In Search of Rusty

The Spit: Burnaby Lake Regional Park Oct 2, 2012
It wasn't hard to find the Rusty blackbirds, all one had to do was follow the steady stream of photographers and "birders" who had congregated at the lake's boardwalk. It had been several years since a Rusty had been seen in Vancouver so the birds have been drawing a steady stream of visitors all Thanksgiving weekend.
I'm not too sure why, but even passersby using their iPhones were snapping pix, what they'll do with the images is anybody's guess. Perhaps they didn't want to feel left out!
I digress, The two birds were very obliging, feeding on grain and insects at close range. The key was waiting for the little sun to break through the morning fog so as to illuminate their colourful plumage.

The Rusty blackbird (Non breeding female)

 The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a medium-sized blackbird, closely related to grackles (Rusty Grackle is an older name for the species).

Note the rusty crown and prominent pale supercilium of the Fall famale.

Habitat

Their breeding habitat is wet temperate coniferous forests and muskeg across Canada and Alaska. The cup nest is located in a tree or dense shrub, usually over water. Birds often nest at the edge of ponds/wetland complexes and travel large distances to feed at the waters edge. Emerging dragonflies and their larvae are important food items during the summer.

These birds migrate to the eastern and southeastern United States, into parts of the Grain Belt, sometimes straying into Mexico.

Much of the time is spent in the water feeding on aquatic insects and plant matter.

Ever on the lookout for a tasty morsel, the Rusty blackbird poses for the camera at Burnaby Lake.

Least Sandpiper

Least sandpiper showing fall plumage (Boundary Bay)

The Least sandpiper is the smallest Pacific peep. It feeds in and around tide pools, picking off insects wherever they can be found. This particular bird came within ten feet of me, too close even to focus, it allowed me to watch it feeding, preening and sleeping. As I lay motionless it was joined by five Semipalmated plovers, a small flock of Pectorals and an American golden-plover.
I was able to back away from all the birds without disturbing their behavoir.

Long Distance Traveler

The breeding habitat of American Golden Plover is Arctic tundra from northern Canada and Alaska. They nest on the ground in a dry open area. They are migratory and winter in southern South America. They follow an elliptical migration path; northbound birds pass through Central America about January–April and stage in great numbers in places like Illinois before their final push north. In fall, they take a more easterly route, flying mostly over the western Atlantic and Caribbean Sea to the wintering grounds in Patagonia. (Wikipedia)

American golden-plover/ Boundary Bay

The bird has one of the longest known migratory routes of over 25,000 miles. Of this, 2,400 miles is over open ocean where it cannot stop to feed or drink. It does this from body fat stores that it stocks up on prior to the flight. It is a regular vagrant to western Europe.

Three Plovers

The generosity of fellow birder Jim Martin sharing his find led to my first close-up view of an American golden-plover (Pluvialis dominica)

Golden Plovers

Moments before I had just finished photographing a small flock of Black-bellied plovers when I saw Jim a few hundred feet away. I was careful not to disturb his time with the birds when he beckoned me over to share the experience..how cool is that!

Golden Plover stretching; Note the golden plumage absent in the Black-bellied Plover below.

There were two birds resting and feeding along the tideline. The American golden-plover is not that common and among the thousands of Black-bellied plover (Pluvialis squatarola) spread out on Boundary Bay they can easily be overlooked. This is where the experience of knowledgeable birders like Jim and Mike Tabak can point out the finer details between the species to those of us are 'shore bird challenged' During a four hour photo session I also photographed a third plover, the Semipalmated plover (Charasdrius semipalmatus)
Another great day out which ended with a glorious Fall sunset and a few more shorebirds, including a "lifer" which i'll post in a second blog.

Black-bellied plover (left and above)

Semipalmated Plover

American Pipits (A master of disguise)

Two "lifers" is two days make for one very happy birder. After spending the morning at Blackie Spit with the Langley Field Naturalists (see Anne's blog at bottom of page) I went to the base of 104th St on Boundary Bay in search of American Pipits. A flock of 40 were feeding on insects among the seaweed left by the receding tide. Other birds noted were Black-bellied plover, Western sandpiper, Least sandpiper and Northern harrier. What is apparent for their survival is how well camouflaged (see pic #1) Pipits are as they comb the beach for insects. The ever present Northern harrier kept the flock moving each time it would glide past making photography somewhat of a challenge. As soon as the  birds would come into range for a decent shot the silhouette of the Harrier would scatter the birds only for them to slowlymake their way back to my hiding spot. These shots were taken over a one hour period.
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http://www.johngordonsphotography.com

American Pipit: Note the camouflage.

A better composition when perched on a stump separates the bird and background

Gaining the trust of a bird leads to a more pleasing image.

Some of the birds seen at the Blackie Spit walk.

Long-billed curlew with hermit crab at Blackie Spit

Marbled godwit and Long-billed  curlew showing bill differences

For anne's account of the day see link below

http://anneisforthebirds.wordpress.com/2012/09/22/blackies-spit-surrey-bc-with-al-g-september-21-2012/

Identity crisis! The Gull

This photograph of what I think is a Glaucous-winged gull was taken at Victoria's Beacon Hill Park in 1984. At the time it made me chuckle (it still does) so when I came across it last week during a cull of the thousands of slides I had shot between 1983-2000 I thought it deserved to see the light of day!

I was shot on Kodachrome 64. I went digital in 2000/2001 shooting a D1x moving on to a D2x and am currently using the D300 and D300s. My first digital camera cost $6500, today a better file can be produced with a $600 Nikon D3200.

In search of the Green Heron

A "lifer" is birder terminology for finding a new bird for one's checklist. I had heard one had been seen feeding on frogs and fish at Burnaby Lake Regional Park. Having never seen a green heron before it was with much excitement that soon after I arrived the bird flew in to feed on fish and frogs. The Green heron is at its most northern range in British Columbia and will head south before the first frosts arrive, this bird is thought to have been raised in one of the lakes tributaries.

Green heron catches a salmon fry