Fraser Valley Birding

Nov 11/14 Sumas Prairie Abbotsford BC Cold 1c

American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)

Driving around Sumas Prairie in sub zero temperatures looking for raptors can be a frustrating experience. On calmer days American Kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks and even the odd Golden Eagle can make it an exciting place to bird. We did find a dark phase intermediate Red-tailed Hawk but the buffeting winds made holding the camera still somewhat of a challenge. The American Pipit (above was shot from the car window from about twenty-five metres with the Tamron 150mm-600mm. I bought the lens for situations like this when a larger lens would have been too cumbersome to set up in the cramped quarters of a small car. With no Black-backed Gull to be found we headed toward Mission to find Bald Eagles that had congregated to feed on spawned out salmon.

Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)

Another car window shot with the Tamron. The lens is so light and agile it can be very useful in situations where a wary bird like the Varied Thrush can only be approached by using the car as a blind. Plus it was really windy and cold outside.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
An adult Bald Eagle (left) clashes with a 2nd year bird on Nicomen Slough. The spent salmon the eagles were fighting over can be seen in the water below the birds.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley Cloverdale

Sumas Prairie Raptors

Jan 24/14 Sunny Sumas Prairie, Abbotsford B.C.

Sumas Prairie, Abbotsford B.C Jan 24 2014

With Boundary Bay fogged in due to a week-long inversion I decided to head out to sunny Sumas Prairie in search of an elusive Gyrfalcon and some much needed sun. It wasn't long before the Gyr was found but it was too far away to get even a half decent picture. I was happy with the sighting and moved on to search for a Golden Eagle that had recently been seen in the vicinity. 

Following an hour of driving around, scanning every large tree for signs of the Golden Eagle a large silhouette in a distant tree promised success. Even with binoculars the bird was too far way, it was either an immature Bald Eagle or the Golden but I couldn't be certain.

Frustrated by the situation (the bird was on private land) patience again would have to come into play. Hopefully the bird would take flight and in my direction.
A great deal of birding I am finding is part research and the other half, plain good luck. A cold wind buffeted the car while I ate lunch and waited. The waiting reminded me when I used to fish for carp and tench back in the UK. Sometimes waiting hours or even all night for a bite. To bird you need patience, there's no way around it. I once spent ten days in silence at Buddhist retreat so waiting for an hour of two for a bird to move is not really a big deal.
I remember one particular day when after meditating for six or seven days with only minimal sleep my mind was in a quite a tranquil place. The internal chatter of the mind had died down and everything seemed well with the world..so I thought. Just as I was thinking I was getting the hang of the "meditation thing" a flock of birds landed just outside the monastery window. The flock burst into a noisy chatter and all the calm I had acquired suddenly vanished. Bloody birds, I thought. That night, we could if needed ask the monks a question and so I asked her was about the noisy birds and how they disrupted my 'precious' meditation.
Her answer was simple and became the title of my blog "Listen to the Birds". With those few words I understood the concept of letting nature be itself and not to try and impose any thoughts upon it. Those wise words are with me today as I bird and photograph our avian friends.

Suddenly out of nowhere a Bald Eagle flew toward the tree. It became clear the bird in the tree was indeed a Golden Eagle and a fierce battle for territory was suddenly being fought overhead. The Golden Eagle soared in an ever increasing spirals suddenly swooped down to drive the intruder away. No contact was made but there was no doubt who now ruled of the roost.
Who needs the National Geographic channel when we have this in our own backyard!
Here is one the resulting shots.

Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos)

The day continued with sighting of one Rough-legged and seven Red-tailed Hawks, five American Kestrels and one Gyrfalcon and a large flock of Western Meadowlarks.

Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)

A long distance ID shot with some nice backlight. 

The day ended with a quick coffee run to the Great-blue Heron Reserve where we were alerted to the possibility of a Lincoln Sparrow hanging out with the Song and Fox Sparrows. An hour later, the shy and diminutive sparrow posed for pictures.

Lincoln Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)

Good Birding

John

The Falcon and the Goldfinch

Jan 23-24 2014 /Harbour Park and River Road, Ladner B.C.

Thurs Jan 23/14 Foggy with Sunny breaks

This week I had the opportunity to drop all my household chores and search out some of the raptors species that make the Lower Mainland their winter home.
As an aside, I missed having a five falcon day (no Merlin) that a few birders have had this week but four out of five ain't bad. The four falcons were the Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon, American Kestrel and the Prairie Falcon.
The rich farmland in the Fraser Valley remains mostly fallow during the winter and makes excellent habitat for rodents and their avian predators. Many species of raptors arrive in the late fall from their frozen breeding grounds in the north, the prairies and the Interior. . They spend their winters in our temperate climes before returning in the early spring. Others like the American Kestrel can be found year round while the Prairie Falcon is a welcome rarity.
I started my day at Harbour Park in Ladner where exactly one year ago I photographed a White-throated Sparrow. No such luck this time but in the trees close to the car park, a flock of American Goldfinch were feeding on high protein alder catkins. The juicy insides can be seen in the bird's beak.

American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)

From there I made my way along River Road to see if the Prairie Falcon which was still spending its day chasing down Northern Harriers and stealing their food, it was. So far I have been quite disappointed with my efforts to get a definitive shot. Some would say it's all down to operator error! I'd heartily agree as I am finding bird photography both enjoyable and very challenging.

I spent a couple of hours trying for another chance but I can honestly say I am still searching for a definitive 'keeper' shot. Until then here goes.

A Prairie Falcon (top) tussles with a Northern Harrier.
The falcon spends most of the day stealing the harrier's prey. This very long distance shots is far from perfect
but I think does give an idea how the birds spar for food and territory.


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If you are reading this and plan to go down to photograph the falcon please respect the farmer/owners property. If you don't have a long lens then stay on the road and use a scope or bins. If you are hoping to photograph the bird you'll need at least a 300m telephoto lens and if you are patient the falcon will eventually fly closer, especially in the afternoon.

Good Luck and be nice to the farmer and his wife, they are both elderly and deserve our respect even though they don't get what all the fuss is about.

It just isn't fair for the birding community to be blamed for the bad manners of a few who are spoiling what should be a positive experience for everyone. PLEASE STAY OUT  OF THEIR DRIVEWAY.

Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)

Glen Valley Mountain Bluebirds

Nov 14 2013.  Glen Valley Langley /Abbotsford border/Lefeuvre Rd on Marsh-McCormick Rd.
Thanks to birder John Vooys who first spotted the birds, I and others were able to photograph two Mountain Bluebirds at the above location Thursday. How long they will hang around no one knows.
According to what I have read, Mountain bluebirds are quite common in the Spring (I have never seen them in the Fraser Valley) but are uncommon at this time of year. Anyway it was great to get these shots in and get some fresh air at the same time.

Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) Female?

The out of focus cranberry fields behind set off the colours of this beautiful bird.

The other bird is either a juvenile or female. Any takers?