The Blue Jay is an uncommon resident around the Lake. Indeed, while others have seen one occasionally, today’s visitor to my home was the first one I have ever seen.
A Blue Jay stops by to help itself to seeds put out for a Steller’s Jay. It was skittish.
The Blue Jay then flew to a nearby tree and sat in the afternoon sunlight.
A smoking mountain might seem an odd topic during a wet spring. However, the title does not refer to a wildfire, but to the name of a weather phenomenon.
Sometimes a cloud streaming off the lee of a mountain has the appearance of smoke from a wildfire. This is most likely to be seen when: the mountain has a fairly sharp ridge line; there is a brisk wind flowing across the mountaintop; the valley on the lee is deep and the air in it is moist.
The wind flowing across the mountain top does not follow the terrain. The sharp mountaintop causes air to separate from the surface and carry on high above the valley. However, this wind drags air in the valley with it causing it to flow in the same direction. This, in turn, causes air to flow up the lee of the mountain. As the moist air is lifted, a cloud forms, giving the impression of smoke pouring off the mountainside.
Streamlines have been added to the picture to illustrate the wind: the air above the mountain top is flowing from right to left; on the lee side of the mountain, a cloud forms as the moist air is lifted. The cloud has the appearance of smoke from a wildfire. To see the picture without the streamlines, roll the cursor over the image (computer), or tap on the image (mobile device).
This is the fourth day that the wayward Snow Goose has been hanging around, always in the company of a few Canada Geese. Maybe when the weather improves, it will head out to find others of its own species.
The Snow Goose on my lawn.
At one point the goose was joined by a visiting pair of Green-winged Teals.
At places along the Pacific Coast of British Columbia, the semi-annual migration of Snow Geese brings them in vast numbers. However, Kootenay Lake is far off their normal migratory route. Here, maybe a total of a half-dozen Snow Geese that have wandered far off course might be seen somewhere in this large area during the course of a year. So, it was unexpected to see one along the West Arm this morning.
A young Snow Goose has wandered far from its normal migratory route.
It has been a half-year since I offered a month’s-end goulash: a collection of images, none of which had had a posting of its own.
Starlings, an invasive and aggressive species, are not my favourite birds. Yet, when they collect in vast flocks, they are renowned for presenting coordinated and spectacular murmurations. Alas, the numbers here were insufficient for that; they merely offered chaotic flight.
It might be a surprise to some that the doe-eyed White-tailed Deer is demonized in some circles.
Why do owls, hawks, falcons, and woodpeckers appeal to some humans? I don’t know, but I have the condition also. Here is our tiniest woodpecker, the Downy.
Spring comes and we begin to see the Meadow Lark in our fields.
The Great Blue Heron is one of my favourites. Here one is flying into a local rookery.
This is an uncommon view of the wings of one of our common birds: the Steller’s Jay.
Two female and two first-year male Hooded Mergansers choose a turtle’s loafing log for preening.
This ball of fur comprises two Yellow-bellied Marmots. First came nuzzling, now thrusting.
Two female Ruffed Grouse in my yard were standing nearby while watching another: a male in display. He had erected his eponymous ruff, the long black feathers on his neck, and had spread his tail feathers to form a fan.
The message was clear: “I want you, baby.”
This Bald Eagle exhibits anisocoria.
A half-dozen years ago, I posted an eagle portrait. It was taken just as the light from the rising sun touched one side of the eagle’s face. A striking feature of the portrait is the eyes: The pupil on the sunlit side is smaller than that on the shady side.
In most humans, the pupils are synchronized, and so the size of the pupils match. When they do not, the usually harmless condition is known as anisocoria (aniso = unequal; cor = pupil; ia = condition).
Of course, birds are not people; their eyes behave differently. It seems that anisocoria is a normal characteristic of birds. Yet, I hadn’t noticed it again until today when a Great Blue Heron looked down on me. Again, the lighting was uneven, and, like the eagle, the heron exhibited anisocoria.
The lighting on the two sides of this heron’s face is different, resulting in different pupil sizes.
There are worse ways to spend the better part of a day than wandering through nature. Here are highlights of things seen two days ago.
Turkey Vulture
Vultures return to this area mid-March, but I would not have expected to see one so quickly, let alone have the unusual view of the topside of its wings.
Northern Shrike
This is the first time I have seen a shrike with prey, and a vole, no less. Unfortunately, the shrike was flying just behind a red osier dogwood.
Elk
This is a portion of a much larger herd of elk seen in the distance.
Killdeer
A killdeer flew by.
Northern Pintail
The pintail is an elegant-looking duck, but I have rarely seen more than two at once. This flying flock was spectacular.
Rookery
The season is early, but this view of a portion of a rookery already shows a half-dozen Great Blue Herons and a couple of Double-crested Cormorants.
Red-tailed Hawk
When leaving its perch, this hawk spread its wings and tail.
Red-winged Blackbird
This male was in full song and full display.
Progress rejection
At first I was bothered by the way our culture of discardable shipping containers had sullied the talus.
Then I thought, maybe the marmots have merely installed lighting in their dens.
Finally, I was struck by the whimsy of wildlife having turned its back on what we see as progress.