Category Archives: birds

  The kingbird is a large summer flycatcher. It is actually two birds: eastern and western. I have seen the less common western feeding its chicks, but until a few days ago, had not seen the more common eastern feeding … Continue reading →

  Birds breed in the spring, and then, in the early summer, they raise their chicks. The chicks must go from eggs, to hatchlings, to fledglings, to independent birds during the season. It is a big task for them, but … Continue reading →

  Kootenay Lake has Horned Grebes, but the area is just south of the breeding region, so the bird almost always appears in its non-breeding plumage. It is correspondingly rare to see one in its breeding plumage and yesterday was … Continue reading →

  The drilled rows of holes in a tree are the work of the Red-naped Sapsucker, a western woodpecker. I start with an old picture of the sapsucker and the drilled holes. Yet, it isn’t frequently that one sees one … Continue reading →

  Around sunset last night, I was watching an adult male Northern Flicker stare out of a nest cavity where it had presumably brought food for a yet-to-appear chick. As it flew off, I pressed the camera button. The momentary … Continue reading →

  Mating among birds, while essential for survival, goes by amazingly quickly. For these Tree Swallows, from the arrival picture to the departure picture, only a second transpired. But the mating was accomplished. A male flies to a female, who … Continue reading →

  The Yellow Warbler is a long-distant migrant that is here from May to September. But just try to photograph it. It is small and very fast as it flits from place to place. My daughter, Cynthia, found a nest … Continue reading →

  This year, I did not catch dipper chicks in the nest. But we did capture them in the creek being fed by a parent. Three dipper chicks stand with their mouths agape and their wings raised as they beg … Continue reading →

  Osprey mating does not occur throughout the year, but rather only over a limited time in the spring. The Osprey mating season is now nearing its completion, but, for some, it is still taking place. This male spent its … Continue reading →

  The California Quail does not belong here. But, this one was seen just west of Nelson yesterday. The California Quail was seeded in the Okanagan for hunting in the nineteenth century, but it is rarely seen here. It is … Continue reading →