Today, it neither snowed nor rained, so I headed out. Apparently some birds also decided that it was a good day to explore the world. I saw many, but show only the four I photographed: a (red–shafted) Northern Flicker (female); a Sharp–shinned Hawk; a Gadwall (male); and a (sub–adult) Bald Eagle. The stories accompany each picture.
The Northern Flicker is a fairly common local woodpecker. In the East, the undersides of the wing and tail feathers are bright yellow; in the West they are red—or so the books tell us. Yet, it is not always easy to see. Here is a female Norther Flicker prominently showing off the red shafts on her tail and wings.
Each spring I watch for Merlins and had mistakenly thought I had spotted one. But, Michael McMann has pointed out that this bird is actually a Sharp–shinned Hawk. My first.
I have never noticed a Gadwall before. But, a friend observed one along the Nelson waterfront, so I had to see it for myself. This one is a male.
A grand drama was the interplay between a dozen Mallards and a (sub-adult) Bald Eagle. The Mallards were quietly dabbling when suddenly they took to the air. Who can blame them for not wanting to be sitting ducks when this predator started circling overhead? The Bald Eagle has not yet attained its adult plumage. By using the diagrams in an article by Mark A. McCollough, it appears that this eagle is two–and–a–half–years old, so it would have hatched in the summer of 2008.
Hi Alistair
You certainly got a nice shot of the red shafts here. The Gadwall looks like a pretty drab bird from a distance but your picture certainly brings out the beauty of this duck.
The pattern on the Gadwall is striking, but so fine that from a distance, it looks uniform grey.
Wonderful work!! And congratulations on website of the week. Patricia (a member of KHIG)
Dear Alistair,
Thankyou for the recent gorgeous photographs! I am not able to get out to view these sights right now, due to my husband’s illness. I have been on numerous birdwatching trecks with the WKNats and try to learn one bird at a time! These pictures have given me great joy.
Is it alright to share these photos with my daughter in Victoria? She and her fiancee are sail boaters and often birdwatch while on excursions! They too are interested in learning to identify birds and he grew up in Kaslo, on Kootenay Lake. Hopefully we will all be more informed of our feathered friends!
All the best,
Beth Truant
Beth, Of course. These blog postings are public documents. For others to see this posting they need merely go to http://blog.kootenay-lake.ca/?p=1116