Snail’s Pace

It’s the little things, y’know?

On the way to work this morning I saw a snail crossing the sidewalk. It had a very pretty shell, pale yellow with a sharp black stripe. Right in the middle of the sidewalk it was, halfway between the bushes by the McD parking lot and the cool shady bushes by the side of the road.

It’s the little things, y’know?

On the way to work this morning I saw a snail crossing the sidewalk. It had a very pretty shell, pale yellow with a sharp black stripe. Right in the middle of the sidewalk it was, halfway between the bushes by the McD parking lot and the cool shady bushes by the side of the road.

Well, this was new and interesting, so I stayed and snapped a few pictures. And then I stayed some more, because I was afraid this little guy* would get squished by some oblivious lumbering biped. It was taking its sweet time, as snails do; after a couple minutes I tried to gently pick it up, but it retreated inside its shell and just hung on to the sidewalk. So I left it alone.

It took the snail about 10 minutes to complete its journey. I stayed with it all that time, not minding how I looked to passersby, not minding that I’d be a little late for work. The snail was teaching me patience, teaching me one needs to slow down every once in a while.

(* I know snails are hermaphrodites)

Made it!

Two things you only see at night

Last night was the first installment of the Celebration of Light. I was exhausted from work and volleyball, possibly coming down with something, and I actually considered not going. But hey: I’m right next to the beach, it was Canada Night, and I’d get to see how this new camera of mine handled fireworks.

Verdict: awesome.

Last night was the first installment of the Celebration of Light. I was exhausted from work and volleyball, possibly coming down with something, and I actually considered not going. But hey: I’m right next to the beach, it was Canada Night, and I’d get to see how this new camera of mine handled fireworks.

Verdict: awesome.

Fireworks, July 22

And then today, I took pictures of a bat at work. Just a little bat, hanging on to the wall of the inner courtyard, and sleeping. That’s the first time anybody’s seen it there, at least in the daytime. I wonder if it’s lost, or disoriented? A coworker said it might have gotten drunk on rotten apples and was sleeping off its hangover.

Bat

I wish I could have gotten a look at its face. As it was, I had to settle for its wee little claws (on its feet, and the single claw on its wing-joint) that seem enough to support its weight, the soft little fur on its back, and daintily folded wings. Also, since I was shooting through a window, I got to practice with my camera’s manual focus.

A Heron by Still Creek

This morning, I just happened to see a Great Blue Heron by Still Creek, about fifty feet from Gilmore. There wasn’t anyone nearby, so I approached very slowly and quietly.

Looking Up

This morning, I just happened to see a Great Blue Heron by Still Creek, about fifty feet from Gilmore. There wasn’t anyone nearby, so I approached very slowly and quietly. The heron seemed very nervous, though, probably not helped by some crow that kept buzzing it. But I still managed to get a few good shots before it got fed up and flew away.

More photos

Caw!

Hey, remember the last time I blogged about crows? Back then I was just on one of their commuting routes. But my present job happens to be very near their roosting grounds around Still Creek and Willingdon. Until recently it was still dark when I left work, so I had so I walked past, oh, a couple of thousand crows, I’d say, settled in the trees along Gilmore Ave. And that’s just a suburb of Crow Central.

Hey, remember the last time I blogged about crows? Back then I was just on one of their commuting routes. But my present job happens to be very near their roosting grounds around Still Creek and Willingdon. Until recently it was still dark when I left work, so I had so I walked past, oh, a couple of thousand crows, I’d say, settled in the trees along Gilmore Ave. And that’s just a suburb of Crow Central. There was no way to avoid walking under them, so I used to pull the hood of my jacket up, afraid of getting shat on. Which hasn’t happened so far, but I’m not keen on tempting fate.

Settling In

But the days are getting longer and a few times this week I’ve been able to get out of work early enough to see all the zillions of crows on the last leg of their commute, resting on trees, roofs, power lines or any convenient spot. And then, without warning, take off again like a swarm of, well, screechy black birds.

A lot of crows

For my birthday, I got a power outage

On Monday morning, the power went out in part of Gastown and downtown. Specifically, the part where my work was. Surprise holiday! I spent it walking around a bit, running some errands, and going to the Art Gallery. There was an exhibit on comics, anime and cartoons which… but more about that later.

Today the power was still out. So, I called up my friend Sandra (who had the summer off, being a teacher) and we hung out for the day.

On Monday morning, the power went out in part of Gastown and downtown. Specifically, the part where my work was. Surprise holiday! I spent it walking around a bit, running some errands, and going to the Art Gallery. There was an exhibit on comics, anime and cartoons which… but more about that later.

Low Tide

Today the power was still out. So, I called up my friend Sandra (who had the summer off, being a teacher) and we hung out for the day. In the morning we drove all the way down to Crescent Beach in Surrey and checked out the beautiful scenery, including wildlife I’d never seen before around Vancouver.

Curlew

Then we went to see Kung Fu Panda, which was hella fun. Then a spot of Guitar Hero (Aerosmith edition). Not a bad birthday.

Ode To A Juvenile Bald Eagle I Saw Perched By The SeaBus Terminal Friday Morning

O little Bald Eagle
(Well, not that little, you might have been three feet long)
I saw you from the escalator as I exited the train
Just sitting there, huddled against the rain
Quietly looking around
At everything and nothing

Juvenile Bald Eagle
O little Bald Eagle
(Well, not that little, you might have been three feet long)
I saw you from the escalator as I exited the train
Just sitting there, huddled against the rain
Quietly looking around
At everything and nothing
Juvenile Bald Eagle
I wasn’t even sure what species you were at first
Since your plumage was dark brown with
A few white spots around the head and back
But the only big raptors around here are Bald Eagles
And seagulls for instance take a year or more to grow their adult colours
So it was a pretty safe bet
Later I googled “juvenile bald eagle” and there you were
Juvenile Bald Eagle
Your beak so sharp, your eyes so bright
Elegant lethal beauty
Grace and power I can only dream of
Even if I could have gotten closer I wouldn’t have dared
Afraid you’d fly away
(And, just a little bit, afraid you’d attack me)
Juvenile Bald Eagle
No one else looked at you
A vision for my eyes only
A special gift

I was glad
I paid attention

Flown The Coop

They’re definitely on their own now. Since late last week, none of the juveniles have touched down on the roof for more than a few minutes, and haven’t even been fed by their parents. At least as far as I could see. Even the runt I worried about so much is flying like a pro, its flight strong, its gliding smooth as silk. It’s such a joy to watch them go after seeing them grow up. Funny to think just a couple of months ago they were still downy little chicks with useless wings and ravenous stomachs.

They’re definitely on their own now. Since late last week, none of the juveniles have touched down on the roof for more than a few minutes, and haven’t even been fed by their parents. At least as far as I could see. Even the runt I worried about so much is flying like a pro, its flight strong, its gliding smooth as silk. It’s such a joy to watch them go after seeing them grow up. Funny to think just a couple of months ago they were still downy little chicks with useless wings and ravenous stomachs. In a few weeks I won’t even be able to tell them from the adults: today I noticed the tips of their wings are already turning grey.

How far will they wander, though? Their ‘hood currently ranges over several city blocks, but how much will it change in their lifetime? I’m not clear on what “territory” might mean to a seagull when they’re not actually nesting. I guess it’s probably just a hunting/feeding range, overlapping with that of other seagulls, expanding or contracting depending on how much competition they face. But on the whole (I’m totally guessing here), probably not moving too much from generation to generation. Which means these gulls’ ancestors might have been around this area since before Europeans came along. Even before First Nations people–though I’m thinking not long before, what with Ice Ages and all.

Circle of Life, people. Circle of Life.

Up, Up And Away

Holy cow, it’s flying!

And not just little Kitty Hawk laps around the roof, but soaring beautifully, higher even than my floor. It’s still got a lot to learn–it’s flapping too much, using up too much energy, and when it does try to glide its wings are all twitchy and hesitant; also, the landings need work–but damn that’s impressive. Just a week ago it was confined to the rooftop, and now… the sky’s the limit.

Holy cow, it’s flying!

And not just little Kitty Hawk laps around the roof, but soaring beautifully, higher even than my floor. It’s still got a lot to learn–it’s flapping too much, using up too much energy, and when it does try to glide its wings are all twitchy and hesitant; also, the landings need work–but damn that’s impressive. Just a week ago it was confined to the rooftop, and now… the sky’s the limit.

Its siblings aren’t doing so well, though. One is a pretty fair flyer, able to fly for short stretches but not getting much lift. That’s okay, it just needs a little bit more time. It’s the last one, the runt, that has me really worried. I was at an off-site training session all day yesterday, but my coworker (who’s almost as interested in these critters as I am) told me it got stuck on a lower, adjoining roof since yesterday, and couldn’t get back up. It’s only about a yard up, but that’s more than the little guy can manage. And this morning, it looked in bad shape; its wing feathers looked all scraggly, its balance was bad, it just didn’t seem to have a lot of energy. Had it even been eating and drinking? Were the parents feeding it?

Turns out, yes they are. So it won’t starve just yet. But I’m wondering how long the adults will keep feeding their chicks. Another co-worker opined that now the juveniles would follow the parents on the hunt, to learn the tricks of the trade. Chicks #1 and 2 should be okay. But #3 is far behind its sibs, and may not be able to take care of itself once the parents decide to cut them off.

I wish them all luck, because they’ll need it. They’ve had it pretty easy so far, but now they’ll have to compete with a whole generation of hungry juveniles. It’s a gull-eat-gull world.