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Bird and Nature PhotographyBritish Columbia, Canada |
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| Photo Blog 2009-01-29 Another cool overcast afternoon with a light drizzle and typical for this time of year. Not bad enough to keep me indoors and besides, you just never know what you might find. Not wanting to be caught too far from the car if the weather turned for the worse, I headed off to the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Right away I came across a House Sparrow perched atop a moss and lichen covered feeder. Probably one of the most common birds you will encounter but the perch, soft light and colour are what drew me to photograph it.
While shooting the sparrow I noticed a Great Blue Heron roosting in a tree. While I started with static shots the bird cooperated and started preening, scratching and stretching. My favourite shot was when it took a big stretch.
Along the east dyke trail I encountered a Northern Harrier perched low on a snag almost at eye level. It was too good an opportunity to pass up in spite of the bright grey background. As with the Heron I started off with static poses. Much to my delight the Harrier started calling and provided the chance for some behaviour/action shots. The second time it started calling the Harrier fanned its tail feathers a little. As I started shooting it heard the shutter and looked right at me. You can’t ask for much more than that. Just after thanking the bird for this it flew off.
A little further along the east dyke trail I spotted a Cooper’s Hawk also fairly low in the trees. Unfortunately the lighting was even worse than it was for the Harrier. I managed some shots but nothing worthwhile. It then flew off to another tree adjacent to one of the lower trails so off I went to check if this location would be any better. On relocating the bird on the lower trail it initially did not appear the lighting was going to be any better. I managed to find one spot where shooting through the branches provided a little background foliage with more even light. I was surprised that with all this jockeying around for position the bird did not take off and did not seem to mind my being there. On getting a closer look now I could see the full crop and fresh blood in a couple of spots indicating it had likely just finished eating and was content to roost in the tree with its plumage all puffed up.
As always I thanked the bird as I left and it remained in the tree. As the drizzle was getting steadier and the light fading I called it a day. A short walk on a grey afternoon but as I started off saying, you just never know. | Home | 2009-01-27 The fog has finally cleared out and the last few days have been mixed sun and cloud. Continued observation in the Ladner area for the Golden Eagle with hopes of another photo opportunity in better light have been unsuccessful. There have been no sightings of the bird for the last few days. A post in a local online birding group mentioned an injured juvenile Golden Eagle being rescued from the Burns Bog area and taken to O.W.L. (Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society) on 2009-01-24. Buns Bog is not far from the area the Golden Eagle was frequenting in the Ladner area and most likely it is the same bird. Hopefully the bird will recover and be released. While striking out with the Golden Eagle, there is no shortage of Bald Eagles around here at this time of year.
The shorelines will occasionally turn up something interesting, but the last few days have been fairly routine with the usual gulls, ducks, scoters and turnstones. There was one White-winged Scoter swimming on its own close to shore that did provide some photo opportunities.
Another raptor seen here this time of year is the Rough-legged Hawk and there appears to be good numbers of them in the area this winter. I am seeing them regularly in the Boundary Bay area and farm fields. The tough part is getting decent photographs as I have found most are fairly skittish and hard to get close to. One day while watching for the Golden Eagle a Rough-legged Hawk landed on the power lines not too far off. Another bird on a wire shot, not exactly the roost or pose I am looking for. Fortunately it did come and go from the wire a couple times before leaving and provided an opportunity for some flight shots.
Speaking of bird on a wire shots, as the sun was going down one afternoon I came across an American Kestrel perched on a power line. Another bird I will find more often than not perched on a wire around here. There are a few of these beautiful little falcons in the area and I will have to devote some time to observing them to determine their habits and then work on getting some shots on a more pleasing roost. In the meantime I will have to settle for the sunset on a wire shot.
Another small falcon common to the area that can be tough to photograph is the Merlin. Usually when I see them, it is as they streak by while busy hunting. I lucked out one cloudy afternoon and came across one perched atop a pruned tree. It did not appear too concerned with my presence and I managed to get a few shots.
One wading bird there is no shortage of here is the Great Blue Heron. I found this one perched on a log in a frozen slough with some nice light. While roosting here the heron preened stretched.
Another opportunity that arose from the frozen sloughs and ponds was getting a photo of a Hooded Merganser. Usually fairly flighty and unapproachable, this bird seemed more concerned with feeding in the small portion of open water than my being there.
| Home | 2009-01-18 The quest for a decent photo of the Golden Eagle visiting the Ladner area continues. Unfortunately the persistent fog has been wreaking havoc not only with observing, but photo opportunities as well. The other challenge being to get the bird perched on something other than the power poles it tends to favour in the area. The Golden Eagle was located on one of its favourite power poles. With a little patience the bird eventually moved into a tree and Mother Nature cooperated with a brief break in the fog. Only long enough for a few shots before starting to get fogged in again and the Golden Eagle taking off low across the farm fields.
While waiting to see if it would return another bird landed in the same tree and on first glance appeared to be a falcon of some sort. On getting a closer look it was a Gyrfalcon, another uncommon bird for the area that may show up during winter months. The Boundary Bay area has a couple of Gyrfalcons again this winter, but I have yet to get any photos of this species. While it had gotten foggy again I managed to get my first photos of a Gyrfalcon.
With a little patience and luck I managed to get photos of both the eagle and falcon. Luck in particular as what are the odds of having a Golden Eagle and Gyrfalcon in the same tree within half an hour in this area? | Home | 2009-01-16 A Golden Eagle has been observed in the Ladner area again this winter. An uncommon bird for this area they are seen during the winter months and of interest to local birders and bird photographers alike. It is an immature Golden Eagle still having white patches at the base of the primaries, white base of the tail and lighter or golden band on upperwing coverts. One was observed in the same area last year, could it be the same bird again? Last years bird was similar but with dark upperwing coverts. There has been consistent fog for over a week now in this area which will make getting photos difficult. While the weather was not cooperating I did manage an initial record shot of the bird.
| Home | Previous Photo Blogs | 2010-01
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© Jim Martin |
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