George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary – Page 16

Long-tailed Duck

Late this morning I got a heads up about an unusual visitor at Reifel, so I made my way out there just after lunch.

A Long-tailed Duck was in the house pond behind the gift shop.

While normally seen on open water or at the mouth of the river, these diving ducks do occasionally find their way to inside ponds.

There was a decent crowd at Reifel when I arrived to help out on the trails this afternoon. There weather was a mixed bag with sun, clouds and some light rain. Some highlights from the morning walk were Rough-legged Hawk, American Bittern, Belted Kingfisher and Varied Thrush. There was also a Great Horned Owl at the northeast corner again. As owls are always a favourite for visitors I headed there first. The owl was in a better spot for viewing today than last week.

I ended up spending the entire afternoon with the camera set up on the Great Horned Owl utilizing the live view feature so people could get a good close look. Needless to say this owl was a hit with everyone who came by.

Northern Shrike

Great weather so far for the Thanksgiving weekend and a good crowd at Reifel this afternoon. The only thing of note from the morning walk were a couple of Northern Shrike along the west dyke. I started my afternoon off along the outside to check for shorebirds and the shrikes.

This lone Killdeer was the only shorebird that was cooperating for photos.

Then about half way along the west dyke I could hear a couple of Northern Shrike. They were creating quite the racket,

… with one eventually coming to roost in a tree over the trail. While I heard one the other week in Boundary Bay, this is the first Northern Shrike I have seen and photographed this fall.

To finish the afternoon off,

… this Pheasant made a brief appearance at the side of the trail.