A Rapturous Day/Man in the Moon/Sunburn

March 10/2014 Brunswick Point Ladner B.C.  Sunny and first sunburn of the winter.

I wasn't until I arrived home Monday evening that I realized I had sunburn. I had been birding all day, so engrossed by all the activity around me I had completely forgot the sunscreen. Sunscreen in March, who would have thought it, eat your hearts out Winnipeg! It was cloudy in the morning but by midday the light was fantastic for photography. Blue skies allowed the use of fast shutter speeds, just enough to catch up with the speedy Prairie Falcon. I had photographed the bird before but I wasn't quite happy with the results. 

The first signs of Spring were everywhere. The trees are filing out, buds waiting to explode for the soon to arrive waves of warblers and flycatchers. A Turkey Vulture circled overhead, a pair of Lincoln Sparrows looked to be staking out a nest site, even the Tree Swallows have arrived, what a time to be a birder!

The day began with a trip to 104 St and Hornby in Ladner to see if I could re-locate the Leusistic Red-winged Blackbird (see previous blog) but the bird could not be found. From 104 to 72 I counted forty or so Bald Eagles, six Red-tailed Hawks, and a smattering of Northern Harriers. I couldn't find the Glaucous Gull. 

At Tsawwassen kite surfers took up much of the real estate but a small flock of twenty Brant bobbed about on the waves, Common Goldeneye dove for shellfish but the wind made photography difficult.  Then on through the Indian reserve and onto Brunswick Point which is where the real fun began.

The first picture in this series came about when I observed what I thought might be a hawk in a hedge. The bird turned out to be the Prairie Falcon. It normally perches high up on poles or trees so to see it so close was quite a surprise. I stopped the car and grabbed my camera. Unfortunately the bird was flushed by a passing pickup but as it flew into the air and away from the tangle of branches I was able to get this clean shot with the blue sky as background. Finally a half decent shot .

Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) chasing off a Coopers Hawk that had wandered into its domain. I estimate this birds territory to be 400-500 acres of open farmland. For those who know the area, that is from River Road to the Container Port. While I watched the falcon it not only bullied the Cooper's Hawk (below) but also had a run in with several Northern Harriers, a Bald Eagle and an American Kestrel.  

This Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) was hunting songbirds when it was set upon by the Prairie Falcon.

The Prairie Falcon then flew along over a fallow field chasing a Norther Harrier.

The Prairie Falcon glides at incredible speeds often snatching prey from other raptors but occasionally catching its own.

Red-tailed Hawk N2. Anyone know anything about the markings or who I should report to?

Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) was about the only raptor not to be bothered by the Prairie Falcon. I think the bird has the long beak syndrome. Anyone have an opinion.

A distant grainy, greatly cropped shot of a mid air tussle between Northern Harrier (top) and
a Red-tailed Hawk. Both birds were fighting over territory. On one stretch of road alone five species of raptors
fought over territory. Note the setting sun and the golden glow on the birds.

A  female American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) tears apart a hapless Townsend's Vole. A bone from the rodent is stuck in the telephone wire although it looks quite large, possibly from a previous kill. The bird first skinned the animal before feasting on the juicy meat. The setting sun also gave this image the orange hue.

At the End of the Day

             Can you see the 'Man in the Moon' The two distinct eyes, a nose and puckered mouth.

What can I say. Another great day out of the house, not a care in the world except making sure that I didn't get run over by farm traffic. As I mentioned the weather is changing here in B.C.and soon we can all expect a flood of migrants including the sandpipers and warblers. I for one can't wait.

Good Birding 

John Gordon 

Langley Field Naturalists Outing Feb 21/14

                                                                                                  Anne Gosse Photo
Looking for the the elusive Golden Eagle.

Feb 21/14 Sumas Prairie Sunny and Cold.

Although much of my birding is done alone the opportunity to go out as a group offers some great benefits. The obvious being more eyes scanning fields, trees and fences and of course, the camaraderie. Secondly there're always a few experienced birders who can help the rest of us who are still on that steep learning curve. As was the case Friday, when a group of Langley Field Naturalists and others drove through Sumas Prairie in search of the elusive Golden Eagle. Alas we could not locate the bird but did find a rare Harlen's Red-tailed Hawk. For many in the group it was their first ever sighting of this magnificent raptor. 

Anne Gosse who organized the trip is on the far left.

                                      Anne Gosse Photo
John shows Monica Pearson the difference between the
 Harlan's Red-tailed Hawk(sub species) and the more common Red-tailed Hawk.

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
We saw at least six American Kestrel hunting, this one at the Great Blue Heronry in Chilliwack.

Good Birding 

 John Gordon            

 Next Field Trips Langley Field Naturalists. contact information below

Saturday, March 8

Meet time: 8:15am at Douglas Park or 9:30 at Maplewood Park

Start time: 10am

What is for Dinner? Raptors of the Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats, North Vancouver

Leader:  Al Grass

Join us as we search out why are flats critical habitats for wildlife. The walk will focus on the importance of raptors such as eagles, hawks, and owls. Meet 8:15 am Douglas Cres. Langley or 9:30 at Maplewood Park. Phone 604-538-8774 for information.

Saturday, March 22, 2013

Time: 9:00 to 12:00

Aldergrove Regional Park

Leader: Bob Puls

Come join the Langley Field Naturalist to awaken your curiosity and engage your senses while exploring nature and the changing seasons in this beautiful regional park! We will check out the winter bird & water fowl activity around the ponds and look at some of this parks features.  Meeting at Aldergrove Regional Park central parking.  Phone 888-1787 or Bob 856-7534 to let us know if you are coming or to carpool from Douglas Crescent.

Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

Jan 27 2014 Sumas Prairie
With the wonderful weather coming to a close my birding buddy Raymond and myself took off to nearby Sumas Prairie to find the Gyrfalcon and whatever other birds presented themselves.
Taking Whatcom Road east at Vye it wasn't long before we came across an American Kestrel hunting among the blueberry fields. Within ten minutes the tiny raptor had caught a quite large rodent that looked like a small rat, it was far too big for a mouse or vole.
As luck would have it, the bird at first flew away with its prize only to make an abrupt turn and fly toward us and land on a pole about 30 metres away. It was an exiting moment and more than we expected and we had been birding all of ten minutes.
Here is one of the resulting shots.

Female American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

         Later in the morning we came across this male waiting to pounce on some hapless rodent

American Kestrel. We saw five females and only this one male. 

Below is my first ever photograph of the Harlen's Red-tailed Hawk. Note lack of red tail associated with the normal population.

Harlen's Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

A Harlan's glides over the fallow fields of Sumas Prairie.

Yet another great day of birding, full of surprises and new experiences. The Harlan's was a bird I had never seen before so with a change of weather I can now spend the next few days catching up with all or some of the minutiae that gets in the way of my birding adventures.

Good Birding

   John

Kestrels, Grasshoppers and Camera Trial

July 22, 2013 Boundary Bay, Delta.  Between the Pilings and 112 St.

An American Kestrel hovers above the Boundary Bay dyke pathway. From one perch to another the female Kestrel makes its way along a hundred or so metres of hedge, eagerly looking for any movements in the tall grass below. Even barking dogs, walkers and the sudden movements of passing cyclists cannot deter the bird's concentration.  There are scores of grasshoppers everywhere. After a few sideway glances, a menacing stare and a little bobbing of the head the hunter suddenly swoops down on another juicy meal. Not every hunt is successful but during the time I spent observing at least five large grasshoppers were dispatched.
As the setting sun waned and the cool breeze off the Boundary Bay brought to close yet another day in paradise I wondered if could life be any better for a BC birder.

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)

The Hunt is on.

Another grasshopper is caught.

 Camera Test. Canon SX50 HS Superzoom

I have always wanted to test an inexpensive super zoom point and shoot to see if it would be useful addition to my already heavy camera bag. Below are some examples.

The two pictures (above) and (below ) were taken with the $400 Canon SX50 HS. The first three hunting pictures in this blog were taken with my trusty Nikon D3s and 500 F4 lens and 1.4 converter mounted on a Gitzo tripod at ISO 1000. The high ISO helped me catch the flight shots using 1/2000 sec shutter speed.  The Canon ain't gonna do that for you but...
The SX50 is point and shoot APS censor camera 12 Megapixel with a 24-1200 zoom. I had always wanted a little lightweight camera to take on organized bird walks etc where carrying a tripod and big lens just slows everyone up. The big question was, would I be happy with the results ? The answer is Yes and No.  The shots above were taken hand held while the bird was perched. A tripod  would help although not too many birds are stationary long enough. Although the images looks fine on a web blog they wouldn't be suitable for printing bigger than 4x6 or 5x7. The first three images on the other hand could be made into 16x20 prints without too much trouble. In conclusion it all depends on your end use. Apart from selling large prints I also give presentations where a certain clarity is required. If however you are blogging, Flickring, Facebooking or other inter webbing use and you don't require action shots I think the Sx50 is a decent choice for the person just wanting record shots and that coming from a Nikonian is high praise!
Oops! I forget to mention that it takes great scenics and video to complements your record photos and for that purpose alone I think its perfect and money well spent.

Conclusion.
 If the  main purpose is to add a simple inexpensive easy to use camera to back up your bins or just to take record shots I think the Sx50 is a good choice. I tried out other brands but felt the Canon was the best build and buy. The fact I could hand hold the camera at 1200 mm and get these shots was I felt really useful. Forget about action flight shots as the shutter has a slight lag and sometimes it is easy to hit the video record button by accident but overall it was fun to use. Whenever I want a powerful zoom I'll defiantly carry this camera especially for concerts and other long distance situations.