Now don't get your hopes up - this is not the long-awaited Christmas Bird Count blog post. This is, however, a post about birds...... near Christmas....... and I counted them.
Today, at around 12:30pm, I finally found a new bird for the yard list after several months without one. I was sitting in the truck at the bottom of the driveway, and I glanced up at the 35+ Canada Geese flying past. In the flock was my new yard bird : Snow Goose! I was elated as the sun shone on the bird's black wing-tips and white body before the group of geese fell out of sight behind the trees. I didn't have my camera on hand, so I do not have a picture for you. Sorry! ( Cue the LOUD booing. )
Yard list - + Snow Goose = 113 species
Also in the area were around 40 Bohemian Waxwings jovially playing about on the top of a huge conifer, and 3 Bald Eagles surfing the sky, joined by 2 Red-tailed Hawks.
Thanks for looking, and please keep from exploding as you wait for the bird count reports. Again, thank you for your patience.
Tuesday 24 December 2013
Saturday 21 December 2013
You'll have to wait just a little longer......
I sorry to say this, but the awaited blog posts of the three Christmas Bird Counts I did last weekend in the Okanagan have been delayed. It has been so busy with Christmas just around the corner, and I have not got around to organizing everything completely. Just to keep you hanging on, I will give you a puzzle to one of the birds we saw on one of the counts :
The name of the bird has two words; the first letter of the first word is F; the first letter of the second word is S.
Good luck on the puzzle, and thank you for your patience.
Logan
The name of the bird has two words; the first letter of the first word is F; the first letter of the second word is S.
Good luck on the puzzle, and thank you for your patience.
Logan
Thursday 12 December 2013
"Oh, gee! It's a blog post!"
Hello readers;
I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been very busy, so I will try to summarize the past week of birding.
December 6th : Maude Roxby Bird Sanctuary -
Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan ( mid-dip pose! )
December 6th also : Rotary Marsh -
House Sparrow ( These birds should be called Common Weaver-Finches, as they are a member of the Weaver-Finch family. They are not even a small amount related to sparrows! )
Fence Pals
Common Weaver-Finch male
Great Blue Heron hunkering down from the bitter-cold wind with a Mallard.
December 7th : Rotary Marsh -
Gadwall
American Dipper ( my first dipper for Rotary Marsh. It called, then proceeded to feed on all of the invisible munchies on the underside of the rocks. It made an effort not to be cooperative; the dipper didn't make eye-contact, was playing hide-and-go-seek, AND it was moving sooooo fast, that it was hard to keep track where he/she was! )
"Now where did that penny go?"
Song Sparrow ( probably my best capture of the species ever! )
Common Merganser - BADLY over-exposed.
American Wigeon BIF = bird in flight
Red-necked Grebe
Ring-billed Gull in very dark lit water.
American Goldfinch
Thank you for looking, and Keep Your Eyes Peeled On This Blog As I Am Going To Be Doing A Blog Post For Each Of The Three Christmas Bird Counts I'm Doing On The Weekend!
Logan
I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been very busy, so I will try to summarize the past week of birding.
December 6th : Maude Roxby Bird Sanctuary -
Tundra Swan
Tundra Swan ( mid-dip pose! )
December 6th also : Rotary Marsh -
House Sparrow ( These birds should be called Common Weaver-Finches, as they are a member of the Weaver-Finch family. They are not even a small amount related to sparrows! )
Fence Pals
Common Weaver-Finch male
Great Blue Heron hunkering down from the bitter-cold wind with a Mallard.
December 7th : Rotary Marsh -
Gadwall
American Dipper ( my first dipper for Rotary Marsh. It called, then proceeded to feed on all of the invisible munchies on the underside of the rocks. It made an effort not to be cooperative; the dipper didn't make eye-contact, was playing hide-and-go-seek, AND it was moving sooooo fast, that it was hard to keep track where he/she was! )
"Now where did that penny go?"
Song Sparrow ( probably my best capture of the species ever! )
Common Merganser - BADLY over-exposed.
American Wigeon BIF = bird in flight
Red-necked Grebe
Ring-billed Gull in very dark lit water.
American Goldfinch
Thank you for looking, and Keep Your Eyes Peeled On This Blog As I Am Going To Be Doing A Blog Post For Each Of The Three Christmas Bird Counts I'm Doing On The Weekend!
Logan
Tuesday 3 December 2013
Up in the mountains.......
On Saturday, I went up to McCulloch Road for a Christmas tree hunt with some of my relatives ( and some of their friends ). When I say relatives, I mean a ton of 4 and 5 year old balls of fire, with a few adults mixed in.
I decided to bird along the way to the pull-off spot in the Southern Slopes area ( on the way to McCulloch ). I counted several Red-tailed Hawk as we started to ascend into the Southern Slopes, and a pair of Eurasian Collared Dove careening across the road. Also, some Dark-eyed Juncos and BC Chickadees were playing about in the bushes along the road. Now, as light snow is starting to fall, we have ascended greatly to a plateau where orchards are abundant. Floating and flying up in the sky in perfect formation are around 50 Bohemian Waxwings. As usual, there are insane amounts of starlings EVERYWHERE. Rounding a bend, and near McCulloch Road, I spotted a sleek Townsend's Solitare atop a pine; my first of the winter.
Now we started to climb as we had reached the end of pavement; on to our destination road. Along the way, there was not a bird to be seen until a brief stop at a sharp corner. To my delight, there was my goal bird of the day - Northern Pygmy-Owl - on a dead snag HIGH up the mountain. It was easy identification because of the distinct shape : squat head, round, stocky shape, and short, narrow tail.
After about fifteen minutes later, we ( the four cars with around 10 sub - 7 year kids and around 6 adults ) arrived at the snowy pull-off way up in the mountains. On the left side of the road, there was one of the resident Gray Jays of the area amiably sitting at the top of a young fir. Too far away for photographs, though.
Post-lunch, everybody except me and a few adults went into the forest to search for a Christmas tree to chop down. As soon as the young children left, and little rambling flock of Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches showed up to see if their turf was ready for re-claim. The chickadees were tentative in their approach, but the nuthatches were very cooperative. One even posed for some photos :
Red-breasted Nuthatch - flutter fluttering
King of the Stalk! - Red-breasted Nuthatch
In my opinion, the Red-breasted Nuthatch has a special endearing quality; always making you watch them constantly, because they are so cute!
It was a great day, with great birds, and beautiful weather coupled with the location.
Thanks;
Logan
I decided to bird along the way to the pull-off spot in the Southern Slopes area ( on the way to McCulloch ). I counted several Red-tailed Hawk as we started to ascend into the Southern Slopes, and a pair of Eurasian Collared Dove careening across the road. Also, some Dark-eyed Juncos and BC Chickadees were playing about in the bushes along the road. Now, as light snow is starting to fall, we have ascended greatly to a plateau where orchards are abundant. Floating and flying up in the sky in perfect formation are around 50 Bohemian Waxwings. As usual, there are insane amounts of starlings EVERYWHERE. Rounding a bend, and near McCulloch Road, I spotted a sleek Townsend's Solitare atop a pine; my first of the winter.
Now we started to climb as we had reached the end of pavement; on to our destination road. Along the way, there was not a bird to be seen until a brief stop at a sharp corner. To my delight, there was my goal bird of the day - Northern Pygmy-Owl - on a dead snag HIGH up the mountain. It was easy identification because of the distinct shape : squat head, round, stocky shape, and short, narrow tail.
After about fifteen minutes later, we ( the four cars with around 10 sub - 7 year kids and around 6 adults ) arrived at the snowy pull-off way up in the mountains. On the left side of the road, there was one of the resident Gray Jays of the area amiably sitting at the top of a young fir. Too far away for photographs, though.
Post-lunch, everybody except me and a few adults went into the forest to search for a Christmas tree to chop down. As soon as the young children left, and little rambling flock of Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches showed up to see if their turf was ready for re-claim. The chickadees were tentative in their approach, but the nuthatches were very cooperative. One even posed for some photos :
Red-breasted Nuthatch - flutter fluttering
King of the Stalk! - Red-breasted Nuthatch
In my opinion, the Red-breasted Nuthatch has a special endearing quality; always making you watch them constantly, because they are so cute!
It was a great day, with great birds, and beautiful weather coupled with the location.
Thanks;
Logan
Monday 25 November 2013
Scan for Icys you Okanagan birders!
Here's a fairly old picture of an Iceland Gull immature from Robert Lake this March. If you live in the Okanagan, start keeping your eyes out for this eastern stray, as one may be back by now.
"Kumlien's" Iceland Gull in centre of picture - March 22nd, 2013
Have a great early winter everyone, and good gull scanning!
"Kumlien's" Iceland Gull in centre of picture - March 22nd, 2013
Have a great early winter everyone, and good gull scanning!
Saturday 23 November 2013
DEJU, RBME, TUSWs, and RTHA from Wednesday
Here's a couple shots from Wednesday.
This Dark-eyed Junco was posing prettily at the Maude Roxby Bird Santuary.
DE J
Also a Maude Roxby, these Tundra Swans were preening daintily. ( There's a Ring-billed Gull in this picture too. )
TUSWs
Later that day, I went to the mouth of mission creek, ( for the millionth time ).
I caught up with this backlit Red-breasted Merganser, which is a good bird for the Okanagan. RB Mergs are uncommon in the valley, but they are fairly tame if you spot one. They like to forage and dive near shore.
Red-breasted Merganser
After looping around, the merganser took off.
By, by Mergy!
Finally, with the golden sun setting, I shot this Red-tailed Hawk at the Thomson Brook Marshes - close to Mission Creek.
RT Hawk
Thanks for looking!
This Dark-eyed Junco was posing prettily at the Maude Roxby Bird Santuary.
DE J
Also a Maude Roxby, these Tundra Swans were preening daintily. ( There's a Ring-billed Gull in this picture too. )
TUSWs
Later that day, I went to the mouth of mission creek, ( for the millionth time ).
I caught up with this backlit Red-breasted Merganser, which is a good bird for the Okanagan. RB Mergs are uncommon in the valley, but they are fairly tame if you spot one. They like to forage and dive near shore.
Red-breasted Merganser
After looping around, the merganser took off.
By, by Mergy!
Finally, with the golden sun setting, I shot this Red-tailed Hawk at the Thomson Brook Marshes - close to Mission Creek.
RT Hawk
Thanks for looking!
Wednesday 20 November 2013
Low-light Birding
On Sunday, I happened to be in Vernon, so I decided to check out the Allan Brooks Nature Centre for Short-eared Owl.
Upon arriving at the prairie-like expanse, a Red-tailed Hawk was spotted hunching in a tall barren tree. ( There are trees here too, not just prairie. ) I waited until dusk to make my way here, for that's when the Shorties are active, but some passerines were still around; in the form of Song Sparrows. As I made my way up the steep, narrow, roadway, there were Song Sparrow everywhere.
All of a sudden, BLAMMO! A crazy Ring-necked Pheasant called then popped his head out of the grass. He then started to sprint away from me on the right-hand side field.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Bad shot, but fun to see. Then, as this fleeing pheasant was running away, another joined him.
Ring-necked Pheasant (x2)
I counted five in total while I was there. I continued up the road, and my ears kept picking up an unknown sound, which may have been the Short-eared Owl's roosting call. He/she may have been getting ready to hunt, but seeing me scanning around may have discouraged him/her. I'm not counting that just yet. A flock of American Goldfinches floated around near-by, then settled in a new evergreen ( planted weirdly right by the field ). A female Northern Harrier sparked my interest for a split second, as it looked like a SE OW hunting.
Up in the sky was another harrier, and guess what was on a post, doing his best Short-eared Owl imitation - a third Northern Harrier. I see another bird behind the harrier in the sky.......... another NOHA. Four false alarms - a personal best for 15 seconds! The birding was still good anyway; a Rough-legged Hawk was surfing the sky overhead. Then, a bird swooped over my head. A late Western Meadowlark! My first ever for November. Not "Rare Bird Alert" quality, but still great to see, and it brightened my mood. ( The meadowlark still had its yellow chest! ) In the fading light, I picked out three European Starlings and one Ring-billed Gull in the dark sky to round out the list.
On the way back to Kelowna, I stopped at Rose's and another smaller pond for ducks. ( By then, it was CRAZY dark. ) On Rose's Pond, there were eight Northern Pintails, and on the other smaller pond, there was an abundance of ducks. On that pond, I squinted out Barrow's Goldeneye, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Pied-billed Grebe. In the dense tree behind the little pond, I heard some 'staying up late' Dark-eyed Juncos and Song Sparrow. I also heard a blackbird in some swampy vegetation that puzzled me. Maaayyybbbeee Rusty??? It was a sound that was different than what I had heard before. Oh, well. A POSSIBLE Short-eared Owl and a POSSIBLE Rusty Blackbird. ( I have a recording of the weird blackbird. )
Anyways, it was a good evening of birding. Thanks for looking.
Upon arriving at the prairie-like expanse, a Red-tailed Hawk was spotted hunching in a tall barren tree. ( There are trees here too, not just prairie. ) I waited until dusk to make my way here, for that's when the Shorties are active, but some passerines were still around; in the form of Song Sparrows. As I made my way up the steep, narrow, roadway, there were Song Sparrow everywhere.
All of a sudden, BLAMMO! A crazy Ring-necked Pheasant called then popped his head out of the grass. He then started to sprint away from me on the right-hand side field.
Ring-necked Pheasant
Bad shot, but fun to see. Then, as this fleeing pheasant was running away, another joined him.
Ring-necked Pheasant (x2)
I counted five in total while I was there. I continued up the road, and my ears kept picking up an unknown sound, which may have been the Short-eared Owl's roosting call. He/she may have been getting ready to hunt, but seeing me scanning around may have discouraged him/her. I'm not counting that just yet. A flock of American Goldfinches floated around near-by, then settled in a new evergreen ( planted weirdly right by the field ). A female Northern Harrier sparked my interest for a split second, as it looked like a SE OW hunting.
Northern Harrier
Up in the sky was another harrier, and guess what was on a post, doing his best Short-eared Owl imitation - a third Northern Harrier. I see another bird behind the harrier in the sky.......... another NOHA. Four false alarms - a personal best for 15 seconds! The birding was still good anyway; a Rough-legged Hawk was surfing the sky overhead. Then, a bird swooped over my head. A late Western Meadowlark! My first ever for November. Not "Rare Bird Alert" quality, but still great to see, and it brightened my mood. ( The meadowlark still had its yellow chest! ) In the fading light, I picked out three European Starlings and one Ring-billed Gull in the dark sky to round out the list.
On the way back to Kelowna, I stopped at Rose's and another smaller pond for ducks. ( By then, it was CRAZY dark. ) On Rose's Pond, there were eight Northern Pintails, and on the other smaller pond, there was an abundance of ducks. On that pond, I squinted out Barrow's Goldeneye, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, and Pied-billed Grebe. In the dense tree behind the little pond, I heard some 'staying up late' Dark-eyed Juncos and Song Sparrow. I also heard a blackbird in some swampy vegetation that puzzled me. Maaayyybbbeee Rusty??? It was a sound that was different than what I had heard before. Oh, well. A POSSIBLE Short-eared Owl and a POSSIBLE Rusty Blackbird. ( I have a recording of the weird blackbird. )
Anyways, it was a good evening of birding. Thanks for looking.
Wednesday 13 November 2013
SOSP
Song Sparrows have been posing lately!
At Redlich Pond, Kelowna - November
At the Bunkhouse Restaurant, Kelowna - October
At Alki Lake, Kelowna - October
At Redlich Pond, Kelowna - November
At the Bunkhouse Restaurant, Kelowna - October
At Alki Lake, Kelowna - October
Tuesday 12 November 2013
Double Snow Day!!!
On Sunday, I finally got my dream Double Snow Day!
Here's how it happened.
Snow #1 - I was in the car, heading for the Lower Mission area in Kelowna. On the way, I was scanning the hundreds of Canada Geese in the farm fields along Gordon Road. Finally I found something interesting; there was a nice immature Snow Goose within the Canadas! My third Snow Goose of the year. I positively don't think this was the same one at Munson Pond two weeks ago. It looked whiter.
Snow #2 - My destination in the Lower Mission was the OKM school, where I play sports on Sundays. Today, we ( the group of players I was with ) didn't have access to the gym, so we opted to play road hockey in the parking lot. I was goalie, and me ( always listening for random birds overhead ) caught something calling. That something was really someone, or three someones, as I was hearing three Snow Bunting flying up in the sky! I craned my neck up, but the goalie mask does not allow the art of looking up for birds. In a restricted field of view ( looking dead straight, like a race horse ) I opted to just listen to my year bird - and BC Lifer- fade away in the distance.
Double Snow Day - ACHEIVED!!!
Snow Bunting : Okanagan lifer = 244, Okanagan Year Bird = 236
British Columbia lifer = 276, BC Year Bird = 262
Overall ( BC & Las Vegas ) Year Bird = 303
Here's how it happened.
Snow #1 - I was in the car, heading for the Lower Mission area in Kelowna. On the way, I was scanning the hundreds of Canada Geese in the farm fields along Gordon Road. Finally I found something interesting; there was a nice immature Snow Goose within the Canadas! My third Snow Goose of the year. I positively don't think this was the same one at Munson Pond two weeks ago. It looked whiter.
Snow #2 - My destination in the Lower Mission was the OKM school, where I play sports on Sundays. Today, we ( the group of players I was with ) didn't have access to the gym, so we opted to play road hockey in the parking lot. I was goalie, and me ( always listening for random birds overhead ) caught something calling. That something was really someone, or three someones, as I was hearing three Snow Bunting flying up in the sky! I craned my neck up, but the goalie mask does not allow the art of looking up for birds. In a restricted field of view ( looking dead straight, like a race horse ) I opted to just listen to my year bird - and BC Lifer- fade away in the distance.
Double Snow Day - ACHEIVED!!!
Snow Bunting : Okanagan lifer = 244, Okanagan Year Bird = 236
British Columbia lifer = 276, BC Year Bird = 262
Overall ( BC & Las Vegas ) Year Bird = 303
Monday 11 November 2013
Friday 8 November 2013
Quiz
Quiz time!!!
What's this?
A - juvenile Willow Flycatcher
B - juvenile Western Wood-Pewee
C - juvenile Eastern Phoebe
D - juvenile Eastern Wood-Pewee
Shot by me at ( you guessed it ) Munson Pond in Kelowna - a topic of many of my posts.
Deadline is November 31. If there's no reply, I'll tell the answer by that date.
What's this?
A - juvenile Willow Flycatcher
B - juvenile Western Wood-Pewee
C - juvenile Eastern Phoebe
D - juvenile Eastern Wood-Pewee
Shot by me at ( you guessed it ) Munson Pond in Kelowna - a topic of many of my posts.
Deadline is November 31. If there's no reply, I'll tell the answer by that date.
Thursday 31 October 2013
Photography equipment, bird shots, and lens discussion
My photography configuration consists of the Canon t1i body and Canon 75-300mm lens ( also known as the worst lens 'ever' made by Canon ).
I think not! This lens is affordable, compact, takes good quality photos, and creates a beautiful bokeh if the conditions are right. It has nice contrast and its focal length is very capable.
But, there are some "not so good" qualities about this lens. If there is any sun, every picture taken has a purple and green line around everything. Not so good. Also, the focus ring doesn't have the range of focus I like; not specific enough, but all in all, it has great value if you're looking for an affordable, smallish, hobby lens. For me, it has worked brilliantly. Even though in the next year I would like to upgrade, this lens has done fantastic. Really, it has; here are some of my best shots with the Canon 75-300 lens :
Western Tanager - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
Barrow's Goldeneye - Glenmore Pathway, Kelowna, B.C.
Yellow-headed Blackbird - Rotary Marsh, Kelowna, B.C.
White-breasted Nuthatch - Robert Lake, Kelowna, B.C.
White-crowned Sparrow - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
American White Pelican - Salmon Arm Bay, Salmon Arm, B.C.
Cedar Waxwing - Robert Lake, Kelowna, B.C.
Hammond's Flycatcher - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
Common Terns - mouth of Mission Creek, Kelowna, B.C.
Dark-eyed Junco - campsite, Revelstoke, B.C.
Wandering Tattler - Iona South Jetty, Vancouver, B.C.
Lazuli Bunting - Beaver Lake Road, Winfield, B.C.
Canyon Wren - Vaceaux Lake Cliffs, Okanagan Falls, B.C.
Eurasian Wigeon - Rotary Marsh, Kelowna, B.C.
Glaucous-winged Gull - Gary Point Park, Richmond, B.C.
Pygmy Nuthatch - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
Steller's Jay - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
Least Sandpiper - mouth of Mission Creek, Kelowna, B.C.
Thanks for looking!
I think not! This lens is affordable, compact, takes good quality photos, and creates a beautiful bokeh if the conditions are right. It has nice contrast and its focal length is very capable.
But, there are some "not so good" qualities about this lens. If there is any sun, every picture taken has a purple and green line around everything. Not so good. Also, the focus ring doesn't have the range of focus I like; not specific enough, but all in all, it has great value if you're looking for an affordable, smallish, hobby lens. For me, it has worked brilliantly. Even though in the next year I would like to upgrade, this lens has done fantastic. Really, it has; here are some of my best shots with the Canon 75-300 lens :
Western Tanager - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
Barrow's Goldeneye - Glenmore Pathway, Kelowna, B.C.
Yellow-headed Blackbird - Rotary Marsh, Kelowna, B.C.
White-breasted Nuthatch - Robert Lake, Kelowna, B.C.
White-crowned Sparrow - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
American White Pelican - Salmon Arm Bay, Salmon Arm, B.C.
Cedar Waxwing - Robert Lake, Kelowna, B.C.
Hammond's Flycatcher - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
Common Terns - mouth of Mission Creek, Kelowna, B.C.
Dark-eyed Junco - campsite, Revelstoke, B.C.
Wandering Tattler - Iona South Jetty, Vancouver, B.C.
Lazuli Bunting - Beaver Lake Road, Winfield, B.C.
Canyon Wren - Vaceaux Lake Cliffs, Okanagan Falls, B.C.
Eurasian Wigeon - Rotary Marsh, Kelowna, B.C.
Glaucous-winged Gull - Gary Point Park, Richmond, B.C.
Pygmy Nuthatch - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
Steller's Jay - my house, Kelowna, B.C.
Least Sandpiper - mouth of Mission Creek, Kelowna, B.C.
Thanks for looking!
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