Category Archives: birds

  Why watch for Mountain Bluebirds each spring? They are stunning beautiful. Typically, Mountain Bluebirds arrive to breed in late March or early April. This year, a few turned up on schedule, but the insects they feast upon were tardy. Jaunts … Continue reading →

  What had been planned for today’s posting was upstaged when about 80 swans (probably Trumpeters) flew down the Lake heading west. It was the best flyby I have seen. The picture, below, shows the first seventy or so of … Continue reading →

  This is a month’s end collection of images, none of which has had a posting of its own. They are all local birds as other topics were treated earlier in the month. Birds, yes, but what are these distant ones flying … Continue reading →

  Now begins the season of the attack robins. Robins are territorial nesters and will attempt to drive off all rivals, including those that are merely reflections of themselves as seen in a window. Further, as the mirrored robin is equally aggressive, … Continue reading →

  Killdeers are the first shorebirds to arrive each year. They have been reported from around the region for a week now. This year, some encountered ice. A frozen pond did not prove as inviting to an arriving killdeer as would a … Continue reading →

  Red-tailed Hawks are rather like governmental spy agencies: They like to watch, but they do not appreciate it when they are, themselves, monitored. The hawks frequently watch from utility poles or trees alongside a roadway, apparently waiting for road-kill. They … Continue reading →

  You might see one around the Lake, but exceedingly rarely. Indeed, I had only seen a Short-eared Owl once before and that was in 2012 on the grasslands of Kokanee Creek Park (owl wins). This time I got a better picture. … Continue reading →

  The harrier is a distinctive hawk that flies low over grasslands searching for mice and voles.  Northern Harriers can be seen in the fields around Kootenay Lake at any time of the year, but they are never common. My … Continue reading →