Nicolas Demers
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figureoutthesea.ca
Nicolas Demers
@figureoutthesea.ca
1K followers 620 following 1.9K posts
Web developer, gay, atheist, humanist, feminist, geek. Love volleyball, sci-fi, photography, birbs. He/him.

Vancouver, BC

"Either we'll figure out the sea, or we'll keep finding beautiful places."

https://linktr.ee/npdemers
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#BirdOfTheDay: #Songbirds

A sample of common songbirds around my neck of the woods:

- American Bushtit
- Song Sparrow
- House Finch
- Spotted Towhee

#photography #birds
A male American Bushtit hanging on to the end of a pine branch A Song Sparrow hanging on to a vertical branch and looking out A male House Finch surrounded by pink cherry blossoms and blue sky. He has a blossom in his beak A male Spotted Towhee on a wooden fence
December 4, 2025 at 7:44 AM
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#ArtAdventCalendar Day 3:

A fierce and shiny warrior taking a break from fighting all the other hummingbirds around the feeders

-- Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, November 2025

#photography #birds
A male Anna's Hummingbird on a wire fence. His gorget is half pink, and the background is a sort of uniform brown grey
December 3, 2025 at 4:58 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #LookingAtYou

Wood Ducks are even more dazzling when seen head on!

-- Burnaby Lake Regional Park, April 2023

#photography #birds
Closeup of a male Wood Duck seen head on
December 3, 2025 at 4:39 PM
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#ArtAdventCalendar day 2:

A Sandhill Crane doing a big stretch with its ginormous wings.

-- Burnaby Lake Regional Park, April 2024

#photography #birds
A Sandhill Crane standing in shallow water. Its head is down, butt up, and its huge wings are spread
December 2, 2025 at 5:15 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #Stripes

I just so happened to photograph an American Bittern this weekend. Their stripey plumage makes for A+ camouflage in their natural habitat!

-- Reifel Bird Sanctuary, November 2025

#photography #birds
An American Bittern in "compact" mode (neck fully retracted) standing around and glaring at the world. It is surrounded by brown grasses and reeds
December 2, 2025 at 4:57 PM
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Okay let's do this! #ArtAdventCalendar, inspired by @jayispainting.earthskyart.ca

Let's start at the beginning, with the bird that got me obsessed with birding: the White-crowned Sparrow.

-- Vancouver, April 2020

#photography #birds
An adult White-crowned Sparrow surrounded by new pink spring buds
December 1, 2025 at 7:01 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #Reflections

A male Wood Duck calmly swimming along

-- Burnaby Lake, May 2024

#photography #birds
A male Wood Duck swimming along, seen in profile. The water is calm and his reflection is clear. The rest of the water is a muddle of blue and greenish-brown from nearby reeds and trees
December 1, 2025 at 5:02 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #BerriesAndBeaks

American Robins round out their diet of worms and bugs with some yummy berries. Likewise, though their thick beaks are excellent for cracking seeds, House Finches do often enjoy softer fare

#photography #birds
An American Robin holding a small orange berry in its beak. It is standing over a cluster of similar berries, and in the background you can see yet more berries on bare branches. The rest of the background is grey is muted A female House Finch leaning way over to sample some small red berries. It is surrounded by bright summer greenery A female House Finch is leaning down to eat some small reddish berries. The light is yellow, and coming from behind the bird
November 30, 2025 at 8:51 AM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #MorningLight

A juvenile White-crowned Sparrow contemplating the sunrise

-- Vancouver, September 2020

#photography ##birds
An immature White-crowned Sparrow on a wooden bench, illuminated by low golden morning light
November 29, 2025 at 3:29 AM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #HeadShots

Here is a Canada Goose with some elm seed accessories. Very dapper!

-- Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, May 2024

#photography #birds
A closeup of a Canada Goose with a couple elm seeds dangling from its bill
November 28, 2025 at 5:17 AM
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#BirdOfTheDay: let's go with #Sparrows

There's the relatively shy Savannah Sparrow, the extremely shy Lincoln's Sparrow (inexplicably showing up in downtown Vancouver) and, quite rare on the West Coast, an American Tree Sparrow

#photography #birds
A Savannah Sparrow seen at about eye level, perky and facing camera right A Lincoln's Sparrow up in a tree, in the shade An American Tree Sparrow on the gravelly ground
November 26, 2025 at 12:53 AM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #warblers

Here's a Blackpoll Warbler, immature or nonbreeding female. And far out of its normal range: it should have benn on its way to the Caribbean but somehow found itself in the trees right outside my window!

-- Vancouver, BC. November 2024

#photography #birds
A Blackpoll Warbler -- a small bird with mostly olive colouring, a more yellow chest, partial white eyerings and darker grey wings with sharp white wing bars -- is up in a tree looking down A Blackpoll Warbler -- a small bird with mostly olive colouring, a more yellow chest, partial white eyerings and darker grey wings with sharp white wing bars -- is up in a tree looking out A Blackpoll Warbler -- a small bird with mostly olive colouring, a more yellow chest, partial white eyerings and darker grey wings with sharp white wing bars -- is up in a tree spreading one wing wide A Blackpoll Warbler -- a small bird with mostly olive colouring, a more yellow chest, partial white eyerings and darker grey wings with sharp white wing bars -- is up in a tree with wings partly extended and head twisted around
November 24, 2025 at 5:58 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #Mr&Mrs

Here are Hooded Mergansers swimming together, Wood Ducks preening together, and House Finches cheeping together

#photography #birds
A Hooded Merganser couple swimming along. Browning vegetation in the background is reflected in the water A Wood Duck couple on a branch, with only water in the background. They are both vigorously preening themselves A male and female House Finch up in a tree, surrounded by greenery. They are looking in the same direction, about camera right
November 23, 2025 at 5:55 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #GroundedGulls

A very unimpressed and wind-ruffled Ring-billed Gull

-- Iona Beach Regional Park, August 2023

#photography #birds
A Ring-billed Gull stalking a muddy beach, with a lot of ruffly feathers
November 21, 2025 at 5:33 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: a smorgasbord of local #Thrushes:

A Varied Thrush, an American Robin, a Hermit Thrush, and a Swainson's Thrush

#photography #birds
A Varied Thrush on a rock with water in the background. It is backlit by the sunset, looking very gold An American Robin on a wooden post, it back to me but head turned to look to the left A Hermit Thrush on a twig surrounded by reddening fall foliage. Its back is to me, showing off its reddish tail and rump, and its head is turned to the right A Swainson's Thrush hiding in a green bush
November 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #Round birds.

A Golden-crowned Sparrow gazing at the sunset, full of herbs and veggies -- ƛ̓éxətəm (Tlahutum) community gardens, November 2022

A Dark-eyed Junco taking a break from demolishing some seed pods -- Reifel Bird Sanctuary, January 2025

#photography #birds
A Golden-crowned Sparrow on a wooden fence. The light is a bit dim and golden from sunset A very fluffy Dark-eyed Junco sitting on some bare branches, surrounded by seed clusters of some kind, which is has clearly been eating
November 19, 2025 at 7:45 AM
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#BirdOfTheDay theme: #StareDown

Here is a female Wood Duck trying to hypnotise me

-- Reifel Bird Sanctuary, June 2023

#photography #birds
A closeup of a female Wood Duck looking at me dead on. Background is greyish
November 17, 2025 at 10:13 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay theme: #ShadesOfGrey

- an Eastern Kingbird at ƛ̓éxətəm (Tlahutum) Regional Park (Aug. 2023)
- a Hooded Crow in Vienna (May 2023)
- a White-breasted Nuthatch in Ottawa (January 2025)

#photography #birds
An Eastern Kingbird, a small bird with white chest and throat, and dark grey wings and head, is sitting atop a bush, with muddled bokeh green in the background A Hooded Crow -- a regular-looking crow with light grey back and belly is standing on the grass, its back to me but turning its head to the right A White-breasted Nuthatch (white face, dark slightly upturned bill, patterned grey wings) is clinging to a bare tree with its tail up
November 17, 2025 at 12:50 AM
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#BirdOfTheDay #CootsAndMoorhens

Various views of American Coots, including their sexy coot feet and one instance of Coot Drama(tm) where they're chasing each other just because. Plus one Eurasian Moorhen in Prague

#photography #birds
Close up of an American Coot head and bill Closeup of an American Coot's sexy feet An American Coot flap-running over shallow water An Eurasian Moorhen calmly swimming surrounded by debris
November 16, 2025 at 12:39 AM
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#BirdOfTheDay hey let's do both!

- A swan calmly swimming along on the Danube near Vienna, in the late afternoon (May 2023)

- a Tree Swallow being all smooth and shiny and aerodynamic (Reifel Bird Sanctuary, May 2024)

#photography #birds
A Mute Swan out on the water A Tree Swallow on a swallow-sized post, being very shiny
November 14, 2025 at 6:37 AM
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#BirdOfTheDay: #DucksOutOfWater

Here's a Mallard resting comfily on a bed of leaves

-- Reifel Bird Sanctuary, November 2022

#photography #birds
A male Mallard sitting on a bed of brown fallen leaves
November 13, 2025 at 6:35 PM
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#BirdOfTheDay: One of four American Avocets. I saw one the previous November, and it may have told some friends. Or these are four new fools that lost their way, probably coming from Oregon / Idaho. Not a bad spot to winter, though! -- Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Sep 2023

#photography #Birds
An American Avocet walking in shallow water. It is a slim shorebird, mostly white with some black on its wings. The elegant black beak is upturned at the end
November 12, 2025 at 7:16 PM
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#BirOfTheDay #BirdsOnTheGround

Here's an American Coot, and maybe my first good photo of their sexy coot feet

-- Burnaby Lake Regional Park, March 2022

#photography #birds
An American Coot walking on the ground
November 11, 2025 at 6:34 PM
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Some digital art based on my bird photos

#DigitalArt #birds
Digital art of a Sandhill Crane in water, spreading its wings Digital art of a Song Sparrow on a wooden fence, round and poofed out
November 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
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I see your kingfisher and raise you an Anna's Hummingbird, with the most delicate and ethereal little poop

#birds #photography
An Anna's Hummingbird against a solid blue sky, leaving a little trail of sparkling poop in the air
November 10, 2025 at 6:37 AM