Exploring Kootenay Lake

Kootenay Lake has Horned Grebes, but the area is just south of the breeding region, so the bird almost always appears in its non-breeding plumage. It is correspondingly rare to see one in its breeding plumage and yesterday was the first time I have seen one on the West Arm of the lake.

The Horned Grebe in its breeding plumage is a striking bird. During breeding, light horn-like tufts appear on each side of the head, hence the name. Photo by Cynthia Fraser.

But as this older picture demonstrates, the Horned Grebe in its non-breeding plumage is barely recognizable as the same bird. Maybe the red eye gives it away.

It is unclear whether this Horned Grebe will breed here, or head somewhat north to do so.

The drilled rows of holes in a tree are the work of the Red-naped Sapsucker, a western woodpecker. I start with an old picture of the sapsucker and the drilled holes. Yet, it isn’t frequently that one sees one in any guise. So, I welcomed an invitation from a friend to visit a nest cavity that he discovered on his property. The sapsuckers are now busily feeding their chicks in the nest, but these chicks have yet to grow big enough to peek out of the cavity. Maybe that will soon come.

This first picture was taken 14 years ago. It shows a Red-naped Sapsucker that has carved rows of holes in the bark of a tree to then sip the nectar and eat the attracted bugs (June 9, 2010). I have seen it a few times since, but not the carving of holes.

Now, return to the present. It is the practice of many birds after fetching some food, to not fly directly to the nest, but to stop at a nearby tree and look for predators. On finding none, they then fly to their nest.

The male then moves to the cavity nest with a beak full of soft-bodied insects.

Both male and female sapsuckers tend the nest. The male is leaving, the female arriving.

The male flies off to get more food for the chicks. It is a constant task.

Around sunset last night, I was watching an adult male Northern Flicker stare out of a nest cavity where it had presumably brought food for a yet-to-appear chick. As it flew off, I pressed the camera button.

The momentary juxtaposition of the head and the underside of the wing made the wing look like a headdress. So, look at this picture, not as of a flicker, but of a strange creature with an elaborate feather headdress.

Mating among birds, while essential for survival, goes by amazingly quickly. For these Tree Swallows, from the arrival picture to the departure picture, only a second transpired. But the mating was accomplished.

A male flies to a female, who is already lifting her tail to provide access to her cloaca. 

He arrives on her and adjusts his tail so their cloaca make contact and sperm is passed.

Then a second after arriving, he lifts off. But he will stay with her to help raise their chicks.

The Yellow Warbler is a long-distant migrant that is here from May to September. But just try to photograph it. It is small and very fast as it flits from place to place. My daughter, Cynthia, found a nest it was creating and we occasionally have been watching it — from a distance.

So far we have not been close to the Yellow Warbler, so I have included a picture from a few years ago where, by happenstance, I passed by quite close to one.

In its foraging around its nest it now seemed to be searching for fluff. Photo by Cynthia.

The fluff was returned to its nest for padding around eggs and chicks. Photo by Cynthia.

It probably has yet to lay an egg. It seems to still be building the nest.

This year, I did not catch dipper chicks in the nest. But we did capture them in the creek being fed by a parent.

Three dipper chicks stand with their mouths agape and their wings raised as they beg their parent (in the foreground) for some food. 

The parent brings some food to the anxiously waiting chicks.

The chick’s yellow gape is what prompts the parent to place food there. Photo by Cynthia.

A dipper parent feeds a dipper chick a bug. Photo by Cynthia.

Osprey mating does not occur throughout the year, but rather only over a limited time in the spring. The Osprey mating season is now nearing its completion, but, for some, it is still taking place.

This male spent its time between bringing more sticks and mating.