Category Archives: birds

Brown Creeper

  The Brown Creeper has to be one of the most cryptic of our local residents. I have yet to spot one on my own. On the rare occasions when I have seen it, someone else found it for me. … Continue reading

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Fledgling heron

  A fledgling Great Blue Heron performs its matutinal callisthenics.

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Raven attack

  Only days after a marmot accosted a local hiker, I was attacked by a raven. Had our local wildlife started to run amuck? It was easy to be reminded of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror-thriller, The Birds. There was no need … Continue reading

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Airborne creatures

  Here are some recent shots of things in the air. A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk An osprey packing a headless fish (which is also airborne) A juvenile Bald Eagle in (perhaps) its second year A female Belted Kingfisher A Merlin … Continue reading

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Wildlife presentation

  When an organization invites me to give a presentation, I normally don’t bother with promotion. I make an exception for Science in the Park at Kokanee Creek — thus, this posting. This will be the fourth year I have … Continue reading

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Osprey family

  During summer, the Friends of Kootenay Lake survey local Ospreys. The objective is not just a monitoring of these magnificent birds, but an indirect monitoring of the Lake, for the bird’s success depends upon clear and bountiful waters. I … Continue reading

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Merlin bathing beauty

  When it is hot out, young folk like to wade in the Lake. However, this particular young bather was unexpected: a Merlin. That the bird is this year’s hatch is clear from the slight bit of white down remaining … Continue reading

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Eagle’s claw

 

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Pelicans

  “The White Pelican is huge, endangered, and here.” That is how I began my only previous posting about this bird when I last saw some four years ago. Huge: While not nearly as heavy as the Trumpeter Swan, the … Continue reading

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Kingbirds

  Kingbirds are flycatchers. We are near the northwestern end of the range of two species. The Eastern Kingbird is black and white. More colourful, the Western Kingbird is grey, and yellow. An Eastern Kingbird is watching for insects from … Continue reading

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