Nicolas Demers

@figureoutthesea

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."

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Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· 29d

I call the piece "Towhee Butt On A Frosty Branch" -- DeBoville Slough Trail, Port Coquitlam. January 2026 #BirdOfTheDay #ButtShotts #photography #birds

A Spotted Towhee is standing on a frosty branch, its back to us, and tail slightly up

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 12

A family of Pied-billed Grebes (five ravenous behbehs at last count!) -- Blakeburn Lagoons Park, Port Coquitlam. June 2026 #BirdOfTheDay #AmongTheRipples #photography #birds

An adult Pied-billed Grebe is swimming in greenish water, followed by three juveniles

A juvenile Pied-billed Grebe is swimming in greenish water. It is trying to swallow a chunk of fish, along with a big stream of algae

An adult Pied-billed Grebe is swimming in greenish water

A juvenile Pied-billed Grebe is swimming in greenish water

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 11

A Brown-headed Cowbird, male. This is one of their moves to impress females, apparently. The taller the sexier! -- Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, April 2026 #BirdOfTheDay #UpAndDown #photography #birds

A male Brown-headed Cowbird is standing on a wooden fence, one leg up, and head pointing straight up

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 10

A Great Blue Heron quietly taking in the great orange sunset --Vancouver English Bay seawall, April 2020 Less meditatively, a showy starling on the low tide rocks, busy looking for crawly isopods -- Vancouver False Creek seawall, May 2026 #BirdOfTheDay #Rocky #photography #birds

Sunset, only a bit of orange light in the mostly cloudy sky. Water until some low mountains on the horizon. In the foreground are a few rocks peeking out of the water. On one of those rocks, just a small silhouette, is a Great Blue Heron. Possibly it's looking at the sunset

A European Starling standing alert on a rock, among many other rocks. The sunlight is strong, making his back iridesce green and purple

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 9

Some black birds really polishing their shine (Crow: Rocky Point Park, May 2026. Red-winged Blackbird: Piper Spit, July 2025) #BirdOfTheDay #BathTime #photography #birds

A crow sitting in shallow water amidst some rocks, splashing all about

A crow sitting belly-deep in shallow water, looking very wet

A male Red-winged Blackbird sitting on some lilypads and dunking his head in the water and shaking it all about

A very wet male Red-winged Blackbird sitting on lilypads, flexing his wings a bit, submerged up to his tummy

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 8

My latest lifer would be this American Redstart* -- June 2026. Mud Lake, Ottawa, Canada And White-crowned Sparrows always bring joy to my heart [* which I could have used for the "orange" theme, but oh well] #BirdOfTheDay #Lifer #BirdsILove #photography #birds

A male American Redstart up in a tree, surrounded by fuzzy green foliage

A White-crowned Sparrow in a tree, against a blue sky, singing

A White-crowned Sparrow in a bush, surrounded by little red berries, and chomping on some of them

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 7

Orange, to me, means Rufous Hummingbirds. The males have a dark orange-brown outfit with small green flecks and a stunning copper gorget, and the females an even mix of soft green and orange . . #BirdOfTheDay #Orange #photography #birds

A male Rufous Hummingbird sitting at the tip of a branch, staring in my direction, his gorget fully iridescing

A male Rufous Hummingbird sits on top of a twig, fiercely looking in my general direction, gorget shining

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 6

An adorable Ruby-crowned Kinglet looking down at me, and a brave little Mallard duckling about to dive into the water #BirdOfTheDay #Cutie #photography #birds

A male Ruby-crowned Kinglet hanging on to a branch, against a solid blue sky. A streak of its red crest is just visible

A very young Mallard duckling on a rock near the water, looking in and flapping its tiny stubby wings

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 5

A Ring-billed Gull, flapping and looking grumpy as always. A Hairy Woodpecker working over a tree in my neighbourhood. A Common Goldeneye and a Ring-necked Duck, the latter being two-toned even in his bill! #BirdOfTheDay #Ebony&Ivory #photography #birds

A female Hairy Woodpecker is hanging on to a tree just above the ground, carefully considering where to peck next

A male Common Goldeneye is swimming along, in bright sunlight

A male Ring-necked Duck is swimming along in bright sunlight

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 4

This immature Great Blue Heron tried to sneak up on a batch of Mallard ducklings. One mom politely expressed her disagreement with this course of action; the heron listened and, swayed by the logic of her arguments, immediately exited stage left. #BirdOfTheDay #WildMotion #photography #birds

A female Mallard is confronting a Great Blue Heron, which is belly deep in water

A Great Blue Heron is clumsily taking off from the water, pursued by a female Mallard

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 3

Some of the photogenic duckies in my neighbourhood: - Barrow's Goldeneyes - Northern Pintails - Buffleheads - and the ubiquitous Mallards #BirdOfTheDay #Quackers #photography #birds

A male Barrow's Goldeneye swimming along on calm water. The light is strong, and his head is iridescing green / purple

A male Northern Pintail is swimming along. He is looking down a little

A male Bufflehead swimming along. The water is very clear and his reflection is clean. His head is iridescing green and purple

A male Mallard duck is rearing up out of the water and flapping his wings. A stream of droplets is falling from his wings.

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 2

A very Zen Great Blue Heron, and a Mallard duckling quietly enjoying the water #BirdOfTheDay #QuietReflection #photography #birds

A Great Blue Heron on a gnarled branch overlooking Lost Lagoon. The sun is dipping to just above the trees, and the light is quite golden

A very young ducking quietly swimming along

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jul 1

Spotted Towhees and Wood Duck drakes have the most enchanting red eyes #BirdOfTheDay #RedBeakFeetEyes #photography #birds

A Spotted Towhee on the ground, surrounded by a mix of grasses, muds and clover

A male Spotted Towhee on a wooden fence, butt slightly up and giving an angry red glare at something above it. The right leg has a green plastic band on it, and the left leg a silver band

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 30

This crow is not avoiding predators, it's advising a local Northern Harrier to maybe soar somewhere else for a while. This Pied-billed Grebe parent is tirelessly feeding and guiding its hungry family #BirdOfTheDay #TheArtOfSurvival #photography #birds

A crow flying upper left, matching course with a Northern Harrier flying lower right. All against a solid blue sky

A crow landing on a Northern Harrier's wing, against a solid blue sky

An adult Pied-billed Grebe and two juveniles, swimming together is greenish water. One of the babies is holding a big chunk of fish in its bill

An adult Pied-billed Grebe and three juveniles are swimming together (the adult leading) in greenish water

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 29

No photo this month brought me as much joy as this beautiful White-crowned Sparrow singing its heart out #BirdOfTheDay #BestOfJune26 #photography #birds

A White-crowned Sparrow on a white wooden fence, singing. Background is fuzzy dark green foliage, and just to the left is a bush with some large pink flowers

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 28

A Bald Eagle flying into the sun, and a male Hooded Merganser showing how much of that big head is just feathers #BirdOfTheDay #LightAsAFeather

An immature Bald Eagle flying overhead against a blue sky. Its wings are wide, and the sun is shining through some of its feathers and edges

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 27

Song Sparrows are very good at getting round, and their fledglings are even better (Don't worry: a parent was around, tirelessly stuffing food in that starving gullet!) -- Brydon Lagoon, Langley, BC. May 2026 #BirdOfTheDay #Rotund #photography #birds

A Song Sparrow fledgling, all round and fluffy, is on a branch looking at nothing in particular

A Song Sparrow fledgling, all round and fluffy, is on a branch looking straight at me, opening its beak wide

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 26

For #GreyDay here's a stunning Hooded Crow I saw in Vienna in 2023. Also Great Blue Herons, despite their name, are super similar to Europe's Grey Herons, just maybe a touch more grey-blue? #BirdOfTheDay #GreyDay #photography #birds

A Hooded Crow standing in short grass, its back to me but head turned to the right

A Great Blue Heron flying overhead against a solid blue sky, wings spread wide

A Great Blue Heron on a rocky beach, standing tall and straight and facing left

A Great Blue Heron flying overhead against a blue sky. Its great big wings are spread wide but one is a bit more tucked in, indicating it's banking or making some kind of maneuver

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 25

A Song Sparrow, a Savannah Sparrow, a Lincoln's Sparrow, and a Fox Sparrow ("sooty" subspecies more common in the Pacific Northwest, they're mostly a lot redder and foxier than this) #BirdOfTheDay #LittleBrownBirds #Food #photography #birds

A Song Sparrow is sitting on a wooden fence. It is fluffed out so completely its entire body is spherical

A Lincoln's Sparrow standing on a branch, facing in my general direction

A sooty Fox Sparrow on the ground, holding a bit of seed in its beak

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 24

A bunch of Benders of various sizes (from Futurama)

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 24

A male House Finch surrounded by pink cherry blossoms. Bushtits in the same spot about a week later. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet posing on a pussy willow branch #BirdOfTheDay #Birds&Burds #Birds&Bokeh #photography #birds

A male House Finch is up in a tree surrounded by pink cherry blossoms and blue sky. He is holding a blossom in his beak

A male American Bushtit on a branch surrounded by pink cherry blossoms, stretching towards camera right

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet hanging on to a branch covered in pussy willow flowers

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 23

An immature Glaucous-winged Gull (I think) landing on water. I love how it skipped over the water once to kill part of its momentum. -- Centennial Beach, December 2023 #BirdOfTheDay #Touchdown #photography #birds

An immature Glaucous-winged Gull, wings and tail spread out, about to land on water.

An immature Glaucous-winged Gull made contact with water, and bounced off. Its wings are still spread wide

An immature Glaucous-winged Gull making permanent contact with water, with its stomach. Wings are still out

An immature Glaucous-winged Gull with a powerful wake behind it, starting to fold its wings and relax. It's landed!

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 22

For #BirdsInTheirElement here's Marsh Wren filling its marshy home with song. For #Feathers&Light, it doesn't get any better than hummingbird males' iridescent gorgets #BirdOfTheDay #photography #birds

A faraway Marsh Wren holding on to the top of a cattail, with two other cattails next to it, and singing

A male Anna's Hummingbird sitting at the very end of a twig, looking in my general direction. His gorget is fully iridescent pink. Another twig with a few leaves is close by. Background is plain blurry pale green

Closeup of a male Anna's Hummingbird, head turned camera left. His gorget is mostly brown, but has a few pink and purple highlights around the edges

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 21

A Wood Duck (only males have red on their beak) Northern Cardinals. Females' plumage may be more subdued, but their beaks are as red as their brothers' #BirdOfTheDay #RedBeak #photography #birds

Close up of a male Wood Duck, swimming along

A male Northern Cardinal in a tree, surrounded by lush green foliage

A female Northern Cardinal, body facing me but head turned camera right, surrounded by bare branches and winter colours

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 21

If you'd like, post one photo of a painting that you took with your very own hands. ("La nuit étoilée" (The Starry Night) -- Vincent Van Gogh, 1888. Musée d'Orsay, Paris.)

"La nuit étoilée" (The Starry Night) -- Vincent Van Gogh, 1888. Not the most famous work by that name, this one was not painted while institutionalised in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. He was in Arles, and managed to beautifully capture the city, by gaslight and starlight

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 19

A pigeon strutting on the runway, and a Brown-headed Cowbird trying to be tall. It's a thing the males do when they're in a group or with a female around. Tall == sexy, apparently! #BirdOfTheDay #OutForAWalk #photography #birds

A common rock pigeon is strutting down a paved surface. Its one visible eye is half closed, and its neck is full of iridescent mauves and greens.

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 18

For the main, let's go with ravens, and Red-winged Blackbirds. For the alt, a Rufous Hummingbird taking offense at a Willow Flycatcher's presence on its tree. Or maybe on the same continent? She buzzed the flycatcher a few times, but to no avail. #BirdOfTheDay #Black #Moments #photography #birds

A male Red-winged Blackbird is standing on a wooden railing. Background is mostly soft pale green, making a striking contrast

A Willow Flycatcher sitting on a slim branch, and a female Rufous Hummingbird is hovering nearby, facing it. Background is solid blue sky

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 17

Great Blue Herons have legs for days as well as elegant little pantaloons, as this one demonstrates. It doesn't get much more multicoloured than a Wood Duck drake (at least in my camera roll 🙂 ) #BirdOfTheDay #LongLegs #MultiColour #photography #birds

A Great Blue Heron, stance pretty upright, wings and tails fully extended, is about to touch the water with its toes

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 16

A Tree Swallow being acrobatic, and a Bald Eagle on patrol. For the alt, a Violet-green Swallow (take my word for it) and a Golden-crowned Kinglet. With kinglets, one takes what one can get. Still, it makes for a nice artsy composition! #BirdOfTheDay #InFlight #BlurBirds #photography #birds

A Tree Swallow in flight, seen from below, against a solid blue sky

A Bald Eagle in flight, wings spread wide, against a solid blue sky

A blurry silhouette of a swallow in flight against a mass of clouds

A Golden-crowned Kinglet surrounded by branches and foliage, all super blurry

Nicolas Demers@figureoutthesea· Jun 15

A magnificent Yellow-headed Blackbird male strutting and posing. They're uncommon on the West Coast, but this particular spot always has at least one -- Iona Beach Regional Park, June 2026 #BirdOfTheDay #YourChoice #photography #birds