I could see Vancouver International Airport from the parking lot, but until a large winged object starts hurdling towards the sky in a fuel-combusted ascent, I’d be content to look for small winged creatures among the pathways of this former colonial farm, turned into a birding destination in Richmond, at the mouth of the Fraser River, south of Sea Island.
My wife, my son and I had come initially thinking Marc could run off some steam at the many playground stations featured just off the parking lot, but he soon became interested in doing what his dad was doing with his Nikon D3300, borrowing his mom’s phone and taking photos of song sparrows, red-winged blackbirds and crows as they flitted onto our path.
Occasionally a melee of lesser snow geese honks told of a sudden flock departure beyond the west dyke, across an expanse of bulrushes and sedges leading the eye out to the Strait of Georgia. But we’d investigate that later. For now we were working on our capturing skills in our viewfinders, and I have to say that Marc was beating his dad when it came to successful shots. As my 55-200mm lens oriented itself when I depressed the shutter, Marc pointed and shot at will, taking several exposures before I’d even managed to take one. Then, he’d work his magic, cropping and filtering with ease, to produce a work of art.
It was a chance to learn about different birds that crossed our paths. In a half hour, he could identify a song sparrow, a red-winged blackbird and a black-capped chickadee, all which scampered across our paths.
But once we braved the cold winds at the unprotected lip of the marsh, we observed the magnificent climbs of the flocks of lesser snow geese, flapping in their hundreds as they regrouped and resettled at the next best feeding grounds, putting on one of natures most extraordinary shows…
