Category Archives: birds

  Black birds were feeding on the residue of the Kokanee spawning run of a few months ago. Truth in advertising: that is black birds, not blackbirds. A raven scavenged the remains of a long-dead Kokanee — not terribly appetizing … Continue reading →

  Among our various local raptors, there are two that are almost mutually exclusive: the Osprey and the Rough-legged Hawk. The Osprey hunts over water in the warm months; the Rough-legged Hawk hunts over land in the cold months. Although … Continue reading →

  The dipper is perhaps the most unusual bird in this region. It is a songbird that hunts for comestibles on the floor of turbulent mountain streams. It peeks below the water’s surface and dives to the creek bottom to … Continue reading →

  Along the West Arm of Kootenay Lake, the Pied-billed Grebe is not all that common. That it is seen primarily in the spring and fall, suggests that we usually see migrants that breed farther north. When the bird comes … Continue reading →

  A young Great Blue Heron stood on one foot and lollygagged in the midday sun.  

  Spoonbills are a genus of large wading birds with spoon-shaped bills. Alas, none of the species are found around the Lake.  What we do have is a spoonbill in morphology, if not in name: the Northern Shoveler.  Yet, I … Continue reading →

  For three days, a Pileated Woodpecker has been probing the outside of my house for comestibles. I don’t think that the bird discovers much, but it is welcome to anything it finds. A female Pileated Woodpecker checks for bugs … Continue reading →

  What is the point of this morning’s picture? After all, a Common Merganser (this is a juvenile) lifts off from water a myriad times a day. I just found the image pleasing.  

  The Rusty Blackbird is an infrequent visitor to the Lake. Indeed, most posted range maps suggest that it is not to be seen here at all. Yet, here it was on its fall migration foraging, apparently for arthropods, in … Continue reading →

  When spooked, a snipe bolts from its hiding place at a great speed and is gone. Consequently, shooting a flying snipe presents a considerable challenge. So much so, that those who became good at it were called snipers — … Continue reading →