The Not-so-secretive Sora The Buttertubs Sora has a lot of company these days. When I was visiting it yesterday, a black house cat with a white bib came out of the very bullrushes that housed the the Sora. I was worried that the Sora had become catfood. 20 minutes later I gave a sigh of relief as the silent Sora quietly slipped into view. It snatched a few millet seeds then retreated into the marsh. It reappeared twice more in the next half hour before I left. Today my friend, Joe was visiting and was surprised to see 3 raccoons emerge from the Sora's habitat. Meanwhile, the area also played host to Mallards, Wigeons, Coots, House Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Lincoln's Sparrows, and Towhees. Photographing the Sora was a challenge as it lurked in the shadow of the rushes with the sun in the photographer's eyes. When it emerged, it moved from the bright glare of the water to the shadow of the vegetation. This is my best shot. Quick, adjust the over-exposure +1.0. Now reduce the over-exposure to +0.7. A variety of other birds such as the Fox Sparrow also took advantage of the free meals. I wasn't paying attention when another sparrow arrived on the scene. I was surprised to see it was a Lincoln's Sparrow. The numbers of American Coots have been increasing daily. They were also looking for hand-outs. A Rosy Day I told my wife that I would be out for 2 hours, but then I ran into Joe, a fellow photographer from Black Creek. I wasn't surprised to see him trying for more photos of the Sora, but after the 3 raccoons emerged from feeding area, he suggested Victoria. I deliberated for 3 seconds and decided, "Why not." It was a decision I didn't regret. Things were looking gloomy after we struck out at Clover and Cattle. After a hot chocolate at Starbucks, we decided to try Clover again before leaving town. We were disappointed along the waterfront as there weren't even any gulls, let alone Surf Birds which Joe would have liked. We were checking the grassy areas for a possible Horned Lark or Larkspur when a bird flew up near the entrance to the seawalk. I thought it was just another Savannah, but Joe had a better view through his binoculars. He excitedly exclaimed, "It looks different!" I grabbed his binoculars for a look. I almost flipped as I yelled, "Rosy-finch!" The Gray-crowned Rosy-finch was feeding on seeds and plant material around the decorative rock work. The sun was perfect and Rosy was too busy foraging to notice a pair of photographers with 800 mm lenses. The last time I saw Rosy-finches was last year at the end of the sewer pipe at Iona Regional Park. It was a special treat to see one on Vancouver Island without climbing Mt. Albert Edward. The Rosy was a lifer for Joe. Rosy had a voracious appetite. I guess her economy flight down didn't provide any meals. There was quite a varied menu at Clover Point despite the limited amount of vegetation. Rosy checked out the view from the storage shed roof before flying over to the west side. On our way out of town, I took Joe down to Esquimalt Lagoon. He had never been there before and never seen a Heermann's Gull. I also pointed out a few Thayer's Gulls to give him 3 lifers for the day. Just for fun I took a few photos of the male Northern Pintail. One more Pintail shot for the road. I got home at 7:00 pm. My 2 hour trip had taken 11 hours! NANAIMO - BACKYARD WILDBIRD & NATURE STORE SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE) SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB) CHAPTERS FALCONER BOOKS COLE'S PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS SAVE-ON FOODS SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE TANNER'S BOOKSTORE COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS DEEP BAY - Ship & SHORE SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED BUTCHART GARDENS VICTORIA - BOLEN BOOKS MUNRO'S CAMPBELL RIVER - CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM BOOK BONANZA SAVE-ON FOODS DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE CHEMAINUS - LITTLE SHOP OF NOVELS LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA SOOKE - SOOKE HARBOUR HOUSE LAKE COWICHAN - GALLOPING MOON GALLERY TOFINO - BOTANICAL GARDENS UCLUELET - WORDS END BOOKSELLERS
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