Coming Up Trumps

 Nov 8-10 2016 

Various Lower Mainland Locations

Rain, rain and then finally some sunshine.

White Rock Pier

Black turnstone White Rock pier.
White Rock pier was the place to be this week especially on the flood tide. Large congregations of smelt hung in and around the pier where hundreds of western grebe and one Clarke's grebe joined the hundreds of Bonaparte gulls in a veritable feeding frenzy. Red-necked loons, American coots, horned grebe, surf and white winged scoters and a female kingfisher also joined in the feast.

White-winged scoter.
Not the best photograph or the best way to photograph a bird. Normally the  eye usually goes to the brightest part the photo which in this case is the distracting sheen on the water. There's way too much going on to make this anymore than an ID shot but it being a year bird I thought it worth including.

A Bonaparte gull creates an interesting reflection. There's much to explore here on future visits.

Bonaparte gull.
Thank goodness for auto-focus of the Nikon D500. 

As many as fifty harbour seals herded shoals of smelt and probably a few herring into balls setting off a feeding frenzy that has been continuing all week.

Blackie Spit

A sanderling walks along riprap at the end of White Rock pier.

Lapland Longspur

I then went down to nearby Blackie Spit where five snow buntings had been reported. My first bird was this lone Lapland longspur.

Male Snow Bunting.
There were two groups of snow buntings at different locations. They were quite tolerant of photographers and passersby.

Female Snow Bunting

 The morning had started off with a heavy dew but by midday temperatures had hit a record 18c, T-shirt weather in November, even a stiff breeze coming off the ocean didn't cool things down.

Apparently the Pineapple_Express had arrived in BC and is still here as I write a week later. Although the warmth might be good of humans, the warming ocean in the Pacific is causing havoc with fish stocks displaced and many species, especially alcids are suffering from depleted food resources.

Boundary Bay

Yellow-rumped Warbler.

The fascination with owls is understandable. They conjure up memories from childhood, to some they have a cultural significance. Some associate them with wisdom and to others the owl is a companion in the afterlife. 

Long-eared Owl.

No wonder owl draw crowds. The long-eared is especially stunning. Once the word got out where this ever so co-operative owl was the internet lit up. Soon car loads of photographers began arriving on scene. What made things a little more circus-like was the arrival of a birding group from Bellingham. Soon thirty people were watching the bird. A group of us stood hundred metres away and hopes everyone behaved, they did. A few days later I was told the bird was gone from its almost perfect perch, here's hoping it had had enough and found a quieter location.

Note: I have always been of the understanding not to post the exact location of owls and I have waited to post this picture for the very reason outlined above. I was lucky to have taken this shot, one of 15 frames before the crowds came but I have to wonder why one photographer had to take hundred and hundreds of pictures of a bird that ever barely moved.

 

                     

Parting Shot

Brown creeper

I hope you have enjoyed these images as I continue to enjoy the local birding experience. It never ceases to amaze me the generosity of other birders who share their finds and impart their knowledge so freely, it wouldn't be so much fun without you all. Thanks everyone and see you in the field.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

A Lull* in the Weather

Tuesday Dec 9, 2014 Blackie Spit. Sunny and clearing 13c.

The rain came down all night and into the morning. The day looked to be a complete write-off. Unexpectedly the sun made an appearance and the skies cleared. I had just finished decorating the Christmas tree and had a few hours to pop down to nearby Blackie Spit. I was hoping to see the Bohemian Waxwing, alas for the second time I just missed it. I did however see a female Belted Kingfisher hunting and chattering. There were a few flocks of Purple Finches and numerous American Robins, all of which were gorging on Pacific Crabapples.  Around one corner a Cooper's Hawk was eyeing its next meal. I quietly approached, fired one shot and then a passing Seattle-Vancouver train tooted its horn and the bird took off.

 Juvenile Cooper's Hawk (Accipter cooperii)

•                  * Lull, the time of year named from between Christmas and the new year

"It'd never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Monday Morning: Before the Deluge

Monday Dec 8th 2014 Blackie Spit Nature Park. 9c Overcast with sunny breaks.

The weather forecast predicted rain for the week, up to 30 cms, a month's worth in three days. However Monday morning was warm and a little sun did manage to peek through the looming storm clouds. It was perhaps the last opportunity to bird for the next few days.
The tides were high, in places flooding over the spit. Gone were the ever-present Common Loons and the Long-billed Curlew, only a few Green-winged Teal and Mallards were left to battle the waves.
Overhead six Bald Eagles sparred for partners, one with a large stick in its talons headed towards its nest. A Merlin flew past at speed. A Golden-crowned Kinglet flitted from branch to branch. A pair of crows drew my attention to a tree where in it a Sharp-shinned Hawk was eying its next meal.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipter striatus)
This bird was hunting songbirds near the pump house.

I have cropped this image to lose as many of the distracting elements as possible. I have the left hand side anchored by the tree while the branch exits the frame at the top right. The bird is placed in a frame within a frame. Just some of the thought processes us photographers try to apply to our work to make it more interesting to the viewer.

House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)

What drew me to this bird? The delicate way it posed on the bush. The catchlight of the sun in the eye, the Pacific crabapple (Malus fusca) on which it feeds tells a story. There was no need to zoom in and lose the context.

When I first got hooked on bird watching and bird photography I had seen House Finches but never a Purple Finch. I took as many bird walks as possible including one with expert birder Larry Cowan. During one such tour I saw my first Purple. I'll never forget what Larry said to our group.
The difference he said was the Purple Finch looks like it has been "dipped in strawberry jam"


A few metres along the trail a flock of the similar looking Purple Finch, four females and one male were also feeding on the crabapples.

Male Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)

This male Purple Finch has an unusual colour to it. The yellowish hue comes from shooting through a tangle of branches with the aperture wide open. There were till a few yellowish leaves left on the branches. By shooting at the largest aperture i.e. F2.8 or F4, close-by obstacles like shrubbery can be softened and almost made to disappear.

I learnt this trick when I used to shoot baseball for the newspaper. I would stand behind the fence just looking over the shoulder of the catcher and batter and focussing on the pitcher. By shooting wide open the fence wouldn't show up and it looked like there was no obstacle in my way as the pitcher threw. I would catch the ball leaving the pitcher's hand. Try this at F8 and the fence would to show. The other upside is that a wide open aperture tends to give the photographer a higher shutter speed, perfect for bird photography.

As for the photograph above, the end result is an image that I might not have thought about attempting had I not used this technique elsewhere. 

The next shot the female was in the open.

Female Purple Finch

Soon after I returned home it began to rain and rain and rain!

It's never too late to start birding!

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Snow Buntings and More

Nov 19/14 Blackie Spit, Crescent Beach Cloudy 8c.

When I arrived at Blackie Spit it was cold and windy. Usually there are joggers and walkers but as I approached the tip of the spit it was clear I would have the place to myself. I sat and waited. A few minutes later three Snow Buntings flew in to feed on the plant material that had been blown down by the wind and washed upon the shore. The birds fed on the sandy beach, blending in, camouflaged, crouching down motionless when a patrolling Northern Harrier flew overhead. As soon as danger passed they continued their business.

Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)

Adult non-breeding.

The Snow Buntings gleaned seed from these plants washed up after a recent high tide.

First winter bird

Some walkers asked me what I was photographing. They had difficulty locating the birds even though they were only a few metres in front of them. It reminds me of before the time before I started birding. I remember going to 72nd Ave after someone told me there were lots of birds there. I didn't see a thing so I went again and the same thing happened. These days when I go, I often see ten or fifteen species or more without too much difficulty. These days my eyes are wide open.

***

While photographing the Snow Bunting I had made myself quite inconspicuous so much so that the Common Loons and Horned Grebe seemed comfortable with my presence. 

Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)

A harbour seal also patrolled the spit were a rip tide was causing a riffle in the water, perfect fishing location for both seal and loon.

Harbour Seal (Phoca vitulina)

Common Loon (Gavia immer)

***

It was time to move on so I decided to scan the fields along Hornby Drive, who knows what might turn up. I drew a blank.  Eventually I made my way down to 'The Mansion' where thousands of Dunlin and hundreds of Black-bellied Plover were walking in with the flood tide.

Above me a Bald Eagle surveyed the scene, suddenly it launched into the air disturbing two Wilson's Snipe in front of me. It was time to grab the camera. They lifted a few feet in the air and landed into the reeds. A master of disguise they were hard to spot but eventually a slight movement gave them away.

Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)

The other snipe with slightly different plumage. 

Where the time went I will never know but soon the light was fading and it was time to head home for a warm meal.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

A Few Hours at Blackie Spit.

 Nov 6 Blackie Spit, Boundary Bay Cloudy 7c

The next day I accompanied Andrew Foxall around Blackie Spit. There were number of Western Sandpipers, Dunlin, American and Eurasian Wigeon as well as a few hybrids. A Bald Eagle flew overhead and sent the ducks in the air, as the flock circled we also observed five Marbled Godwit and one Long-billed Curlew. The 'six amigos' flew off to the Farm Slough next to the railway track.
Around the tidal pond a Sharp-shinned Hawk was hunting. This is the first shot I took. I eventually moved around to get a 'cleaner' shot without so many intersecting branches. I do however like the Fall colours and the intense look of the bird.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)

The Farm Slough/Blackie Spit.
The spit became a park in 1996 as the result of a Surrey-wide referendum.

The same Sharp-shinned Hawk but standing a few away from the original shot. I prefer this composition for the clean and darker background. Others might prefer the first shot that includes some Fall colour.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale 

Ignoring the Weather Forecast Pays Off!

Oct 20 2014 Boundary Bay/Blackie Spit. Overcast with sunny breaks

It was supposed to be pouring rain all day!

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

I arrived at the base of Delta's 112 St flood tide. Out in the bay thousands of Northern Pintail, Mallard and American Wigeon were feeding. Keeping them company were hundreds of Black-bellied Plovers, a single American Golden Plover, numerous Western Sandpipers, Sanderlings and perhaps two thousand Dunlin.

As the tide rushed in something spooked the flock, most of the sandpipers and plovers flew off. I knew it was time to leave when a beachcomber and dog arrived on the scene. I decided to visit nearby Crescent Beach and Blackie Spit which is a only a ten minute drive away. I had heard there was a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper among the peeps.

A flock of Dunlin and a few Black-bellied Plover are spooked by a Bald Eagle but soon come back to rest.

As the tide rose a dozen Greater Yellowlegs and about 30 Least Sandpipers began to feed quite close to the pathway that leads out to the end of the spit. American and Eurasian Wigeon (possibly hybrids) joined the sandpipers to feed on the submerged grasses.

Dunlin and Least Sandpipers flock together.
Note some of the birds have yellow legs, they are the Least Sandpiper our smallest sandpiper. There is one at the top of the frame as well as a few others.

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)

From a distance I thought I had found the Sharp-tailed but as it immersed into the open the speckled breast gave it away as being a pec. Better luck next time.

Marbled Godwit in flight. I'm not too sure what the other bird is, perhaps a Dunlin?

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

All in all it was a great day outdoors and had I listened to the weatherman I would have stayed home and missed out on a glorious afternoon. It was just one of those quiet days out in nature, hardly a thought to bother me, oblivious of everything except the birds. Life can be sweet at times!

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon
Langley/Cloverdale

A Three Sandpiper Morning

Aug 1/14 White Rock Pier/Blackie Spit/Tsawwassen Ferry 

7a.m White Rock

Yesterday Raymond Ng and I waited an hour for the sun to rise on the White Rock beach. We were there to photograph a Willet. Neither of us had birded much in July so we were hopeful the photo shoot would be productive. The challenge is that in the early morning the Willet tends to hang out on the shaded part of the beach. After an hour of patiently waiting and just as the sun and Willet were in perfect alignment a beachcomber flushed the bird, leaving us with little to show for our efforts. You win some, you lose some and i'll leave out the expletives!
So the next day I decided to give it another try. I arrived to find the Willet closer to the pier and in the only shaft of early morning sunlight available. Again a walker disturbed the bird but by this time I already had a few shots in the bag.

Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
The Willet is one of the  larger members of the sandpiper family. It has a wingspan of 26 inches.

7.45 a.m Blackie Spit, Crescent Beach 

As I had time on my hands I decided to try for the Long-billed Curlew at nearby Blackie Spit. The tide was creeping in as I arrived. I spotted the bird resting on one leg which gave me the opportunity to approach while getting the sun at my back. After twenty minutes creeping across the sand and mud I was close enough for a few shots. I spent about twenty minutes photographing various poses, even one with a reflection, finally the bird walking away at its own pace. I backed off and we both went about our day.

Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)

You your way, i'll go mine!

The Long-billed Curlew is a large sandpiper with a wing span of 35 inches. Listed as uncommon.

11.00 a.m Tsawwassen 

A business meeting at 9.30  meant I would loose the good light, so by the time I got to the ferry terminal the light was less than ideal. Backlight and shimmering heat of the rocks made photography a little challenging. However, I decided to try for a few shots to make it a three sandpiper day.

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

The quality and direction of light had by mid morning deteriorated so much that these two shots lack the quality and 'feel' of the Willet and Long-Billed Dowitcher photographed earlier in the morning. I'm sure a birder would be happy to see them but for the photographer these are just ID shots. The solution is to go again, much earlier and hope for the birds to co-operate.

Photographed with a D300s, 500mm F4 and 1.4x converter.

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/

Dabbling with Ducks Plus Hawks and Finches

Monday  Nov 25 2013. Blackie Spit, Crescent Beach Surrey, B.C. British Columbia.

I have to admit that I have not had the opportunity to study the difference between American and Eurasian Widgeon until today. I had seen them through bins but now I had a mixed flock in right in front of me and within camera range. The flock not only had the two aforementioned species but also a number of hybrids.
I am posting these pictures to see if anyone is actually reading this blog as there is no better way to monitor blog readership than to misidentify a species. Your feedback is appreciated if I have mislabeled any of these beautiful dabbling ducks.

 Male American Wigeon (Anas americana)

American and Eurasian hybrid.
Note: I have been told this actually an Eurasian not hybrid. I'm learning too, thanks to Mike Tabak for the identification.

Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope)

After photographing the ducks on the spit I took a walk into the wooded area east of the car park. There I saw the silhouette of a bird of prey. It turned out to be a Cooper's hawk.

Cooper's Hawk (Accipter cooperii)

The Cooper's swoops down into the undergrowth but was unsuccessful.

 It suddenly flew down from a tree, crashing into the undergrowth, the bird re-appeared sans prey and continued hunting.

The bird was originally perched in a tree and then went diving and hunting in dense bushes.

I managed to grab a few perched shots and then it flew off, even with a high shutter speed the wings are blurred. The most vital part of flight shots is using at least 1/1000 or faster shutter speed to capture a sharp eye, slower speeds can create a blur which spoils the final image.

The weather was cool but sunny so I decided to take a wander to the other end of the conservation area close to the railway line. There are a number of Pacific crab apple and hawthorn trees which are still laden with berries. There I found Downy Woodpeckers, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Northern Flicker, Raven, North-western Crows, Great blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Double crested Cormorants and Purple Finches.

Purple Finch (Carpo purpureus)

A male Purple Finch gorges on Pacific crab apples at Blackie Spit.

Good birding to you all
John Gordon