Hope for Birds

Nov 5/15 Hope Airport Fraser Valley BC Mixed clouds and sun 8c

The original plan was to search for Ptarmigan on local mountains east of Hope but the snow was just too thick to make any headway. We decided to return to Hope where the sun was out and the ground dry. We first checked out the sewage lagoon and creek that runs into the Fraser River just east of the airport. Our first sightings were a distant American Dipper, a Peregrine Falcon, a Red-tailed Hawk and numerous Bald Eagles.
Walking around with the Nikon 200mm-500mm allows me to shoot much like a street photographer unencumbered by a tripod. I love the freedom to shoot record shots like the ones you'll find in this blog. These are the views that birders might see on their excursions.

American Dipper.

American Kestrel patrols the airport.

This Mountain Bluebird found just west of Airport Road caught plenty of large grubs from a farmers field. Check the fence poles where it has been leaving its mark.

A pleasant surprise, a Nashville Warbler. Not what  I expected to find but a welcome addition to my goal of 300 Canadian species for 2015.

A tricky customer which wouldn't sit still. I also photographed a Palm Warbler in the same bush but didn't realize it until I sifted through my files when I returned home.

A flock of Pine Siskins feast on Alder seeds.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

Cheam Wetlands

I cannot believe I had never visited Cheam Wetlands just East of Chilliwack. We only had an hour of decent light in which time the thirty or so Trumpeter Swans already on the lake were joined by a further 120, quite an evening as the sun peeked out for one last time from behind the only cloud in the sky.

A newly arrived family of Trumpeter Swans

Sunset and Trumpeter Swans.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

   

Tropical In Steveston

Tuesday Oct 13 2015 West Dyke, Steveston Village/Richmond. Sunny 14c

After the Canada Thanksgiving weekend I desperately needed an excuse to walk off all the turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie I had eaten. With that in mind I made my way out for a full day of birding. My first stop was to be West Dyke near Steveston Village.
It was a new location for me and the news that a Tropical Kingbird had been seen the previous day had me stoked. If I could find the vagrant it would be a Canada year bird #268. The Tropical Kingbird is a rare visitor to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver area so the opportunity to see it was too much to pass up.
There was one last year at Brunswick Point and another a few years before that. We had just had a small storm which originated in Pacific Ocean which may have blown it off course and brought it to our shores. The species is more at home in arid Arizona, hopefully it will eventually find its way home. Meanwhile here are some pix.

Tropical Kingbird with grasshopper.

The bird spent the morning hawking insects from small Pacific Crabapple tree

A flying ant becomes the kingbird's next meal

The kingbird has incredible eyesight and would fly 50-60 yards to snag and insect. It seemed more intent on
hawking insects and seemed oblivious of passersby, cyclist and photographers.

                   I used the Nikon D7100 and Nikon 200mm-500mm zoom handheld 400 ISO. Just for fun I prepared 16'x20" and 20"x 24" prints using the 200mm-500mm. They look fantastic!

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada