Monday, April 2, 2012

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!

5 comments:

  1. Our sunny days are still a bit nippy around here, but good friends always make for a great day! Beautiful picutres, as usual.
    (You might try zooming in on your image, and decreasing the size of your "brush"/clone tool to get a better edit of the leash--does that make sense?)

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  2. Thankfully April 1st surprised us with an extra bit of warmth and I can see you were enjoying it to the fullest. All the creatures and people seemed a little more buoyant than usual because of it. I especially liked the bunny shots. We had a rabbit named Oliver for years and years and he was gray like the one you photographed with the sun shining through its ears. Thanks for sharing your day in the sunshine!

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  3. Thank you for the bunny pictures. I think I have said several times that I miss having a little wiggly-nosed friend in my house and under supervision in the garden. Alas, our travelling precludes having another pet and I do not think I could bear losing another bunny! Thanks for all the pictures of my brother!!! Can I ask for one of you soon? Phyllis

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  4. It was a beautiful day indeed and you captured the sheer joy of it, thanks Carol.

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  5. Hmmm....I hope this doesn't show up twice, but my comment disappeared and a message said there was a connection problem.

    Stunning photos as usual, Carol. I particularly like the one of the mallard waving his wing (I love that I can see his cute little web feet!), and the closeups of so many birds and animals.

    I hope you are enjoying a sunny Easter weekend.

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