Pitt Polder; a good day for a hike.

Pitt Polder bird sanctuary in Pitt Meadows, BC.

There are a number of ways to tell that spring is in the air.  The blooming cherry trees are a good indicator, as are the myriad of colours shown by the still flowering tulips.  My favourite way though is by the presence of mating pairs of birds.  Nests are in the process of being constructed, but it is still too early for eggs or vulnerable chicks.  That time is still over a month away, but it is hastily approaching.

Good days in the early spring occasionally occur; today was one of them.  Gardening was put aside and hiking boots donned with the hope of enjoying nature and all the glories she offers at this time of year.  A friend and I headed out to Pitt Polder.  It is a nature preserve that finds favour with many species.  There is a sandhill crane rookery in the area, and I have heard that the western tanager also breeds in the area.  We saw neither species today as we gazed near and far, but we did see plenty of other creatures.

Winter wrens, Anna's hummingbirds, bushtits, spotted towhees, song sparrows, juncos, Steller's jays, bald eagle, red-tailed hawk, and ospreys were all sighted.  There were quite a few pairs of Canada geese, many of them not too pleased with the fact we were walking on their trail.  Although the weather is still cool for reptiles, we did see a western pond turtle and a common garter snake.  I managed to get some nice shots of the Steller's jay - a species which has managed to elude my photographic attempts frequently.  I have a few poor shots of them but think I got something worthwhile today.

That is the thing about taking pictures of wildlife.  You may see something, even get a shot of something, but that doesn't mean you got a good shot of it.  For example, I have photographed great blue herons many times, seen them all over the continent, but have really only got a half dozen pictures which I am really happy with.  It sometimes takes hundreds of shots before you get the one that sets it apart from all the others.  Occasionally I may get that shot the first time out; our trip to New Zealand is an example.  I saw species of birds I never even knew existed and got some nice photos of them upon my first encounter.  That tends to be an aberrant event though.

Whether I ended up with any good photos or not though is beside the point.  A nice day, good company, and a camera in hand.  What more could you want?