Sunday 1 June 2014

Grant Narrows Tamron 150mm-600mm

May 30 2014 Grant Narrows Regional Park Sunny
I have always enjoyed visiting Grant Narrows Regional Park. The Osprey diving for fish, the brilliantly coloured Bullock's Oriole, the Yellow Warbler (Canary to my non-birding friends) and the flocks of Cedar Waxwings all fill me with wonderment. On one occasion a Black-throated Sparrow, a rarity, added spice to my growing number of 'Lifers'
I have learnt that in birding to expect nothing and expect everything. Basically just go to and enjoy the Nature, meet other birders and on a special day anything could happen. On Friday most of those criteria were met except for a 'Lifer' but who cares, I had a great days birding.
I originally wrongly guessed that the bird on the right is a fledgling but of course it is not but bonding /courting behaviour. Thanks to reader Mellie for pointing that out, I just missed the actual passing of the berry. I am still learning how to use the Tamron 150mm-600mm and sometimes the zooming action can be cumbersome compared with the prime 500mm I am used to. The Tamron is a little slower to focus and on occasion has difficulty holding point of focus but it's early days with the testing and I have to try it out on different bodies. This time it was the Nikon 7100.

(Bombycilla garrulus)
Two Cedar Waxwing passing a berry  between themselves. 



Further down the trail a Flycatcher, which flycatcher I don't know, but it didn't utter a sound which makes an ID very difficult. Perhaps Colin, Rob or Len can help?

Flycatcher but which one?
Tamron 150-600 handheld at 600mm with D7100.

Same bird from another angle. The Tamron worked well in this well lit situation.


On the way home I passed by what looked like a Leucistic Canada Goose, I have only seen this in  Steller's Jay and North-Western Crows.
Leucistic Canada Goose


Other Leucistic Canada Geese
Here are a couple of links for those who have never been.


Grant Narrows Regional Park



It's never too late to start birding!

John Gordon

6 comments:

  1. Hi John that leucistic goose has been there for awhile it actually has goslings with a non leucistic female.

    That is not a fledgling but an adult as they court that way. Fledgling cedar waxwings look different with striped brown breast. He is a photo to show you.
    http://www.placeforwildbirds.org/cedar7.jpg

    Cheers
    Mellie

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  2. Great job on that first Cedar Waxwing picture, I really like it!

    Your flycatcher is an Olive-sided Flycatcher. You can tell by the overall bulky appearance, large bill, but primarily the "vest" plumage pattern on its front.

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  3. that looks like a western wood peewee note its short legs! nice photos john.

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  4. Olive-sided Flycatcher. Note the large bill and vested appearance.
    Beautiful shots!

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  5. Thanks everyone for the feedback. A novice's mistake with the Waxwing as I have photographed the young waxwing many times and should know better. I have changed the copy.
    I have 2 votes for Western Wood Pee-Wee and one for Olive-sided Flycatcher which just goes to show how difficult it is to identify Empidonax flycatchers without a sound recording.
    I have another flycatcher from Creston which I have shown to "expert" birders and they haven't a clue.

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