Random Shots

Mid-July used to be shorebird time for me, but as I explained previously, the demise of Holden Creek as a prime shorebird habitat has lead to the demise of my shorebird pursuits. The next best choice would be Tofino, but it takes 2.5 hours just get there and then there's the fog ... Okay, I admit I'm slowing down. I still love taking pictures, but I have cut down on the chasing - not a single twitch in the past 3 months. All I have to offer are a few random shots of birds encountered here and there in my regular travel and activities.

Jewel in the Ruff - On July 12 I was heading home when I neared the Horn Lake turnoff. A sudden impulse turned my car to the right and down a road I haven't taken for five years. I didn't see much, but as I passed a wooded trail I spotted a Ruffed Grouse in the shadows. I slowly pulled over hoping the grouse would move into a sunny spot. It stayed in the shade for a few minutes before disappearing in the woods. Believe it not, this was my first shot of a Ruffed Grouse since I got into bird photography. I was happy just to get a record shot.

On July 17 there was a large fallout of migrating songbirds through my yard. Most were juvenile chicklet-types like chickadees, nuthatches, warblers, and a few vireos. Most warblers were Orange-crowned with the occasional Black-throated Gray and Townsend's. I tried for an hour but the only shot I got was a little Cassin's Vireo.

Now you know I'm really getting desperate. Cabbage Whites have been common in my garden for a few weeks. Anise and Pale swallowtails have also been regular. I hate to admit it but I even spent a few minutes with some dragons and damsels this week.

The Lorquin's Admiral was also in my yard begging for its picture to be taken.

July 19 - Chipping time. It's always a treat to see the Chipping Sparrows in the yard. I patiently watched the adult gathering insects for the juvenile for a half hour to gain their confidence when guess what?

Look who snuck into my feeder bush. The Cooper's Hawk didn't fool anyone. All the birds suddenly diappeared into the nearest trees. That was the end of my Chipping Sparrow shoot.

Hairy Woodpeckers are still regular feeder visitors. They are quite tolerant of my presence and let me get within about 8 feet while I'm filling the feeders. However, this picture was taken at 50 feet.

Don't adjust your set. This is an out-of-focus distant record shot of a migrating Merlin. It certainly didn't look like the dark Pacific subspecies that I'm used to.

Guess where I was on July 20? You're right. The only place I've found Vespers on the Island is Nanaimo Airport. So far this year I'm 6 for 6 which is remarkable. However, I think the last 4 times have been the same Vesper on the same couple of fence posts. I'm not sure what happened on this confrontation with a wasp as I got distracted by another bird further down the fence line.

My experience with raptors is that the juveniles can be very accommodating. I've had past close encounters with juvenile American Kestrels, Bald Eagles, and Cooper's Hawks as well as White Ravens. Today it was the Red-tailed Hawk that didn't mind my close visit.

The hawk was about 100 feet down the fence line. I did my usual click-click and drive 20 feet. The hawk never showed any sign of apprehension. Eventually I was at point-blank range. I even had to back up because I was too close for my lens.

I got all the shots I wanted in 20 minutes and quietly backed away. The hawk was still there when I left.

The Red-tailed flashed its razor sharp talons to show it just wasn't afraid of me.

As I backed away from the Red-tailed, I noticed a White-crowned I passed earlier was still on the fence. Maybe it didn't dare move until the Red-tailed left. I think it had a nest in the blackberry patch just across the road.

On July 27 I finally got my big Sigma lens back. It had been in for repairs since early June. I needed somewhere to try it out. Nanoose Flats was the perfect place and Purple Martins were the perfect subject.

As usual the Purple Martins were very cooperative. They all came around to see who the stranger was then proceeded with their normal routines. The lens worked well. I think it performed much better than Nikon lenses in tracking, auto-focussing, and locking on for flight shots.

This was the perfect situation for someone like Tim who likes photographing Birds and insects - two subjects in one shot ...

This female was extremely cooperative. She flew around with the dragonfly for about five minutes before taking it into a nest box.

A Cedar Waxwing offered another opportunity to test the lens. I think it passed the test.

Another test on a young Yellow-rumped. Another important conclusion after a couple of hours shooting was the Sigma uses a lot less battery than the Nikon. After a 100 shots with the Nikon the battery would be down to half. With the Sigma it would still be near full charge. Of course, my observations are anecdotal and not scientific, but the conclusions were made after many observations.

Juvenile House Finch.

On July 31 a friend invited me to her yard in hopes of seeing the juvenile raptors that have been frequenting her yard for the past two weeks. I could hear them in the woods, but the only birds I saw were a Western Tanager about 70 feet away in a tall fir and a Pacific Slope Flycatcher.

The Flycatcher must have felt sorry for me. I stood quietly for an hour and a half with no raptors in sight. It flew into a nearby tree for a few shots. By the way, the raptors showed up 10 minutes after I left.

I got another consolation when I arrived home. The long-awaited Pileated family finally arrived. They have been regulars for the past few years. For the first time ever, it was the mother who brought the juvenile to the feeder.

Notice the short red crest on the mother. The crest on the adult male goes right to the forehead.

Here's Junior. Junior was quite capable of getting its own food, but it also enjoyed being fed by mother. I got a picture of the feeding scene, but it was in the shadows and not worth posting.

If at first you don't succeed ... On Aug. 2 I decided to try for the raptors again. This time I didn't have to wait at all. The two juvenile Cooper's were sitting on the garden fence.

The two juvies didn't seem to mind as I approached with the camera.

Sometimes it's difficult to get an interesting pose from perching raptors. Yes, I got the usual pooping shot but I'm not going to post it.

The best I could do was a little ear-scratching. Anyway, it was great to see the young hawks and get the close-ups. Thanks again to D and M for contacting me and inviting me to their yard.

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Bird Poster

My poster is on display at: Victoria - Swan Lake Nature House

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