Four Days/One Blog

Jan 12-14 2014 

Day 1. 112th and  Hornby Drive Delta.  Foggy 6c.

It wasn't the best of weather but I had the next three days free. What's a person to do? Suddenly my bird brain hatched a cunning plan, why not go birding!
First stop was nearby 112th and Hornby Drive. I am not too sure what it is about this location but there always seems to be something interesting. Last year I photographed an escapee budgerigar flying with a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. There is a very photogenic resident leucistic Eurasian Collared-Dove. It has been hanging around for months and much photographed. This is my second attempt to get a portrait, at least there is some contrast to play with this time, in my previous shot the bird was on a wire against a grey sky.

Leucistic Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Another reason to visit the farm at the corner of 112th was the report by Melissa and Liron (two of the best young birders this side of the Rockies) of a hybrid White and Golden-crowned Sparrow. A real oddity. Although I saw the bird briefly I was unable to snag a pic. Next time perhaps, I did however get to see the Rusty Blackbird for my 70th species of the year.

Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)
Rusty Blackbird (centre) feeds amongst a mix of Brewer's, Red-winged Blackbirds and European House Sparrows

I spent the rest of the day photographing Yellow-rumped Warblers and a flock of six American Tree Sparrows.

Day 2 Alaksan and Reifel: Foggy, Overcast and Sunny Breaks

Another foggy day, it was grey and the light was flat. I hadn't walked very far when a small flock of sparrows flashed by. One of them was whiter than the rest and a dead give-away, it was the Harris's Sparrow, a bird that has attracted many photographers, myself included. I hadn't yet managed a shot of the bird on a branch, all my shots were of the bird feeding on the ground. This time I managed a different pose.

Harris's Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula)

Finally the sun came out so I made my way to nearby Alaksen National Wildlife Area

At the parking lot I heard a bird calling from the bushes, it turned out to be a Bewick's Wren.

Bewick's Wren (Thryomaners bewickii)

 The sun had begun to peek through the fog bathing the bird in afternoon sun. Finally it came out of the thickets to continue feeding before a passing car scared it away.

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
On the way out I photographed this Hermit Thrush from the car window.

I had two more species to add to my year list. The fog by this time had enveloped what little sun there had been. Time to head home.

Day 3 Jan 14 2015 Elk View Rd Chilliwack. Sunny 8c.

It was my second attempt to find the Northern Pygmy Owl but with the help of Mel, Peter and Floyd we were successful. Not only did we find the owl we found two. One male and one female. We weren't alone, there was a mini twitch going on as the news spread and the bird's location spread across the interweb. The birds for their part seemed completely unperturbed by the whole circus going on around them.

I composed this shot in the camera. With a little cropping I bisected the frames to aid the composition.
Careful consideration went into the background. Even with lots of forethought I still wasn't able to frame a shot with owls and forest that made any sense. Either the owl was way too small so I went for this composition as my favourite of this series.

This quick snap shot (1 of 3 frames) picture taken with a $300 Canon SX50HS.
All others taken with slightly more expensive Nikon 500mm F4!
The blown out details I think has a lot to do with the file processing.

Northern Pygmy-Owl (Glaucidium gnome)
The Pacific race of the Northern Pygmy Owl are more reddish than
their interior cousins. I used backlighting and exposed for the bird.

Disclaimer: All owl pictures taken from the road. No birds were pushed, coralled or harassed. While it might be important to get a good photo, please let these birds feed in peace. Trampling over their hunting territory not only disrupts their feeding regime but scares away prey. The owls rely on unsuspecting voles and other creatures so when a dozen or so photographers are clambering through brush up to their waists just get a little nearer it makes the owls life that much more difficult.

Remember it was a birder who first let us know about these beautiful birds, he was there this week and wishing he had kept the location secret. Most probably there are many other birds out there that the finder(s) won't want to share and for good reasons.

Day 4 Jan 16/14 Blackie Spit Sunny (it was forecast to rain ) and 12c

I hadn't meant to go birding today but I was conducting a one on one photography class at Blackie Spit. During the session this Ruby-crowned Kinglet popped into a tree beside me. It was hawking insects. I used my Tamron 150mm-600mm with the lightweight Nikon D7100.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)

All the other pictures were taken with the Nikon 500mm F4 with the D7100 or D3s.

It was a full week and a welcome break from the hectic pace of the 'real world' I'm sure after a few days rest it will be time to head out again, until then..it's never too late to start birding!

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Westham Island Birding

Jan 7 2015 Westham Island/Alaksen/Reifel Overcast and Foggy 5c

Finally I had a chance to get out of the house. Monday it rained cats and dogs. Tuesday I had to attend court over a copyright infringement case. The judge threw out our argument which basically means anyone can use anyones pictures or copy without credit or payment and without asking permission. The culprits from Langley know it would cost too much to go to the Supreme Court and plead a case. Make sure you enter your copyright information in your camera and in ©Photoshop or ©Lightroom. For those image thieves out there, shame on you, you are only cheating yourself!

On Wednesday following my dental appointment I made my way to Westham Island in Delta for some soothing birding.
I walked the Alaksen National Wildlife Area where it was quite peaceful in the fog, the only it interruption was a lone jogger. She may have saved the life of the Ruby-crowned Kinglet below when she spooked a Sharp-shinned Hawk that was eyeing the mixed flock of Ruby and Golden-crowned Kinglets I was photographing at the time.

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) reacts to a Sharp-shinned Hawk. 
The interesting hues in the background of this picture are from the forest foliage. 

It was very dark and gloomy especially under the trees where the kinglets were feeding so I had to use 1600 ISO on my D7100. Guess who left their flash at home! There is a lack of sharpness, muted colours and some noise but I had no other option. I prefer to have a least a record shot rather than nothing. This isn't National Geographic, just a fun project!

The light wasn't getting any better so I searched out a food source for the birds where there was at least a decent amount light. First up was a Hermit Thrush, one of my favourite songsters. The last time I saw them was on a walk in Manning Park where their beautiful song could be heard from the tallest tree tops.

Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)

I was happy with the thrush image so I made my way to Reifel to see if I could locate the Harris's Sparrow for my *year list.. no luck!

*57 BC species so far in 2015. I've never kept a list so I may be an interesting project.


Next up was this Golden-crowned Kinglet, it was amongst a flock of Black-capped Chickadees flitting from tree to tree. Because there was no one else around I was able to have the flock surround me with their antics.

Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)

Just before the duck ponds I came across a one of my favourites the Fox Sparrow. This one, the Sooty (Pacific) race, one of four sub species found in North America. Sibley's has a very good explanation and illustrations showing the four races.

Reifel was quite busy despite the gloomy weather. The ponds were full of activity, mainly ducks beginning pair off for the spring. 

Adult Gadwal (Anas strepera)

I don't often see Gadwals so I took tho opportunity to photograph a male for my photo library. I tried to shoot a low an angle as possible to give a more realistic perspective.

Ring-necked Duck ( Aythya collaris)

Why isn't this called a Ring-billed Duck. I am sure there is a logical reason but it is sometimes hard to see the neck pattern except in breeding season.

Tomorrow I plan to go up to Burnaby Mountain to finesse my take on the Pine Grosbeaks. My last stab at it included trying for clean backgrounds in my compositions but in doing so I almost completely ignored the female birds. 

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale