Day 69: Bike to work week

This week is Bike to Work Week in Vancouver, and of course it's raining. Fortunately it's very light and my lack of mudguards wasn't an issue. Somehow I managed to overcome the inertia of unlocking my bike and getting it rolling and enjoyed - yes, enjoyed - a relaxing ride into work. I was dreading it as I've been feeling out of shape, but maybe my mad weekend of hiking helped. Sure, my legs were a bit tired but not so much that I felt ready to quit on the hills as I have felt before. I'll have to wait and see how I feel tomorrow :-)

Riding home I kept my eyes peeled for anything interesting to photograph, but I didn't feel too inspired, especially after taking so many photos at the weekend. It was a hazy, low contrast evening with not much going for it. Once I got home I took the camera out onto the balcony just to see what might catch my eye. A crow flew towards me, then another and more. I snapped a few as they flew over, but none really worked. A noise behind me caught my attention and I saw a huge gang of crows flying towards a line of trees a block or two away. At first I thought it was just the usual pre-roost gathering, but then I heard a seagull sounding agitated and noticed the crows dive-bombing one of the trees. A few moments later a large bird left the tree and flew off, with 50 or so crows in hot pursuit. Looking at the photos I took I could see it was an eagle (I thought it was a raven at first).

The crows peeled off from the group in twos and threes, some flying back in my direction. I saw two flying close together and sized up a shot as they flew by, their wings almost touching. They flew so close to me that the shot below is almost the full height of the original photo. Another moment of good timing, I like the way their wings are opposed; it looks like a mirror image, as if it were a single crow flying close to a still pond.

Flying in mirror formation