Category Archives: commentary

Swallow’s saga

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Alistair

Tree Swallows often nest in the cavities that Northern Flickers have carved in the pilings of docks. A person commits an offence if the person … possesses, takes, injures, molests or destroys a bird or its egg. … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, commentary | 10 Comments

Species diversity

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Alistair

A year ago on Canada Day, I posted a collection of my favourite images from the previous decade, and said: “My two-dozen mute portraits offer peeks into the charm and beauty of life in Canada.” Commenting on it, Carlo … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, commentary, mammals | 15 Comments

Dead Duck Day

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Alistair

A month ago, I posted a story, Mallard’s #metoo, about the gang rape of a mommy mallard. At the time, I did not relate my observations to a TED Talk, How a dead duck changed my life, I had … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, commentary | 1 Comment

KCPP boardwalk

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Alistair

Two years ago, I took a picture of the boardwalk in Kokanee Creek Provincial Park. This path links the creek with the the spawning channel and the Nature Centre. I noted then that plans were underfoot to replace the … Continue reading →

Posted in commentary, scenes | 5 Comments

Progress rejection

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Alistair

At first I was bothered by the way our culture of discardable shipping containers had sullied the talus. Then I thought, maybe the marmots have merely installed lighting in their dens. Finally, I was struck by the whimsy of … Continue reading →

Posted in commentary, mammals | 3 Comments

Dabbling pits

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Alistair

The low water of March is the time to see freshly exposed mud spotted with dabbling pits. Why mud? Why dabbling pits? Turn back the calendar to the normal water level of the previous summer. Waves wash the sandy … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, commentary, scenes | 6 Comments

A crest would be a drag

Posted on March 10, 2018 by Alistair

Only a few birds sport crests. A bird with a crest can raise or lower it, but will raise (erect) it to communicate aggression or sexual arousal. While a crest is sometimes lowered (collapsed) on a perched or floating … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, commentary | 4 Comments

Den failure

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Alistair

I normally don’t post failures to my blog — there are just too many of them. And who wants to see a blurry picture where a coyote, say, has just left the frame? However, this posting is about a … Continue reading →

Posted in commentary, mammals | 4 Comments

Two mammals

Posted on February 7, 2018 by Alistair

A glance along the list of recent postings (to the right) might lead one to suspect that this blog is classist: biased towards Class Aves; discriminating against Class Mammalia. The list shows many postings about birds, but only a few … Continue reading →

Posted in commentary, mammals | Comments Off

Speeding hare

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Alistair

I did not realize how amazingly fast a hare can run. I watched two dogs chase a hare across a snow-covered field. The dogs were vastly outclassed. Now, I am not a fan of dogs running free in the … Continue reading →