Some common but always extraordinary critters.

We rode our bikes to Stanley Park yesterday.  I'll share the critters we saw with Saturday's Critters (thank you, Eileen) and Camera Critters (thank you, Misty).  They were common ones but extraordinary, each in their own way.  

Bill lifted Black Jack so she could check the hollow tree stump where she was skunked a couple of years ago.  (I did a quick pre-check first.)  

Just a few flowers.. 

wanted.. 

to make it into the critter post.  I hope that's okay :) 

I think Black Jack appreciated her "time-outs" in Bill's arms..  

when things became a little too exciting on the ground.

The heronry had been vacated, which I guess explains..

the large number of Blue Herons in the pond.

Swallows flitted about at extraordinary speeds..

and I struggled to follow them with my camera.   

This heron landed on an invisible (to us) log..

while this one stared morosely, as if to say, "Watcha' doing over there anyway?"

"This log will do just fine, thank you."

I think Bill counted eight herons on this small..

islet near the edge of the pond.  (A few of them are hidden in these shots.)

I've never seen a bat except for the ones that sometimes got into our house when we were kids.  I always hid under the blankets in those days as I had a silly fear that they would get in my hair.  Now, I have a much greater appreciation for bats.  I was sorry that this one didn't appear to be living.

Perhaps, it had become caught in these burrs. 

I took a little time.. 

to admire the fronds.. 

with their wonderful curls and shapes.

Black Jack peaked in the window of The Nature House but it was closed.

I tried and tried to get some swallow shots, but they rarely sat, and when they did, it seemed impossible to get them in focus before they were gone again.

A female Wood Duck..

swam by, 

and I took a moment to photograph the fountain.

I looked up to see two pairs of eyes watching me.

and walked to the other side of the tree for a right-side-up photo.  Still, the eyes stared with an expression that seemed wistful to me.

Definitely, a very cute critter.  Perhaps, young.  I hope all was well with him or her.

"Oh look," said Bill.  "There come some galloping geese."

They rounded the corner at quite a clip..

and kept on going.  Clearly, we weren't the attraction.

Just to the right, a young boy was feeding the birds.  Those were our critter-viewings for the day.  If you would like to see others from around the world, don't forget to check out those critter memes linked at the top of the page.  Happy Saturday, everyone!