I’ve been able to enjoy a few lunch-time walks this week and it’s been great seeing some bird activity in the hedgerows. I’m using an older Sigma 170-500mm zoom and hand-holding it – it’s not a perfect lens by any stretch of the imagination and light conditions pretty much have to be ideal to get any kind of sharp image. …
Birding
Where Have All the Barn Swallows Gone?
As a birder I’ve been aware that populations of certain species of birds have been declining, but I was unaware of how dramatically the numbers of Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) had fallen until I heard Dick Cannings talking about it on CBC Radio’s BC Almanac (available in iTunes – episode 2011-08-23 at about the 14:20 mark). According to Cannings, Barn …
Red-tailed Hawks
I was up at Strathcona Provincial Park this weekend helping out with the Friends of Strathcona Park Wilderness Festival and had the good fortune to get a closer look at a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Scarlet, Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society ambassador poses for photographs at the Friends of Strathcona Park Wilderness Festival. Scarlet is a Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society ambassador …
A Backyard Visitor
We keep an informal backyard bird list and this week a new year bird showed up to investigate our fuchsia out front and our garden in the back. We’ve got lots of flowers in bloom and it seems like this immature Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) was stopping in for a quick feed. Our backyard visitor, a Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) …
A Barred Owl Comes Calling
Guest post by Marcie Callewaert Every summer a Barred Owl (Strix varia) visits our property. He makes himself known with his haunting calls each night and his bold presence perched on a branch or fence post during the day – watching for his next meal. A common owl on Vancouver Island, the Barred Owl’s (Strix varia) call is a “Who …
Book Review – The Crossley ID Guide (Eastern Birds)
Crossley ID Guide (Eastern Birds) The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds Richard Crossley Princeton University Press Cloth Flexibound 544 pages 2011 I have to admit that I was initially pretty skeptical about the huge hype surrounding Richard Crossley’s new field guide The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds. It’s been described as “mind-blowing,” “revolutionary,” and “unconventional,” among countless other superlatives. What …
White-throated Sparrow Surprise
Every so often a bird will show up unexpectedly. Such was the case this weekend up at Jocie’s mother’s place in Black Creek. We were sitting at the kitchen table having lunch when we noticed a sparrow with strong striping on its head working around the rock garden. Jocie and I realized that there was something different about the bird …
A Chip on the Block
A Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) showing its bright rufous cap and strong, black eye-line. I’m not sure but it seems to me that Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina) are becoming more and more common on Vancouver Island. I recall several years ago being surprised that another team had had several on the Comox Valley spring bird count in early May – …
Tofino Botanical Gardens
Last weekend while visiting Tofino for the 2011 Tofino Shorebird Festival we stayed at the fantastic Botanical House located within the Tofino Botanical Gardens. If you’re looking for an unique place to base your nature related explorations of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and the towns of Tofino and Ucluelet this is definitely worth considering, especially if you need accommodation …
A Morning in the Marsh
Guest post by Marcie Callewaert The Somenos Marsh is a renowned bird watching location just north of Duncan, British Columbia. It is home to hundreds of bird species who are year-round residents, and many that just stop by on their migration path. Besides birds; muskrats, beaver and river otter also reside here. The Somenos Marsh Wildlife Society has been working …