Canada Goose – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Friday the 13th

I started off this morning at Reifel. Right off the bat I came across this interesting mix of birds in the pond behind the gift shop.

A Canada Goose, Mallard and some Dowitchers.

New arrivals are popping up all over the place now.

And it will be about another week before we see any action around the Sandhill Crane nest.

While Wilson’s Warblers were few and far between on my last visit,

… they were all over the place today.

This female was staying put foraging in one area,

… providing a better opportunity for some closer shots.

Of course there are still plenty of Yellow-rumped Warblers around as well.

While not a great photo op,

… I did see my first Black-headed Grosbeak of the year. So, not a bad morning at Reifel.

A Bar-tailed Godwit had been seen the last couple of days out in Boundary Bay. A fairly rare visitor for this area, particularly in the spring. Having to work I was unable to get out when it was first sighted and decided to give it a try this afternoon. However, there was no sign of it or any Plovers that it had been seen with.

With a title of “Friday the 13th” the day obviously did not bode well for someone.

This afternoon in the bay it was this Dowitcher falling prey to a Peregrine Falcon.

A Little Variety Today

For some it is still nest building time.

Here a Barn Swallow is gathering nesting material.

For others, new arrivals are here.

A little better luck today with getting a Wood Duck family together.

Yellow-rumped Warblers were busy hawking for insects from the trees.

While watching and photographing the warblers,

… this Rufous Hummingbird stopped briefly on a branch before flying off.

And this Red-winged Blackbird paused momentarily in the cattails.

There were also a few Orange-crowned Warblers around. I located and stuck with one to try and get a photo. Unlike the Yellow-rumped which would sit in the open, the Orange-crowned were foraging for insects amongst the branches of the trees.

This one never came completely out in the open and this was the best I could do today. Such is the life of bird photography, but there is always next time.

A Little Yellow On A Gloomy Day

Back at Reifel today to help out again on the last day of the Easter long weekend. Needless to say with the weather, it was a little quieter. No where near the crowds of the sunny Saturday. In spite of the damp, the nesting birds persevere.

Despite the showers on a gloomy afternoon, not all was lost. There were some Yellow-rumped Warblers moving around the inner trails. A couple of them actually cooperated for photo opportunities.

An Audoban’s,

… and this Myrtle. Always nice to get both types of the Yellow-rumped Warbler that we will see in this area. And the bonus bird to pop up an pose while watching the warblers,

… was this Golden-crowned Kinglet.