Apr. 21 - Harlequin Romance
What's not to love about the Harlequin Ducks. They are one of the prettiest water birds to grace our coastal waters. They look like a work of modern art with their iridescent slate gray base coats dramatically punctuated by bold, white slashes on face, neck, and body and tastefully placed rufous patches on the flanks and head.
Although the Harlequins are migratory, they enjoy a year-round presence along the coast because many of the non-breeders do not leave. As well, the early return of breeding males create the illusion that they never left. Coastal populations peak in late summer and early fall with the return of the females and their new families.
The Harlequins love to sit on rocks to preen and relax in the sun. My favorite place for "Harlequins on the rock" is at the west end of Qualicum Beach.
The rocky shoreline around Victoria and from Qualicum to Campbell River are favorite locations for Harlequins.
Although Harlequins prefer rocky shorelines, an exception to the rule is Deep Bay Spit where Harlequins are frequently encountered.
The males put on the show, but it is the female that does all the work in raising the new family.
Although the large flocks have suddenly disappeared, a few Black Turnstones can still be found along the shorelines.
Somehow I couldn't avoid the Brant this week. It was almost like they wanted me to photgraph them. I was actually trying to sneak up to the Eurasian Wigeons at the west end of Qualicum when I noticed a large flock of about 250 Brant just to the east. As I walked towards them, they were spooked by an eagle and flew west to join the wigeons I was originally stalking.
The Brant party was on ...
Brant Bands on the Fly - Just for fun I photographed a few Brant bands and even got one on the fly. It was just a waste of time though as I couldn't find anyone who was interested in the numbers.
Ready for Siberia? - No, I didn't forget about the Eurasian Wigeons. There were two pairs lingering with the American Wigeons, and they were hidden in amongst the congregation of Brant. I wanted a record shot just to record their late presence as it was about time they started their northern migration to Siberia. Finally, there was an opening amonst the throng of Brant. I was lucky to get a few distance shots just before another eagle arrived on the scene.
A few Red-breasted Mergansers are also hanging around.
Here's the eagle that ended my photo shoot. It took me almost an hour to get the Brant and Wigeons comfortable with my presence, but it was all over in a few minutes when the eagle cruised in.
A few Red-breasted Mergansers are also hanging around.
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From the Archives
Mrs. Anna's - Two weeks ago I posted some photos of Momma Anna's feeding its newly fledged baby at Swan Lake. I didn't use this photo because Momma wasn't quite in focus, but I like it because it shows the pretty coloured neck feathers of the female.
Apr. 22 - The Gray Ghost
For the past 4 or 5 springs, my yard has been graced with the silent presence of a migrating Townsend's Solitaire.
This year I spotted the solitaire just beyond my bird feeders when I first peaked out in the morning. The solitaire was patiently perched in my feeder tree.
The solitaire flew down to grab a spider or insect, but it devoured the snack before I could click the camera.
After that it was up to the garden fence as it proceeded to make the rounds of my yard.
Apr. 23 - After another solitaire-y morning I decided to take a quick look for the Sooty Grouse on Little Mountain. Grouse are a regular feature every year atop the mountain, and I was reminded by Guy's and Chris' posts in BCVIBIRDS.
Just as reported, the Sooty was in a tree near the peak. At first we could only hear its gentle hooting, but we eventually found it on top of a medium-sized fir.
Of course, the only view of the grouse was into the sun, but I was happy to finally get a record photo of the male.
The grouse looked like it was in the tree for the long term. It was quite content to nibble on fir needles. I waited unsuccessfully for an hour hoping for a better view. I finally left when the grouse turned around exposing only striped bottom of its tail and rear end.
On the way home I stopped at one of my old haunts, River's Edge. The special of the day was White-crowned Sparrows.
The White-crowneds were everywhere with their cheerful songs emanating from every bush.
Another popular bird was the gentle Orange-crowned Warblers. You could hear their quiet chips regularly along the nature trail.
The Oranged-crowneds were always busy foraging among the leaves and branches of every kind of tree.
The only water birds around were a few pairs of Buffleheads at the settling ponds.
The Buffleheads were very skittish and would take flight as soon as I got within 25 meters.
I took the long route home so I could check out Nanoose Bay. The first birds I noticed were a few Greater Yellowlegs. They were just stopping for a brief rest on their migration north and weren't used to people (with cameras?).
A few Mew Gulls along the shoreline were quite cooperative for a few flight shots.
They were quite content to just fly a few meters in front of me when I got close to them.
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Another Solitaire-y Day
After filling my feeders I was surprised to see the solitaire again on the garden fence. This time I managed a picture as it caught a spider. Well sort of - there just happened to be a few blades of grass in the way. Oh well, I just wanted to document what it was feeding on.
I wasn't suprised to see it land on the holly tree as I knew that it liked holly berries.
I watched it try to grab some holly berries, but it wasn't successful. Maybe the berries weren't ripe enough.
While I was watching the solitaire another bird caught my attention. It flew from the edge of the forest onto my wild grass lawn and foraged some bugs.
Its foraging pattern has very similar to a robin - hop, hop, hop, turn its head sideways, and find a bug. From its spotted chest I knew immediately that it was a Hermit Thrush.
While I was busy photographing the hermit, I also noticed three other birds. They were all hermits. I guess it is migration time for them.
Another recently arriving yardbird is the Band-tailed Pigeon. Only a few birds are visiting the feeders now. I expect the numbers will grow significantly in the next couple of weeks.
There are several different pairs of Orange-crowned Warblers around the yard. I enjoy hearing and seeing them every day.
Finally, I got around to what I wanted to do. I wanted a few more hummer shots before the currant blossums expire.
With the currant bush in full bloom, the hummers have been visiting it frequently.
I had to almost lie on the ground to get the blue background of the sky.
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Apr. 25 - Yardbird Check
Everybody has been reporting large numbers of migrating Golden-crowned Sparrows. I counted 5 at my feeders this morning - I need to correct that to under my feeders. They dont stay around very long as they are on their way north.
Another recently arriving migrant is the Chipping Sparrow. I suspect they nest around here but I've never looked for a nest.
I have one nesting pair of Violetgreen Swallows for sure. I've also seen some action at another nest, but not frequent enough to draw any conclusions.
The swallows like to rest on the hydro lines. I hope they decide to use the branch that I propped above the line. If they do, I'll have a few "wireless" pictures next time.
Apr. 25 - Viola! Day 4! We've just set a new Solitaire record. 4 days. The old record was 3. days.
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Horned Grebes in breeding plumage is a splendid sight. Too bad they were about 100 meters away at Brickyard Bay. I end this Journal with the hope of getting a few closer shots of the grebes, but I won't complain if it's the Marbled Murrelets instead.
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Bird Poster
My posters are on display at: Victoria - Swan Lake Nature House; Nanoose Bay - Credit Union; Courtenay - Graham's Jewellers
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