There is a big flat rock in my garden, with a “bowl” in the middle. It’s a natural bird bath.
This nuthatch was waiting for me to top up the pool.
Then came a very rowdy chickadee.
Who was soon joined by two buddies. Raucous peeping, and flapping of wings.
It’s going to get hot over the next few days. Keep the birds in mind: give them a little water to drink and bathe. They’ll even follow you around in the garden, when you have a hose in hand. That’s a hint!
Garry Oaks cling to the bluff in front of my house. During winter sunsets, their silhouettes can be quite vivid over the water. I get to play with filters!
On my errand-running trips to “town” (town means Victoria, on Vancouver Island), I sometimes have a little extra time before I have to head back to the BC Ferries parking lot. And when I do, I love to spend those extra minutes at the Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre, in Sidney, BC.
This great little aquarium facility is the equivalent of a quick dive in the ocean. Every visit brings a new surprise. This time, it was Mr. Party Man, peeking out of a tank…
I am not sure about the identity of this fish, some sort of sculpin, maybe? When I saw this little guy, I had to get a photo (a bit fuzzy, I used my phone) and capture all that glorious carnival hat thing, that he had going. I assume it’s camouflage. Very jazzy!
Winter time is duck season around Saturna. Duck and other birds spend time around the island, before going back up North… This is a trio of Harlequin ducks males (Histrionicus histrionicus – don’t you love that latin name?), swimming by the rocks. More info about Harlequin Ducks here.
Their paddling leaves nice tracks in the water… Just below the tracks, you can see the circular “dive” of a feeding duck.
These flashy birds (well, the drakes are flashy anyway) are only around our waters during the winter, and return to mainland rivers and streams to breed and feed during the milder months.
I took the photo at the top of this post, of unexplained ripples and wavelets in the water, because it was intriguing. There were no boats nearby…
When you are on Vancouver Island and you have an hour to spare, it’s sooo easy to get lost in the woods…
Near the western suburbs of Victoria, a few kilometers from the big box stores, Goldstream Provincial Park is another world in which to go and do some deep breathing. Allow yourself some time to take in all that velvety green beauty.
After a rain, the Goldstream river just flows. And the sound of it just flows through you!
This reminds me of L’eau vive, a song by Guy Béart. (There is a touching YouTube video of an aging Guy Béart in concert, in which the audience sings most of the song to him…). Those of you who grew up in the same era, in the same place, or in France, are already humming the tune, I know…
Ma petite est comme l’eau, elle est comme l’eau vive
Elle court comme un ruisseau, que les enfants poursuivent
Courez, courez vite si vous le pouvez
Jamais, jamais vous ne la rattraperezLorsque chantent les pipeaux, lorsque danse l’eau vive
Elle mène les troupeaux, au pays des olives
Venez, venez, mes chevreaux, mes agnelets
Dans le laurier, le thym et le serpoletUn jour que, sous les roseaux, sommeillait mon eau vive
Vinrent les gars du hameau pour l’emmener captiveFermez, fermez votre cage à double clé
Entre vos doigts, l’eau vive s’envoleraComme les petits bateaux, emportés par l’eau vive
Dans ses yeux les jouvenceaux voguent à la dérive
Voguez, voguez demain vous accosterez
L’eau vive n’est pas encore à marierPourtant un matin nouveau à l’aube, mon eau vive
Viendra battre son trousseau, aux cailloux de la rive
Pleurez, pleurez, si je demeure esseulé
Le ruisselet, au large, s’en est allé.
