Category Archives: birds

  The Cattle Egret is a small heron that is a rare visitor to this region. Yet, given its expansionist history, it just might become more common in the future. The Cattle Egret is remarkable in the way, in modern … Continue reading →

  One’s reaction time — typically about 0.2 seconds — isn’t small enough to photograph some fleeting events: once something interesting is seen, the press of a camera button always comes too late to record it. Inevitably, some pictures are … Continue reading →

  Snow Geese are an uncommon sight around Kootenay Lake.  A year ago, when I saw one (Snow Goose), I suspected that the juvenile I saw had wandered far off its coastal migratory course to have ended up here. That is … Continue reading →

  The rains this October have offered few opportunities to wander about. These same conditions may have impeded the movement of some birds, which could account for yesterday’s late-season observation of a Western Meadowlark.  The meadowlark is a grasslands species that … Continue reading →

  A brief break in the rain allowed a few sightings. I usually avoid showing wildlife among human devices. However, Double-crested Cormorants are not all that common locally so these ones deserve to be recorded. A Common Loon in its non-breeding plumage seems to … Continue reading →

  The picture, below, does not hint at the satisfaction of acquiring the shot.  The Western Grebe comes to Kootenay Lake each fall and leaves for the Coast a few months later. So there is ample time to see it. The problem is that … Continue reading →

  I came for the loons and stayed for the grebe. During the summer, loons and grebes are in their striking breeding plumages and spend their time on small lakes and marshes in the region. With the coming of fall, … Continue reading →