Blossoms are here! Good day to be out

Besides seeing the American Bittern today, I also saw many interesting things.

First, the blossoms are here! Despite seeing them every year, it's still exciting to see these beautiful flowers. I took these from the Phoenix Pond in Steveston, but they are starting to blossom everywhere in the city now.

Bit of Bittern

I will have to separate today's post into two because as you know me by now, when I see something rare and/or interesting, I will take a lot of photos, and today's American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) was one of those things. The last time I saw a bittern was exactly one year from today, what a strange coincidence!

I think I first noticed this bird when I saw something flew from the marsh to the ditch while I was photographing a couple of Song Sparrows. However, when I got to where I think the bird landed, I only saw a couple of Mallards. But as I pedaled further along, I noticed this thing (below).

That's too bulky to be cattail reeds.

Officially Into Spring

One day into the actual Spring, and it was chilly and cloudy (compared to yesterday). It is never good to get your hopes up.

I went looking for pollinators in London Heritage Farm today. But given the weather and the flowering conditions (almost zero), most of the honey bees I saw were sunning (when the sun was out briefly).

There is a sharing farm in the back with several private gardens. One of them was guarded by this toy Stegosaurus.

Signs of Spring, and then Supermoon!

What counts as signs of Spring?

Nice weather? Not really, but I'll take it over any rainy days.

Better day than expected

It was a better birding than I expected, given that it was spitting rain when I left the house and a few more times while outside.

Unstable weather.

Heron and other critter watching

Haven't gone out biking in a few days - busy with stuff, bad weather, etc. Anyways, there was a couple of sunny breaks in the afternoon and so I thought it might be good enough to bike to Terra Nova.

Sky-watching from Garry Point Park. The large puddle/pond has disappeared!?

[Another rambling post] ...What can we do?

The major earthquake in Japan has once again humbled and reminded us how powerful Mother Nature is and how little we as humans can do to prevent it but to slowly recover it, one life at a time. It is a devastating event, for the Japanese people but also for all of us as citizens of the globe. However, I am amazed at how resilient and calm looking the Japaneses look on the news. I suppose it is the fact that most of them have experienced earthquakes once or twice in their lives, undergo earthquake drills, and to some extent it has become a part of their lives. Us, as Vancouverites, I fear, are not as experienced nor possess the calming nature of the Japanese people. I doubt that most of the buildings in the Lower Mainland are equipped to handle major earthquakes, am fairly certain Richmond will be crushed, swept away, and became a distant memory. When will it happen? Does it matter? Where will I be then?

Why is it happening? There are scientific reasons behind an earthquake, but to me, it's all about karma. I am not saying the Japanese people did this to themselves, heck no, I am saying we as humans have done enough destructions on this planet that perhaps it is just time for Mother Nature to respond. Right now, one natural disaster takes place one after another (Haiti, Iceland, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, and now Japan), but what if two disasters strike at once, or three, or more!? Do we have the resources or power to save everyone? I do not think so.

I am a pessimist and a believer of the "doomsday" in 2012 (not so much Y2K because we can easily turn the computers off for that, no?). I think it's not just a coincidence that ancient cultures somehow all agree on the year 2012, and with the string of disasters happening nowadays, I have no doubt it will happen.

As I think about my mother, myself, my family in Taiwan, my friends all over, I do not know what I can do to save the people most valuable to me. But then I think about life and death. Death to all of us will happen someday, the only difference is will we be of a young or old age? A slow or quick death? Then there are the things we go through between birth and death - survival. If I survive today, will I survive tomorrow? All of these thoughts occur to me at least once a day when I am faced with situations and view them from a life-and-death perspective, but more so for the last two days.

Either I will survive or not. That is all. And if I die, I die. It is a part of life. And life will go on.

PS - God bless Japan, a beautiful nation and its proud people.

PPS - Finished my CPR-C / Emergency First Aid training this afternoon. It was more useful than I imagined.

Wordless Wednesday - Biked to Finn Slough again

Seeing birds up-close: robin, cormorant, and falcon

Another day of gorgeous weather! Look at the beautiful blue sky.

Keep on birding

Feeling the need to start building my insect knowledge, I first went to South Dyke Sharing Farm to see if I can spot any insects. No such luck.

Keep on birding until spring arrives, I suppose.

Weather was nice today when I went out. Mew Gull (I think) flying by.