February carries more optimism than January. The days are becoming longer, bit by bit. Winter’s far from over, but we’ve experienced our first taste of spring promise the past couple days with warmer, dry weather.
Another thing that’s happened to me the past week or so is that my interest in birds abruptly jumped up a level. I went from noticing and appreciating them but not really thinking about them otherwise, to suddenly thinking about them – and about seeking out those I’ve not yet seen.
On the 1st of February I headed to Lost Lagoon after work, or more specifically the grasses just to the east where a noisy population of red-winged blackbirds live. I saw lots of them when in Ottawa in the summer, but I actually didn’t realize we had them here in Vancouver until after that – they just aren’t as prolific, with populations mostly limited to a couple spots around town. So I set myself a goal to bring my little point-and-shoot and get a proper photo of one.
I failed to, but I did see them flickering about in the tall grasses. Then I went over to Lost Lagoon once it was too dark to bother any longer and got this photo:
The warm and dry weather came on Tuesday, and I took the opportunity to bike commute – and also to have a picnic sushi lunch in the orchard near work.
The week continued to be lovely, though most daylight hours were spent at my computer working.
Friday lunch beers at Strange Fellows has become a monthly tradition with my friend Nick, and the weather really came through this time. We’ve had comically bad luck in the past, including July and August meetups that ended up with surprise downpours. Nick was riding my old Stooge Tracker, set up as a kid haulin’ trail bike.
Afterwards I took my old DSLR over to Strathcona gardens to practice bird photography. Juncos and robins were everywhere, but I was pretty happy to spot (and get a photo of) a goldfinch, first photo. Next two are a song sparrow (I believe?) and bathing robin.
One of the main motivations for getting a little more intentional about birdwatching is so I can pair it with riding – giving me newfound purpose and destinations. I already really enjoy riding to a nice spot within nature and settling down for a bit, now I can also take the camera along and have something to do while I’m at it. We’ll see whether it sticks.
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