Category Archives: birds

Wood Duck nest

  The Wood Duck is a beautiful oddity. The duck’s scientific name acknowledges its striking plumage; Aix sponsaa means waterfowl in wedding raiment. Although not unique in its oddity, it is unusual in that it chooses a tree in which to nest. … Continue reading

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Tasty spider, m’dear?

  Clint Saunders showed me some nuthatches nesting in a snag in his yard. So, I pointed my camera. White-breasted Nuthatches carve out their own nest and then smear pitch around the entrance, probably to keep other creatures out. During … Continue reading

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April catchup

  This is a mishmash of birds seen around the region in the last week. Red-tailed Hawk Brewer’s Blackbird Red-necked Grebe Killdeer Cinnamon Teal Northern Shovelers Tree Swallows Wood Ducks Eurasian Collared Dove  

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Casting a pellet

  Regurgitation is not a warm and fuzzy topic. Yet, it is an integral part of being a raptor or an owl. When a bird of prey eats another animal, it generally consumes everything: meat, bones, fur, feet and bills. … Continue reading

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3G connection

The three Gs stand for goldeneye, grouse, and grebe; the connection is that they are all birds seen yesterday morning. To this is added a bluebird, seen immediately following the Gs. Shown is a Common Goldeneye couple seen in the … Continue reading

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Lardeau walk

  This Monday, the Kaslo Area Birders sponsored a walk of the Lardeau. Of course, I immediately thought about how it compared with the Beaver Creek walk sponsored by the West Kootenay Naturalists only two days earlier. The geography was different, so the … Continue reading

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Beaver Creek walk

  Michael McMann led a group from the West Kootenay Naturalists on a walk around Beaver Creek Park on Saturday. Many species of birds were seen, but only a few of them are represented in my pictures. The first thing … Continue reading

Posted in birds, mammals, wildflowers | 3 Comments

Hoodie whoopie

    This looked promising. A pair of Hooded Mergansers arrived on a pond yesterday and each then erected its crest. Each presented the other with a side view, the better to display their crests to good effect. Hoodies have … Continue reading

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Northern Pintail

  If I were to have spent more time around Duck Lake (just south of the Main Lake), I would likely have seen many Northern Pintails by now—thousands pass through that region on their way north. As it is, this … Continue reading

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Ospreys, coyote

  One can divide the lakeside year into two seasons: no ospreys, ospreys. The arrival of an osprey on the West Arm yesterday marked the beginning of our osprey season. Mind you, a few other ospreys have already been spotted … Continue reading

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