Flatiron

 Friday Sept 24 2021

Flat-out on Flatiron.

Granite slabs are scattered everywhere on Flatiron. The nooks and crannies in the rock harbour insects and plants, the flowers and seeds providing a rich food source for the many inhabitants.

Flatiron gleams in the sunlight

The forest trail to Flatiron was steep, rocky, slippery and wet. There was hardly a sound in the forest, just the odd Chestnut-backed Chickadee and Douglas Squirrels. Mushrooms were abundant. A few pickers were out collecting. After a two kilometre hike the forest opened up providing 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains. 

Yak Peak and mountain pond.

During the summer there had been numerous reports of Northern Pygmy Owls, Mountain Chickadees, White-winged Crossbills and White-tailed Ptarmigan, all birds I needed for my Fraser Valley Big Year* 

 Craig, my hiking companion for the day soon picked up the call of a Northern Pygmy Owl. Fortunately we were able to climb a little higher until we stood on the same level as the bird which was perched right above the trail.

Northern Pygmy-Owl

Then to our surprise a second owl perched alongside. The birds had their eyes on something, they seemed agitated. One of the birds plunged into the undergrowth and out of sight, looking back the other owl had left too. What a start to the day.

 Moments later they were gone.

 We continued upward, my legs turning to putty and heart racing, my lack of fitness leaving something to be desired. Five minute breaks were the order of the day. Climbing higher a flock of White-winged Crossbills were feeding on Sitka Spruce cones. They stayed long enough for a few photographs.

White-winged Crossbill.

Crossbills pry open the cones with their powerful bill and extract the seeds. 

 Eventually we reached the monument and a fork in the trail. Needle Peak to the left and to the right Flatiron and hopefully the Ptarmigan. We were still 1.5 km away. When we arrived there were already a few hikers and swimmers cooling off in the lake but alas no Ptarmigan. A flock of birds flew overhead, they sounded like Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch but I couldn't make them out or get an ID picture.

Craig takes in the view with Flatiron in the middle distance. 

 Craig decided to make his own way up the granite strewn escarpment. I waited below. Eventually through my binoculars I could see by his stance he was photographing something, probably the Ptarmigan. It was time for me to move.

 A climb from the lake to the summit took another twenty minutes. 

Suddenly my legs came to life, the energy that had been drained away on the hike had miraculously returned. Soon I was within metres of the summit and the radio tower. That last scramble was a 167 m gain but well worth it. As I reached the summit my heart was beating so hard I couldn't hold the camera still, especially a 500 mm.  I waited a few moments before firing off a few frames in case the Ptarmigan decided to take off on me. They didn't. 

The master of disguise.

Among the tangle of rocks a slight movement gives away an elusive White-tailed Ptarmigan. 

The Ptarmigans's plumage is a perfect defence against aerial predators.

The perfect camouflage.  

Eventually we counted twenty-five or more Ptarmigan, most were hidden in cracks or in the shade of the rocks, yet others nibbling on a type of sedge. Their presence became apparent only when they moved. 

Once the birds realized we posed no threat the covey came out to feed.

There was plenty of vegetation between the outcrops.

At this point I wish I had brought my Nikon 200mm-500mm F 5.6 zoom rather than my fixed 500 mm F5.6 prime. While Craig was able to stand in one spot and compose his photographs I had to back up. A zoom would have been a better option, albeit heavier. 

I used a CCS G3 Cotton Carrier camera and binocular harness with the 500 mm on my chest and my binoculars on the side. During the hike I hardly noticed their presence except when I needed to shoot. I've photographing for forty years and it has proven to be the very best carrying system I have ever used.

G3 Harness

Part of the  covey.

We reached an elevation of 1898 m with a combined elevation gain of 867 m from the car park. Eventually it was time to leave and make our way back down the mountain. The Ptarmigan were my third year bird** for the day. 

 Needle Peak from the lake.

The walk back was filled with the most majestic views imaginable, it's been a long time since I had been hiking. I had forgotten how beautiful the mountains can be. I used my iPhone 8 to take the accompanying scenics.

 The descent I was warned could be as difficult as the accent. True to form the steep trail was a combination of wet moss and slippery granite, for me at least it was treacherous. I'm glad I carried a pole for balance.

On the decent I thought I heard chickadees. Eventually, after a bit of searching we found four Mountain Chickadee, right on the trail,  the fourth year bird of the day. I screwed up the exposure but thankfully I had shot in Raw and was able to save the picture albeit the highlights were lost. A shame really as the background was perfect.

Mountain Chickadee

A hour later were we almost back at the car. My brain and feet were completely out of sync. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. However both the birds and scenery were well worth the effort. Who knows, I might even try another hike one day.

Established in 1986, Coquihalla Summit Recreation Area lies in the territories of the Nlaka’pamux, Sto:lo, and Yale First Nations. (Outdoor Vancouver) 

*A big year is a personal challenge or an informal competition among birders who attempt to identify as many species of birds as possible by sight or sound in any one year.

** A year bird is a new species found during a big year.

"It's never too late to take a hike"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Sunday Dec 7th 2014, Boundary Bay 72nd Ave. Cold, cloud and sunny breaks 5c

I just couldn't handle being indoors anymore. I had promised myself a lazy Sunday afternoon watching a few games of 'footy' from England. Then on the spur of the moment I decided to forsake my Sunday paper and comfy chair and go birding. The logic behind the sudden change of plans were two fold.
First, I glimpsed a thin band of blue sky in what was otherwise a pretty dreary day and secondly and most importantly, the wife had decided to have a long, long afternoon nap. No other incentive was necessary. I quickly put the roast in the oven (with instructions not to burn the house down) and made my way to 72nd Ave.
I was hoping to find an American Tree Sparrow or two. The cunning plan was to be home just in time to make the gravy, wake up the wife and have a pleasant Sunday evening.
Arriving at 72nd I bumped into Liron, we chatted about our respective birding adventures when the two of us noticed a group photographers pointing their lenses at what turned out to be a Long-eared Owl. It was the same bird as my previous blog. This time it was in a slightly better position so I spent a few minutes photographing it again but with a clearer view. This time I was also armed with a 500mm prime lens so in theory I would get a sharper shot. The previous blog I used the 150mm-600mm Tamron. I include an un-cropped image and a tight crop to show off some of the interesting features of this beautiful owl.
Blooger's algorithm unfortunately doesn't do these images justice they seem to be a little soft on my screen. I'll post them to my Flickr to see if they look better.

Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)

Oh yeah, the roast was delicious as was the Yorkhire pudding!

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

What's Wrong With This Picture ?

Sept 20 2104 112th and Hornby Drive, Delta BC Sunny 20c

I was returning from 104th and Boundary Bay after a fruitless search for the Dusky flycatcher when at the corner of 112th and Hornby Drive a flock of Brewer's Blackbirds flew overhead. Nothing unusual about that except amongst the flock was a Blue Budgerigar. The budgie landed on a wire away from the rest of the flock, it then dropped to the ground and began to feed on the flowering fronds of corn.

Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulates) Brewer's Blackbird and Eurasian Collared Dove.

Below is a record shot taken from one hundred metres away. All images Tamron 150mm-600mm handheld.

Although this budgie may have been caged at one point it is very wary.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Rare BC Flycatcher

Sep 14 2014 104 St Boundary Bay Delta B.C.

When the news of an Ash-throated Flycatcher at 104 St in Delta surfaced I decided to go down and have a look. Myself, the novice and two really experienced birders scanned every bush without much success. Finally after an hour or so the bird flew from a small fir tree onto a dead branch. It spent several minutes dispatching a darner, eventually maneuvering it head first down its gullet.

Ash-throated Flycatcher (Myiarchus cinerascens)

The Ash-throated is a larger flycatcher is rarely seen in BC, very few records exist over the last ten years so this was a special treat to all who have managed to seen it. The bird was again seen Sept  17/14. Coincidentally a few years back another flycatcher, a Tropical Kingbird also spent a few weeks at the same general location.

I like this image because of the clean background. The head looking back into the frame tells us that the bird is on the lookout for food or perhaps wary of a predator.

What a way to spend a Sunday morning!  Our never ending summer has brought all kinds of birding surprises to our doorstep and for me and many other another "Lifer" to enjoy.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

In Search of the Sharpie

Sat Sept 6 2014 Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Delta B.C Sunny 26c

It was early in the morning, the lesser travelled outer dyke's path was still festooned with dew laden spider's web.

 In the distance a Belted Kingfisher dove for a fish, too far away for a decent photo but just one of those moments that gets indelibly etched into a birder's brain.

Belted Kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon)

The main objective of the morning was to locate the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper that had recently been seen in one of the ponds. I had a distant look at one last week at 'The Mansion' so I was hopeful of seeing one again albeit a little closer this time.
When I arrived there were both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs feeding in the shallows of the West Field, their distinctive feeding patterns would help me locate the other sandpiper species that might be present. Some species seem to peck the water, others like the Stilt Sandpiper use rapid stabbing motions, the Yellowlegs feed like American Avocets. It wasn't long before the Yellowlegs spooked themselves (something they tend to do) and flew off leaving a single sandpiper feeding close to the bullrushes..bingo, there was the Sharpie I had been looking for. Still, the bird was quite a distance away but as these shots hopefully demonstrate close-up aren't always the best option. I prefer shot #1 over the close-up, I feel it has better story telling.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata)
Rather than zoom in more than I already have I chose to leave some of the pond's vegetation. The bull rushes leaning toward the bird forces the eye of the viewer toward the bird while providing information about the bird's habitat.

This closer picture of the Sharpie tells little more than it inhabits a watery environment. The reflection does give the image an"artsy" feel. Handheld with the Tamron 150mm-600mm VR enabled.

Turkey Vulture:A Bonus Shot

10.30 A.M.

As I left Reifel for home and camera packed away (always a bad idea) when I spotted Turkey Vulture flying above the sanctuary entrance. I have heard vultures have an incredible sense of smell. As I stood out in the open the bird flew closer and closer, eventually circling around and above me, at one point it was joined by a Northern Harrier. It might be a crazy theory but I think that bird was checking me out for a potential meal!

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

 These could be a little sharper which I put down to operator error or the bird is just too far away or a combination of both. I would hate to blame the Tamron but shooting at F6.3 and 600mm (900mm equivalent on my D7100 handheld might be pushing the limits. I still like the lens a lot and as I have mentioned I have already secured numerous 'keepers' purely because of its portability.

* check some of the same pictures on my Flickr.. I feel they are a tad sharper

I'm not sure but this may me a juvenile as the head is not very red but that could be a trick of the light.

I'm glad I took the effort to spend a few hours out on Saturday morning especially as there was no 'Footy" on the telly. Something to do with the international break for the European championships. These days with the PVR (best invention ever) I can watch the games anytime I like and not miss the birds.

"It's never too late to start birding or anything else for that matter"

Refusing to take life too seriously...

John Gordon 

Langley /Cloverdale

A Few Hours Birding/Thoughts on Composition

July 31/14 Boundary Bay 104 St Delta B.C. Temp Sunny 26c. 

There were two hours of daylight left and due to a heatwave here in BC the best place to be was outdoors. With this in mind I took off to Boundary Bay where a welcoming cool breeze accompanied the flood tide. Out in the bay perhaps a hundred Black-bellied Plover fed on the flood tide.

There were a few small flocks of Western Sandpipers, among them a mixture of juvenile and worn adults. There were also a few Killdeer foraging along the foreshore.

Western Sandpipers

Along the dyke were flocks of immature Red-winged Blackbirds. As I scoured the bay for shorebirds a chepd, chepd sound behind me caught my attention. A pair Common Yellowthroat fledglings were feeding on insects.

Vertical crop (Fig 1) Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)

Some Thoughts on composition:

I recently found a three catalogues of Robert Bateman's work at a SPCA thrift shop. Looking at his work he sometimes but not always has the subject looking out of or entering from the very edge of the frame, he often breaks every rule in the book, over and over again.

I just thought I would mention that because the more I concentrate on bird photography the more I want to explore the compositional elements that Bateman and others execute so brilliantly in their work.

I recently attended a talk by well known naturalist John Neville. John is blind and gave the presentation using braille and supplemented the presentation with the art of Robert Bateman.

Until that night I hadn't really taken a close look at Bateman's work. 

The three images of the Common Yellowthroat were all originally taken horizontally or in landscape format. The first (fig1)I have cropped the file vertically eliminating some unwanted foliage and making it suitable for the cover of magazine. I use this image only as an example, not that it would grace any magazine cover I know!

The second shot (fig 2) is horizontal with the subject in the two-thirds zone with lots of space for the subject to move into. This technique is used to draw the viewer into the picture. On average people spend about 3 seconds looking at images, images are everywhere, on our TV's, out smart phones. The idea is to draw the viewer in just a little longer, that is all we can ask.

Horizontal shot (Fig 2)

(Fig 3) below  is the most interesting for me. I would have never cropped the tail so close the edge of the frame but in Batemans's 'Peregrine Falcon and White throated Swift' painted in 1985 he used the same technique I have applied here, in his notes he explains his rationale.

"In the painting, I wanted to convey plummeting, unstable feeling. I deliberately made one of the peregrine's wings almost touch the edge of the frame so that the line of the frame adds force to the hawk's dive"

Does it work with my Yellowthroat ? I'm not sure but I will be applying some of Bateman's ideas to my photography to see how I might improve my own work. Another artists to check out is Canadian legend Freeman Patterson who compositional skills are second to none.

Fig 3

Last Shot of the Day

Northern Harrier/ Sweet Light

The 'sweet light' just before sunset lights up this Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Thanks for looking!

It's never too late to start birding!

John Gordon

Langley /Cloverdale

Four Birders/ One Show/ Five Bucks

 Here it is, better late than never.

Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) Blackie Spit

http://boundarybayparkassociation.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/birds-in-focus-a-visual-presentation/

Stanley Park's Black and White Warbler

Dec 12 2013 Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia. Overcast and threatening to rain.

By now most any serious birder in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland has heard about Stanley Park's Black and White Warbler. It isn't a bird we see often here on the West coast. Originally spotted a few days ago by a couple out for a walk, the distinctive black and white warbler has already attracted numerous birders to the park. What better excuse to turn off the footy, grab the camera and go for a walk. As we looked for the bird, one could hear the staff of the Vancouver Aquarium talking the crowd through the Beluga Whale session. We centred our effort near the cenotaph. A colourful freshly laid wreath of poppies lay at its base. A quick thought about my uncle who died at Dunkirk and then back to the joy of birding.
While many had spent fruitless hours searching for the bird and not seen it, one of our party, a particularly good bird spotter pointed out the diminutive warbler sixty feet up in a Maple tree, a tiny speck, but there it was and only after five minutes of searching. How lucky is that!

Black and White Warbler (Mniotilta varia)

Moments later it flitted up higher into a Sycamore Tree and then it was gone. To see if we could re-locate the warbler we decided to split up so as to cover more ground. Fifteen or twenty minutes passed before another of out party saw it, this time perhaps thirty feet away. The bird was still high up against a dreary Vancouver sky, not the ideal backdrop. However, patience paid off and the bird did a pretty spiral in the air and then fluttered down to a moss covered cheery tree.

.

The black and white plumage against green moss creates a far more pleasing image.
 

 As is common with this bird it made its way down the trunk of the tree picking off insects. Finally we had a decent contrasting background to work with. The bird continued to feed despite the rattle of motor drives and exited spectators.

The Black and White Warbler has a long beak which it uses to pry insects out of crevices.

 After a three or four minute feeding session the bird flew back up into a higher branch and continued to feed, completely oblivious to all the fuss it had made down on the ground. There were lots of smiles everywhere and we left before another birder arrived, just then the heavens began to open and a deluge of rain began.

Merry Christmas

Good Birding

John Gordon

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

Western Scrub Jay At Home in Maple Ridge

Oct 17 2013 Maple Ridge York St/ 119th/South of Dewdney Trunk Road.

The well documented pair of Western Scrub Jays that have been reported in Maple Ridge were nowhere to be seen. An hour of fruitless searching passed when suddenly another birder spotted a single bird in a tall fir.

Western Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica)
The Western Scrub Jay is more often found in drier climates, especially
where there is an abundance of oak and juniper.

Soon after another Jay landed in a tree about 50 feet away, affording me a shot against the blue sky. I was lucky, moments before the fog was so thick photography would have been a challenge. No sooner had I rattled off a few shots, the bird was spooked by crows and flew off to York St/119th.  I followed the bird to a hazelnut tree where I was greeted by several residents who wanted to know what I was looking at. Tripods and bazooka lens tend to draw crowds.
Long time York Street resident Scott Fraser has been feeding one of the birds for three years. The first Western Scrub Jay arrived at his feeder in the summer of 2011, emaciated and in poor condition. After a steady diet of sunflowers and peanuts the bird steadily regained its health. In the autumn of 2011 it left only to return the following spring, this time accompanied by a mate. The newer arrival is quieter, a little smaller and quite shy in comparison. Eventually (she) did come down on the lawn for a peanut. One shot and it was gone back into the tree. Scott thinks they nested in a bramble bush but the squirrels got to the eggs.
Since their arrival, the two birds have had to fight off a number of Steller's Jays. No doubt a noisy confrontation, a tussle they have apparently won. Scott rarely sees the commoner Steller's in his garden anymore. While I was there the original Scrub Jay even chased off a Northern Flicker.

This scrub Jay was in poor health when it arrived at Scott Fraser's garden in 2011.

The pair spent last winter in the vicinity due to a plentiful supply of peanuts and sunflower seeds provided by many feeders in the area. I then spoke to one of Scott's neighbours whose pet Parakeet now mimics the Scrub Jays when they visit her garden. She also confirmed the bird was there in 2012.

Western Scrub Jay on Scott Fraser's front lawn.

I hope you enjoyed  this blog. Good Birding

Black-necked Stilt/Canon Test Update and Cranberry Birds

Oct 16 2013 Derby Reach/Allard Cresent, Fort Langley B.C.   Foggy morning/sunny afternoon.
What a week, I have been so occupied shooting an add campaign for Parks Canada, speaking engagements and a photo/video shoot for a Fort Langley cranberry farm that I hadn't had time to get out and bird. On a positive side, the extra work has set me up for my next road trip.
The days were long with early mornings and evening photo sessions. The afternoons were taken up with editing. I did however manage to PVR England's two successful World Cup qualifying games. During my photo shoot at the cranberry farm I could hear what I thought were sandpipers but with other matters at hand I just let it pass, besides I didn't have my bins with me.
During the brief breaks in the action I also spotted a pair of Belted Kingfishers rattling across the bog and a Red-tailed hawk glided down from a fir tree to catch prey. Just as the light was getting soft and golden a flock of seven American Pipits landed behind me on a pile of sand. Luckily I was at my car and the 500mm was quickly taken from its case and Voila! They then flew down to the waters edge for a drink, their yellow/brown bodies contrasting against the red and yellow cranberries. Some shots just can't be made and best left at that.

American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)
 in the evening 'sweetlight'

As I was leaving for the day and moments after the sunset a small flock sandpipers landed just in front of me, the question to answer was which type of sandpiper? I had already packed everything in the trunk ready for my trip home but I know a little extra effort can sometimes pay didvidends. The trick was to extracate myself from the car and set up my camera without spooking the birds which were twenty feet away. I started with a D300 and 70-200 2.8 zoom and as it was quite dark I threw on a SB800 flash on to give myself at least the chance of obtaining an indentification shot. The bird was still too far away so I switched to my 500mm which I handheld with VR function enabled.
*Same set-up for the Pipit shot minus the flash.
The flock turned out to be Pectorals (they could have been somehing more exotic) who were feeding on worms and insects among flooded cranberries fields.
I'm not a fan of monoculture but the amount birdlife was quite encouraging. Hundreds of ducks, geese and other LBJ's. The resident Sandhill Cranes have left by this time of year and the Black bear and cub haven't been seen for a week due probably to all the activity in the cranberry bog.

Pectoral sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)

Not too bad for a non birding day, Eh!

The Canon SX50 HS 

I have mentioned in my previous blog I am a big fan of the Canon SX50 HS 24mm-1200mm zoom camera. I use it when on nature walks where I want to move very quickly and don't want to be burdened with lens/tripod etc. One frustration I found was the shutter lag. However, after studying the online PDF guide I have found the answer.

Set the camera to SCN and chose the HQ option and you can shoot 10 full resolution frames a second without the lag. Great for bird action and (some) Canuck's games.

Flock to the Rock: 
Stilt picture featured in White Rock paper. The Black-necked-Stilt that is and continues to attract birders to White Rock New has been the talk of the promenade. I thought that if sent a picture to the Peace Arch News more people might enjoy going down and seeing the bird. Here's the tearsheet and a link.

For more see: Peace Arch News
Black-necked Stilt link