iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Conifer chicken of the woods (Laetiporus conifericola), ID'ed with the help of the iNaturalist community. Last week at Sasamat Lake, Anmore, BC. I went past this stump a few days later and saw that someone had harvested this magnificent specimen. #fungifriends #fungus #naturephotography 🍄 🌿

Large orange-colored fans of Conifer Chicken of the Forest on a tree stump.

2250

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Shaggy Mane (Coprinus comatus) I think. Deer Lake, Burnaby, BC. #fungifriends 🍄 🌿 #naturephotography

A single conical shaggy mane mushroom in a patch of grass.

Two shaggy mane mushrooms in a patch of grass.

0415

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

A big patch of mushrooms growing on a tree stump. INaturalist auto-IDs as Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare). Above Sasamat Lake, Anmore, BC. #fungifriends #fungi 🌿 🍄 #macrophotography

A huge clump of mushrooms growing on a tree stump.
Manual focus stack of 15 images. Canon R5+RF100, 1/200, f8, ISO 400. Godox V100C flash.

1401

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

I was kitted out for macro photography and had my head down looking for frogs when I saw on the trail the shadow of a bird on a branch. I looked up and saw this beaut: a red-breasted sapsucker. So of course I took a pic using my macro lens. It would be rude not to. #birds #wildlifephotography 🌿

A red-breasted sapsucker clings to a young tree. It is looking away.

2453

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

We've had some rain so the ephemeral ponds in the mountains have water again. This Northern red-legged frog was tricky to photograph in the dark and the muck. Yesterday on the Diez Vistas trail above Sasamat Lake, Anmore, BC. #herps 🐸 #wildlifephotography 🌿

A Northern red-legged frog mostly submerged in an ephemeral pond.

The same Northern red-legged frog completely submerged in an ephemeral pond.

0201

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

On the entrance of. French restaurant downtown Vancouver. #herps

A framed poster of a frog dressed in a chic woolen hooded sweater.

1284

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Witches' butter fungus. Known by many other names, including "yellow brain". Focus stack of 29 images. Available light. f8, 1/20s, ISO 400. Canon R5 + RF100. #fungifriends #fungus 🌿 #photography #macrophotography

Witches' butter growing on a fallen stick. The fungus is bright yellow with a texture that resembles a brain.

1272

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Note to self: #infrared @ 850nm with that lens and shooting straight into the sun can cause some lens flare. Stanley Park, Vancouver BC. #eastcoastkin #infraredphotography #landscapephotography #photography

A view towards downtown Vancouver from Stanley Park. There is a dramatic pattern of lens flare in a diagonal line across the image.

2152

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Double-crested cormorant at Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC. #birds #wildlifephotography 🌿

A cormorant stands on a rock that is covered in green seaweed. The cormorant's wings are outstretched, drying in the sun. The cormorant is looking back at the viewer.

1272

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

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.

1120

Simon Corston-Oliver @simonhco.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

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.

0476

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.

0170

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.

0250

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.

55412

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.

0281

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”

190

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

010

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

0332

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.

0261

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.

050

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

0150

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).

05412

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

091

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.

1342

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.

1140

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.

1223

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.

1406

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.

2230

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.

3201

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

0162

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

0544

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

0254

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.

1305

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.

0202

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 🌿

0273

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”

160

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.

3414

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.

3291

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.

38113

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.

012021

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.

0232

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.

0312

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”

070

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.

517937