Category Archives: birds

  This seems to be a season for visitors that have wandered off course from the Coast. Last October there was a Pacific Loon, and a couple of days ago, a Eurasian Wigeon couple. I did not see the wigeon … Continue reading →

  Mountain Bluebirds turn up in March. But, just try to get a picture this early in the season. A Mountain Bluebird hunts from a fence post for insects, something still difficult to find. From its perch, it headed out … Continue reading →

  Throughout the winter, whenever I saw one dipper encounter another, the competitor was driven off. That all changed this fine sunny spring morning.  In courtship, the male will strut and sing in front of the female. If he makes a … Continue reading →

  Cormorants are uncommon here. Monday was the first time I saw their breeding plumages.  The Double-crested Cormorant is named for its breeding plumage: two tufts of feathers on its head. The eponymous crests might be either white or black. … Continue reading →

  No sighting on the Lake quite matches that of a hunting party of Common Mergansers. They spread out in a phalanx as they hunt for fish, often with their heads down as they course across the water scouring the depths. … Continue reading →

  We are having a transition to spring. Two days ago, a posting (still here) showed two birds that spring will send on their way. But yesterday, a friend spotted a Bald Eagle nesting on the north side of the … Continue reading →

  Are we experiencing winter or signs of spring? Some wildlife still consider it to be winter. Pygmy Owls are altitudinal migrants: cold months are spent at the valley bottoms; warm months, high in the mountains. This one is still … Continue reading →

  Redheads are not common around the Lake, but there is something about a cold winter that draws them to the Nelson waterfront. About four dozen have been hanging around there for a while. The duck is named for the … Continue reading →

  This winter started with visiting irruptive birds: Irruptive meets invasive (2017/11/20); Irruptive winter? (2017/12/4). The earliest arrivals were Common Redpolls and Pine Grosbeaks. Many irruptives are still here. An irruptive is an arctic species that may or may not … Continue reading →