Jericho

There have been lots of rainy days recently, so Vancouverites came out of the woodwork to catch the sun yesterday.  Bill, Black Jack, my friend, Jock, and I spent a couple of very happy hours at Jericho Beach/Park.  

The ducks were busy doing their Spring thing.  The mallards in the pond were hard to ignore, 

especially when they stood up and waved their wings.

Bill and Black Jack were on the run.

 Black Jack came straight to me (thankfully) for her treat.

I tried, not very successfully, to blot out the leash for this shot.  

This Red-winged Blackbird had a wonderful feast, left on the bridge railing by a fan.  Now satiated, I'm guessing, it rested on a nearby branch. 

The mountains watched over the sailboats, people and dogs.

 Bill danced a little jig here.  The sun brings out the best in all of us :)

 There was still a nip in the air, but there was beautiful warmth on the bridge, perfect for basking and catching up on the news.

Bill liked this photo of my goose on a green background.

I heard there was a turtle by the pond, and walked down to the edge to see if I could find it.  Success!  It didn't give me much of a photo op, although you can perhaps sense its feeling of contentment as it soaks up some sun.

The guys appeared to be very comfortable, and Black Jack liked her perch as well,

They came to join me and  Jock pointed out a turtle eye.  Although it took me an embarrassingly long time to locate it amongst the reeds, Jock and Bill were finally able to point me (and my camera) in the right direction, and we managed to catch it.

Here's the cropped version for a better look.  That turtle was definitely keeping an eye on us.

Jock spotted this heron, beautifully camouflaged.

We walked over to the rabbit bushes, and this next section is for Bill's sister, Phyllis.

 Let's see..

 yes, I do believe my nose has found something .. 

edible.

M.m..  good!

The Golden-crowned Sparrows were enjoying rabbit leftovers.  I'm not sure what this is.  Hopefully, not bread!

 Rabbit-ear veins really glowed in the sun.

 Many of the rabbits are quite tame.  A lady was feeding this one.

The news spread quickly.

I'd really like the whole thing!

 The lady's son approached, and he fed one rabbit..

.. while his mom took care of the other.  Here, she tries to touch it with her other hand.  She only managed a quick second of contact.  I think it's better that the rabbits remain at least a little bit cautious of humans.

I enjoyed watching some wigeons in the air, 

 and thought their flying skills..

were impressive!

And, oh..  those blue, blue skies behind them!

 It's rare that I get a photo that shows how Ring-necked ducks..

 get their name.  It takes sun and just the right angle to catch that maroon-ish ring.

I loved the greens..

and soaked up just a few more before we joined Kitty at Greens and Gourmet for a delicious meal.

Yay for good food, great friends and sunny days!