Category Archives: birds

Osprey harassed

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Alistair

  This has been a really good year for wasps — not so good for the rest of us. Ospreys feed on fish, and wasps really like that. An osprey has taken a fresh fish to the top of a … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs, fish | 4 Comments

Ecotone walk

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Alistair

  I could have merely spoken of a walk along the beach, but, I wanted to emphasize something subtly different than such a stroll. An ecotone is a place where ecologies are in tension (in Greek, the word is tonos). It describes … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, commentary, fish, mammals | 3 Comments

Iconic osprey shot

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Alistair

  The West Arm of Kootenay Lake has an unusually large warm-season population of ospreys. As such, they have become a symbol of the Lake, with both a ferry and a community foundation named after them. Ospreys feast on fish caught … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, fish | 16 Comments

Fledged osprey

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Alistair

  It seems maybe a week early, but juvenile ospreys have started to fledge. A juvenile osprey — identified by wing feathers looking as if dipped in cream — flew by early this morning.

Posted in birds | 2 Comments

Juvenile heron

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Alistair

  This is the time to see juvenile birds. Although as large as adults, they often look somewhat different. Today, I saw a juvenile Great Blue Heron standing on a deadhead. The signs were clear that it was this year’s … Continue reading →

Posted in birds | 5 Comments

Baird’s migration

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Alistair

  The migration of shorebirds is underway. We have seen the killdeer pass through, however, the killdeer also breeds here. Not so, the Baird’s Sandpiper. It breeds in the high arctic and winters in South America. Baird’s visit to the … Continue reading →

Posted in birds | 3 Comments

Killdeer migration

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Alistair

  First there was one killdeer, then two, finally there were five of them. These killdeers were on the move, probably merely stopping here for refuelling as they migrated from farther north to farther south. While killdeers breed locally, this … Continue reading →

Posted in birds | 2 Comments

July goulash

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Alistair

  This is a collection of a dozen images from July, none of which has had a posting of its own. Where have all the male Mallards gone? They are here, but are in their eclipse plumage, which makes them … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs, fish, mammals, wildflowers | 3 Comments

Spotties

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Alistair

  The Spotted Sandpiper is the first summer bird I became aware of as a small child — the little bird that roamed the water’s edge. Spotties arrive at the Lake in May before school is out for the summer, … Continue reading →

Posted in birds | 6 Comments

Persistent eagle

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Alistair

  It was the third time lucky both for the eagle and for me. Bald Eagles and Ospreys each have a taste for fish. Of the two, the osprey is the better fisher. The osprey can dive into the Lake and … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, fish | 10 Comments