Category Archives: birds

  Loons thrive on Kootenay Lake, but you will look in vain for a nest here. Loons are clumsy on land—they are looney—and they cannot move their nests as the water level changes, so to nest adjacent to the water, they must … Continue reading →

  The merganser’s warning: don’t accept a ride from a stranger. This posting reads a bit like an animal story written for children: heavy on lessons of human behaviour; skimpy on knowledge of animal behaviour. Certainly, the captions represent my … Continue reading →

  The Belted Kingfisher may be the largest bird in North American capable of (true) hovering. Hovering flight is energetically expensive and only small birds can manage it. To stay in one spot in still air, the bird must generate lift solely … Continue reading →

  There are no Harlequin Ducks in Kootenay Lake. Gaining its name from the male’s almost comical plumage, this small diving duck prefers a cold turbulent stream to a warm tranquil lake. Although the harlequin does not visit the Lake, … Continue reading →

  The White Pelican is huge, endangered, and here. The White Pelican has an impressive wingspan of 2.4 to 3.0 metres, greater even than that of the Trumpeter Swan. Mind you, the swan outclasses the pelican in weight by about forty … Continue reading →

  No sooner than you think you are beginning to get the hang of watching nature, than an unknown species appears and sets you adrift. This was the case yesterday when I noticed that a black hawthorn tree had become … Continue reading →

  Song Sparrows bullied me every time I visited the flowers of the deer brush. All I was doing was taking pictures of bees and flies, but the Song Sparrows were insistent that I leave. I tried to gently explain … Continue reading →