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 …
Continue reading Crowflix
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, …
Continue reading Owl Wrestling
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 …
Continue reading Owl Dreams
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
This blog post is really just a huge thank-you for all the lovely, thoughtful, funny, comforting, poetic messages I’ve received after my last post about the passing of George. They’ve come via blog comments, email, text, Messenger, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I expect a carrier pigeon at any moment … There have been stories of …
Continue reading Thank-You So Much
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
The neighbourhood is alive with all kinds of baby bird noises. Loudest of all, naturally, are the baby crows. Here is a sample of some of the hilarious baby crow moments I’ve had the joy to observe in the last few days of dog walking. I’m very lucky that Geordie is a patient sort of …
Continue reading Real Baby Crows of East Van
The neighbourhood is alive with all kinds of baby bird noises. Loudest of all, naturally, are the baby crows. Here is a sample of some of the hilarious baby crow moments I’ve had the joy to observe in the last few days of dog walking. I’m very lucky that Geordie is a patient sort of …
Continue reading Real Baby Crows of East Van
It was just like a door-crasher sale for crows, with home furnishings 50% off. Like a gang of bargain bin foragers, they created an explosion of tugging, flapping, snapping, inspecting and discarding. Reject twigs littered the sidewalk. In spite of the massive effort involved in finally getting a stick free, the crows would often cast a critical look at …
Continue reading Nesting Instinct
It was just like a door-crasher sale for crows, with home furnishings 50% off. Like a gang of bargain bin foragers, they created an explosion of tugging, flapping, snapping, inspecting and discarding. Reject twigs littered the sidewalk. In spite of the massive effort involved in finally getting a stick free, the crows would often cast a critical look at …
Continue reading Nesting Instinct
This fluffed up little female Anna’s hummingbird seems to have opted to over-winter in Vancouver. She may be wishing that she’d booked her winter getaway in the fall …but too late now. She’s here for the winter, and I feel committed to help her make it to spring. I was horrified last week, the day we were rushing to …
Continue reading Winter Hummingbird
This fluffed up little female Anna’s hummingbird seems to have opted to over-winter in Vancouver. She may be wishing that she’d booked her winter getaway in the fall …but too late now. She’s here for the winter, and I feel committed to help her make it to spring. I was horrified last week, the day we were rushing to …
Continue reading Winter Hummingbird
Pardon the rather overwrought title, but it’s true; an elementary school “Nature Collection” assignment changed my life. It was also, at the age of 7, my first bitter taste of academic failure. On the face of it, it was a rather fun assignment — go out into nature and make a collection of pods, seed and leaves …
Continue reading Birth of An Urban Nature Enthusiast
Pardon the rather overwrought title, but it’s true; an elementary school “Nature Collection” assignment changed my life. It was also, at the age of 7, my first bitter taste of academic failure. On the face of it, it was a rather fun assignment — go out into nature and make a collection of pods, seed and leaves …
Continue reading Birth of An Urban Nature Enthusiast
Sometimes a little dip into nature does the trick, but sometimes, nothing short of full woodland immersion is going to work. Most days my spirits can be revived by a quick dog walk round the block, appreciating the changing leaves, a bit of moss here and there. The crows, of course. Last week though — I’m …
Continue reading Forest Bathing
Sometimes a little dip into nature does the trick, but sometimes, nothing short of full woodland immersion is going to work. Most days my spirits can be revived by a quick dog walk round the block, appreciating the changing leaves, a bit of moss here and there. The crows, of course. Last week though — I’m …
Continue reading Forest Bathing
You may (or may not) have been wondering where in the blogosphere I’ve gotten to for the last few months. Well, puppy training is surprisingly time consuming … and then there has been my City Crow Calendar project. The puppy training and the cat/dog peace treaty are both, by the way, going well. But for a while it looked as if …
Continue reading The Crow Calendar is Coming
You may (or may not) have been wondering where in the blogosphere I’ve gotten to for the last few months. Well, puppy training is surprisingly time consuming … and then there has been my City Crow Calendar project. The puppy training and the cat/dog peace treaty are both, by the way, going well. But for a while it looked as if …
Continue reading The Crow Calendar is Coming
