Various Places/Various Birds

April 10/15 Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary/Richmond Nature Park/Boundary Bay.

Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

On arriving at Reifel we were saddened to hear the Sandhill Crane had lost both eggs. Whether they had been predated or otherwise we couldn't confirm, only that the birds had abandoned their nest. Sanctuary manager Katherine mentioned they might have another attempt to lay depending how amorous they feel.

The goal was to find a pair of Swamp Sparrows which may to may not be breeding in the Reifel's reed beds. Normally the species heads into the interior to breed so it will be interesting to see what unfolds. I almost got a clear shot but there's always another day. 

Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)

On the way out of the sanctuary the Harris Sparrow was hanging around with the Golden-crowned Sparrows.

It's looking a bit rough as it changes into adult plumage.

Harris Sparrow (Zenotrichia querula)

Richmond Nature Park

I just felt like going to photograph some hummingbirds. The nature park has both Rufous and Anna's Hummingbirds and numerous feeders.

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
Juvenile I think?

 Male Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus)

Next up was the surprise arrival of a flock of Red Crossbill. They came in so quickly for a drink at a small pond that I ended up underexposing the few shots I did manage to fire off. The result grainy pix.

Male Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirosta)

Juvenile males?

Juvenile female Red Crossbill.

After all the excitement that lasted just a few minutes, it was back to the other birds where a number of species were sharing a feeder with a Douglas Squirrel.

Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii)

 Male Purple Finch ( Carpodacus purpureus)

Male House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)

Female Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

I photographed this Great Blue Heron while waiting for the Golden Eagle. If I remember right I shot it handheld with the 500mm F4 because I had just arrived and hadn't put up my tripod.

Below is a Bald Eagle shot from the same spot but this time on a tripod. I have dozens of Bald Eagle shots but this one has a little more expression in the bird's face than most.

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

About a month ago Boundary Bay was inundated with Bald Eagles. From one spot alone a group of us counted 180 birds wheeling around in the thermals. As the weather warms the eagles slowly disperse and us birders turn our attentions to warblers, terns and shorebirds. Some of us will head to the Interior for desert and alpine species and others for the prairies to bird for grassland species.  Wherever your birding takes you I wish you the best of luck and good birding.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

Leucisitic Red-winged Blackbird and Others.

Mar 7 2014 Birding in Delta and Richmond/Overcast

Morning Birding

Hornby and 104th Delta British Columbia. Canada

A Leucistic Red-winged Blackbird (foreground) feeds in a backyard at Hornby and 104th St, Delta. I had just told my birding companion I had never found anything unusual and two minutes later this guy!

The Leucistic Red-wing Blackbird sits in a fruit tree after the flock was spooked. There were about 20 females and a few males in the flock. They were feeding at a well stocked feeder.

                                                 

Afternoon Birding

Riverport and Steveston in Richmond.

Townsend's Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi)
I was drawn into this composition by the fragility of the buds, the matching colour of the bird and building in the background. Then it began to sing.

I chose this frame from the others in the series because it does show that a little luck is needed sometimes. The fraction of a second it took for this Townsend' Solitaire to pluck and toss this coneaster berry into its mouth would be very difficult to time. I just happened to catch the moment perfectly. 

                                       Richmond Nature Park. Westminster Hwy/No 5 Rd

DownyWoodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Normally Downy woodpeckers are always on the move. They have been  quite a challenge to photograph.
This one however decided to take a nap.  I have several other shots with his eyes rolling then closed.
The notch in the wood held something of interest when occasionally the bird would dip its beak into the hollow. I can't remember who lost interest first, the bird or me.


Then it was on to the hummingbird feeder.

Male Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna)
A pair of these beautiful bird were feeding and gathering nest material (spiders web) on a very overcast gloomy afternoon. Rather than miss the shots I photographed at 1250 ISO to get a little higher shutter speed. I'll settle for noise in the picture over no picture at all. Technically it is all over the place (depth of field etc) but it is only the third or fourth time I have photographed these amazing creatures. The background is an ugly outbuilding so I chose an angle that would exclude the ugliest parts of the building. The result is an uncluttered backdrop with what I think is complimentary colour scheme. If you disagree let me know, feedback is important for artistic growth.

Male Anna's displaying throat and crown.

Female Anna's Hummingbird

Again I had an absolutely amazing day, completely absorbed with birds, the woods and fields and shoreline.
In between these photographs I drove down to the foreshore and watched thousands of Dunlin swirling along the ebb tide on Boundary Bay. What a sight to behold and the migration hasn't really started yet!

Good Birding
John Gordon