Journal 238

Jan. 1/08 - HAPPY NEW YEAR! Just to start 2008 off on the right foot, I paid another visit to the Black-throated Blue Warbler on Cross Road and did the tour around Schooner Cove and up to French Creek. It wasn't a great day for photography. There was a little filtered sun but not enough for good results for my slow lens. However, I still had a couple of photos of the BTBW from Dec. 28 to post, and conditions weren't too bad for the Mountain Bluebirds in the Nanoose Edibles Farm blueberry patch just before I got home.

I didn't check my feeders before I left home this morning so I didn't see my first bird until Schooner Cove. Any guesses? It was a female Common Merganser.

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Revisiting the BTBW - I've visited the Black-throated Blue Warbler several times now, and I've enjoyed it just as much every time. It's a frisky little bird with a lot of character. It comes back to the feeders regularly, but sometimes it lands on the ground and forages under the salal for awhile. Other times it would land on a small arbutus before working its way up the trunk of the fir tree until it gets to a feeder.

Joan and Neil who are residents of Nanoose stopped by for a look this morning while I was there. They are avid birders with over 2,000 species on their list. We all had a good laugh when they finally saw the bird as it was a lifer! It was amazing to find a lifer so close to home. Needless to say, they have been to a lot of places including Point Pelee to accumulate such an impressive list.

I'm not sure how many visitors have visited the warbler, but there have been many from as far as Washington and the Fraser Valley.

It's not every day that a bird achieves celebrity status, but the BTBW has been featured in the Times Colonist, Nanaimo Daily News, Oceanside Star, and possibly the Nanaimo News Bulletin.

It was a challenge to get a good photo of the warbler as the sun was limited and the extensive foliage was usually in the way. But it did stop once to catch a few rays, and I was happy with the results.

There were several Northern Flickers lurking about, but they were reluctant to get too close.

It was Grand Central Station for Red-breasted Nuthatches as they darted back and forth from the suet feeders regularly.

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Three Amigos - I saw three Greater Yellowlegs at French Creek a few days ago. They were there again today in exactly the same spot up the small side creek. Yes, it was a dark day, and there wasn't much I could do to improve this picture.

Strange Bedfellows - A few weeks ago I marvelled at a Dunlin that went everywhere with a Black-bellied Plover at the Little Qualicum. A few days later, I spotted a Dunlin at Nanoose Bay in the constant company of several Killdeer. Today, it was with the big boys at French Creek - Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants. I wonder what next? Can you see the Dunlin? (bottom left)

I've enjoyed the Mountain Bluebirds for several weeks now at the Nanoose Edibles Farm. They do move around, but today they were back at their original spot in the blueberry patch I watched them for about a half hour as they worked their way up the field and back again several times.

They've been a pleasure to watch, and I hope they stay the whole winter. After all, if they go south, they'll just have to come back again.







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