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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/crow120102s.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is over a century old. It was started by birders in reaction to the nineteenth century practice of hunters seeing how many birds could be shot in a day.<\/p>\n
Yesterday I, too, went out to shoot birds—but, with my camera. I was a minor participant in Nelson’s count, which in turn was a minor participant in North America’s count. The pictures I show below are only a few of the things I saw. My favourite bird of the day was the Hooded Merganser.<\/p>\n
There are always many crows and ravens to count. Here is a preening crow in a tree.
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Mallards were numerous. These ones were on the ice of a small bay.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/mallards120102s.jpg\")
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There were House Finches near someone’s feeder. Here is the female.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/housefinchF120102as.jpg\")
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The male was caught in flight. It has lowered its legs as it approaches a landing. The House Finch has\u00a0a undulating flight: it flaps its wings briskly, then folds them and coasts for a moment before flapping again. This bird was caught at the moment its wings were folded. Note the seed from the feeder in its bill.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/housefinchM120102s.jpg\")
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The Bufflehead Duck has iridescent feathers on its head. Normally they look black, but sometimes in the sunlight, colours can be seen. I have tried to photograph this before, but with somewhat less success.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/buffleheadM120102s.jpg\")
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Although not as small as the Bufflehead, the Hooded Merganser is much smaller than the Mallard, as is clear when one swims past the other.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/hooded_mallards120102s.jpg\")
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My favourite picture of the day is of the Hooded Merganser, but I like it almost as much for the look of the water as for the bird itself.
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.kootenay-lake.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/hoodedmerganser120102as.jpg\")
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The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is over a century old. It was started by birders in reaction to the nineteenth century practice of hunters seeing how many birds could be shot in a day. Yesterday I, too, went out to … Continue reading