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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 11h

Things you see on the way to a trail that make you do a double take: a mannequin chained by the neck to a fence holding a beer can. Squamish, BC. #photography #infrared #infraredphotography #eastcoastkin

A mannequin dressed as an airplane pilot. The mannequin has chipped paint. It is holding a beer can and standing beneath a flag.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 12h

All my favourite ephemeral ponds for frog-hunting on Sugar Mountain above Sasamat Lake, BC have dried up but there were lots of mushrooms poking through the caked mud yesterday. Not sure of ID. #fungifriends 🌿 #macrophotography

Three mushrooms, with specks of mud on them, poke up from the pond floor against a dark background.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

A derelict truck being reclaimed by nature. Near Squamish, BC this summer. #infrared #infraredphotography #photography #eck

The front of an old truck, with dents and broken windows. Plants are beginning to grow up around it.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A little more autumn colour from a few years ago: a cranberry farm at DeBoville Slough, Coquitlam, British Columbia. #landscapephotography 🌿 #eck #fall

Rows of red cranberry bushes lead off to the horizon where there are trees with yellow and orange leaves beneath a dark forest of fir and cedar.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

We don't get a lot of autumn colour compared to other places in Canada, but sometimes there's a splash of colour in the forest. #landscapephotography 🌿

A maple tree with yellow and orange leaves catches the light. The tree stands out in a dark, foggy forest of fir and cedar.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

An alley in Venice, Italy. The #BlueSkyArtShow theme of #Lights sent me on a trip down memory lane. #photography #EastCoastKin

A cobblestone alley at night. There are two mopeds parked beneath three street lights.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The local corvids are running a PR campaign. #birds

An electrical utility box on the side walk with graffiti that says “FEED THR CROWS”

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I have been studying Spanish with Sandra for a few months now, focused on conversation. I heartily recommend her. Her patience, gentle corrections and explanations have already made a big impact on my conversational proficiency. Contact info in her flyer here. #linguistics #español #spanish

A promotional flyer for Sandra Mejía, a Spanish tutor from Ecuador. Her contact email is tut.cuenca@protonmail.com

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

We should have an office sweepstakes to predict which of the big AI companies bends the knee first and calls their products SI.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

A female Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) on Salt Spring Island, BC this past weekend. There was a bright red male too but he didn't cooperate so no internet fame for him. #birds 🌿 #wildlifephotography

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I like to divide the animal kingdom into three groups: * amphibians * things that eat amphibians * things that amphibians eat Here's one of each group: a bullfrog, a garter snack and a grasshopper. Yesterday at Deer Lake, Burnaby BC. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography 🐸 🐍 🦗

An American bullfrog in a pool of water filled with wood chips.

A common garter snake partly coiled up in the sun.

A grasshopper on the edge of the boardwalk.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Look what I found in a flower bed as if it had sprouted there. A set of teach-yourself Italian vinyl records. Salt Spring Island, BC. #linguistics

In a flower bed is a set of vinyl records. The cover says “Living Italian” with claims that you will learn Italian easily in 49 lessons.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Best not to dwell on the question of what animal decided to sharpen its claws on this tree on my hike today. Salt Spring Island, BC. 🌿

A young cedar tree that appears to have been scratched by a large animal

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I led a nature walk at Burnaby Lake on Sunday to search for frogs. After the walk someone pointed out this little Pacific chorus frog to us. I love that it has found the perfect point on the leaf where it bends but still supports its weight. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A Pacific chorus frog sitting on a blade of a tall grass that has curved under the frog's weight. The frog is mostly bright green with some rust coloration (and the obligatory black coloration on the face).

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Lots of 💩 Teaching aids at a Metro Vancouver parks training course for volunteer nature guides. 🌿

Plastic replicas of animal scat including cougar, coyote, black bear etc

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I am (very slowly) reading "Como agua para chocolate" ("Like water for chocolate") by Laura Esquivel. Lots of new vocabulary then there are delightful discoveries like this: 𝘯𝘰 𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢 "don't do the dead mosquito" i.e. act innocent #linguistics #spanish #español

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

For the #BirdOfTheDay alt theme, birds that start with #RSTU: A female Sooty Grouse peeking out from a among a clump of skunk cabbage on Mount Seymour, BC. #birds #wildlifephotography 🌿

A female Sooty Grouse cranes its neck to look around some plants. Only its head and neck are visible. There are out-of-focus bright yellow skunk cabbage flowers in the background.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

For the #BlueSkyArtShow theme of #Undulating: Salt marsh grass on the Bay of Fundy, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Marsh grass forms tufts and undulating wavy patterns.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

For the #BirdOfTheDay alt theme #borbs: a very round, fluffy duckling on a mat of pond algae. #birds #wildlifephotography 🌿

A very young yellow duckling standing on a mat of yellow algae on a pond. The feathers on the duckling's head and back are a little spiky. The feathers on its front and tails are wet and matted.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) at Tsawwassen, BC. Rated "Critically endangered in Canada". #birds 🌿 #wildlifephotography

Two Western Sandpipers standing on a rock by the water. One has its head tucked between its wings.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

It was a drab day at Tsawwassen, BC. I wished I could zoom in more on this belted kingfisher but decided I liked this composition. #birds 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A belted kingfisher perched on a pole in the middle of the water.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

There are Yellow-bellied Marmots living in Tsawwassen, BC in the artificial rock wall along the beach between the ferry terminal and the container port (along the Roberts Bank trail)! 🧵 #mammals 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A Yellow-bellied Marmot faces us, its front feet on a rock.

A Yellow-bellied Marmot stands up on its rear legs to get a better view.

A Yellow-bellied Marmot pokes its head and upper body out of a hole in the rock wall.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The theme for the first meeting of the season at my local photo club was what we did this summer. Here's a 30 second overview of this summer's local reptiles and amphibians. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

One very soggy Malayan Night Heron during torrential rain in Taipei, Taiwan. For the #BirdOfTheDay theme #BirdsUpClose. #birds #nature #wildlifephotography 🌿 #birdphotography

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I saw so many green frogs in the swamp at Aldergrove Regional Park today and not a single bullfrog. Those two observations are no doubt causally related. Not that green frogs are the good guys. They're also an invasive species that outcompetes native BC frogs. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A green frog chilling among the water cress and bugs. So many bugs! Aldergrove Regional Park, BC. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

The head of a green frog poking through some water cress. Some of the leaves of the cress have stuck to the frog's head. The leaves are covered in small bugs and there is even one bug on the frog's eye.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

What happens when your eyes are bigger than your s̶t̶o̶m̶a̶c̶h̶ beak. This seagull was having trouble swallowing a starfish. I thought the starfish might be stuck but several times it spat it out and tried unsuccessfully to turn it and swallow it. #birds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography 🌿

A seagull with a large starfish in its beak. The starfish was too big to swallow.

I worried that the starfish was stuck but several times it spat it out and tried again at a different angle.

The seagull was trying to turn the starfish so it would go down. Another seagull nearby was having the same problem.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

I got to the the Belcarra Bluffs lookout at Belcarra Regional Park, BC today and saw this female sooty grouse keeping a watchful eye on an almost fully grown chick. #birds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography 🌿

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

The recent trade ruckus with the USA has had a surprisingly strong unifying effect across the political spectrum in Canada. This sign outside the Port Moody community centre usually has feel-good seasonal messages. #canada

A sign that reads “Welcome to Pleasantside” then in adjustable letters “STRONG FREE SOVEREIGN / ELBOWS UP”

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

A twofer for the #BirdOfTheDay themes: #simple background and #Paridae. A chestnut-backed chickadee at Burnaby Lake, BC. #birds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography 🌿

A chestnut-backed chickadee on a stump where someone has left birdseed.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

For the #BirdOfTheDay #simple theme: any bird against a simple background. An American pygmy kingfisher in the swamp at the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Quintana Roo, Mexico. #birds #birdphotography 🌿 #wildlifephotographyhttps://bsky.app/profile/simonhco.bsky.social

An American pygmy kingfisher sitting on a branch.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

If you look closely you will see that there are two gold dust day geckos in this picture! Kaua'i, Hawai'i. #herps 🦎 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A gold dust day gecko clings to a leaf. A second gecko is peaking out from between the foliage.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

One more from Kaua'i, Hawai'i: a gold dust day gecko (invasive) on a palm leaf. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A gold dust day gecko on a palm leaf, viewed from beneath the leaf. Only the gecko's head is visible but we can also see a silhouette of its feet and tail.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

From the archives. Green sea turtle (honu) on a beach on Kaua'i, Hawai'i, 2024. The lifeguards put up a cordon around the turtles and humans and turtles coexisted happily on the beach. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

Several green sea turtles lying on a golden sand beach.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Peekaboo, I see you. A damselfly on Mt Strachan, BC. #wildlifephotography 🌿

A damselfly clinging to a blade of grass. It has large blue eyes and looks like it it hiding behind the grass and peeking at the viewer.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Excited to encounter a new-to-me word in the wild: warffinger. I can’t find that spelling on the web but can find “wharfinger” meaning harbourmaster. #linguistics

A sign on the door of a small shed on a dock. The sign reads “boaters wishing to use government dock for any reason…must first check with the warffinger. …District of Sechelt”

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

There's a line in a Selena Gomez song that's bothering me: "I love you like a love song" #linguistics

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

The trail crossed a rocky avalanche slope where I spotted this pika. I sat quietly for 20 mins so it could get used to me. It scurried between a few holes in the rocks and would run up to me, stop and then run away. It didn't seem afraid or aggressive, just curious. #mammals 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A curious pika runs up close to me (~1.7m away according to camera data).

The same pika would scurry off to this hole between some rocks and watch me.

The pika has what looks like an old battle wound - a notch on its left ear.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Sometimes it's not until you get home and review your day's shots that you realize you captured something fun. This shot made me chuckle: the airborne pika. #mammals 🌿 #wildlifephotography

An airborne pika captured as it leaped from one rock to another.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I went looking for pikas and so far had been unsuccessful scanning the rocks on an avalanche slope. Then when I entered the forest I saw this little guy getting his daily greens less than 2m away from the trail. Lindeman Lake to Greendrop Lake trail, Chilliwack, BC. #mammals 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A pika sitting among grass and other stems on the forest floor.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Native mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) on the side of BC-93S near Radium Hot Springs, BC. The goats were all moulting and looked rather scraggly. #mammals 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A mountain goat. It appeared to be licking the rocks, perhaps for salt?

A mountain goat climbing up the slope beside the road.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

While hunting for treefrogs I have been paying more attention to the f̶r̶o̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶o̶d̶ insects. Common cluster fly (Pollenia rudis) according to iNaturalist's auto ID. #macrophotography #photography 🌿

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The little Pacific chorus frog from yesterday when it had had enough of the paparazzi and started to climb away on the blade of grass. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A Pacific chorus frog climbing down a blade of grass. The toe pads that is uses to grip the grass are clearly visible.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

It is the season of tiny Pacific chorus frogs -- the ones that metamorphosed this summer. Burnaby Lake, BC today. How tiny? See 🧵 #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A tiny Pacific chorus frog sits on a blade of grass about 1.5m above the ground. The blade of grass is wider than the frog.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Double-crested Cormorant. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, Alberta. TIL (from Wikipedia) that calling all cormorants "shags" is a New Zealand English dialect quirk. Also TIL that "cormorant" is a contraction of Latin 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑣𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑠 ("sea raven"). #birds 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A Double-crested cormorant sits on a branch over a river. Its back is to us, showing the plumage. The bird is looking back at us.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Another American Bullfrog hanging out in the soupy ditch water at Burnaby Lake. #herps 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A bullfrog sits on some reeds in the water. The surface of the water is coated in pollen and biofilm and there are decomposed plants draped over the frog's body.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

On a recent road trip to Calgary I saw several different new-to-me species of ground squirrel. I believe this one is a Richardson's Ground Squirrel. Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary, AB. #mammals 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A Richardson's Ground Squirrel looks back as it heads away from the viewer.

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Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Ground squirrel sees all. Ground squirrel is not impressed. Banff National Park, Alberta. #mammals 🌿 #wildlifephotography

A ground squirrel stands upright among some tall grass. The squirrel has what looks like a disapproving facial expression, with its nose wrinkled, its eyes partly closes and its ears back.

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