Snowy Owl

Later in the afternoon there was a cessation in the rain and I was out the door. It was back to Boundary Bay for the Palm Warbler that is still alluding me after several attempts and some American Tree Sparrows I saw the other day. On arriving it was still overcast and fairly breezy. While I did see some sparrows and warblers, there was not much activity on the small bird front. There was one Northern Shrike moving between trees, several Northern Harriers, Short-eared Owls, Rough-legged Hawks and Bald Eagles all active over the marsh. But the action that got my attention was that some of the Snowy Owls were mobile. While they were occasionally harassed by Harriers,

… they were also chasing and jousting with each other. They appeared to be duking out over roosting spots. One of the contested spots was a log fairly close to the dyke that I managed to set up on without having to venture out into the marsh.

This Snowy Owl is still vocalizing with another after returning to this spot.

After settling down it slowly made its way out to the end of the log.

Once there, and with the Snowy Owl comfortable with my being there, I was able to shift my position a little for this shot. Just when it thought it might have a peaceful roost for a while, a tractor/mower happened to come along the dyke flushing the owl back out into the marsh. Still, some unexpected and fun activity to watch and photograph.

Snowy Owl

For David, my youngest brother who passed away Thursday evening.

It has been a tough couple of weeks, but I managed to get back out this afternoon.

I headed out to Boundary Bay where the Snowy Owls are still drawing large crowds.

There were several in close to the dyke again providing good photo opportunities.

It was good chance to relax, clear my head and get some fresh air for a couple of hours.

Water Birds & Owls

It was still pretty grey when I headed out this afternoon, but at least it was not raining. My destination today was Brunswick Point. After arriving, and before heading out to the point, a quick check of Canoe Pass was in order as a couple of things caught my eye. Canoe Pass is that portion of the South Arm of the Fraser River that goes into Ladner Harbour. The first thing that I noticed,

… was this Long-tailed Duck. There were some Western Grebe out there as well, but they were even further off than the Long-tailed.

Next up were some Red-breasted Merganser.

It has been a few years since I last photographed one of these.

Bonus bird of the afternoon was this Barrow’s Goldeneye.

The Barrow’s Goldeneye is a new addition to my life photo list. So, some interesting waterfowl from the birding perspective, unfortunate the weather was not better from the photography side of things.

Of course the the usual Double-crested Cormorant were on the pilings of the old Brunswick Cannery (photo).

Once on the dyke trail around Brunswick Point things were fairly quiet. The usual Northern Harriers and one Short-eared Owl were active over the marsh. About half way along there was a change from what has been the norm.

There were four Snowy Owls roosting in closer to the dyke.

My last few visits to Brunswick Point they have always been some distance out.

While not as close as the ones at Boundary Bay have been of late,

… it was nice to see the ones here in closer providing better views. The numbers are not as great here either, I counted seven today. There is usually twenty plus in the bay area.