhanced driver's license). No, you can't possibly know this, but the sweat pouring from her brow might be reason to, at the very least, offer a word of understanding rather than sanctimonious reminders. To my credit, I didn't call that young lady any of the words that first came to mind, but I know my eyes bulged, the sweat streamed even more profusely, and a swear word (beginning with "d" so it could admittedly be worse) escaped my lips as I slammed my papers down on her desk. I regret this. It is frightening and horrible to be truly angry, and it achieves exactly nothing. Thank you to the more human young lady at the second desk who offered me an un-enhanced license, and reminded me to take my helmet and glasses off, and not to smile for the picture. That was my first, and very much needed laugh of the license bureau encounter, and although I can only imagine what that picture will reflect of my personality, and though I still slunk out of the office wishing for invisibility, I at least have that shared chuckle to soften an otherwise absolutely awful start to the day. *End of rant.

You will be glad to know that my day did get better. With about an hour to spare before classes, I decided to do a small stop-off in Stanley Park, on the way to school.

My first bird sighting was along English Bay. I think this may have been the same gentleman that I saw with swans digging in his pockets a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure why he was reaching behind him, but I know it wasn't to shoo the pigeons away. He may have been trying to stop an argument, perhaps just petting his friends, maybe giving food, or even possibly protecting his head from sharp pigeon toes.

When the food was gone, most of the pigeons left, but this one seemed to know the supply was not quite exhausted.

As the man headed away, he slipped a little food to that one persistent bird, and it took only seconds before the others noticed, and he was bombarded again. I enjoyed watching the encounter. The day was looking up.

Still along English Bay, I watched a pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes. They dove so often, it was tricky to catch them above water.

Here, the female..

and here, her mate.

I walked the bike along Beach Avenue, then crossed over the street, and up the path of the Parks Board Office. I had never noticed this beautiful old tree before. No time to change my long lens, so I satisfied myself with just a small portion of the tree and its beautifully twisting branches.
These yellow flowers are growing in front of the Parks Board Office. Although I can't name them, they added to a sunny feel the day was beginning to take on.

I continued on to spend a few moments at Lost Lagoon. The swans were as beautiful as ever.

And, finally, a cherry blossom! Another of those pictures when a 150-500mm lens is ridiculous overkill, but I had no time to change it, so this is just one tiny little part of a lovely tree.

There were lots of Mallards, with the occasional surprise among them. I am guessing this to be a female Lesser Scaup.

This heron seemed to change colours, depending on the sun's reflections on the pond. Here, the golden look.

And here, a more blue look. I loved the way it marched forward to check out..

that splash of water in front of the rocks.

I thought it would come up with a small fish, but instead,

a stick. I had checked out the heronry, thinking it is just about time for the herons to begin reconstructing their nests. I wonder if this one was just beginning to build up a stock of branches.

Just time for a few more duck observations, before I left to cross the Lions Gate. I had trouble identifying this one. Maybe, a young, female Wigeon - possibly a hybrid American-Eurasian?

Maybe this was the mate to the Lesser Scaup above?

This American Coot was perturbed, I thought.

It followed this one, and although my book shows no way to differentiate males and females, I thought her coy posture possibly indicated that she was the object of his desires.

Thanks for reading my rather lengthy account of Friday morning's adventures.

As I post early in the afternoon on Saturday, the rain has yet to let up. Poor Black Jack has a tenuous relationship at best with rain, so we'll play some ball in the apartment, and hope for a few dry moments to get outside later. Happy weekend to you!

The waterfront in North Vancouver on Wednesday

On Wednesday, a lone Canada Goose stood on a little sandbar, and watched some female Common Mergansers on a separate sandbar a short distance away.

The mergansers were putting on quite a show as they bathed and preened.

As one Merganser climbed ashore to dry off, the goose..

left its place to swim towards the Mergansers.

I think it felt quite sure it would be welcomed. Some of the Mergansers were waving...

and gossiping with friends as they went about their preening.

But, it turned out, they were not impressed when the goose joined them.

I could understand the goose's curiosity. The Merganser hairstyles were fascinating. I don't remember the day feeling windy, and somehow, the spiky look is one that I imagined might resist a breeze, rather like the Mohawk with Fringe look some humans favour, stiffened with copious amounts of gel and pomade to perfect the bristles . However, the Mergansers' topknots were blowing freely. I think the goose just wanted to take a closer look.

Then it did something that I thought was quite brilliant. Not to seem out of place, it began to preen, and the Mergansers immediately relaxed.

A pair of American Wigeons slept nearby, completely uninterested in the Mergansers or the goose. The male did keep one eye out, but I think that had more to do with my clicking camera.

Just around the corner, by the waterfront lookout, a crow looked heavenward, as if to say, "Puleeze, there is nothing any of those birds could do that touches the brilliance of my actions."

And, the seagulls were agitated over something. I'm guessing it had to do with a stolen meal. I took the opportunity to practice changing exposures, hoping to capture a bit more of the detail in their white feathers.

And, exciting news for me - a seal showed up, the very first I've seen in a couple of months.

Always something to watch and think about along the Waterfront Park in North Vancouver.

Of olympics and dentists and pink skies

Yesterday was one of those two-round-trip days between Vancouver and the North Shore. To school in the morning, taught one class, then back to Kitsilano for a dentist appointment, then back to school to finish classes before the final trip home. On the way to the dentist, as I passed English Bay, I saw what I thought to be a house moving. Google later gave me some more information. It turned out to be a floating hotel called North Island Lodge. It will be docking at False Creek, and will be available to rent during the olympics.

Amazing to me that a tug can pull a hotel.
A closer look. You can see a lamp and some furniture in the rooms.
What do I think about the olympics? Negatives and positives and a whole host of in betweens, but now, guests are coming, and it's time to put Vancouver's best face forward. So far, to be honest, I haven't felt the impact very much. At school, we were told yesterday about a web site that will post the many free ways to enjoy the olympics. That definitely helps to bring them a bit closer to reality, and free is definitely better than the alternative.

And dentists? Had to see a specialist yesterday. $1440 for a root canal treatment that took about 45 minutes. I'm lucky to have insurance which may cover about half. Yikes! That doesn't include the crown. Olympics and taking care of one's teeth sometimes seem to be only for rich people. I might add that I was terrified for most of the visit. Even freezing has become a huge deal. I don't make much fuss, but I often feel as though I'm going to pass out with fear. Fear of my teeth falling out. Fear that the needle will go somewhere it shouldn't and cause permanent damage. And, just plain unexplainable fear. How come, after all the dental work I have had done in my life, I still dread the visits? I feel sorry for my dentists, who are perfectly nice people, although I guess their earnings help to take some of the sting out of dealing with people like me.

And finally, some pictures taken in North Vancouver after my last class yesterday, as the sun was setting. I have no clue how to capture sunsets, and night photography is pretty much a mystery. Still, I was happy with the photos. There was a beauty and a calm in the air, and a feeling of greeting old friends, as flock after flock of geese flew from the sea to the little river beside my school. With the industrial activity on the other side of the river both blending and contrasting, the pictures evoked a mood and a memory of tranquility and golden light.

These next two pictures are almost the same. I took the shadows out of the first one with iphoto. The second one was left as is. I would love to know if one or the other seems more pleasing to you.

There were a few shorebirds, probably Black Turnstones, although the pictures are not clear enough for positive id. They worked together as a unit, finding food in one area, and then taking off like a shot, to land a short distance away and begin the thorough food search again.

The water was glazed in pinks and golds that changed almost as quickly as the Turnstones' direction.
Geese, coming toward me.
Turnstones heading away.
Wispy trees set off in tones of pink and tangerine.
Pink clouds on pastel blue.
Industry appearing almost like a magic land.

The final shot just before dark. What is in your mind, Mr/Ms Canada Goose. Do you notice the colours in the sky? Will you sleep well tonight? I hope so.

Maplewood Flats

On Sunday, Bill, Black Jack and I drove to Maplewood Flats in North Vancouver for a second visit. The first, a few months ago, was in pouring rain, and yielded not even one bird photo, so I guess this second outing could be called a success. Still, overall, bird sightings were few and far between. I heard bird song, even a call or two that sounded new, but most of the vocalists stayed well hidden.

Wanderin' Weeta did a recent post noting the Spring shades of yellow on her street, and I did a bit of a double take when I read it, as the predominant colour to jump out at me for most of the walk was indeed, yellow.

The day was gray, with rain threatening, but still, the golden tones showed up, even in this picture of the oil refinery across the water.

Admittedly, the yellow tones are harder to find in this next shot. But, look between the boat and the buildings behind it. Straw yellow grass. It was the tanker that caught my attention, though. The name of it is "Maersk Bering" and although it appears to be in need of a little TLC, I found some information on it that you can see at the link. Its route seems to be between Los Angeles and Vancouver, but its name implies, at least to me, that it may be doing, or have done, trips to the Bering Sea.
Back to the colour, yellow. Our walk was on a man-made path, but over the fence, much of the terrain appeared like this. Great hiding places for birds.

Lots of logs, this one fascinating, with rusted chain and frayed yellow rope.

Tree stumps with yellow moss.

Beautifully shaped driftwood on a background of yellow grass.

Little, yellow trees growing out of stumps.

Finally, just as the raindrops began to fall, a hawk in a tree. Too high up, and too far away for much of a picture, and too rainy to spend the time getting closer, but according to the caretaker at the Wild Bird Trust Centre, it is most likely a Cooper's Hawk. He drew my attention to it when It flew over the centre - at least I think it was the same hawk - about a half hour later.

Thanks to that kind caretaker, the day became more bird focused, when he allowed me into the small fenced area where bird feeders are kept, and where a variety of small birds congregate. Here, a Red-winged Blackbird.

More yellow, and a first for me (at least, since moving to BC), some Pine Siskins, I think. Even with the feeder, they were hard to catch, and the rain drops were now coming too quickly for much lingering.

I read that the female chooses her mate on the basis of the amount of yellow in the wing. Apparently, more is better.
A front view.

And, for a change of theme, some beautiful red. I love these little house finches.

I do think I see hints of yellow as the shades of red fade towards the belly.

There were even yellow flowers blooming along the porch of the cozy little bird centre, where we were warmly welcomed after our walk. The volunteer wasn't sure what the flowers were, and this picture is poor, but I think they look very much like the Forsythia Wanderin' Weeta showed in her post.

Overall, the couple of hours spent at Maplewood Flats were enjoyable. I know the birds are there. We saw pictures of all kinds of them, including woodpeckers and a Northern Pygmy Owl, on the walls of the Bird Centre. I should add that Black Jack definitely approved of the outing, happy to be with her Bill, who kept her entertained, all the while helping me search for birds. Thank you to Bill for another good day, and to you for reading about it.