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Bird and Nature PhotographyBritish Columbia, Canada |
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| Photo Blog 2009-04-28 We are starting to see more shorebirds migrating through the area. While checking out the Tsawwassen Ferry Causeway I came across half a dozen Semipalmated Plovers.
I watched and photographed them for a few minutes as they rested …
…and foraged along the shoreline.
On an afternoon walk in the area north of Boundary Bay Airport where the residences used to be I came across a Hermit Thrush.
A bird that had been seen recently at Reifel, but I had not been able to locate. So I was quite happy to find and photograph this one as it is a new bird and life list addition for me.
I have also been keeping tabs on a Bald Eagle nest since I saw the pair start working on it again in late February. The plan was to do a photo series on the nest if they were successful this year. They had been on eggs for some time and seeing both adults busy in the nest the other day caught my attention.
On watching a little longer I saw what I had been waiting for.
This is a substantial crop (the first photo is full frame) from about the only vantage point with a hope of seeing them when this new and tiny. I will put together a photo series on the nest and follow the new arrivals as they grow. Today’s surprise …
While not the hummingbird feeding shot I have been trying to get, this Rufous Hummingbird nest was a pleasant find thanks to a tip from a friend and another potential photo series in the making. | Home | 2009-04-19 One spectacle I watch every year is the Heronry at the foot of the Tsawwassen Ferry Causeway. Hundreds of them nest here since moving to this location a few years ago. As things are still in the early stages, I wanted to try and capture some of the courting and nesting behaviour.
I focused my attention on one particular pair and nest for about an hour. I got the courting behaviour above and the following mating behaviour as the sun was going down.
The third Heron is in a nest above and to the right of the pair I was watching. It did not move the hole time. Not much privacy here. I also put together a photo series on this pair. A couple of recent raptor photos from Reifel.
Another raptor of note was the Golden Eagle recently released from O.W.L. after rehabilitation. Not long after release I found it roosting in a tree top not far away.
Unfortunately it was a grey day. There was some wondering amongst local birders if this was the same bird that had been seen earlier in the year and then stopped showing up at its usual spot around the time O.W.L. rescued one. On seeing this bird it was different than one we saw previously. Spring fever still abounds in the area, as is the case with these Mallard males fighting over a female at Reifel.
And with these Mute Swans in Canoe Pass.
This Pied-billed Grebe obligingly spread its wings for me at Reifel.
And the ever present Great Blue Heron, this one preening.
| Home | 2009-04-09 As Deas Island Park had provided me with some success with the Pileated Woodpecker I decided to spend some more time there. In particular for some of the other woodpeckers present as well as some Rufous Hummingbirds I had seen frequenting one stretch of the trail.
The plan was to try and get the hummingbird feeding. While watching and waiting for the hummingbirds a Bewick’s Wren popped up on the trail beside me.
Then a Hairy Woodpecker showed up briefly. It has been quite some time since I have seen one of these and was one of the other types of woodpeckers I was hoping to get.
The owl quest continues in Boundary Bay.
The Short-eared Owls are still around …
…and still keeping their distance. But they are still fun to watch and get what photos I can.
In my travels I came across a Bushtit nest. You have to marvel at the suspended sock like nest these tiny birds manage to construct.
Meanwhile back at Deas Island Park the hummingbirds cooperated, but it was me who was not quite up to the task.
While this was the opportunity I was hoping for the shot is a little soft. I will just have to work on my technique a little more. When the hummingbirds were not around, some Bumble Bees were.
As were a couple of Mourning Doves one of which I managed to get.
When the birds do not cooperate there is usually something else to photograph. This was the case one afternoon at Reifel.
These Shrews kept harassing each other over what food was being found along the trail.
While not having given up on the hummingbirds, they just were not cooperating, I heard a woodpecker busy on a nearby tree.
It was a Downy Woodpecker excavating a hole.
The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker we will see around here. It worked on the hole long enough that I put together a photos series. | Home | 2009-04-04 My prime lens is back after just two weeks. Fortunately it was just a couple of minor things and could be done at Nikon in Richmond. It would have been a lot longer if the lens had to go back to Ontario. So on Thursday after picking up my lens I figured I would start this month where I left off last month.
The Mountain Bluebird was still present at Boundary Bay Regional Park and I wanted to try for a few more shots before it moves on.
Even with the longer lens this bird makes you work for every shot.
It is so busy moving from perch to perch while foraging for insects. Fortunately for me the challenge is half the fun.
When leaving the park I came across an immature Bald Eagle.
It was taking time for a refreshing dip in a puddle of water in the field.
I got out briefly to Boundary Bay and Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary on Friday. This Short-eared Owl stopped briefly on a log while being harassed by a Northern Harrier.
A Mallard cross Northern Pintail…
… and the ever present Northwestern Crow.
Today on my way home from checking a couple of potential photo series locations without success I stopped in at Deas Island Regional Park. One spot I had not been in quite some time. Much to my delight I found a pair of Woodpeckers I had not seen or photographed before.
The Pileated Woodpecker is a new bird and life list addition for me.
I watched them for several minutes as they moved from tree to tree.
When leaving the park I recalled a post on a local birding group the other day about some swans in a field not far away. Amongst the birds seen were Tundra Swans, another bird I have not seen or photographed. Could I get two life list additions in one day?
Yes I could!
There were two other species of swans in the field as well. Trumpeter Swans …
… and a lone Mute Swan.
Off to a good start in April. | Home | Previous Photo Blogs | 2010-07
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© Jim Martin |
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