Other Photos – Page 7 – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Raccoon & Tree Swallows

Not having been out there in a couple of weeks I made my way to Reifel this afternoon to help out on the trails. It was not overly busy people wise and things were fairly quiet on the birding front. The sanctuary has a number of nest boxes for birds like Swallows, Wood Ducks and one larger one intended for Barn Owls.

However, the only thing I have seen in the owl box in recent years is Raccoons. Later in the afternoon the Swallows were particularly busy in the west marsh area.

There were some recently fledged Tree Swallows roosting in a tree,

… and actively being fed by adult birds. Too bad they were so far away. Then just as I was about to leave, something odd caught my attention. A male Brown-headed Cowbird alighted on the same branch as the fledgling Tree Swallow.

It then slowly made its way closer until it was right beside it. The whole time it had its head down in what appeared to be a submissive posture. The swallow eventually moved to another branch and the Cowbird at no time was aggressive toward the fledgling. Not too sure what to make of this behaviour. If you have any ideas let me know.

Caterpillars, Moths & Rabbit

If you have spent any time out wandering around this spring you cannot help but notice all the Western Tent Caterpillars. They are everywhere it seems.

Apparently this is a break-out year for them and such outbreaks can last multiple years. While they can defoliate trees over large areas, the trees themselves usually survive. In addition to the caterpillars today I noticed numerous white moths.

They were Satin Moths and apparently infestations of these moths often occur together with outbreaks of Tent Caterpillars. On the cuddlier side,

… there were also several Rabbits around today.

Squirrel & Sharp-shinned Hawk

A chance arose to get out for a walk this afternoon. As there were still some showers off and on, I headed to Reifel where the trails would afford some cover if required. After arriving something entertaining caught my eye before I even left the parking lot.

While my focus is usually birds,

… this squirrel was fun to watch as it dangled amongst the branches eating berries.

As for birds, I was not finding much along the east or north dyke trails. About half way along the centre dyke while scanning back over my shoulder I spotted a Sharp-shinned Hawk off in the trees I had just walked by. It did not take off after I stopped, so I slowly worked my way back to where I would have a clear shot through the branches. It remained on its perch once I stopped again.

As you can see from this shot it was watching me,

… but soon went back to scanning the tree line. A pleasant surprise to have it stay put, but at this point it was just me and the bird.

After I managed a few shots, a young family was approaching along the trail. I motioned for them to be quiet and pointed out the hawk to them. They caught a brief glimpse of it in the tree, but this was too many people and it flew off to the north. None the less, they were as happy as I was to have seen it.