Familiar Places:Familiar Scenes

Nov 20 2015 Deas Island Regional Park/Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty/104 St. Sunny 5c.

I hadn't planned photographing anything in particular, I just wanted to visit a location I hadn't been to in a while. My first stop was Delta's Deas Island Regional Park. In the past I have had good results there with Belted Kingfishers. This time the woods were very quiet. A small flock of Chestnut-backed Chickadees foraged along the foreshore, a Double-crested Cormorant dove for fish and in the cobalt blue sky two pairs of Bald Eagles looked like they were displaying early bonding behaviour. As I walked back to my car I noticed a movement in a holly bush. At first I thought it might be a robin but as I approached closer I spotted the largest pair of eyes, it was not one but two Great Horned Owls. The one bird stared me down while the other only showed me its back (see lower portion of photo)

I left the pair in peace as it known that to disturb nocturnal owls drastically diminishes their ability to hunt.

Great-horned Owl

Note the second bird in the foreground. Sometimes photo opportunities don't work out so the best is to back off and wait for another opportunity. 

With a few hours before sunset I decided to make my way to close-by Tswawwassen to photograph a Whimbrel that has taken up residence on the cobblestone shoreline. The intertidal area is a veritable smorgasbord for shorebirds and is also home to a small flock of Black Oystercatchers, Black Turnstones and other seasonal visitors.

I was particularly interested in utilizing the late afternoons sweet light and also photographing from as low an angle as possible. Without a tripod I was able to lay on the damp rocks and wait for the action to happen.

Whimbrel with a small crab.

or....

Sometimes a request comes from book publisher or editor for a vertical image. The above image meets this criteria leaving plenty of space at the top of the page for the magazine's name and enough space along the side to place the publications inside contents. Unless you have both orientations, the sale or use might go to another photographer.

On the way home Raymond Ng texted me about Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk on 104. When I arrived the bird was perched bird on a barn roof, I only had a few moments as the light began to dip below the horizon. I'll try for a better picture later but this image does show the white stripes on the breast, a feature the dark morph variety lacks. 

Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk

Over the weekend it has been suggested I have a stab of cleaning up the front yard before it snows. After all the wind and rain of the last few days there are leaves everywhere. I'll also re-fill the hummingbird feeder and make sure the bird feeder has fresh food and water. Maybe after all that I'll have enough time to watch the Manchester City v Liverpool game, I suppose life could be worse!

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada