Category Archives: birds

  In late October and through November, swans begin to arrive during their migration south — first in dribs and drabs, then in larger flocks. This last weekend, I saw two families of swans about fifteen kilometres apart. This is … Continue reading →

  The Northern Shrike is a songbird that eats other songbirds. Indeed, with its hooked bill, it is almost a wannabe raptor. Alas, it lacks a raptor’s talons and so must impale its prey on thorns as a way of … Continue reading →

  A newly fledged Bald Eagle takes four or five years to become an adult with a dark body and white head and tail. During those first few years, it has a strikingly different look.  Over the last weekend, I … Continue reading →

  The Double-crested Cormorant is a big bird — it requires a long runway to take to the air. The cormorant is demonized in Ontario where hunters are allowed to shoot the birds on sight. However here, the cormorant is … Continue reading →

  People are at pains to interpret the sounds and gestures of one another. They want to do the same for animals and feel that they do a good job making sense of the signals sent by their pets. But, … Continue reading →

  When I casually started to watch local birds a dozen years or so ago, I posited that there was no point in paying attention to shorebirds — there were just too many similar ones. I adapt.  With time, I … Continue reading →

  From late July into October, we are visited by migrants. These are birds that bred to our north but stop here to feed on their southbound journey. They range in size and type from the hummingbird to the eagle. … Continue reading →

  Kokanee salmon flow up local creeks to spawn. Predators and scavengers gather to gorge themselves. Some come to feast on the living fish; some come to feast upon carcasses. Although these pictures were taken where the birds were feeding … Continue reading →