Category Archives: birds

  A few weeks ago, I knew nothing of a Warbling Vireo; yesterday, I watched one on its nest. I didn’t discover the nest; credit for that goes to Paul Prappas; he showed it to me (from a distance, of … Continue reading →

  At this time of year, some birds have chicks we can see; some do not. Here are examples from today. Mallards proudly display their chicks. A Bank Swallow flies back and forth to its nest. The chicks are in … Continue reading →

  A flower’s-eye view of an visiting Black-chinned Hummingbird.

  It is not my normal practice to be out on the Lake during a rainstorm. But, an invitation to help monitor local raptor nests from a boat was too interesting to resist. What I hadn’t anticipated was how sodden … Continue reading →

  On a few occasions, I have watched an osprey fly down to the water’s surface and drag its talons in the Lake. What was it doing? My guess was that it was trolling. When the surface is rough or … Continue reading →

  Here are a few recent pictures of birds. Three species of gull are commonly seen around the Lake in the summer: Ring-billed, Herring, and California. Now and then, something different turns up, such as this Bonaparte’s Gull. It is … Continue reading →

  Mommy mallard complained about the injustice of my two recent treatments of merganser families (1, 2). Why would I have featured those (clearly lesser) beings, while neglecting her own worthies? Ok, here is mommy mallard and her eight progeny.

  Interactions among wildlife are plentiful and make for interesting viewing. Many of these involve predators and prey, but other forms of competition and cooperation are observed. Having recently shown merganser competition, it was now fun to watch as a family … Continue reading →

  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 →