Tag Archives: Spring

Commentary, nature, Photography

Marmot Sightings

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We have a large marmot colony living nearby in the rock breakwater next to an area of the lake.

They are awake, active and very healthy looking after their hibernation.
They will allow people to observe them but getting too close makes them nervous and they will disappear into their large communal burrow below the rocks.
I love how they are constantly greeting each other with great affection and murmurings.

All marmots, including the ones above, are protected in British Columbia, especially the Vancouver Island marmots which have been brought back from the brink of extinction but whose numbers are still critically low.

Happy Tuesday.

nature, Photography

Daffodils

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In the last couple of days I saw the first daffodils and was strongly reminded of this stanza from the lovely poem “Daffodils” (also known as “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”) from William Wordsworth:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Here’s a Wikipedia post about the poem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wandered_Lonely_as_a_Cloud

Happy April 1 (no foolin’). 😊

nature, Photography

Friday Fish

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The fish in the Japanese garden koi pond are completely recovered from their winter dormancy.

Lively and curious (and hoping for handouts), they always come to investigate whenever someone leans in to investigate them.

They swam right over as soon as they noticed my shadow, but I didn’t feed them. Koi are omnivorous; they eat plants, algae, insects, seeds and larvae and there are lots of food sources in their pond, so they may seem hungry but actually aren’t. They particularly don’t need bread or crackers, but since they’re carp, they will eat it if it’s offered; they apparently don’t have an off switch that tells them they have had enough.

Part of the charm of this garden is stopping to watch the fish. It’s always a tranquil and relaxing activity that’s very good for us in this busy world.

The major religious observances of Easter and Ramadan are overlapping this year, so I not only wish you a happy Friday, but a very good Friday, one that anticipates health and happier world relations for all of us.