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One of a dozen wood duck chicks I saw at Munson Pond yesterday in Kelowna. Now that the deciduous trees have finally come into their leaves, I can say that spring is officially here.  That fact was brought home yesterday while visiting Munson Pond.  A small clearing between reeds allowed me to see the procession of a wood duck family; a line of chicks followed by mom and then dad. I arrived early in the morning. I suspect that the chicks had just left the roost. The order of the birds was unusual in that the chicks were in the lead.  I usually see one or both parents at the head with a dutiful line of progeny following.  The fact that the chicks were leading suggested that they were familiar with the routine. They couldn't have been more than one or two weeks old. Wood duck chicks are born in a cavity, either a hole in a tree or a wooden nest box with a sizable hole.  They are helpless when born, but are able to leave the nest within three days.  They fall ...

Male ring-necked duck (left and top right) and female (bottom right). I have seen a lot of ring-necked ducks in western BC, especially on the Island, but have seen very few of them in the Kelowna area.  I was pleased to see a pair today as I was visiting Munson Pond for the 2nd time this month. Ring-necked ducks are diving ducks (as opposed to dabbling ducks).  They dive beneath the surface of the water completely to forage for the vegetable and plant matter they eat.  During breeding season, the ducks eat more invertebrates than plant matter.  These include snails, clams, crayfish, leeches, and all manner of aquatic insects.  Clams are ingested whole and are crushed by the strong gizzard.  Vegetation becomes more important after breeding has ended. They can be found throughout most of southern BC during breeding season and may be permanent residents where open water exists.   I have mistaken scaups (see my blog on scaups here ) for ring-necked du...

I have enjoyed paddling sports for over 30 years.  I started out with a 12' canoe that was really only good for one person.  Although it wasn't much, it gave me some idea of what was needed to take the next step.  We bought a 17' canoe when the kids were young and fit the whole family inside, everyone with a paddle.  When they were older, we switched to kayaks because they wanted control over their own boats, not under the control of mom and dad.   Our first kayaks were made by Necky.  They were rotomolded plastic units, about 10' long, and very stable.  We had two of them, and we bought a used tandem made by Current Designs.  The Neckys were great for the kids (top left image) or my wife (bottom right image), or both of us (middle left).  The tandem allowed for longer trips and hauling supplies.  Plus, if someone came with us that could not paddle, they could ride "shotgun."  These boats were great for small trips but were not...

Leanne visited us over Easter.  We rode part of the Okanagan Rail Trail in Kelowna. Kelowna has a lot to offer.  Besides Okanagan Lake itself, there is the Okanagan Rail Trail, a host of walking and hiking trails, and the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, only a few kilometers away.  If that's not enough for you, then there is Lake Country to the north and Penticton to the south.   Kathryn and I got our e-bikes last year.  We've got less than 200 km on them so far; we are hoping to triple that distance this year.  The ORT is a ten minute drive from where we live.  It connects many parts of the city and you can ride all the way out to Vernon on it. Kathryn and I on the Okanagan Rail Trail today.  The arrow on the map shows our location. It is evening now and we have been back from our bike trip for a few hours.  The above photo was taken along the trail a few kilometers from the end near Okanagan Lake.  After out ride we had lunch at Creeksi...

An idea I once had for a series of t-shirts involving spider facts. My wife tends to have a much more balanced view of life and the realities of how things work.  She has also borne witness to the fact that I am always coming up with new ideas on how to do things, ranging from unconventional to downright odd.  And we have discovered that half of my ideas have merit and the other half are out-to-lunch.   One of my ideas involved making a t-shirt line with spider facts.  I would take the photos (the above one is mine), use the "Spider Fan" logo (obviously an adaptation of a certain Marvel character), and provide an interesting fact on the species.  While I was excited about the idea, the simple fact is that it would probably never work out.  The cost to make the shirts, having enough variation, finding people or companies that may be interested in the idea, and not ticking off the big-wigs at Marvel, as I have encroached upon their bread and butter, were...

Three of the dogs Dave has owned since I have known him. I am 18 in dog ears.  Notice the lack of the letter "y".  I have had 9 of the beasts, starting at two years of age, all the way up to right now.  All of them were an important part of my life, a part of my family's lives.  If you haven't made the connection yet, 2x9 = 18:  Nine dogs means 18 ears. I have had the privilege of knowing my friend, Dave, for 6 of his dog ears.  Zeek (bottom), Zoey (top), and Charlie (right) have all been important animals in the Schmidtke household.  Of course, there have been cats too, but we don't measure in cat years because the number easily gets into the thousands (nine lives x #ofcats = huge numbers).   Silliness aside, it is important to me to mention my great love for my friend, Dave.  Right now, at this moment in time, as I am typing, he is lying in a hospital bed, having just had open heart surgery, recovering from that and issues with his lun...