Coming up a hill out of the camping ground at Adams Lake we saw this bird scurry off into the bushes. He hung around just long enough for us to see the distinctive colour, and buffle on his head, before he ran into the bush.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
93. Ruffed Grouse - September 2009
Coming up a hill out of the camping ground at Adams Lake we saw this bird scurry off into the bushes. He hung around just long enough for us to see the distinctive colour, and buffle on his head, before he ran into the bush.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
92. Great Horned Owl - August 09
When we took Gavin out to Reifel today, we only wanted to see one new bird. We never expected it to be the Great Horned Owl. There were 2 of them sitting 20m from the path, in the middle of the day, sleeping and preening in turn. They seemed amazingly big and fluffy. Their ears were very easy to see, and their eyes were amazingly yellow. Just beautiful. Molly thought they looked like cats.
91. Osprey - August 09
Seen from a dock in Ladner circling above the river. There one minute, gone the next.
90. Ring Billed Gull - August 09
Seen on a dock at Ladner. It's easy to identify because of the black dots on its upper and lower bill.
89. Anna's Hummingbird - July 09
We had just spent a lovely afternoon at the Van Dusen Gardens, and were walking back through the Rose Garden, when we saw this beauty. It was perched in a tree above a German tour group and as the whole Gray Family chased it around the tree the German tour leader exclaimed: "I don't know why they're so excited, it's just a bird". Pfff. As it turned into the sun the pink on its neck was spectacular.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
87. Pigeon Guillemot - July 2009
We saw a pair of these fishing off the point at Ruckle Park. The distinctive white patch on the wings was the clincher. Pretty pretentious name though.
86. Trumpeter Swan - July 2009
Walked to the end of the beach on Salt Spring Island, and saw a group of these hanging out with the Canada Geese.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
84. Heerman's Gull - June 2008
The only red-beaked Gull in North America. Noticed and identified these guys in San Francisco, just near Fisherman's Wharf. Have probably seen zillions of them but hadn't noticed the red beak.
83. Northern Cardinal - July 2009
I saw my first Northern Cardinal this week at Central Park in NY. I had read on the internet that Central Park was a birders' paradise and it is, if you like Robins and Sparrows and Black Birds. However, as soon as I walked into the Rambles I saw this little beauty. It's bigger than I had imagined, and not quite as red, but a beautiful bird. I saw both a male and a female.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
82. Brown and White Pelican - June 2009
Haven't seen a pelican in such a long time I was shocked by just how big they are. Saw these guys down on Pier 39 in SF, hanging out with the Sea Lions.
81. Snowy Egret - June 2009
Saw this beauty in San Francisco. Gorgeous. It has black legs and cool yellow feet.
80. Killdeer - June 2009
I don't really like these birds. Don't know why. Maybe it's because they remind me of plovers. Anyway, saw a couple of these guys in the lake at San Francisco. A muddy, dirty, polluted lake. Figures.
79. Double Crested Cormorant - June 2009
My trip to San Francisco was very lucrative. Saw many of these big fellas cruising around just off shore on the beaches between Fisherman's Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge. They were very bright orange around the beak, and looked really big and strong. One guy was cruising around using his feet to paddle. He had his wings up in the air to dry them.
Monday, May 18, 2009
77. Cinnamon Teal - May 2009
Saw this beauty from a distance, out at Iona Regional Park. They really are very distinctive. A beautiful rich brown. Apparently they're quite common. I'm surprised we haven't seen them before...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
76. Clark's Nutcracker
One of two great birds I saw at Lake Louise. Despite what the books say, it looks nothing like a grey jay.
75. American Crow
Seen all along the seashore near Kits, picking up shells and then dropping them on the concrete paths. There is also a massive colony that lives around here somewhere. Once we put birdseed on a plate on the back verandah and a Crow came and took the lot, plate and all.
74. Common Raven
We were sitting on the benches outside Hollyburn Lodge - having a hot chocolate - in between skis. We shared the seat with these 2 nutty bird fanatics who were feeding the Whisky Jacks. When the Ravens arrived they seemed to know them, almost by name. They treated them like pets, saying things like "who's a beautiful boy? What beautiful feathers you have" etc etc. I had never looked at Ravens as beautiful until this moment. I had always just treated them as pesky Currawongs. They actually are quite beautiful.
73. Tree Swallow - May 2008
Seen at Reiffel in... a tree. Also in May 2009. Kate amazed. "Ooohhhh myyyyy ggoooosssshhh. Look at that blue bird". For the longest time I have been offering a chocolate bar to the first person who sees a Mountain Blue Bird. We haven't seen one yet, but every blue bird now seems to qualify.
72. Violet-Green Swallow - July 2008
Saw these guys skimming the water on a canoe trip up Widgeon Creek near Chilliwack.
71. Red-Breasted Nuthatch - 2008
Saw this bird at Nairn Falls. These little guys can go up and down a tree, creeping along somehow as if they're walking on a flat surface.
69. Brown Creeper - December 2007
Seen for the first time at the Harris House. See them frequently when we walk in heavily timbered forests.
68. Cedar Waxwing - August 2008
Have seen quite a few of these distinctive birds. The first time was at New Denver, on dusk, with a really crappy pair of binoculars. They were shadowed against the light but I could see their cool cresty heads. They hung around long enough for me to cruise around and see then from lots of different angles
67. Yellow Warbler - August 2008
We picnicked and swam beside the Kettle River to the sound of these gorgeous little birds. The Kettle River Valley is just picturesque. Clean. Natural. Beautiful.
66. Spotted Towhee - June 2008
Although we first saw this bird in Pemberton, it is sighting this bird at Lighthouse Park in May 2009 that gives me with one of my best birding memories. We were scrambling around on rocks with the girls when I said "shhh, there's a bird" and Kate said - in front of a bunch of awestruck adults - "don't worry mum, it's just a Towhee". We now have one that lives in the hedge beside our house.
65. Fox Sparrow - January 2008
Seen near a pretty lake at Royal Roads University on Vancouver Island. Not sure how we could have identified him at this stage of our birding, but here it is.
64. White-Crowned Sparrow - April 2009
Saw this guy scurrying about underneath a tree down at Kits beach. The stripey bit on his head is really fluffy and buffley. Cute.
63. Golden-Crowned Sparrow - 2008
Seen at Reiffel. One of a bunch of stripey-headed sparrows. Apparently this one is also called "Weary Willie" because its song sounds like it's crying "I'm so weeeeary".
61. Red-Winged Blackbird - January 2008
I remember seeing my first Red-Winged Blackbird on a freezing day out at Reiffel - years and years ago. At the time I was amazed at the colours on the bird's wings... the bright yellow and red look great against their glossy black backs. I remember Pam and Penny being less impressed. They really are very widespread, but I do like them. They have the same kind of carolling song at Australian magpies and when they fly and show their colours they are beautiful.
60. Brewer's Blackbird - April 2009
These guys competed with the Mourning Doves for my attention in Palm Springs.
59. Bullock's Oriole - August 2008
We camped by a beautiful fast-moving river near Princeton. The river ran fast over a pebbly bottom and someone had made a rock-pool for the kids to play in. We had just packed up and were walking along the river's edge when Molly said "Mummy, I saw an orange bird". That usually meant a sparrow or something else quite ordinary. She had in fact spotted a Bullock's Oriole. It was hiding amongst some stringy bushes on the edge.
58. House Finch - May 2008
There are heaps of these around Kits. They're quite striking even though they're so common.
57. American Goldfinch - April 2009
In a little copse of trees off South West Marine Drive I saw more yellow birds than I've ever seen in my life. One of them was unmistakeably an American Goldfinch.
56. House Sparrow
Rabbits. Foxes. Pidgeons. House Sparrows. Gallipoli. The English have a lot to answer for. Enough said.
55. California Quail - April 2005
Saw these scratching underneath the apple trees at Anna's place up at Summerland. I couldn't believe that these were wild birds... thought they were just poor souls that get periodically eaten by sneaky cats from aviaries. I do remember that the bobbles on their head were extremely cute.
54. Northern Saw-Whet Owl
I would never have known that this was what I was looking at, nor found it, if it hadn't been pointed out and identified by a professional photographer keen to show the kids, at Reiffel. It was sitting on a nest, right beside the path, looking a bit confused.
52. Red-Breasted Sapsucker - June 2008
This bird is a legend in our family. Penny had a board game as a child and if you drew the Red-Breaster Sapsucker card you would almost certainly win. We saw our first - and only - Sapsucker at Alice Lake when we were picnicking.
51. Northern Flicker - 2008
There are a bunch of Flickers that live it Kits. I see them (or maybe it's just one very busy bird) a lot.
50. Pileated Woodpecker - February 2009
These guys are really big birds. I saw my first one at the park on Camosun and 16th. We had been for a one hour walk in the Endowment Lands and I hadn't seen a single bird. Then, standing in the park I saw this beauty. He was rapping away at a log. I was struck by the luminance of the red of his crest. It's very distinctive. And he was really banging away... no wonder this one in the picture looks so surprised - or is it glazed - by life
49. American Robin - November 2007
First seen at Jericho, these are common birds that hop around in the Spring and Summer months. We see them everywhere.
48. American Black Duck - May 2009
I have been looking at these ducks thinking that they're female Mallards for the longest time, but look at the YELLOW beak.
47. Rock Dove - May 2009
Yeah I know, we've all seen zillions of these rats-with-wings BUT if I don't include it here I can't count it.
45. Greater White-Fronted Goose - May 2009
I am very proud to have seen this goose today at Reiffel. It was a long way away and when it caught my eye - even before I'd got the binoculars out - I could see that it was different to anything I'd seen before. The female was quite a bit lighter, and they both had the distinctive white patch of their face.
44. Barn Swallow - May 2009
Today at Reiffel it was Swallow City. They must have migrated back from somewhere because there were Barn Swallows and Tree Swallows everywhere... sitting in trees, in and out of nesting boxes, skimming along the top of the water. We saw this fellow sitting on a wire on the way into Reiffel at Ladner. He had a beautiful red chest.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
42. Belted Kingfisher - January 2008
Saw this spunky bird at Granville Island. Has a great top-knot. Also seen at: Jericho Beach, Salthspring Island.
41. Starling - January 2007
Saw these at Granville Island. If you ignore the fact that they are imported from Europe, and probably a pest, they are incredibly pretty birds. Especially in the sun. The girls love them.
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