Still waiting for a hoot

For the second time in my life, I got a good look at owls.  I think I might make this an annual pilgramage, given the abundant birding that's available at Boundary Bay Regional Park.  Last year, I got a good look at some snowy owls and I wanted return with some recently acquired camera gear to get some better shots. I first starting hearing about the snowy owls in December, so I expected they'd still be around this past weekend, but alas, they had already moved on. Despite their absence, and an overcast sky, the air was buzzing with raptors of all sorts.

The road to Boundary Bay Regional Park is lined with telephone poles on one side, and trees on the other.  Just like last year, eagles perched on either side of the road watching the traffic.  The drive in is good preparation for the activity that awaits in Boundary Bay itself.

Owl chasing another raptor

One didn't need to walk far along the dyke before noticing that birds of prey were everywhere.  As pedestrians strolled northwards from the parking lot, owls and hawks pulled aerial stunts, divebombing each other, and chasing would-be competitors off their best hunting grounds.

Short eared owl launching itself off a perch

The dyke divides a wide tidal marsh from farmland.  Last year, it was the tidal side where most photographers aimed their instruments, where the snowy owls sat still on driftwood.  On this visit, most of the activity was witnessed on the farmland, where owls and hawks terrorized voles and other small rodents from manmade perches.

Squawk!

 Just like the snowy owls, the short-eared emit a squawk rather than a hoot.

This short eared landed not 10 metres away, squawking periodically for about 10 minutes.  On the ground, they're nearly invisible:

 

An owl's success at catching prey doesn't go unnoticed. Typically, it would fly off to a more private location, prey in talons, before swallowing it whole away from its competition.  This trip tends to be a stressful one, as other owls give chase to attempt stealing its freshly caught prey.

The owl dance

Despite my initial intention of getting a second view of the snowy owls, the activity of the short-eared owls definitely made for a more exciting visit to Boundary Bay.

Its shy side

The Christmas Cactus revealed just a scant group of leaves this year. In the last two years, perhaps only two scrawny leaves have been appended to its stalks. Maybe it doesn't like the bright southern exposure we've given it for the last few years.  This photo was from last weekend, which puts the timing of the opening of the first flowers about two weeks earlier than last year, and a week earlier than two years ago.

The flowers seemed to favour the sunny side.  This angle is the same angle I've photographed it compared to prior years, yet this time, the blooms are nearly all on the opposite side.

The blooms aren't as extravagant as in prior years despite better living conditions than in prior years:  a bit of fertilization in the spring, no pests, and no flooding.
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Nature Vancouver's Marine Biology nights

Nature Vancouver's Marine Biology nights are starting back up!
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Making eye contact

The Salticidae (jumping spiders) family of spiders has, without a doubt, the most character of any spider. They are probably most relatable to humans, in that they are neat (no webs), search for food (hunting), and display feats of athleticism jumping about 40 times their own length with a great degree of accuracy.

 

Also, their large eyes certainly help lend themselves well to the "cuteness" factor.

But really, which eye should one look at?

Jumping spiders, like most spiders, have four pairs of eyes, giving it a near 360 degree view of movement.  Proportionally, they have the largest eyes of any spider, as they don't have the benefit of tactile threads of a web to sense prey.  It immediately pivots its body to face any movement, facing the large frontal eyes to identify the subject, and will judge its distance accurately for a pounce or a retreat.