Jericho + Fraser River Park on Sunday

A recent comment and naturevancouver link from Shiprock has spurred me (and by default, Bill) to branch out a bit more for birding, wildlife, photography walks. Sunday morning, I walked with Black Jack at Jericho, but in the afternoon, Bill and I went to Fraser River Park, a brand new location for us. Birding success was limited, but the day was fun, with lots of boats, planes and trees to take the place of my usual concentration of birds and beasts. I hope, before 2011, to have visited all 31 locations, and to have produced a recognizable picture to identify 50% of the 167 breeding species listed on that link for Metro Vancouver. Quite a challenge, but I'm up to it. (I think.)

At Jericho, a female mallard was my first photo. Not exactly new, but those open wings draw me in every time.

This duck was the only one of its kind in the pond. All of the others were mallards. I posted about it before, on December 26th. The picture is quite poor, and I am still confused about its identity. My best guess, finally, is a female Ring-necked Duck. As always, I would so appreciate being corrected if I am wrong.
As I said, lots of trees. This one was beside the pond. My friend, Jock, turned up with a couple of his friends. They were lucky enough to spot Oli, the otter, before I arrived. I looked and looked, but wasn't rewarded with an appearance yesterday. Jock suggested I photograph the dew drops on this tree, but I became sidetracked by the three cones.
Another mystery bird. After way too much time looking through my book, it doesn't seem to perfectly fit any of the descriptions. Sparrow, I think, but what kind? Two photos here, in case anyone is willing/able to help me.
Another mystery, and the photo is a bit small. Perhaps, a red-winged blackbird female?
This Northern Flicker, I can finally identify with some certainty, though it was at the very tip of a tall, tall tree, on the other side of 4th Avenue, as we walked home.

Bill, bless his heart, has entered whole-heartedly into my branching-out project. He suggested the trip to Fraser River Park, and Black Jack was definitely enthusiastic. Thank you, Bill! Although we didn't see many birds, I loved the walk. Some beach, some boardwalks, and some forest too. We even met a man named Gordon who spent time talking about his amazing trip to India. (We're saving up our money.)

We saw a few seagulls, some mallards, some crows, some American Wigeons and one cormorant, but this was the only bird photo worthy of posting. I feel fairly certain that it is a Bushtit.

The driftwood along the beach was beautiful.
Many boats and planes came by. Here, a tugboat.
This one, Bill called a taxi boat.
This dead tree caught my eye,
as did the dew on the branches of nearby bushes and trees.
Bill called this one a Boom Boat,
and this one.. a boat. It looks like it could be lived on, so I'll call it a houseboat.
A tree stump,
a Westjet plane,
an Air Canada plane,
and my favourite picture of the day, one that Bill labeled, "Nature taking over man's work," concluded our walk.
Thanks, Shiprock. We are looking forward to many more enjoyable adventures.