Exploring Kootenay Lake

The Ruby-crowned kinglet is a rather small, undistinguished insectivore that can be seen for perhaps a month, two times a year, as it passes through our region. Further, in its search for insects to eat, it forages deep in brush and frenetically moves from branch to branch with a rapidity that makes it difficult to observe. 

Why bother with it? The female, male, and juvenile all look alike — except for when the male gets excited. On those occasions, he displays his otherwise-hidden eponymous ruby crown. That excitement might be the sighting of a potential mate, a rival, a predator, or it seems, the mere need for a scratch.

A male Ruby-crowned Kinglet visited. It did not appear concerned by my attentions, but flitted about so quickly that it allowed scant time for portraits. But, on one occasion, it scratched itself. Ah, then the ruby crown appeared.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet frenetically foraged for insects, rarely stopping for a portrait.

On one occasion it paused for a scratch and flashed its ruby crown.

Following the last posting, Osprey returns, now comes the Loon. As with my osprey observation, there have been a handful of others who have seen or heard loons in the past little while. But, this was my first sighting.

Both birds, Osprey and Loon, winter elsewhere but breed here in the summer. Both are big (the loon is 2 ½ times as heavy as the osprey), have black and white plumage, and are live-fish-eating birds that arrive in the spring and leave in the fall. Yet, people celebrate the osprey, while more-or-less ignoring the loon. 

Folks watch for the osprey’s arrival, they watch their chicks grow and fledge, and name things after them. The loon, not so much. (The coin named after it is a national thing.)

One does wonder why the disparity. 

It might be just a matter of avian marketing. The osprey nests conspicuously on trees and pilings beside the lakeshore in full view of homes and summer cottages. The loon vanishes to nest beside small mountain lakes, well out of view of all but the most intrepid bird watcher. The osprey makes dramatic plunges from on high into the water only to surface and fly off with a fish in its talons; the loon quietly dives for and quickly swallows a fish. 

Despite their other similarities, it seems that the loon lacks the osprey’s really good marketing agent.

A Common Loon arrives at Kootenay Lake.

For a couple of days there have been reports around the Lake of the return of Ospreys. I saw my first one (indeed, three of them) this morning.

A newly arrived female Osprey lands on a branch.

I have posted a handful of shots of the Northern Shrike in the last month (see, this, in particular). So, why more? This is a case of shrike while the iron is hot.

This peculiar bird is hunting around here briefly before heading north to breed. On previous occasions, I have seen it in Kokanee Creek Park in the grasslands adjacent to the Lake. Alas, on 8^th April, the Park was closed (it’s a covid thing). The following day, a shrike appeared at my home. OK, I had to record the event. 

A Northern Shrike perched in a bush outside my bedroom window.

And soon flew off — seen here just entering the camera frame.

The canonical bird picture shows it perched in profile. Such a picture is useful for identification, and is relatively easy to take. When I say this, I don’t mean to imply that a profile is easy — just that it is considerably easier than taking action shots. 

But I like the action shots, and for birds this often means catching them in flight. Here are two shots from this morning.

The male robin on the left was foraging on the grass when it was attacked by another male. I suspect that this was a fight over breeding territory. 

For a few weeks, we have had a Northern Shrike hunting over grasslands. The bird has probably stopped to feed on its way farther north to breed. I have managed a few profile pictures, but until this morning, my flight shots of it were distant and blurry.