Category Archives: commentary

Tomfoolery

  I commented that we should keep an eye out for male Wild Turkeys in display. It is that time of year. And there they were: not one, but two. After watching the two toms for a while, it struck me … Continue reading

Posted in birds, commentary | 4 Comments

Back again

  My postings have been so few of late that a subscriber speculated that she had fallen off my list. No, nothing changed other than my productivity. However, like the sub-adult Bald Eagle below, the time has come for me to feast on nature’s … Continue reading

Posted in birds, commentary | 3 Comments

Prey

  A coyote cares not that a deer is nurturing, only that it is nutritious. Clearly, the virtue of something depends upon perspective. For me, this site is an innocuous exercise in exploring the, mainly natural, world around Kootenay Lake. However, independent … Continue reading

Posted in commentary, mammals | 6 Comments

Santa Claus

  When out on the roof there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter. Just as the poem says, early this Christmas morning I really did hear a clatter on my roof and I … Continue reading

Posted in birds, commentary | 7 Comments

Swan harassment

  When we are lucky, we are visited by swans twice a year as they migrate to the Arctic in the spring and return south in the fall. By the time they arrive here, they have flown far and need … Continue reading

Posted in birds, commentary | 6 Comments

Fairy ring

  He wha (who) tills the fairies’ green Nae (no) luck again shall hae (have) And he wha (who) spills the fairies’ ring Betide him want and wae (woe).          Traditional Scottish verse  It is now difficult to … Continue reading

Posted in commentary, wildflowers | 2 Comments

Fallstreaks

  When I was in elementary school, I was taught that when water has a temperature of less than 0 °C (well, 32 °F at that time), it is (invariably) a solid called ice. And I was told that it is a liquid … Continue reading

Posted in commentary, weather | 2 Comments

RAPP Grizzly

  In my wanderings yesterday, I met a grizzly bear — what a delight. That delight faded when I realized that it was being used as a promotional billboard for a provincial ministry. It bore ear tags that proclaimed: Huh? … Continue reading

Posted in commentary, mammals | 15 Comments

Not a topiary

  I had no idea what I was looking at, but it reminded me of an enormous topiary sculpted in the forest. I was on an osprey survey with the Friends of Kootenay Lake. We were passing along the east shore … Continue reading

Posted in commentary, wildflowers | 1 Comment

Mysterious bird

  A blur flew past me over the calm waters at the mouth of Kokanee Creek. At first, it could have been almost any smallish bird: sandpiper, kingfisher, kingbird, any of a half-dozen local swallows. For five minutes it banked … Continue reading

Posted in birds, commentary | 4 Comments