Category Archives: birds

Pine Siskin

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Alistair

The Pine Siskin feeds in trees, feeds on the ground, and travels in flocks. Each of these behaviours is seen in yesterday’s pictures of the bird. The ones with the yellowish markings are male; the ones with the paler, or … Continue reading →

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Birds that hide

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Alistair

In two days, I encountered two birds that hide. One apparently thought it was rather good at camouflage, but was actually comically bad. The other was superb. The first bird was a Ruffed Grouse. I watched it as it watched … Continue reading →

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Herons abound

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Alistair

I have experienced an upsurge in heron visits during the last couple of weeks. The same thing happened at this time a year ago. I wrote about it then in a posting entitled Herons return, and noted that now that … Continue reading →

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Grebe and sculpin

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Alistair

Our local sculpin is a small (6-8 cm long) secretive fish that spends most of the daylight hours well camouflaged and motionless on the floor of the Lake, often within rocky hideouts. By such devices, it tries to avoid predatory … Continue reading →

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Why take pictures?

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Alistair

I confine myself to local nature photography. As I look around the websites of nature photographers, I detect a pattern: purchase my picture. Now, I am not suggesting that this is the only, or even primary, reason the pictures were … Continue reading →

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Two waders

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Alistair

Yesterday, I watched two very different wading birds: a heron and a snipe. The heron flew overhead and I managed a picture. The snipe flushed only a metre from my feet and vanished before I could even point the camera. … Continue reading →

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A big swallow

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Alistair

It is not just grizzlies, eagles, and ravens that enjoy a Kokanee for lunch in the fall. This California Gull swooped down and plucked a fish from the mouth of a creek flowing into Kootenay Lake. Two seconds later, and … Continue reading →

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A show and tell

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Alistair

I take pictures to better understand things seen. I post discussions to website and blog as a personal memory aid. That my notes are available publicly is incidental. Yet, the public is not incidental when one gives an illustrated talk; … Continue reading →

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Beach walk

Posted on October 16, 2011 by Alistair

On a beautiful sunny day, a walk along the beach at Kokanee Creek Park revealed old friends and a new delight. Three are illustrated below in the order seen. The view over the waters of Kootenay Lake often shows rather … Continue reading →

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Iridescent duck

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Alistair

A Wood Duck has iridescent feathers on its head. Most colours in nature result from selective absorption: a pigment absorbs a range of wavelengths and leaves others to be reflected. The green of leaves and the red of someone’s sweater … Continue reading →

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