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

Some Winter Birds

Dec 14, 2014 Boundary Bay Regional Park Sunny 5c

Every Lower Mainland birder knows the parking lot at the end of 72nd Ave. It's an especially busy place in the winter when the owls return. If I turn right onto the dyke I could join the hordes photographing the Long-eared Owl.
However, if I turn left out of the parking lot I have the dyke pathway almost to all to myself, except that is for a few joggers and Sunday afternoon walkers.
I have a few hours to see what will turn up. Song sparrows are most common species followed by distinctive Marsh Wren's territorial cry tektuk tektuk.  

Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)

Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
Often overlooked, the Song Sparrow as the latin name implies has a beautiful song.

Next up and not too far from the parking lot a small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers were hawking insects from a bush. It was enough warmth for a hatch of some kind but I couldn't identify any of the insects. Yellow-rumped Warblers are one of the few warblers who can switch to berries when its too cold for insect life.

Yellow-rumped Warbler  (Dendroica coronata)

Further along the dyke was one of the 'target' species I had hoped to photograph. Among a flock of White-crowned Sparrows was an American Tree Sparrow. Note the bi-coloured beak, one of the field markings to separate it from the immature white-crowned which it can be easily confused with.

American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)

The light was failing, the sun setting on a glorious afternoons birding. I thought to make a little detour before going home, commonly referred to by photographers as 'one more shot' 

Anyway, everyone had gone home, the dyke was deserted and the light was fading. I had to crank the ISO up to 3200 then 6400 for the Cooper's Hawk, a far cry from shooting birds on Kadachrome 64. Digital has been boon for photographers with the gap between 'professional' and hobbyist narrowing each year.

Cooper's Hawk (Accipter cooperii)

 The light was getting quite low when I spotted this Cooper's Hawk eying something off in the distance. Ten minutes later I stumbled on the same bird at a different location. I had to use ISO 6400 and slow shutter speed, as the bird busily tore apart a duck.

Cooper's Hawk with prey

As the day ended I turned to salute the sun, just then a Northern Harrier flew by patrolling the fields for its next meal.

Northern Harrier (Circus cynaeus)

It's never too late to start birding

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

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

Mortal Enemies

Nov 29/14 Boundary Bay. Sunny and cold -1c

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

There were two Barn Owls in a Cedar tree. I was told that one was male, the other a female. The one above looks to be the female and below the male. The pair were quite content being photographed from a distance through the thick foliage. The out of focus splashes of colour are from using the lens wide open. The term used by photographers is selective focus, the technique is very useful in bird photography when a bird is partially obscured.

After photographing the owls for a few minutes another photographer came and joined us but in his rush for a clear/better shot he approached too close for comfort and the birds flew the roost. Puns aside, no shot is that important that the birds are forced from their daytime roost. What bothered me is that the bird flew the past a tree inhabited by a pair of fearsome looking Great Horned Owls, who if they had the chance would make short work of the Barn Owls.

Barn Owls are uncommon. The lack of nest sites like older barns and older forests are fast disappearing.

The Lower Mainland's population of Barn Owls is being monitored to the extent that landowners reports birds in barns and elsewhere. Recently a nest with owlets were found under the old Port Mann Bridge while the structure was being dismantled. Those birds were transferred to care for a potential release later.

Barn Owls are found worldwide. 

A nocturnal hunter, it finds its prey more often by sound.

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianis)

These images came at the end of a day that began on Sumas Prairie where we glimpsed a Gryfalcon hunting but not much else. The wind kept many birds hunkered down. A flock fifty Western Meadowlark was the other highlight on what was a beautifully sunny but cold day.

"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

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/

Some Snowstorm Shots Feb 24/14

A Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliac) Sooty Pacific sub species checks out my new D7100.

                              

  Feb 24/14 Boundary Bay/Blowing Snow. 

The snow kept falling all day. Like a winter wonderland Boundary Bay was transformed, it's inhabitants continuing to go about their everyday business of finding a meal. A quiet descended on the bay as all local air transport ground to a halt, no roaring take-offs or noisy coal trains in the distance. The only sounds were the patter of snow flakes beating on the our Parka hoods. Wonderful how these moments blot out the idle thought process, being in the moment with the birds is enough. I'll take that any day!

A Short-eared Owl (Asio flames) surveys the snow covered fields.

A Short-eared Owl glides through the snow storm looking for any movements that might indicate a meal.

(Happi burdus) A bit of snow didn't deter us from enjoying the day.

Golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)

It would have been easy to look out the window as the snow kept falling but without the effort a golden opportunity to photograph birds in a rare Vancouver snowstorm would have been missed. I'm glad I took the time and was rewarded with these avian portraits.

Good Birding

John Gordon

Birds on the Bay and Beyond Poster

Feb 16/14  Birds on the Bay Poster.

I was honoured when Jude Grass asked me to contribute a photo of a Whimbrel for the current Birds on the Bay programs.

                                                 
                                                       Birds on the Bay programs link

Some more pictures of Whimbrel migrating through Boundary Bay. The birds rest and feed around Boundary Bay and surrounding farmland, fuelling up before heading northward. Whimbrel breed in the Arctic sub-artic heath and marshland and migrate back to South America following breeding and rearing their young. 

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

I used a D300 with 500mm F4 and a 1.4 TC converter handheld to snag this flight shot. The poster picture was reversed for compositional considerations with my permission.

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)