Category Archives: commentary

Perplexing sky

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Alistair

Down here on the surface of the earth, we are used to judging distance with the help of contrast: distant objects have a lower contrast than those in the foreground. This insight works for solid objects with sharp boundaries. … Continue reading →

Posted in commentary, weather | Comments Off

Ecotone walk

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Alistair

I could have merely spoken of a walk along the beach, but, I wanted to emphasize something subtly different than such a stroll. An ecotone is a place where ecologies are in tension (in Greek, the word is tonos). It describes … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, commentary, fish, mammals | 3 Comments

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