Category Archives: birds

Tossed larvae

  I see a Pileated Woodpecker only a few times a year, typically when I am running an unrelated errand. Encounters are just too happenstance to plan. Yet, my camera is handy just in case. I heard an adult male Pileated … Continue reading

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High and low

  Things seen higher in the mountains often differ from those seen at the valley bottoms: trees, mammals, birds and flowers, all change with elevation. Here are some examples gleaned from this week’s jaunts. The Willow Flycatcher seems to prefer … Continue reading

Posted in birds, mammals, wildflowers | 4 Comments

Chicks ascend bank

  I watched distinctive tail feathers vanish into the grass at the top of a steep bank. Sigh, I have missed the shot…. But, the bank, below, was actually churning with activity. These four ascending Wild Turkey chicks blended in well. … Continue reading

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Interruptus

  You just cannot tell by the appearance of some animals, certainly not by that of some birds. As far as I know, there are only a few ways to tell the sex of a Bank Swallow at a distance: song (male), behaviour (burrow digging and … Continue reading

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Catching up on May

  Sometimes a posting has the sole objective of catching one’s breath at the end of the month. The Lazuli Bunting is a small songbird that comes to this region to breed. A composite of a single Bullock’s Oriel landing in a … Continue reading

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Alkaline waders

  A slough in a farmer’s field at the south end of Kootenay Lake has an uncanny hold on local bird watchers. An almost preternatural range of uncommon birds visit this isolated patch of water on a regular basis while largely … Continue reading

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Eagle & rainbow

  Four days ago, I spotted a rather large Rainbow Trout which had washed ashore. I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. Over the next few days, it was scavenged by a crow, a raven, a sub-adult Bald Eagle and … Continue reading

Posted in birds, fish | 5 Comments

Birds plus

  Herein are a few birds seen in the last few days, plus one mammal. What I thought was a White-throated Sparrow is actually a Savannah Sparrow.  Rough-winged Swallows are determined to evict a Kingfisher from its nesting cavity and have it … Continue reading

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Blue-winged Teal

  The Blue-winged Teal is typically only seen around the Lake in the late spring as it migrates north to breed. Two visited this morning. As one watches the Blue-winged Teal swim by, it is easy to wonder about its name: Where is … Continue reading

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Horned Grebe

  It is a remarkable transformation: a Horned Grebe goes from its plain non-breeding plumage of the wintertime to its spectacular breeding plumage of the summertime. The Horned Grebe is common around Kootenay Lake throughout the winter, so it is … Continue reading

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