2020-06-07: Local Birds (and more)

We have had some truly dismal weather the past few weeks, so much so that almost all of the hummingbirds have disappeared, presumably to find somewhere a little more hospitable to nest. But, I have seen a fair amount of wildlife, even though I haven’t had a chance to take pictures of all of it. The western tanager couple is back, and I see them flit through the yard usually once a day. Out on my walks, there have been frequent sightings of hermit thrushes, which surprises me after all the years I listened to them singing without being able to see one. There have also been a few different warblers; the Townsend’s, which I didn’t manage to get a photo of, and the Wilson’s warbler, which I managed a couple of ID shots of.

A male western tanager
A Wilson’s warbler
A hermit thrush

In addition to the variety of birds, I’ve seen both black bear, a cinnamon bear, and I finally caught a glimpse of the lynx that I saw tracks of all through the winter. I was walking my dog early one morning and saw it at the side of the road off in the distance, and it was so far away that I needed my camera to figure out what it was! Gratefully it stayed put for enough time to let me snap one photo, and then it evaporated into the bushes.

That’s all for today, wishing everyone a wonderful week.

2016-06-05: What I’ve seen this week

I spent some time Saturday morning watching the birds in the backyard, and happened to be at the right place at the right time to see a male and female western tanager pass through the yard.  It was only the third time I’ve ever seen these birds, and the first opportunity to photograph, so needless to say, I was thrilled.

I had another interesting sighting earlier in the week; while out on my bike I spotted an interesting bird with a very long beak.  After looking on my bird app, I figured it was likely a long-billed curlew, a first time I have seen the species.  I hopped in the car with my camera to see if they were still in the area, and luckily managed a couple photos.

That’s enough of the chatter, I hope you enjoy the birds I have seen this week 🙂

 

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A dark-eyed oregon junco with her chicks.  Even though the ground was full of sunflower seeds that I spilled earlier in the day whilst filling up feeders, the chicks still wanted Mom to feed them.

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I was watching the hummingbirds with camera in hand when I saw a flash of yellow land behind some branches.  I moved slowly to get a better vantage point, worried I would scare the bird off before getting to ID it.  

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The male and female tanagers arrived at separate times and only stayed a minute or to.  I was really lucky to have seen them.

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A long-billed curlew.

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A pair of long-billed curlews with a chick (mid photo far right).  I was taking photos when pulled over on the side of the main road into my neighbourhood, so I didn’t spend any time adjusting settings; a couple quick photos then I was off.

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