Over a decade ago, I saw my first Yellow-headed Blackbird. It was a male and here it is again. It was on the Creston Flats at the south side of Duck Lake. Except for one other occasion, that is all I have seen of it until today.
This morning, I saw a female at Kokanee Creek Park. Park Naturalist, Joanne Siderius, says that once she saw a male on the grasslands by the beach, and another time she saw a female. That is it. These birds winter in Mexico and apparently come here only occasionally. Here is this morning’s visitor.
Thanks for the siting…I SO love hearing their sound!
Your photo brought back an old memory! In about 1990, I was involved in preparation work for hearings for a new runway at YVR (Vancouver Airport). There was a small colony of these birds living in an area that I recall had been used to load test soil conditions – piles of sand – at the western end of the proposed runway. The birds were not known to be in the area, and were believed to have arrived by chance. The airport committee went to significant expense to move the colony to a safe area away from the construction area, and after seeing your photo now, I googled them – and note that they remain near the north west end of the airport – around Iona beach.. I gather that the move of their flock was successful..!! YVR has done some excellent work to support and manage the safety issues for other birds that live near the ariport – with strong support from the local Aboriginal Band.
Malcolm,
It’s great to hear of the successful conservation efforts at YVR and especially the collaborative approach with local natives.
Alistair, wonderful photos as always, thank you.
Beautiful photos as usual. Amazing colour in those birds!