Category Archives: birds

  Around here, the Killdeer is a migrant. It is usually here in the spring and summer. Indeed, there have been a few observations of it here for nearly a month, but, to my knowledge, these are the first pictures … Continue reading →

  Turkey Vultures are migrants that come here to breed from mid-March to mid-September, having wintered well to our south.  For years, I only saw them soaring as they scanned the ground for carrion to eat. Certainly, they did find … Continue reading →

  It appears that April 12 was the day that Ospreys arrived at Kootenay Lake this year. Here are shots of a pair that turned up at Harrop. Osprey were apparently also seen around Nelson. One male Osprey sits on … Continue reading →

  I have had little success in photographing the Violet-green Swallow, a western bird that comes here from Mexico in the breeding season. But they are rather fast flyers. Last weekend when they first arrived I watched some courting, but … Continue reading →

  This is the time that the Mountain Bluebirds come through this region. There have been a few observations so far and here are some pictures we got yesterday. A male Mountain Bluebird sits on a bush watching for insects … Continue reading →

  Recently, I have been watching Wild Turkeys. It is now mating season. Mind you, the mating itself seems to be a rather rare, albeit necessary, event. Wild Turkeys have only crossed into Canada in a few places, but one … Continue reading →

  I don’t know why wild turkeys very occasionally flap their wings when standing on the ground. Swans often do so on water to straighten out their wing feathers, but this does not appear to be the case for turkeys. … Continue reading →

  For a bit over a week there have been between ten and thirty Trumpeter Swans visiting in the shallows at Kokanee Creek Park. This is a shot of into their midst on March 1st. Web sources that discuss birds, … Continue reading →

  With yesterday’s posting of mallards mating <blog.kootenay-lake.ca/?p=34342> and today’s observation of turkey displays, it is clear that the mating season is upon us. There were three toms displaying and soliciting, but the females were not yet interested. A male … Continue reading →