April 22, 2012
Deer Lake Ramble Sees Mink, Birds, Beauty–and Death in the Afternoon
Yumi and I took a two-hour ramble around Burnaby's Deer Lake Park this afternoon. We were amazed to see a mink snag a frog in broad daylight just a few feet away from us. That was the highlight of the afternoon, but there were plenty of other great views in this gem of an urban park.
Starting the lake-round trail clockwise from the beach area
Fishing from the comfort of a chair!
We've still got some great blossoms around
We saw several raptors patrolling the park. An osprey?
The north shore Lions in the background
Tree-climbing snail
OK, not a great shot, but I had to prove that we did see the elusive
pheasants that you can often hear, but rarely see, in the park. We
saw two today, a couple skulking in the bush.
The invasive red-eared sliders were out in force enjoying some rays
And here's the mink. Little one, but lethal. . .
Hard to see, but the mink bounced into the water and came up
with a frog that it carried under the log. We heard a soft crunch
or two, and saw no more.
Another frog, further down the lake
Awwww. Mallard duckling, one of eight out cruisin' with mom.
Mother and child of another species enjoying the park : -)
A handsome crow at the end of our circumnavigation of the lake trail
Posted by Paul at April 22, 2012 06:23 PM