Exploring Kootenay Lake

On their annual migration south, Trumpeter Swans are visiting the Lake in threes and fours.

These trumpeters are in the waters beside Kokanee Creek Park.

To my surprise, these swans took flight. The trumpeter is a big bird and must run across the water to pick up the speed necessary to become airborne. This gave me the unusual opportunity to photograph the liftoff. But, why did they take flight? Usually when a swan spots a beach walker, it just lazily moves slightly offshore, so this abrupt departure was unexpected.

Now airborne, one of the Trumpeter Swans flies past.

The rowan trees are many and heavily laden, but where are the irruptives?

At this time of year, I watch for irruptives. These are birds that don’t visit us each year, but occasionally do so as a result of dramatic, irregular, food-seeking, migrations. So far this season, I have caught glimpses of only White-winged Crossbills, Pine Grosbeaks, and Pine Siskins. 

However, I am really looking for large flocks of either Pine Grosbeaks or, in particular, Bohemian Waxwings. Some other years, I have seen them feeding on rowan berries (mountain ash), so I have been watching such trees.

Alas, I have not seen any irruptives on our rowan trees as yet. But, the trees have been attracting robins. I will continue to watch.

A robin manoeuvres among the rowan berries.

Who can plumb the cormorant’s mind?

Two perched cormorants croak at a third as it flies past. Were they warning it to stay away? Were they welcoming it? Who knows?

Two Double-crested Cormorants react to a third’s flyby with croaks.

Sometimes a picture is posted merely because I like the action displayed.

A male Belted Kingfisher plunges. It passed out of view before hitting the water.

Spread-wing dipper posted Nov. 6.

Joanne was right.

Earlier this the month, I posted the image shown to the right. I wondered about the dipper’s spread-wing stance. Large birds do this to dry their wings, warm their wings, or cook their parasites. None of these seemed to apply to dippers. Why was it doing this?

Joanne Siderius is the Senior Naturalist at Kokanee Creek Park, where the picture was taken. She said, “Oh, that is a territorial threat posture directed towards another dipper.” Interesting — there was, indeed, another dipper present.

Yesterday’s observations produced a technically poor (sloppy framing, one bird out of focus), but striking image that underscores Joanne’s contention. It shows the aggressive reaction of one dipper to being challenged by the other. Yet, as quickly as tempers flared, they passed. Moments later both dippers were foraging quietly on adjacent portions of the creek. 

(Before showing the attack picture, there is the challenge and surprise picture.)

Two dippers had moved close as they foraged. So, one faced the other and spread its wings in a territorial challenge. This picture was taken just as it realized that the other dipper wasn’t about to cede what it thought was its portion of the creek.

“Yikes, it is calling my bluff. I’m outa here.”

The Bufflehead Duck is a small waterbird of winter. It has been around the Lake for nearly a month now, and is likely to stay through April of next year.

The striking black and white plumage of the male actually shows iridescent blues and greens.

The female bufflehead (right) has a more muted plumage.

Black birds were feeding on the residue of the Kokanee spawning run of a few months ago. Truth in advertising: that is black birds, not blackbirds.

A raven scavenged the remains of a long-dead Kokanee — not terribly appetizing to our eyes.

A dipper found a fertilized egg on the stream bed, and quickly downed it.