Exploring Kootenay Lake

Who needs yet more images of swans? After all, in my February goulash, I commented that it had been such a good winter for seeing Trumpeter Swans that I was discarding pictures of them.

However, much less common to see are the Tundra Swans. A decade ago, tundras seemed to dominate and it was uncommon to see trumpeters. But, in recent years the much smaller tundra has been a rarity. This winter, a few more tundras have been turning up locally. I don’t know what influences these things. 

Three tundras were seen in a mixed flock. The tundras are not only the smaller of the two species, but don’t have as heavy a bill and frequently have a yellow patch of skin between the eye and bill.

However, the much bigger Trumpeter Swans were also present, and I couldn’t resist getting a shot of one flapping its wings.

Two male Northern Flickers were fencing.

When seen from a distance, I thought that I was watching a courting couple. But no, both flickers were male. Cornell Lab comments on the flicker:

Early in spring and summer, rivals may face off in a display sometimes called a “fencing duel,” while a prospective mate looks on. Two birds face each other on a branch, bills pointed upward, and bob their heads in time while drawing a loop or figure-eight pattern in the air….

Leaving aside the silly redundancy in the name, these two males were fencing. However, as no prospective mate was seen, they were probably contesting ownership of the adjacent cavity nest. 

As dispute resolution goes, these flickers have handily bested most other species. They discussed the issue calmly while avoiding all injurious contact.

Two male flickers contend a cavity nest using ritual fencing.

The whinging gander was frustrated. He nagged his mate for access, but she was having none of it: “It is not even spring yet, and I am just not in the mood.”

“Oh come on, you know you are ready.”

During five minutes of harassment, she talked back to him only once.

Normally she just looked away.

He chased her across the beach.

And through the water. One could imagine her muttering, “Do other species have to put up with this?” One could also imagine him muttering, “Do other species have to put up with this?”
Oh well, he just has to wait another month.

A family of five Trumpeter Swans stopped by yesterday for a snooze. 

So, where do swans sleep? I have seen them sleep while they floated in the Lake. Apparently they will also sleep on land, but doing so is fraught with danger from predators such as a coyotes. On this occasion, the little family slept on the border ice covering a shallow bay. 

Four members of the family of peripatetic swans slept on the ice. One parent served as a sentry. The adults are white; the juveniles are greyish. Beside each swan is a small deposit of poop (very few birds have much of a sense of smell).

With morning, the family stirred. An adult and juvenile (left) continued to doze; a juvenile (centre) started to preen, while two others stretched. 

Once everyone was awake, the stretching continued, but soon the family entered the water looking for things to eat. The visit ended later that day when they continued on their way. 

I went looking for visiting winter birds, but discovered early spring arrivals: a couple of Red-winged Blackbirds.

At first, I couldn’t spot the blackbirds in the brush, but their distinctive bubbly song told me that they had to be there. When seen, they tried to stay hidden deep in the bushes, but I finally managed a shot of one flying from one perch to another.

Wintering in the south, Red-winged Blackbirds spread into this area in March, with a handful turning up in the latter half of February. Certainly, a sighting of them here in early February is unusual.

This is one of two Red-winged Blackbirds that arrived at Duck Bay on the Nelson waterfront by the unusually early date of February 8^th. It is flying to a new perch in the bushes.