by Leslie Cox; Saturday; December 28, 2024

I was treated to a wonderful surprise on Boxing Day. I had turned slightly to close the garage door behind me when my eye caught a small splash of yellow. Sure enough, on inspection, the yellow turned out to be a tiny bud forming on a Primula vulgaris (primrose) plant.

How exciting! A flower sighting almost a full three months ahead of the Spring Equinox! But truthfully, I am sure there have been a year or two in the past when I spotted some primrose flowers towards the end of January or early February. It all depends on our winter weather and this one has been one of the warm ones.

Also, this past week…two Eurasian collared doves appeared in my garden. Then there were three and soon a fourth arrived.

(I had to use this photo taken in April 2020 as the birds were too spooked for me to get a photo of them this week.)

For some reason, this bird species seems to prefer the front garden over John’s back garden. Really not sure why except I have the two large trees…chestnut and silver leaf maple…which they prefer to perch in when they are not scrounging for seeds on the ground.

I was actually quite surprised to see this bird, known as Streptopelia decaoto in the scientific world, listed on BC’s Invasive Species website (bcinvasives.ca). So far, it is not classified as a truly full blown nasty invasive…just a manageable invasive. But apparently, farmers are struggling with this bird’s appetite for seeds.

Speaking of population explosions, I counted 11 baby goldfish in our pond yesterday!

I had spotted 5 babies with one of the adult goldfish as I walked past the pond to exchange the hummingbird feeder for a fresh one. On my way back, I moved slowly to a vantage point where I could see into the pond better.

Wow! There was a total of 11 babies being watched over by 3 of our 8 adults. Have never seen that many babies in our pond. Mainly because we have been battling American bullfrogs migrating from the irrigation ponds on the farms behind our garden and into our pond for a number of years now. 

(It sure is hard to get a clear photo of the fish because of the light refraction through the water surface.)

We also have garter snakes in our garden and they like to stretch out on the rocks surrounding the pond on sunny days. And they hunt our goldfish.

One year I happened to spot 3 of the adult fish in a line and all facing the east edge of the pond. There were 4 baby fish huddled behind them. On closer inspection, I realized the adults were staring down a garter snake as if they were daring it to try and catch one of the babies.

I shook my head. Anyone who says goldfish have a mere 3 second memory and lack the ability to perform complex behaviours should spend a little time observing the fish in their pond or aquarium.

And if you do not believe me, check out the published scientific research papers and online articles on goldfish dating back 50 years and more. You will find out your goldfish are truly smarter than you think.