Blog – Page 150 – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Chestnut-sided Warbler

I have been holding off posting for a few days as I wanted to start off another month with something new. As this is a photo blog, a picture is usually a good idea. The bird in question is a Chestnut-sided Warbler. As is the norm more often than not with bird photography, it may take more than one attempt. While I saw the bird on my first visit,

… it was not until this afternoon it came down low and close enough.

The Chestnut-sided Warbler is not usually seen west of Alberta,

… and is a rare visitor to British Columbia and the Lower Mainland area.

This particular bird has been in the Camosun Bog area of Pacific Spirit Park in Vancouver for about a week now.

It has been providing great views for local birders and photographers. So, with a little patience, I get to start off another month with a new addition to the photo list.

Osprey Nest New Arrivals

When I checked last weekend there were no chicks yet in the Osprey nest. As it should be very close to that time, I headed out there again today. On arriving the female was on the nest. The encouraging sign was the change in her posture.

She was sitting higher, wings relaxed and similar to when raptors mantle their prey. This is different from when they are incubating eggs and from past experience indicates the chick(s) have hatched.

Even when standing up she maintained this posture. Now it was just a matter of waiting for some kind of confirmation that there were indeed new arrivals.

While doing so, the crows along the trail started kicking up a real stink. They were beside the tree where the male Osprey was roosting and at first I thought they were just harassing him.

The ruckus actually got the female to leave the nest briefly and then return. The crows were actually down lower in the trees than the male Osprey.

Finally I spotted their actual target, this Raccoon moving along a branch. The crows stuck with it and did not let up as it moved through the trees along the river bank.

An hour and a half after I arrived there was some activity on the nest with the female moving to the right side.

There was a fish in the nest and she tore off a small piece. Fish are usually only going to be kept in the nest when young are present.

Then the confirmation I was waiting for, feeding behaviour.

The female is obviously feeding chick(s). They must be fairly new arrivals and tiny still, as you cannot see any heads above the top of the nest yet.

She then moved to the other side and continued feeding young.

The last large piece she finished off herself. Now we will just have to wait and see how many chicks there are.

Kingbirds, Cooper’s & Willow

This afternoon I headed out to the Boundary Bay area to try for some better shots of the Willow Flycatcher. I had no sooner started on my walk when I noticed a large flycatcher in a tree at the beginning of the trail.

On getting a closer look it was a Western Kingbird.

What a great way to start this outing,

… these are my first shots of a Western Kingbird and a new addition to my photo list.

When checking one of the spots for the Willow Flycatcher,

This Cedar Waxwing showed up for a brief visit on some dead fall.

Then I noticed one of the nesting Cooper’s Hawk in a Willow Tree.

It was preening and stretching while roosting in the tree.

Then a familiar call took me back to where I had seen the Waxwing.

The Willow Flycatcher was located down low in the bramble and allowed me to get fairly close. A little better than the distant shot of the other day.

So far, so good. I headed back to where I had seen the Western Kingbird. On approaching I saw something fly from the same tree into an adjacent field.

Perched on a small tree I found not the Western Kingbird, but an Eastern Kingbird.

It was flycatching from this low perch and I managed a shot of it with its catch. Two different Kingbirds in one day, cannot ask for much more than that.

Prior to leaving a couple of Savannah Sparrows caught my eye.

Unsure if they had a nest with young nearby, but they were busy gathering grubs and frequenting the tree from the first shot.

It was a lovely afternoon for the first day of summer. A productive one as well on the birding and photography front.