A byootaful Life

Last weekend the weather was beautiful – warm(ish), sunny, blue skies – so Phill and I went with a bunch of our friends for a walk along the sea wall and into Stanley Park to feed the large variety of animals living there. I was promised, amongst the usual ducks and birds and squirrels, that we’d see raccoons so I was very excited, since I haven’t seen one of those yet. I also haven’t seen a skunk but I was told that if we did see a skunk, they were all going to run away and I was on my own.

It sounds silly, but I didn’t realise just how much wildlife is in Stanley Park! We started out feeding some of the ducks in the Lost Lagoon. It seemed like a popular Sunday afternoon activity, as there were quite a few people out there with bags of bread. Our friend showed us how she makes the ducks jump for bread – since they don’t have knees, they are so cute when they bounce into the air to grab the bread out of her hand.

The ducks over here are so pretty with their green heads. There were so many different breeds, each with their own distinguishing colours and patterns and shapes and sizes. It kind of shocked me to realise how excited I was to see animals. It’s been a while since I stopped and appreciated nature and animals, even if it was only in a park in a busy city.

A couple beautiful white swans swam over to get some food. They were stunning, but also a little scary. I have a major fear of geese due to an unfortunate incident when I was at university – that’s a story for another day – and swans are even bigger than geese, so I was wary of them as they swam closer. I had already sussed out where the geese were and was ready to flee the second they approached the bank.

The ducks scattered a little when the swans approached. I guess size matters and the swans must have looked a little intimidating. When our friends turned and started talking to each us, the swans swam right up to the edge of the water and then started honking loudly, sticking their tongues out. I guess they didn’t like being ignored!

While we were feeding the ducks, Phill went to the little stone bridge that crossed the lagoon and became friends with the cutest little squirrel that had decided it wanted in on the food action. We’d brought some unsalted peanuts so Phill offered it one, which it took quite happily and munched away, enjoying its moment in the spotlight.

He was really hamming it up for the cameras and pretty soon attracted a little crowd of papparazzi. I was pretty impressed with some of the photography equipment some of them were carrying – there were a few full-blown tripods and cameras with massive lenses. I guess animals photograph well!

We all regrouped and headed over the bridge to follow the trail in the hopes of finding a raccoon. We didn’t have to go far before we reached a small group of people all staring into the bushes, pointing excitedly. We followed their gaze and I saw my first ever raccoon. My first thought? Omigosh, he’s sooooo cute!

Look at his cute black stripy face – it’s like he’s wearing a mask. He was hiding under a twiggy bush but would eagerly come out and take food from people. We’d brought some cheese but were obviously not professional raccoon feeders because there was a little old lady there who had brought some hard-boiled eggs she’d prepared earlier. The raccoon seemed to love them!

I’m pretty sure that raccoons might have rabies (something that we don’t have in Australia) so I wasn’t willing to get too close, even though the raccoons in Stanley Park are meant to be pretty tame. I still didn’t want to risk getting bitten!

We found another raccoon a little further up the path, a little smaller than the last. He cautiously came out for some cheese and then disappeared back into the thick brush. He was missing his tail and I wondered if he might have been attacked by a dog, since he seemed very skittish. Some kids came screaming along the path on their tricycles and scared him away once and for all.

It was now about three hours into our walk and we decided to head home. The cold breeze had become more of a freezing gale, so the comfort of our warm apartments and couches was very enticing. We still had a good walk home so we thought it’d be a good idea to start now. On the way out of Stanley Park, I noticed a sign that said “Caution – Herons Nesting Above”. In Australia, you’d see signs like this, often referring to koalas, but you’d look up and be hard pressed to spot one. When I glanced up I was surprised to see numerous nests littering the trees. There were so many and a few had herons sitting in them or on the branches around them. According to the “breeding timeline” sign, they were just starting to arrive and prepare their nests. Next up – courting!

They were beautiful birds – so big! One flew into a neighbouring tree and the herons already there started flapping madly and screeching at it to go away. I guess they’re getting protective over their territory?

It was a really nice walk and we were keen to do it again today but since the weather is rainy, cold, windy and miserable, we postponed it to another day when it’s sunny again. Maybe next time we’ll see a skunk!