A lovely afternoon, although still on the cool side with the breeze. The intent this afternoon was to try for warblers at Reifel, but I got side tracked again on hearing there were a couple of Cinnamon Teal around. While I did locate one, it was in a pond well off the trail and too far for photos. At another pond they frequent there were some Green-winged Teal.
Green-winged Teal
Not quite the shot I was hoping for, but fun to get this Green-winged Teal pair foraging together. While watching the teal,
House Sparrow
… this House Sparrow landed nearby for a short while. Then the bonus shot of the day occurred on my way out along the east dyke trail.
Mink
This Mink came running right up to me with a bullfrog in its mouth. The lighting was a little harsh, but there is not much you can do about that in these spur of the moment situations.
With most of the shore bird migration behind us now, it is time to change gears. This started with the last post focusing mostly on water birds. Despite the grey and drizzly weather the last few days I have managed a few walks. They have been to Reifel where there have been some interesting song birds worth giving a try. One bird that has been seen off and on for a few weeks now is a White-throated Sparrow. Unfortunately I have yet to locate it, so I turned my attention to some of the regulars.
White-crowned Sparrow
Lots of White-crowned Sparrows around,
White-crowned Sparrow
… including immature birds. One change of pace,
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored)
… was this Slate-colored Dark-eyed Junco. In this part of British Columbia we are most likely to see them at this time of year.
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
The Oregon Dark-eyed Junco is what we are used to seeing here most of the time. The other bird I was hoping to see was the Evening Grosbeak that had been sighted.
Evening Grosbeak
While I did manage to locate and photograph it, the location and lighting were not the best. The bird itself was looking a little bedraggled as well.
House Sparrow
Of course there is never any shortage of House Sparrows. This species was introduced to North America from Europe and are referred to as Old World Sparrows.
House Sparrow
While similar in appearance and behavior, they are a different family from the other New World Sparrows. Another change of pace while watching sparrows,
Hermit Thrush
… was a couple of Hermit Thrush mixed in with them foraging on the ground. Continuing to scour the mixed groups for the White-throated, something else caught my eye.
Fox Sparrow
This odd colored Fox Sparrow, perhaps partially leucistic.
Fox Sparrow
This is how I would normally expect them to look. So while nothing too much out of the ordinary, a couple of interesting finds.
After some volunteer work at Reifel there was still time for a walk. The weather was not the greatest with overcast skies and intermittent showers. I started by watching a few groups of sparrows, always on the lookout for something out of the ordinary.
White-crowned Sparrow
But it was just the regulars present today.
House Sparrow
Then there is the bane of the songbird world.
Brown-headed Cowbird
The Brown-headed Cowbird is a brood parasite. They make no nest of their own with the female laying her eggs in the nests of other species. These other birds will then raise the young along with their own.
Some shorebirds have been frequenting the inner ponds the last few days.
Lesser Yellowlegs
This Lesser Yellowlegs foraging and catching what looks like a small invertebrate.
