Animals I saw when I slowed down...

Instead of biking from point to point, I decided to just take things slow and enjoy life and nature as they come to me.

As I sat on the bench watching the Fraser River, a Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) was flying from plant to plant hoping to find a place to rest. I slowly inched closer and closer and was able to get these pretty satisfying photos (using my 70-300 lens at closest focus of 0.96m. The Raynox 250 requires subjects to be about 10-15 cm away, which is way too close for skittish insects).

Oh, what a beautiful butterfly, despite it being an introduced species and common as muck.


The Raynox 250 is useful for sessile organisms. What a beautiful flower.

I then biked through the dog park towards Finn Slough. On the trail, I heard crows cawing and Killdeers calling, and then I saw a crow chasing a Northern Harrier that is also trying to catch a Killdeer.

In the end, the harrier failed and was chased away by the crow.

I then noticed another Cabbage White fluttering near another white on a flower with its abdomen angled. I believe it was trying to mate with the female but with me watching it, the male gave up.

I am terribly sorry, young lady.


And so it closed its wings and flew away.

At the end of the dog park and where the trail looped around the building, for some reason, I stopped and looked up at the trees in this muddy wooded area (where I last saw warblers and bushtits). But then I saw something on the side of a tree. It was a male Northern Flicker excavating a cavity! It didn't make any sound at all and watching this scene made me think about the times in Taiwan when I observed Taiwan Barbets excavating their nest cavities.

Gathering the wood chips.

Spraying wood chips.

Enlarging the entrance.

More wood chips.



From another view. It's certainly quite well camouflaged from this view.



Pecking the side of the hole to enlarge it.


What a handsome male. It didn't mind me taking these photos, but as I walked away and it flew off to another tree. I really hope I didn't make it abandon all of its hard work.

Then I was walking along the rail tracks when I saw a hummingbird and this Myrtle Warbler (Dendroica coronata coronata) identified by its white throat.

Below was the second Rufous Hummingbird I photographed today, just before I was heading home. It was just perching on the tree and showing off its gorget.

Very handsome. The last photo I took before it flew off and I got two images of the branch and sky.