Black-Capped Chickadee Is Here

 Black-capped Chickadees are one of the most common bird in North America.  They are everywhere on the trees in the neighborhood, and they make those "Chicka-dee-dee-dee" sounds on a sunny day.  I have always wondered if one of the bird can be enticed to come to our balcony.

Black-capped Chickadee

They very cute and playful.  One started visiting our balcony.

For the first few days, he probably came and saw by chance that I have sunflower seeds around.

(Chickadees like sunflower seeds.)  

He would pick up one seed and just fly away.

Chickadee...sooooo cute

Then, he comes more often, staying for few seconds or up to a minute.  He will even play around the garden, staying and hopping on every planter and decorations.

Chickadee on Frog

Can you find the chickadee in this photo?

hop hop hop...Chickadee-dee-dee~~

Moon and Hummingbird

 

These are actually photos from few weeks ago when it is still summer time in Canada.

The half moon was out and the hummingbird came out for the last flight.

Half moon

Hummingbird's Last Flight

Usually, their last flight or meal is determined by sunset time.  In Canada our sunset is very early in the winter and very late in the summer.  So, it can be anywhere between 3:30pm to 9am, depending on where they live as well.  

Hummingbird and Finch Will Share Space....Small Birds Will Share Space

 Recently, hummingbirds and finches will come visit my balcony regularly everyday.

Interestingly, I find that they will actually share the space, and sometimes they will come next to each other.  They will not mind each other at all.  Perhaps, they sense no danger.

Hummingbird and Finch

The funny thing is that hummingbird males are very territorial, but it is funny that they find other birds okay to share space with.  However, hummingbird males will compete with other males for space.

Finch Family

Above is the finch family that visits us everyday.  I think it is consists of: father, mother, 2 kids (don't know gender yet) and a older brother kid.  The older male kid sometimes will show up with family and sometimes will not.

hummingbird and finch 2

Above is another example of sharing space.  

The two species are on the same feeder at same plant.  In general, small bird species will share space.  However, if you have two male hummingbirds, they will not share space.  They will chase each other away.

Very Cute Squirrels Nearby My Place

 There are usually lots of squirrels nearby the area I live in.  I would say at least 40 squirrels, black and silver/brown ones.

They run around the streets and sometimes, the friendly ones will run to us, asking for snacks.

We brought some sunflower seeds for them to munch on yesterday.

I really love how they hold and eat their food!!  So cute!!!

They have big eyes and look like something coming out of the comics.

Hummingbird and Heavy Rain Storm

 Fall weather has descended on the west coast of Canada.  That means it will be dark, rainy and cold.  I was wondering if hummingbirds will show up to our place for food. 

They came!  

They will fly in light rain or heavy rain to places close by.

Female Anna's Hummingbird

Immature Anna's Hummingbird

Even the finch will show up in light rain.  (However, when it rains heavy, most birds won't fly.)

Only hummingbirds will fly in heavy rain.  (They look so cute!)

Finch and Hummingbird co-exist

 Towards the night, the wind got very strong.  Under strong wind, hummingbirds will not fly either.  They slept earlier today.  Since it is dark anyways, they slept 30 minutes earlier than usual.  (Last flight is 6:45pm)

Green Heron in Burnaby Lake

 We went to Burnaby Lake the other day, and we spotted a rare bird eyeing for fish.

Funny Face on Green Heron

Its name is "Green Heron" and belongs to the Heron family.  It hunts for fish but does not have the tall height like the Great Blue Heron.

Looking for Fish

What are you looking at?

When we were there, it was making all those funny faces.

Finch Family Comes Every Morning

 The finch family is coming more regularly it seems.  They are coming in the mornings and around noon.  They tend to be quiet at night.  I don't know why...

The father finch seems to be doing all the work when the family of 5 comes.

He was very busy taking care of the kids, feeding them.

They look so cute when the baby asks the father for food.

Finch Came Again!!

 More finches had showed up in the morning!  This time, they came in a group.  I think they belong in the same family.

Maybe they are father and son?  One is a younger male with pink head and chest, but is a lot smaller in size.  The older bird is bright red and larger in size.

More Finches Come for Breakfast in the Morning

 Very often Finches will make sounds when they come to the balcony to eat the seeds I placed.  However, sometimes, they are totally silent...

Some of them are so red and cute.  Often, they come in a group or family.  Or, both?

So cute, Finches have big eyes.  I wonder what they are doing during the day and where they nap in the afternoon...

This male Finch came to eat and stayed for a while.  I think if I move, he will run away.  I better wait a while before I move close to it.

Review: Harrison Hot Springs Resort

My family and I went for a domestic mini family trip before end of Summer.  I figured that we have never stayed at the Harrison Hot Springs Resort before, and I would like to see their hot springs pools.

Here is my review:

This hotel needs some serious updates. I will attempt be fair and describe our experiences with the hotel. Overall, I will give the hotel a 2.5 star.

Check in: 

We have arrived just ahead of our check in time of 4pm, but had to sit in the lobby and waited for 2 plus hours for our room to be ready. I understand that it is the summer high season, and staff was apologetic, but I still had to ask them 4 times about the check in status during the 2 hours. Result is angry and stressed parents and kids. The staff did compensate us with 15 percent discount for our stress and precious time.

Front Staff: They were understanding and reasonable. Perhaps, housekeeping was taking time to get rooms ready, and there is nothing much they can do about it.

Wifi in Rooms:  I stayed in West Wing.  There is barely Wifi.  Our cellphones barely had one bar of Wifi.  Sometimes, it gets cut off for an hour or two.

Windows: Old and dirty, bug net broken. They should clean the windows during the summer.  

I mean...the view is good, but when you close the window, you see the bird poos and broken nets.

Fridge: old and small. It is the smallest I have seen. It is 1 feet by 1 feet. or 30cm by 30cm. We cannot fit regular coke bottles in there.

The fridge side pocket seems broken.

TV: lots of regular channels with radio interference. (The HD channels were ok.) TV itself is 40 inch.

Lighting: The lights are old, some broken.

Dryer: Standard weak hotel dryer. Ours had a broken holder but usable.

Air conditioning: Very loud and old, probably built in the 70s. I am glad they have one. It is hard to sleep with it.

Parking: It is a little far from the building.

Gift Shop: Only 1 shop is open during Covid. However, they are running out of stuff to sell.

Pools: They do have 5 heated pools, which is their selling point for the high price.

Overall, I think their staff is trying their best, but since they changed ownership in 2013, I think things are not being updated. Perhaps, it is hard for a hotel to operate in Harrison Hot Springs. It does not offer skiing during winter like Whistler.

More Hummingbirds Coming More Often

 We planted more flowers that hummingbirds like to drink.  They are coming more often from different directions.  In fact, I think there are at least 5 or 6 different hummingbirds coming by in regular intervals.

They are more active during breakfast and dinner time I find.  They are less active during the afternoon and on very hot days.

We find female hummingbirds are more curious and like flowers more.  They will still use the feeders, but they will also smell the flowers.

Sight of Finches

 We noticed that there are Finches around the building recently.  

From August, they randomly pop in and dropped by.  They leave quickly if they see us.

I can't figure out if they are House Finch, Purple Finch or Cassin's Finch.

I only caught the picture from the back as he or she is leaving.

From this angle, it looks brown, but I think the front is red or pink.

I will leave some seeds or sunflower seeds to see if they come more often.

Daddy and Baby

 Many sources say hummingbirds don't really share the same feeder.  Also, some say that male hummingbirds don't take care of kids.

However, we noticed that a baby hummingbird comes early morning, along with the father.

The baby is small but chubby and cute.

The dad sat down at the same feeder and drank together with the baby.

I am assuming that once the baby becomes an adult, they will start competing for territories.

Right now, they are still in peace.  

Cute Squirrels

 I found these cute squirrels near by my area:

He is like: "oh, do you have food for me??"  So cute like a cartoon.

Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles; Do They Attack Hummingbirds?

Over the years, I have noticed that there are Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles flying in the sky, searching for preys.   (I have seen them catching big fat rats around here.)

Bald Eagle in blue sky

Hummingbirds are small with extremely quick movements.  They are not easy preys to catch.

Also, they are too light to be a meal for eagles and hawks.  Therefore, hummingbirds have close to 0 enemies in nature.   (except for wasps competing for area)

Anna's Hummingbird Male Color and Feeding Time

During summer, Hummingbirds tend to feed more in the early morning in Canada.  Typically, from 5:30am to 9am when the days are the longest, and gradually shift the time.  For example, during July, the hummingbirds would come at 5:30am.  In September, they come a little later from 7am.

You will notice that a male's head for Anna's Hummingbird should be pink or bright red.  However, on a cloudy day or based on different angles, it will appear "black".  

A male hummingbird's head color can change based on the situations and sunlight reflections.

Very interesting.

The above picture is a fairly young hummingbird.  For a male, the pink color comes out gradually over few weeks.

Hummingbirds in BC, Canada

 In Western Canada, we have 2 kinds of hummingbirds in BC.  One kind, Anna's Hummingbird, is here in British Columbia year round.  The other one, Rufous Hummingbird, is migratory, so they come to Canada from the South (Mexico and USA) only in the summer.

We just discovered that we have a few hummingbirds nearby and decided to buy some plants and feeders to attract them.  

Guess what?!  It worked!  

The longer and more we put the feeders and plants out, they come visit often. Because they will breed each year, they will even bring their kids here to show them places to feed.

This is an Anna's Hummingbird male.  Very cute, right?

The hummingbirds fly fast and they will fly and drink from the feeders.  For feeders with footrest, they will like to sit and take sips from them.

My Grandma's Passing

On New Year's Eve, my dad's side's grandma passed away.

I was very shocked when I heard the news before boarding the bus to work.

Then, I called my father after arriving at the workplace.

I was very sad and I had to say I was relieved that no one came to work till 8:40 am on that day.

I had the time to washed my face and put eye drops in my eyes, but it was a difficult day for me.

Actually, it was a difficult week for me.  All the memories comes back all the sudden, and memories are what is left.

(Also, on a unrelated note, there was an earthquake near Vancouver the night before the eve.)

Happy 2016

It is 2016 already.

I think I won't get used to the number 2016 till March of this year.  It is still 2015 in my mind.

Every year seems to pass faster and faster especially with so many things going on.

This New Year's Eve, as previous year, we stayed home and watched fireworks on TV and on our balcony.  It is too cold and costly to go outside to celebrate.

As usual, we watched the annual "Kouhaku Utagassen" on Japanese channel in the evening.  Then, we watched Pitbull's live concert and New York's live count down on TV.

I hope this year is a prosperous and healthy year for everyone!