Exploring Kootenay Lake

The name of the game seems to be nest usurpation.

Swallows: A few days ago, a Mountain Bluebird attempted to take over the nest established earlier by Tree Swallows. Today, as the first picture below shows, the swallows are back firmly in control.

Ospreys: There has also been an ongoing saga of the rather sorry nest being built by two ospreys. It has been told with topics such as: trial nest, mating, sticks, biting, and rising water. Today, while the osprey couple were briefly absent, a pair of Canada Geese took over the osprey nest. They scrounged around setting up house. The tranquility did not last. From perhaps 40 metres overhead an osprey started calling. It then started a dive toward the nest. When the osprey was perhaps only about four meters above its nest and closing rapidly, the second picture was taken. It shows the beginning of the abrupt departure of the geese. A moment later, the osprey was back on the nest and the geese were complaining about their lot in life from the surface of the lake.

Tree swallows are back firmly in control of their nest.

Canada Geese in the process of losing control of the osprey nest.

The osprey couple firmly in control of the nest the next morning.

You must search till you find the bluebird.
You will find peace and contentment forever.
Bluebird of Happiness (song), Edward Heyman, 1934

The myth of the bluebird of happiness is ancient and spans many cultures; the bluebird supposedly brings happiness, prosperity, good health, new births, springtime—the list goes on.

It is unlikely that Tree Swallows accept such human silliness. The two pictures below show a female Mountain Bluebird attacking the Tree Swallow couple mentioned earlier. The bluebird was presumably trying to take over the nest. The male Tree Swallow drove it off—or so it seemed at the time. Yet a day later, the swallows seemed to have vanished and a couple of bluebirds were hanging around. Who knows how this is going to play out?

Update: the next step is presented at That’s my nest.

An osprey takes a bite.

Move cursor over image; wait; move cursor off image; repeat.

The osprey eats fish that it captures live in stunning plunges from high over the lake. Not every such plunge is successful. This one wasn’t.

Sometime during this osprey season, I would like to take good pictures of the whole sequence: hover, plunge, enter water, fly off with fish. For now, today’s sequence of five pictures is as good as I have managed.

A circling osprey has spotted something. It slows in anticipation of its dive by dropping its legs (to increase drag) and extending its alulae (to maintain lift).

The plunge is more or less of a blur.

The osprey enters the water and stays under for at least two seconds.

The osprey emerges, but it is still not clear if it caught the fish.

Alas, it flies off with empty claws. Both it and I will try again.

An osprey couple has an off–again, on–again, relationship with an inchoate nest on some pilings. Add a stick, then abandon it; come back and mate, then abandon it; return with another stick, abandon it.

Below is the latest addition.

Composite of two images showing the osprey lifting a stick off a beach

The stick being transported to the nest

Composite of two images showing stick placement on the nest

Have they chosen names for the chicks yet?