Catching Up

May 6 2015 Various Lower Mainland Locations Sunny and Warm

It has been a whirlwind of a week. I landed up in emergency Saturday morning after I fell and jammed my hand, hence the lack of blogging. I finally managed to drive again and spent a few hours out shooting both the lightweight Nikon P900 and the heavier Tamron 150mm-600mm. I still can't carry the Nikon 500mm, tripod and camera body.
Here are pix from these two systems and brief explanation to how they came about.

Brewer's Blackbird

All three pictures were taken from my car on the same heap of manure pile at the side of 184 St and 8th Ave. The pungent smell was one thing, worst the wind was coming toward me filling my car with a pungent aroma, as soon as the flies started to arrive it was time to go. The things us birders have to put up with, if it isn't a sewage pond or garbage dump it's a manure pile!
It was also late in the morning the sun was high and the lighting dreadful but I was just happy to get out of my chair and get birding again after my minor mishap. I shot these with a beanbag to hold the camera and lens steady with the Tamron 150mm-600mm. 

I have had the lens a year now and I am still enjoying it mainly due to the opportunities it has given me to capture images I might not have been able to. However is you are using the Nikon 300mm F4 with a 1.4 or 1.7 converter much the same results can be achieved except for there is no VR. Nikon have just released a super sharp 300 F4 which has VR and can be paired with the above converters which may give sharper results, albeit at a cost. Saying that, check out my blog with the Lapland Longspurs a few weeks ago and you'll see the Tamron under good light is very capable and a less expensive solution.

For example I took the Tamron to the UK for a month in Jan 2015 (see Blog) and it worked fine, so much so that I never used the monopod I had packed.

Savannah Sparrow

Whimbrel

Rufous Hummingbird Nikon P900 Brydon Lagoon

This blog should appear before the X country ramble, I just realized I had forgotten to post it.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley /Cloverdale

X Canada 'Little Big Year' Part 1 and 2

May 11 2015 Salmon Arm Day 1 Sunny 12c

The first leg of my X country trip began May 12 in Cloverdale BC. Instead of birding the Okanagan I was anxious to get on with my journey so I headed straight for Salmon Arm, a six hour drive away where I would spent my first night. I arrived in the afternoon to a blustery day and lousy light. Next morning at the pier a single Dunlin fed on the foreshore while a Beaver dove down for plant material, only re-surfacing to chew on his meal.

Beaver feeding on tubers.

The morning light reflected off the the water made a fine backdrop for a Western Grebe. Last year when I visited the grebes were dancing and the water much higher due to the snow melt. This year the melt is yet to come and the dancing grounds were bone dry. Looking around I don't see much snow on the mountains and with the fire season around the corner I wonder if we are in for a very dry summer. Without the grebe dancing shots I decided to 'Monet' the bird, so colourful were the colours reflected in the water.

Western Grebe a la Monet

Next up was one of the nesting pair of Osprey that frequent the pier area. The pair have one chick which appears to be about the same size as the adults.

An Osprey scopes the water waiting for an unwary quarry.

It was time to move on and head over the Rocky Mountains, a true test of my underpowered VW Westfalia.

                                                                          ******

May 12 2015 Rocky Mountains Sunny 12c

Elk beside the road near Banff.

Climbing through the Rockies I decided to visit Lake Louise to do the tourist thing, as I have been there a number of times before I am not too sure why I wanted to see it again, maybe it would be different in springtime,. This time the lake was partially frozen. A Clarke's Nutcracker made most of the tourists picnic leftovers and the busload of Brits from Manchester stood open mouthed as they stared at the glacier and took their requisite photos. 

Sulphur Mountain 2451metres Banff .

The area where I will bird for the next two weeks before making my way to Winnipeg and beyond.

Some of the species found in the watershed flowing from the Rockies.

Clarke's Nutcracker shot with a 17mm-55mm at 50mm. I was shooting a scenic and left my telephoto in the van.

Lake Louise still partially frozen in mid May.

As I leave BC my 2015 BC year list is 155 Species. I will continue toad new species as I travel eastward for a Canada list.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

Queen Elizabeth Park Fallout

April 26 2015 Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver BC Canada. Sunny and warm 16c

I had read about 'Fallouts' but had never actually witnessed the phenomenon. That changed Monday, what an unforgettable sight. Two years ago I watched birds arriving on the tip of Point Pelee but that was quite different to the scene at Queen Elizabeth Park. The highest point in Vancouver City, the former quarry and now a park resplendent in not only flowers, shrubs and ornamental trees but birdlife too. The park is an oasis of calm. I often see people just sitting, meditating or and doing nothing, an increasingly rare sight these days.

Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)

The Bushtits were extra busy collecting insects and caterpillars especially as the new influx of warblers seemed to transform the park in a veritable hive of activity.

The Hutton's was lifer for me. I had been searching for one on my last few visits to the park. I thought I could hear a vireo singing so I played a song for 30 secs and within moments this curious Hutton's came out to see what the bother was all about.

(fig1) Hutton's Vireo (Vireo atricapillus) 

The prolonged playing of calls at this time of year should be done with great caution so as not to bring attention to a bird's nest or its whereabouts. Crows and Sharp-shinned Hawks are always on the prowl for an easy meal.

 (fig 2) Hutton's Vireo

In photo composition and in the West we read from left to right so we are programmed in a way to look at images that way. In the above picture (fig 2) the bird is looking from right to left. The first Hutton's (fig1) the birds is looking from left to right.

Which of the two Hutton Vireos images do you think is easier on your eye. Please let me know.

Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata)

Such an accommodating bird, the Orange Crowned Warbler seems more comfortable with human activity than many of the other warblers except perhaps the Yellow-rumped. Orange-crowned Warblers nest in the Lower Mainland and beyond and are one of the true harbingers of springtime.

Townsend's Warbler

Use selective focus (above) when you can't get a clear view of the subject. This was common problem during the QE warbler fallout as many of the birds fed under the canopy of the trees. The technique is not always successful but worth the effort. When shooting through the leaves use a wide open aperture like F4 or F5.6 which still enables a shot to be taken like the one above. One advantage is that it often shows more of the environment as photographers often zoom in too close loosing all sense of place. I'm an expert at that!

Later and this is where the thinking cap comes in, a photograph hopefully contains some behavioural traits, what a radical concept that is! Perhaps a bird eating, diving, soaring, or mating. Sometimes an incredible image might show 90 environment and 10 percent bird. Of course this takes an even amount skill, time, patience and quite a bit of luck.

Townsend's Warbler (Dendroica townsendi)

Note the ragged leaves of the cherry tree where a green caterpillar hatch made a perfect hunting ground for the flock of warblers travelling through the park.

Female Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Audubon)

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is one of the most common warblers seen in the Lower Mainland, some overwinter here. They have the ability to change their diet from insects to seeds as the seasons change.

Yellow-Dumped Warbler (Myrtle)

Other birds noted were the Black-throated Gray Warbler, Townsend's Solitaire, Wilson's Warbler, Nashville Warbler and Warbling Vireo, all were busily feeding after their long journey.

Wilson's Warbler (Wilsonia pusilla)

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

Odds and Sods/April Birding

April has been a bit of a whirlwind so getting down to some birding and blogging has been difficult. Needless to say I have been around and about visiting Boundary Bay, Iona, Burnaby Mountain, Brydon Lagoon, Maplewood Flats and Squamish Estuary. The last two produced no photographs but not every outing produces, besides I was doing babysitting duty close to the latter, a good excuse to bird further afield.

First up is a shot from a week or two ago. I had hoped to photograph owls at dusk but it became too dark. On the way back to the car I saw this Great Blue Heron hunting in a ditch. It was quite dark but the soft light sky reflecting onto the water made for the perfect silhouette. At least I had something to show for my efforts.

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

                                                                        *******

A few days later I visited Iona Sewage Treatment plant. Only birders would willingly spent hours scouring the stinky ponds for a rare sandpiper or duck. The odours are soon forgotten when a Wilson's Snipe is spotted then a Least Sandpiper.

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolour)

                                                     A Tree Swallow takes a break from hunting insects. 

                                                                         ******


One of the most difficult sandpipers to differentiate are the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Seen together there are obvious differences but separately confusion can arise.

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

A pair of Lesser Yellowlegs.

The Lesser Yellowlegs (foreground) is easily differentiated from the larger Greater Yellowlegs when seen together.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale 

BC Canada

Getting Soaked/Grant Narrows Walk

April 24 2015 Grant Narrows. Rain and More Rain 10c

The road to Grant Narrows and Catbird Slough

A very wet Sandhill Crane at Catbird Slough.

Finally the crane (Grus canadenis) flew off 

We made our way along the trail to the first lookout. Because of the wind, few birds were showing. The most evident species were the Rufous Hummingbirds. All went well until the surrounding mountains began to disappear behind huge rain cloud. The sky looked ominous so we thought it prudent to take shelter. We waited for the rain to abate but it never did. Not the greatest for birding but we did see a Merlin hunting, tree swallows swooping for insects and an amazing duel between an Osprey and a Bald Eagle, the latter making the fish hawk drop its catch. It rained so much I couldn't get out my Tamron for fear of drowning it so I took a very quick took a shot with my new 'pocket' camera, the P900. The Varied Thrush shot below is the result.

Female Varied Thrush (Ixoreus navies) shot with Nikon P900
All others Tamron 150mm-600mm

Species Count

White crowned Sparrow     Red winged Blackbird     Varied Thrush     Spotted Towhee     Rufus Hummingbird 

Tree Swallow     Common Yellow-Throat    Song Sparrow    Purple Finch     Black-capped Chickadee     Flycatcher ?

Bewick's Wren {HEARD ONLY}    Dark-eyed Junco      Green Winged Teal     Bald Eagle     American Wigeon     Merlin    

Ruby -crowned Kinglet     Osprey     Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon) Scaup     Norther Flicker     Anna's Hummingbird

Fox Sparrow     Sandhill Crane     Canada Goose     American Robin    Cooper Hawk    Great Blue Heron    Mallard

White-crowned Sparrow      Orange crowed Warbler Greater Yellowlegs

Despite the torrential rain and the ensuing cold everyone seemed to have a good time proving that a little rain never deters "Wet Coasters" from enjoying our birding.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

Nature Vancouver Birding Feld Trips

This weekend there are 

3 Nature Vancouver birding field trips 

as follows:

Saturday, April 25. Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver

Meet the leader Adrian Grant Duff at 8:30AM in the east parking lot near Wallace St. & 3rd Ave. for a half day of birding through Jericho Park. 

Saturday, April 25. Port Coquitlam's northern dykes. 

Join Larry Cowan for a half-day birding field trip at Port Coquitlam’s Pitt River Dyke, from the Fremont Reclamation area (just north of Lougheed Hwy.) to the parking area at DeBoville Slough. This field trip covers some excellent dyke-side habitats. They will be on the lookout for Spring migrants. Meet in the gravel parking lot adjacent to the washroom facilities at Cedar Drive & Victoria Drive in NE Port Coquitlam at 8:30AM. They will then carpool to the starting point at the Fremont Reclamation area.

Sunday, April 26. Deer Lake Park, Burnaby.

Deer Lake Park is in central Burnaby, between Royal Oak Avenue and Sperling Avenue. This leisurely walk around the lake (about 4 km), includes mixed coniferous/deciduous forest, open-field habitat and the lake itself, resulting in a good variety of birds. There have been 94 species recorded in this park in April since 2003. Meet the leader Colin Clasen at 8:00AM in the paved parking lot beside Sperling Avenue, at the east end of the lake, next to the boat rental/washrooms. 

If you are a new participant, then before the field trip, please read the Nature Vancouver Release of Liability form at:

http://naturevancouver.ca/sites/naturevancouver.ca/VNHS%20files/4/ReleaseOfLiabiltyForm.pdf

Early Morning Birding at Iona Jetty

April 20 2015 Iona Regional Park Richmond BC Sunny 17c

The alarm went off at 5 am and again thirty minutes later. The plan was to drive to Iona Regional Park to look for a Lapland Longspur that had been seen the day before. I had only ever photographed them in the Autumn so I was looking forward to seeing one in full breeding plumage.
Because I had slept in the sun was already up when I arrived. A cold wind was blowing for the north-west, I wished I had brought gloves. I made my way out to where the bird had last been seen the evening before at around the 150 marker. Numbered markers run the length of the 4km (2.5mile) jetty. It is very popular with walkers and cyclists, especially on the weekends.

A  male Lapland Longspur seems unperturbed by a passing walker.

There were only two of us on the jetty. Eventually I saw some bird movement but it turned out to be a false alarm, just a pair of Savannah Sparrows. I keep searching and finally I found my quarry, a splendid adult with rufus nape and black face.

Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus)

I continued to photograph until a few more people passed and flushed the bird. When I relocated the first bird, a female suddenly flew in and joined the male. They continued to feed on seeds before the foot traffic became distracting,  by mid-morning it was getting warm, the light harsh and time for brunch.

The female longspur holds a seed between its beak.

1. 

   Female (left) and male






                                                            

          The Iona Jetty 

1. On the walk back to the car the cries of Caspian Terns drew my attention. They were quite far out and high above but with the Tamron 150mm-600mm I was able to zoom in a catch a few shots. All images were taken hand held.

   
   Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)

   
   

2. 

   American Wigeon (Anas americana)

   
   
   
   
   "It's never too late to start birding"
3. John Gordon
4. Langley /Cloverdale