Ice

After a long warm spell we got some colder weather, and with it some ice and snow.

But at the same time, the "spring" crocuses were blooming.

Pine Siskins

The birds at the feeder have gone through an interesting progression. First it was a "development" of House Finches, easily identified by their red color. Then a "banditry" of Chestnut-backed Chickadees. And now a "company" of Pine Siskins. Plus the occasional House Sparrow and Spotted Towhee. The towhees are a little big for the feeder perches so they mostly sit nearby and gaze longingly at all that food.

At first I wasn't sure what they were. They looked like small sparrows but none of the sparrows in my bird guide had yellow on the wings. I looked at "small" local birds but didn't see them. It wasn't till I looked at "extra small" birds that I found them. Pine Siskins are in the finch family. There were lots of them and the ones that weren't competing over the feeder perched in the nearby magnolia tree, where I could photograph them through the window. A window isn't ideal, but with a little work on the computer they're reasonable. This shot shows the yellow and the notched tail.

Another identifying feature is the heavy streaking.

They are puffed up to stay warm in these photos. They are actually slimmer birds. Pine Siskins can survive in colder weather than other songbirds due to their higher metabolism.

Birds

This time of year I'm mostly taking photographs of birds. Our recent spell of good weather helped. Victoria had the longest winter sunny dry spell in 85 years.

This cormorant was fishing at Ogden point. I wasn't sure what kind it was at first, but I think it's a juvenile Double-crested Cormorant.

It might only be a juvenile, but it had found a good school of fish.

A heron nearby was probably catching some of the same fish.

If there's nothing more exotic, there are always the gulls.

There have been quite a few Hooded Mergansers hanging around.

and Common Mergansers

and occasionally Red-breasted Mergansers

This one had to scramble to avoid any of her "friends" stealing her fish.

I was watching for the Harlequin Ducks but they were scarce until last week.

In Saskatoon I saw mostly Black-capped Chickadees. Here it's more Chestnut-backed Chickadees. Lately they've discovered the bird feeder. I'd like to get better photos but they don't tend to sit still for long.

A Great Blue Heron has taken to sitting in a tree behind our place.

The birds have mostly ignored these berries till now - they must not be as tasty. But with most of the others gone, they are starting to eat them.

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Print of the Week

Two frequent subjects combined - a great blue heron and sunset reflections. I like how the darker water frames the heron on the right. And the wonderful detail in the reflections.

Butterflies

Recently Shelley and I had an appointment in the area so we decided to stop at the Butterfly Gardens. It's been a while since we'd been and I always enjoy photographing the butterflies. I must admit I was a bit spoiled by Costa Rica butterflies (and moths) last year. Some of the butterflies were the same, but the difference is that there they were native. It was also a good chance to try out a new camera lens.

I think this is an Autumn Leaf - an appropriate name.

Of course, just because there are lots of butterflies in a small area, it doesn't mean they sit still to be photographed. Some of them never seemed to settle. These Common Palmfly (I think) weren't very colorful but they were cooperative subjects.

The Giant Owl Butterflies also tend to perch, although not always in the most convenient spots! In addition to the large "eye" they have quite elaborate patterns on their wings.

Tiger Longwings are one of the ones I saw in Costa Rica.

A few posed with their wings open.

The little pond makes a good background.

The Butterfly Garden also has an "Insectarium" with a variety of exotic insects.

At first it was hard to tell what was in this exhibit. But once you spotted the leaf insects there were lots of them. Amazing camouflage.

Mantises are one of my favorite insects.

This Jungle Nymph was huge! They get over 6 inches long and are one of the heaviest insects.

See all 32 photos in this batch.

Reflections

People usually look at me funny when they see me taking photographs of empty water. Even when they ask and I tell them it's the reflections they still don't get it. I expected the same when someone came along as I was taking this next photograph. But instead he said "reflections make good photographs, don't they". A fellow reflectionista.

To get color in reflections, there has to be something with color being reflected, like a rusty barge.

The other factor is the ripples in the surface of the water. To get a good abstract pattern you need enough ripples to warp the reflections into interesting shapes. But not so much that the reflections get destroyed.

Sometimes the reflections just make a good background.

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Sidney Aquarium

We recently visited the aquarium in Sidney (the Centre for the Salish Sea). I enjoy seeing the weird and wonderful creatures that live in the sea around us. It's a challenge to take photographs at aquariums - not much light, dirty glass, reflections, people in the way. Sometimes I don't even try but this time I did and I got a few that I liked.

Nudibranchs are a favorite. "sea slug" doesn't sound very appealing but they can be very colorful. This Hooded Nudibranch isn't very colorful but has a fantastic shape, a bit like a venus flytrap.

They also look a bit like sea jellies.

Tentacles seem to be a common theme with sea creatures.

The fish here are quite different from tropical fish but they can still be quite colorful.

Last but not least, a few Decapods (crabs, lobsters, shrimp). "decapod" means 10 legs but they can have up to 38 "appendages", they just call 10 of them "legs".