Monck Provincial Park/Nicola Lake

 July 20 2016 Monck Provincial Park, Nicola Lake Nr Merritt BC. Sunny 31c

We, the wife and I found Monck Provincial Park by accident. Motoring along the 5A to Kamloops with no particular place to go and no plan we decided to follow a sign toward the Monck Provincial Park. Located on the south-eastern shore of Nicola Lake the park sits on a volcanic rock cliff and protects a pristine ponderosa pine and bunchgrass ecosystem. There are 120 campsites, most of which are close to the water, more importantly AND if I had taken to the time to check eBird beforehand, an excellent spot for birding.
We rolled into the campground sans a reservation and found at nice site overlooking the lake. After the three hour drive from the Fraser Valley it was time to have a well deserved cold beer. No sooner had I settled down with a good book when a few hundred feet away I spotted an osprey coming toward me. By the time I had my camera ready it had landed in a tree near our site. Moments later I see yet another osprey coming into sight, this time with a large fish. According to the brochure we were given there are twenty-six species of fish in the lake but it sure looked like the osprey was carrying a trout. One beer later I set off to see what I could hear coming from the wooded cliff face. I was surprised to find three osprey nests within a short distance of each other and three sets of adults bringing fish to their eager young, most of which were already taking their first tentative flights from the nest.

I climbed up the hill from my campsite to get a little better view and found two more nests.

The ponderosa forest was alive with the sound of Western wood-pewee and Cassin's finch.

This Osprey spotted me and circled around the nest until I hid behind a tree. Then and only then did it land and feed its offspring.

An osprey glides toward the nest with a sizeable trout. Note the dorsal fin or perhaps it's Kokanee, a type of landlocked salmon.

Another cagey bird checking me out.

Back at the campsite I settled down to eat. A few bites into the meal the silence was interrupted by not one, not two but four merlin screeching around our heads, an acrobatic display of some beauty.
I missed the shot of course but no sooner had I finished the meal than it was time to follow the merlins which could be heard down by the lake. The two youngsters squeaking incessantly while the parents hunted sat patiently in a snag awaiting their return

Any thoughts whether this Merlin is from the Taiga or Black race?

A pair of Juvenile Merlin waiting for their next meal.

The vocalization of the merlin is a ki ki ki ki ki.

I am not too sure what rodent this merlin has caught but the tail doesn't look like a tree striped chipmunk, the most common rodents the park.

Three-striped chipmunk.

Next morning before we left I took a quick walk down to the beach where I found a fledgling spotted sandpaper and nearby the adult.

Fledgling spotted sandpiper. Note the lack of spots.

"The parent" keeps one eye on the photographer and the other on the chick.

Leaving the beach toward the wooded area I hear more osprey and perhaps by the noise coming from the trees even more nests. Could there have been five or more nests in this one campground alone?

In the amongst the ponderosa there were some female finches but it wasn't until I came across this colourful Cassin's that I could positively identify the birds in question.

Cassin's finch.

Before leaving there was time to walk back to the Westfalia and from nowhere a Clarks's nutcracker took flight from the trees around the campsite. We camped at the lower numbered sites 5 through 12 but anywhere could provide good birding.

Clarke's Nutcracker.

We were at the site less than eighteen hours and soon we were off to Douglas Ranch, a half million acres of open grassland, lakes and mixed forest. We saw plenty of birds, stunning scenery and met a number of friendly people. We'll be going back in the next spring to do some proper birding.

"It's never late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Meanwhile: Some Bits and Bobs from the Birding World

Late June/Early July 2016

I'm back in Canada. I managed to find time for a few hours birding over the last two weeks, mostly to clear my thoughts and move on with life. It's good to be home.



I spent a day a few days near Walton-on-Thames where I was kindly shown around a few of the local reservoirs and gravel pits. I had a fleeting glance of a hobby and good views of a common whitethroat, both lifers.

Common Whitethroat (sylvia communis)
A summer visitor to Britain and Europe and winters in the southern Sahara.
The common whitethroat is one of the fourteen species of warbler that breed in the UK

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)
A sparrow of heath , fields and moorland

A cool story!

https://loonproject.org/2016/06/28/misdirected-parental-care-loons-rear-a-goldeneye-duckling/

July 16/17 2016 Back home on my local patch Brydon Lagoon

Juvenile Green Heron.

Common Yellowthroat carrying food to the nest.

Anna's Hummingbird nest building in July.

Brydon Lagoon Langley, Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, CA

Jul 13, 2016 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Protocol: Traveling

3.0 kilometer(s)

Comments:     Includes wooded area

22 species

Canada Goose  40

Mallard  26

Green Heron  1

Bald Eagle  1

Anna's Hummingbird  1

Rufous Hummingbird  4

Belted Kingfisher  1

Hairy Woodpecker  1

Northern Flicker  2

Willow Flycatcher  2

Violet-green Swallow  4

Black-capped Chickadee  12

Bushtit  6

Bewick's Wren  2

Swainson's Thrush  3

American Robin  4

Common Yellowthroat  8     Numerous breeding pairs in the wetland area.

Song Sparrow  2

Spotted Towhee  2

Black-headed Grosbeak  1

Red-winged Blackbird  12

House Sparrow  14

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30677532

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Staying closer to home, catching up on the garden which is beginning to look beautiful. Put in a rockery, planted some new perennials and enjoying the BBQ.

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale 

BC Canada

Species re-discovered

I haven't done much birding lately. I have had a couple of lifers while in the UK. A common whitethroat near Walton-on Thames and tonight a yellowhammer at Tidenham Chase in Gloucestershire. 

Meanwhile here is a good news story.

Blue-eyed Ground Dove re-discovered

John

Birds and Fish

Join us this Sunday to learn about forage fish or for morning birding! Sunday, June 26, 9am-4pm Forage Fish Spawning Workshop 9am-1pm Classroom session st Beecher Place (12160 Beecher Street) 1:30pm-4pm Practical session on Crescent Beach The purpose of this workshop is to train and develop teams to survey beaches around Boundary Bay for forage fish eggs. Forage fish are important prey species and fuel the coastal marine food chain. Sea Watch Society Executive Director and Scientist, Ramona de Graaf, will be leading this technical workshop. Ramona is a marine biologist and oversees the province-wide research program to document and protect beach-spawning forage fish habitat. No experience required, minimum volunteer commitment is two surveys over the next year. To sign-up email Sarah at register@birdsonthebay.ca Sunday, June 26, 9-11am Birds on the Bay Morning Birding at the Little Campbell Hatchery Walk with Lynn & Ron through the forest trails by the Little Campbell River. Look high in the trees, down through the shrubs, and along the river in search of wildlife - including a pair of barred owls with their chicks!  Meet at the Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club, 1284 184th St. Dress for the weather. Binoculars available to borrow if you don't have your own. Check our website calendar for other upcoming events and activities. Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/FriendsofSemiahmooBay

Spotted Owl Fundraider

The Northern Spotted Owl is Canada’s most endangered bird, with fewer than 30 individuals remaining in BC. At the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Centre we are working to keep this iconic West Coast species from being extirpated from Canada. As the only breeding program for the Spotted Owl in the world we are writing the book on captive breeding for this amazing bird. Our long term goals include producing up to 20 offspring per year for release into protected old growth forest around BC.

On Monday, June 27 at 6:30pm we will be holding a fundraiser at the Townhall Pub in Langley. Tickets are $25 each and include a burger (beef, chicken, or veggie), fries, and drink. There will be door prizes, and a silent auction which includes, but is not limited to, gift baskets, passes to local attractions, framed prints, and a couple of PRIVATE tours of the breeding facility.

Tickets can be bought from any one of the NSO Breeding Program team members. We are asking that tickets be bought in advance by making pick up or mailing arrangements. Message or email us for tickets. And please tell your friends!

This is the first time we've done something like this and would really appreciate your support and to help celebrate a successful 2016 breeding season. All funds generated will go towards the building of a website that will help keep people all around the world informed about the plight of the Northern Spotted Owl and the objectives of our program.

For more information, check out the event page on our Facebook Facebook page or email nsobreedingprogram@gmail.com

If you would be able to attend, that would be great! And feel free to invite anyone you think may be interested.

Thank you again,
Jasmine
Captive Breeding Manager

_________________
Randy Walker - Abbotsford

Glen Valley Lazuli Bunting

June 15/16 Glen Valley BC Clouds/Rain Showers and Sun

Following the Glen Valley bird count last weekend when 53 species were noted I decided to re-visit Lefeuvre Rd to see if there were more than the one lazuli bunting. Sure enough at the bottom of the hill just where the road flattens out is a patch farmland that has been left to grow wild. Two birds. were feeding among the  blackberries and wild grasses, a favourite food for the lazuli. Along with the bunting were a pair of nesting common yellowthroat.

Lazuli Bunting

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale 

BC Canada

The Birds They Keep on Coming

June 1-14 2016 Various Lower Mainland Locations

Adult Cedar Waxwing

This house finch has what appears to be horns. Last year a similar bird came to our feeder with the very same 'horns'
I have heard that it is some kind of disease. Does anyone have any thoughts about this?

Male Lazuli Bunting. Winters in Mexico
Like the colour it's named after, the lazuli bunting is one of the most colourful birds found anywhere in North America or that case, anywhere in the birding world.
I have taken this shot from a low angle to include the blue sky and as little of the tangled blackberry bush as possible to simplify the composition. The colours found in the sky and bird co-ordinate in a way that pleases the eye.

*****

Below I have photographed the same bird and when it flew to a nearby fencepost. I noticed a barn in the background so I re-positioned my tripod to work with the contrasting colours. The 'feel' of this picture is quite different from the one above. I also used the 8x10 frame rather than the 8x12. I can always go back my raw files and re-crop if a magazine comes looking for a cover shot. When shooting stock, always leave room for the magazine editors to place their title and inside contents.

Lazuli Bunting
I used a D500 and 500 F4 with a 1.4 converter to compress the background resulting in a gentle tradition from the barn in at the top of the background to the green grass at the bottom of the image. There has be no manipulation except for cropping and sharpening.

Red-breasted Sapsucker
I have been waiting for this shot of a red-breasted sapsucker for years. Finally I was able to find a location where the background was uncluttered and the bird was in the classic feeding position. The red, black and white of the bird set against the green leaves is for me at least, perfect colour co-ordination as nature intended it and as an added bonus the image appears pleasing on the eye.

Female red-breasted sapsucker
This illustrates a sapsucker gathering food. The bird has drilled hundreds of holes in a weeping birch tree where insects including red ants are attracted to feast on the sap. Red ants make up most of the sapsucker diet.  The sapsucker then returns on a regular basis to pick off insects. While photographing the sapsucker a rufous hummingbird also came to feed on the sap.
Red-breasted sapsuckers can be found year round in BC.

Ruffed Grouse
This ruffed grouse waits to cross a logging road, note the raised crest.
Ruffed grouse winter in BC.

Rufous Hummingbirds breed in BC and winter in Mexico.

The Reifel Sandhill Crane colt at 17 days old.
The Reifel sandhills are resident year round, unlike most sandhills which migrate to the USA for the winter.

Willow flycatcher.
The only way to distinguish a willow flycatcher from a least flycatcher is by voice.
Winters in Central and South America 

It never amazes me each time I go out bird in the British Columbia. My friends and relatives in the UK tell me how beautiful our Canadian birds are and when I visit them I tell them how beautiful their birds are. Anyone who has seen a goldfinch or bullfinch would readily agree. It just goes to show there ar beautiful birds everywhere, we only have to open eyes and listen to the birds!

"It's never too late to start birding" 

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada