More on Mabel August 02 2019, 0 Comments
Mabel and I go back a long way. When I first met her, she and George were a couple, and they visited my garden several times a day … for years. I wrote about them a lot in earlier blogs: their love story, their very tough year, the time that George was missing and, finally …
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Huge Thanks! April 24 2019, 0 Comments
Vancouver City staff and council heard from all over North America and from Europe. As Vancouver has an international image as a “green” city, I believe that international comments are fully valid. They also heard from many, many people from Vancouver. They received letters from those who have a personal fondness for this area, and …
Continue reading Huge Thanks!
The signs of spring are there. Admittedly, they’re a little tricky to spot in the world of snow and ice outside … … but the birds know, in their featherlight bones, that spring is just around the corner. The small birds, finches and song sparrows especially, are in full mating mode, chasing each other around …
Continue reading Signs of Spring
Crowflix February 03 2019, 0 Comments
Sometimes the best way to tear yourself away from binge-watching the TV is to drag yourself outside and tune in to the always entertaining Crow Channel. I’d planned an archival Ken Burns-style documentary for this blog post, going over everything that’s happened with the local crows since I last did an update last fall. After …
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I thought I was actually going to be documenting the sudden and violent demise of Marvin this past Sunday. I was at Make-It! Market for most of last week, but I took an hour or so off on Sunday morning to mail some online orders. On the way back from the post office, walking down …
Continue reading Sudden Sky Drama
Somewhere between harvest festivals and soccer riots, these autumnal corvid gatherings are a sure sign of the seasonal shift. A quiet street corner that is normally the domain of a one crow family is suddenly full of noise and dark feathers. It’s usually early evening when they come, making a stop on the longer trip …
Continue reading Corvid Flash Mobs
My previous post was more of a sentimental ode to the patch of scrappy urban nature that may soon be gone. This one is bit more pragmatic — and a plea to any readers who know of research or information that would support the preservation of a few more fragments of wildlife habitat and green …
Continue reading Environmental Dead Zone
Special Days April 25 2018, 0 Comments
Some days there are ravens. Some days, there are even mountain bluebirds. When such things miraculously appear in my own urban neighbourhood I tend to (if at all possible) just drop everything and follow them. I’ve been ridiculously lucky for the past two weekends. It was the raven the weekend before last. She hung around …
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Snow Birds February 25 2018, 0 Comments
Already it seems as if we might just have dreamed it. Once upon a time, one Saturday morning in February, we woke up in a crystal palace. A thick and flawless blanket of snow had fallen silently through the Vancouver night. The sun had come out. Everything looked like a fairy tale. The landscape itself …
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This little story has everything — lost dogs, snow, mystery, love, determination, teamwork, social media and Geordie the wonder dog. But crows are the real heroes of the story! I had planned a quiet day of wrapping and baking. I have had the ingredients to make stollen bread for three years now, and not a …
Continue reading A Christmas Miracle – with Crows!
Crow Gossip November 10 2017, 0 Comments
Just in case you tire of human news, here’s a “celebrity profile” of a different sort. I’m not sure “who” this up-and-coming power couple are wearing this fall. Their lives seem to be pretty scandal-free, although you’d have to listen to the roost rumours to be sure of that. Politically, I’d say they’re pretty apathetic …
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It’s taken me a ridiculous length of time to get to this simple little blog . I’m just trying to update you on the WHO, WHAT and WHERE of the local crow families. But it’s complicated! I tried writing it all in words and it was confusing even me, so I decided we needed a …
Continue reading A Puzzlement of Crows
Owl Wrestling September 22 2017, 0 Comments
Let me be clear. Actual owl wrestling is definitely not something I’d recommend. However, it does feel as if I’ve been metaphorically getting to grips with owls for the last few weeks. One particular owl, in fact. Since the wonderful day a few weeks ago when a barred owl appeared in front of my house, …
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My mother had a storehouse of wonderful sayings — one for every occasion, really. If I was looking particularly unkempt (a look I actively cultivated in my hippy days, but that’s an entirely different story) she’d say I looked as if I’d been “dragged through a hedge backwards.” Sometimes, at the end of a particularly hard …
Continue reading Dishevelled Crows
Night Owl August 19 2017, 0 Comments
Just a short follow-up to yesterday’s post, Owl Dreams. At 8pm last night, the barred owl was still in the tree in front of our house, sleeping peacefully. We took Geordie for his evening walk and he was still there when we got back, but his behaviour was changing. There was much more head movement …
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Owl Dreams August 18 2017, 0 Comments
Some days just don’t go as planned, but in a good way. Today, for example, I had a number of studio tasks set out for the morning, all of which seemed very important — until the crows started going bonkers outside. I always try to go see what the crows are on about. It’s usually …
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Watch for the last few seconds of this baby crow self-grooming video. I think he’s auditioning for his own show on Comedy Network. It has been a bit quiet in the neighbourhood of late. That’s all changed with the advent of the corvid triplets. They do not keep their feeling to themselves. When hungry …
Continue reading Noisy New Neighbours
I knew I’d be upset when, inevitably, something happened to one of my crow acquaintances. Even so, I’m surprised at how many tears I’ve shed since burying my pal, George Brokenbeak. He’s laid to rest on the “garden of tears” side of the yard, along with countless beloved goldfish and hamsters, and the late …
Continue reading In Memory of George
It’s going to be a scorcher this week in Vancouver. The news is full of dire sunstroke warnings, and tips on how to beat the heat. The birds know what to do, and here is one of our backyard Northern Flickers to do a little demo for you. NOTE: In this hot dry weather, the …
Continue reading Beat The Heat, Bird-Style
It’s going to be a scorcher this week in Vancouver. The news is full of dire sunstroke warnings, and tips on how to beat the heat. The birds know what to do, and here is one of our backyard Northern Flickers to do a little demo for you. NOTE: In this hot dry weather, the …
Continue reading Beat The Heat, Bird-Style
This is a quite long story, with many pictures, and some emotional ups and down. You might need to arm yourself with a cup of tea and take a comfy seat before settling in to read. OK, here we go … By the end of June, the flicker nest was the talk of the street. …
Continue reading Flicker Family Saga – Part Two
This is a quite long story, with many pictures, and some emotional ups and down. You might need to arm yourself with a cup of tea and take a comfy seat before settling in to read. OK, here we go … By the end of June, the flicker nest was the talk of the street. …
Continue reading Flicker Family Saga – Part Two
I didn’t realize it was going to turn into a saga, but now I’ve accumulated about a hundred photos of our local Northern Flicker family, chronicling their ups and downs over the last few weeks. I kept meaning to post some as things unfolded, but it turned into such a roller coaster, I didn’t …
Continue reading Flicker Family Saga – Part One
I didn’t realize it was going to turn into a saga, but now I’ve accumulated about a hundred photos of our local Northern Flicker family, chronicling their ups and downs over the last few weeks. I kept meaning to post some as things unfolded, but it turned into such a roller coaster, I didn’t …
Continue reading Flicker Family Saga – Part One
