A Golden Eagle and a Murder of Crows

April 6 2015 72nd Ave Delta BC Canada

This first shot of the Golden Eagle was taken on April 1st during a short photo session before dusk. 

Juvenile Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

As this bird matures the white patches will be replaced by an all dark plumage. 

A few days later I took about twenty shots of the same Golden Eagle being harassed by American Crows sometimes referred to as a 'Murder of Crows"

I particularly like the crow's expression on the top left. 

More on a Murder of Crows

Finally outnumbered, the much larger Golden Eagle is driven away from its hunting grounds by a many as fifty crows. I like the symmetry of this image, each crow having a slightly different shape. Many of the crows have white markings and I'm not too sure if they are Northwestern Crows or the American Crow. 

The shot came about at dusk, when the Eagle taking it's last hunting foray of the day ran into the crows which were massing for their nightly roost.

No two days seem the same when birding, which I suppose is the what makes the pastime so interesting.  

Check out CBC's Nature of Things

April 19 2015  2 p.m 

Upcoming CBC Documentary A Murder of Crows

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

A Warbler, A Bluebird and an Owl.

Mar 31/15 Jericho Park Kitsilano Vancouver 12c Sun and Clouds

It was almost a week since a Mountain Bluebird and Say's Phoebe drew a number of birders to Locarno Beach in Vancouver. Due to my 'VERY busy birding schedule' I missed the Vancouver Say's Phoebe,
Back from the Okanagan (see previous blog) I made my way down to find the Palm Warbler, a species not often see in the Lower Mainland. I looked forward to seeing the Kitsilano bird. My only other sighting was a brilliant male palm in Richmond Park East. That same the day, April 22nd 2012 I also photographed a vagrant Ladner Dicksissel. Quite the day!

Palm Warbler (Dendroica palmarum) and cherry blossom.

Occasionally the palm would drop an insect and swoop to the ground to pick it up.

Trying to get a clear shot with sky proved quite a challenge, this shot was one of my favourite. 

A funny thing birding, especially whenever there's a twitch, there no need to look for the bird, just head for a crowd of people staring into a tree. Many I am told are frequent visitors to their chiropractors with the dreaded 'Warbler Neck'
The diminutive Palm Warbler, weighs in at just 7 grams would be much harder to find were it not for all those eyes to help. I am not too sure who first found the palm but a huge thanks for posting your find, allowing the rest of us the opportunity to add the bird to our list. I'm sure a few of the thirty  present took time off from work...or school to enjoy watching the bird!
Who would have thought to look in those particular trees in the first place, outside an apartment block when there are acres of parkland right next door! I suppose the profusion of flowers and the protein rich pollen was the attraction for the bird. Also in the tree were a number of Pine Siskin.

************

After the palm I made my way down to nearby Locarno Beach to catch up with a very accommodating Mountain Bluebird. I had never seen them in the Lower Mainland. After photographing the bird I think I discovered why it seemed to like this particular spot. Watching the bird feed on an plentiful supply of insects I sat back and watched it come to a nearby log, it paused looked at the other photographers and then began to drink out of a small crack where rainwater had gathered following recent rains.

Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)

 Note the water drop reflecting off the bird's breast.

Occasional the bird would take flight to hawk insects and land on one of two bushes on the beach.

Locarno Beach taken with Nikon P900

See small patch of blue on the log on the right. The bluebird drank from the log and perched in these two trees before swooping down to the beach to feed on insects.

Later in the day I visited Queen Elizabeth Park, where Tulips and Daffodils and Cherry were in full bloom.  It was 20c and there wasn't much bird captivity. Bushtits making nests, Spotted Towhees, Pine Siskins, Rufous and Anna's Hummingbird were ALL I saw, very quiet indeed. I was looking for Hutton's Vireo so if anyone can help me in that endeavour, that would be greatly appreciated. There were however plenty of people enjoying the sunshine, peace and quiet. I had a picnic and watched the tourists photographing the flowers and then dozed off for a few moments.


Later in the day I spent an hour at Harbour Park before heading for sumptuous supper at the local Golden Arches. It had been a long day but more birding was ahead.

**********

Boundary Bay at dusk 7.30 p.m

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

A strictly noctural hunter it was a privilege to see this Barn Owl land on a post preparing to hunt. It was 7.30 p.m and the light was fading fast. I had to shoot at ISO 3200 F4 1/500 sec. I used a Nikon D3s and a 500 F4 on a tripod to have any chance of a half decent flight shot. This is where the slower lens like the Tamron and Sigma 150mm-600mm lenses are just too slow. Newer Nikon and Canon cameras have incredible light gathering capabilities especially the full frame models but even when you get to 3200 ISO things begin to look a bit noisy. However, I would rather have something to show for my efforts rather than be fussy about noise and getting bogged down in technical issues. This not to say the slower lenses won't work but you are loosing 2-3 three stop min shutter speed using the above zooms and that can be critical to your success. 

The Hunter: Shot after sunset light from the sky illuminates the wings.

Another day's birding came to an end as darkness fell. With the Barn Owl my BC year list now stands at 120 species. It's my first attempt at a year list so I gives me impetus to search out new species and get know other parts of the province and when the snow melts, the rest of Canada.

It had been a long day and on the drive home the warmth from the car's heater nearly sent me to sleep and into a ditch. I must have been dreaming of that baked potato topped with melted butter  and cheese and the game of footy waiting for me on the PVR. 

At home memories of day flooded back into my mind, especially the moment earlier in the day when another birder mentioning to me how she cherished every moment of life especially when she birded, she then rambled off some Latin phrases, the only part I understood was the the bit about Carpe Diem, and on that I completely agree. 

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley /Cloverdale

Management takes no responsibility wordiness and grammatical errors, the author was probably asleep in English class although to his credit did get an 'O' level in English literature.

A Walk to the Village Shop

Feb 14/15 Brockweir, Wye Valley UK. Sun and Cloud 9c

The country lanes of Brockweir Common haven't changed very much since the turn of the century. Ancient hedgerows some dating back four to five hundred years are home to a myriad of wildlife. Badger, fox, rabbit, adder, and grass snakes make their homes in the surrounding fields. The upland areas were untouched when the glaciers retreated. Rare plants abound.
                                                             
                                                                  More about hedges

The area is steeped in history. The Romans mined ore a few miles away at Redbrook, The village of Brockweir is mentioned in the Doomsday Book and the River Wye acted as a conduit for goods being shipped upstream to Hereford and Mid-Wales. Lord Nelson visited the village and poet William Wordsworth made the area famous after he visited Tintern Abbey. His poetry is said to have spawned the birth of tourism in the UK.
What's all that got to do with birding, not much but the area does have a wealth of birdlife and walking is the best way to see it.
On my way to the village shop to pick up the Sunday newspaper the first bird to show was the Robin. It can often be heard long before it jumps out onto a nearby branch. Like the North American Black-capped Chickadee it too will come to hand for seed. I haven't tried that yet but I am sure at tourist spots there are tame birds which will oblige.

(European) Robin (Erithacus rubella)
The Robin is a member of the thrush family.

Further down the lane I noticed some movement in an adjacent pasture, a small flock of colourful Goldfinch were busily feeding on something in the short grass, perhaps the warm weather had encouraged insect life to the surface. Around the next corner a small flock of Song Thrush were feeding in a muddy field. I couldn't get near them. I find in the less travelled parts of the UK the birds are far warier than those at places like Slimbridge or Newport Wetlands where there is more foot traffic.

The criss cross network of paths and lanes are broken up with open pasture where the Common Buzzard can be seen hunting for rabbits and a Sparrowhawk glides around in search of smaller prey.
A jogger stops to ask what I am looking at...birds I say, Oh, she replies and sets off into the distance, scattering a flock of thrush I had been patiently stalking.

Sparrowhawk (Accipter nisus)

Just outside the village shop I spotted what I thought were crows flying overhead. When I checked  with my newly acquired Collins Bird Guide the grey nape gave them away as Jackdaws. Jackdaws pair for life and can be quite tame. They nest in chimneys and crevices and often close to humans. They also nest on sea cliffs and mountainsides.

This not a Crow but a (Western ) Jackdaw (Corvus monedula)
Note the light grey nape. 

The atypical LBJ, the Dunnock or Hedge Sparrow (Prunella modularis) 

As I neared the last part of my walk I had hope to see the resident Common Buzzard but to my surprise I spotted two pheasants strutting across the cow pasture. The one bird seemed quite aggressive toward the other. I thought it might be a lek. Only when I started to edit the shots later that night did I realize that the birds had somewhat different markings.

Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)

According to the Collins Bird Guide pheasants were introduced into the UK in the 11th/12th century. These two appear to be from two different races and perhaps they were duelling over territory or a female. Note the bird on the left has a white neck ring. Several races with differing markings occur throughout Europe. Pheasants occur naturally from the Black Sea east to China

The male on the left shows who is boss.

As I mentioned earlier these photographs were taken on a walk to the shop, a ninety minute round-trip.. If I had driven I most certainly missed the opportunity.

All shot handheld with the Nikon D7100 and Tamron 150mm-600mm.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

British Columbia 

Canada

Management takes no responsibility for grammatical errors. 

Tamron 150mm-600mm Walking the Serpentine

Sept 4 2014 Serpentine Wildlife Management Area Sunny

I had a few spare hours Thursday morning so I decided to walk the Serpentine Wildlife Management Area in Surrey. It is close to my home and there is usually something interesting to photograph.  

I took my Tamron 150mm-600mm which allowed me to walk the trails without the hindrance of a bulky tripod and heavy lens. Coupled with the Nikon D7100 the walk covered a couple of kilometres.

Merlin (Falco columbarius)

Purple Finch I think ? There were females nearby so I think it's not a house. What do you think?

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
At the look-out tower overlooking the river, you can shoot into the canopy of trees from above. There are often birds feeding on seasonal fruit. This downy flew in as I photographed Song Sparrows.




All these shots were taken handheld with VR enabled. I still have my Canon SX50HS which I now use for video while the Tamron has now become my go to'Walkabout' lens. Would I have been able to react so quickly to the Merlin flying by if I had been burdened by a tripod, I doubt it and for that reason alone I'm glad I have it.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley Cloverdale

I went Birding Thursday

       Feb 6 2014 New Brighton Park Vancouver B.C -5 Sunny and very, very cold for B.C.

Vancouver is experiencing some wonderful sunny weather albeit unusually cold. As long as one wears plenty of clothing (I can hear those in the rest of Canada laughing) it is a pleasure to be outdoors.
The assignment for Thursday was to photograph a Gyrfalcon that has returned to New Brighton Park  in Vancouver. The speedy falcon has been feasting on pigeons which are attracted to a nearby granary crammed full of delicious Canadian wheat. Yummy for the pigeons and doubly yummy for the gyrfalcon which is dining on tasty grain fed pigeon several times a day.

A Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) heads toward a unsuspecting flock of pigeons.





Unfortunately the best place to stand with a clear view of the Viterra Granary is in the shade which meant a very cold wait. I spent two hours waiting patiently for the Gyrfalcon to launch itself off the conveyer belt which itself is about two hundred feet off the ground. 

A Gyrfalcon scatters a flock of pigeons. Several attacks were made without success. On one occasion a pigeon was snagged but got away. I missed the shot.

After dropping the prey the Gyrfalcon looks below but it had plunged into the water.

What can I say, the wait was well worth it despite the cold. I not only secured my first ever photographs of a gyrfalcon I was blessed to witnesses one of Nature's most powerful and beautiful performers go about its daily ritual.

The Gyrfalcon heads back to its perch ready for another foray.

Good Birding

John Gordon

                                                                           ******

I Went Birding Monday

Monday Feb3 2014 

 Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary/Ladner River Rd, 64th Ave and 72nd Ave.

As promised there was not a cloud in the sky Monday morning which meant below average daytime temperatures of just above freezing, perfect for spending a day outside.
The day began with a check on the Prairie Falcon which may have moved on as a Pergrine Falcon was now occupying the favoured perch. A quick drive along River Road turned up the Red-tailed Hawk with the big beak syndrome but not much else.
A walk around Reifel didn't produce too much photographically but I had a number of interesting conversations and had a wonderful packed lunch while overlooking the marsh and Fraser Delta. As I was leaving a Bald Eagle flew over head offering me the chance to a head-on shot.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Moving on to 64th Ave two long-eared owls slept in a bush while being very patient with all the passersby including dogs and horses. There were only a few Dark-eyed Juncos where sometimes eight or nine species could be counted on a good day.
As 72nd Ave is on my way home I thought I might drop in and wait for the Short-eared Owls to begin their hunting. On my arrival at about 2.30 p.m the Northern Harriers were already hunting, a few were sparring with Bald Eagles or squabbling among themselves over Townsend's Voles, a favourite prey in the fields and foreshore.
A number of Bald Eagles were circling above the dyke when suddenly an immature bird landed right in front of me.

Immature Bald Eagle

The mature eagles were pairing up and in the distance could be seen swooping down on mixed flocks of American Wigeon, Mallard and Green-winged Teal.

Mixed flocks of duck disturbed by eagles.

As the sun began to fade and the 'sweet light' bathed the fields the Short-eared Owls began the hunt.

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

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

Another Day in Paradise Pt 2/Robert Bateman

Dec 3/4 2013 Boundary Bay, Delta B.C. Sunny and Cold.

What can I say, the sun was out and there were birds everywhere. For starters, there were three long-eared owls all perched in one tree. The birds were sunning themselves while trying to sleep. Everyone loves an owl, passersby on horseback, construction workers, joggers, dog walkers all stopped to view the birds. I heard later that everyone kept a respectable distance EXCEPT for a few overzealous photographers who in their rush to secure the perfect pose eventually forced two of the birds to re-locate to another tree. Shame on you! We all get hyped when we see a new bird but take a hint from the birding community and respect the bird's space. This type of asinine behaviour gives us photographers a bad name.

Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)

Here is my shot taken from a respectable distance after which I left for 72nd Ave where the following images below were taken.

 My target bird was the American Tree Sparrow which I found just east of the 72nd Ave parking lot. I 'phissed' it to the tree in front of me with the sun on my back.

American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arboreo)

Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)

On composition and Robert Bateman

Last week I attended the Langley Field Naturalists monthly meeting and a very interesting talk by B.C. Nature President John Neville. His talk centred around the calls and behaviour of the raptors of Canada. The talk was fascinating and we all had many questions.

As you may know John has spent years recording birds many of which can be found on his excellent Cd's.

As a sidebar to his presentation, which he delivered in braille were artist Robert Bateman's finely detailed paintings. 

For years I have stuck quite closely to photographic compositional principles such as the two-thirds rule, use of leading lines (like the Fox Sparrow shot above) and other ways of making images more pleasing for the viewer. However, I was really struck by Bateman's use of space within the picture frame. In some of the images, the bird would be right on the very, very edge of the photo and I mean almost touching the edge or other times smack in the middle. The result were quite different from the close crops many of us fall into the trap of producing time and time again. Both have their merits but sometimes we forget in our rush to get the perfect close-up view that the bird's environment is often forgotten.

 I learnt much that night, not only from John but about how my personal vision may be being stifled by always trying to conforming to the 'right kind of composition' as well as shooting too tight.
This something that I will work on in the new year as a self assignment.

Great-blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Female Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

"Perfect symmetry" Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator)

White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)

I photographed this Cooper's Dec 4 on 64th Ave. It was chasing down songbirds.

Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

Good Birding

John

Sweet Light, Northern Harriers and Snow Geese

Nov 12 2013 Boundary Bay 72nd Ave. Delta British Columbia.

There I was on Boundary Bay, one of Canada's best winter raptor locations. Practically alone, the only others in sight were a horseback rider, a duck hunter and some joggers and one other photographer (the latter please contact me if you are reading this)
The sky was overcast, just a hint of blue sky over Point Roberts. Rather than work with the flat light we chatted away. Suddenly a shaft of sunlight pierced the leaden sky. The game was on. We both set up our lenses waiting for the afternoon "sweet light" Dark sky and cloud hid the Coast Mountains while on the dyke the cold wind was tempered by the warmth of the late afternoon sun. If I had to choose just one word to describe all this, it would be bliss with a big B!
Before long the Northern Harriers began hunting in earnest. The newly arrived Short-eared owls could be seen hunting out on the foreshore. Soon they'll habituate themselves to all the human activity and like the Harriers, will soon be hunting closer to the dyke and within range of the lens.
Our first pictures were of the flock of Snow Geese, perhaps as many as five thousand. They flew overhead, honking and flying. Waves and waves of them flew toward a freshly ploughed field on 72nd Ave.

Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens)

As the afternoon progressed the light became softer making it ideal for catching the last of the fall colours. This Northern Harrier skirted along the dyke and over the golf course and straight toward me. Panning the flight of the bird combined with a fast shutter speed helped me secure this pleasing image.

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
This shot I took Nov 8 on the way to Boundary Bay. Who says the sun never shines on the Wet Coast

Canon SX50 HS Test Shots/ Brydon Lagoon

Sunday Oct 13 2013 Brydon Lagoon, Langley B.C.

A number of readers of this blog have asked me to post a few images from the Canon SX50 HS Super Zoom camera. Today I spent an hour at Langley City's Brydon Lagoon to give it a test. All my previous shots had been casual snapshots while using my 'proper' gear.
The following images were shot as jpegs, edited in Lightroom, cropped in Photoshop and that is about all. There is some sharpening but not very much.
Of course, not everyone wants or can drag around huge lenses, tripods and this little camera makes a perfect choice for those people as well as for those on limited budgets.
The camera has an 24mm-1200mm range with built in stabilzer. With care it allows handheld photography at great distances. It wouldn't be my first choice for fast moving subjects like sports but with practice the camera could become a useful extension to your birding experience.
The best method to get the sharpest image possible each time is to gently squeeze the camera with your hands, place one hand underneath the body of the camera, place your elbows to the side of the rib cage, take a breath and squeeze the shutter. This applies to all types of photography not just birds.
Rather than go into all the camera specifications I will include a link to the Canon website at the end of this blog. I paid $399 for mine and they seem to be on sale at the moment which may mean Canon have a new model coming out soon, but of that I'm not certain.

The scene at 24mm. There are three Song sparrows on the fence and in the bushes. They are just specks so I phissed them to come out into the open . From the same position I zoomed to 1200mm and caught this curious songster (below) on the left of the fence.  It can be hard to find the bird if you zoom in too quickly so zoom halfway looking all the time for movement. The camera is being handheld, as the use of a tripod would have slowed down focusing. For birding, a monopod with an inexpensive ball and head tripod head would be my other choice especially on duller days.  For most other applications like scenics and macro I would set the camera to the lowest ISO 100 and use a tripod. For snapshots the imge stabilization works 95% of the time.  For birds I would shoot at 320 ISO.

Song Sparrow. Shutter speed 1/640 at F7.1. ISO or film speed 320. The camera was extended to 1200mm. I managed 5 in focus shots and one shot where the bird was exiting the scene.



A few more shots from my hour long walk

Great Blue Heron Brydon Lagoon

Northern Shoveler (Brydon Lagoon)

Mallard and Reflection. (Brydon Lagoon)
Even though this bird is moving quite fast toward me the camera kept up with 50% of the shots. 

Handheld at 1200mm

White-crowned Sparrow.
Photographed from 75 feet away, this shot shows how much of a camera the SX50 is and that is high praise from a Nikonian.

The caveat is that this camera won't ever displace a DSLR but does an excellent job of capturing almost everything you'll ever come across including birds, one of the most challenging subjects of all. Any comments much appreciated.

Link: Canon SX50 HS


Good Birding
John