Wilson’s Warbler – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Cranes, Warbler & Flycatchers

After a morning errand I waited for the rain to subside a little before heading back out to Reifel for an update on the Sandhill Crane nest. Unfortunately the news was not good. The second chick did not hatch successfully or survive.

On the brighter side the surviving chick made its first swim from the nest to the bank of the pond. As luck would have it I just missed that, but was in time for the climb out.

After the successful ascent,

… the adults promptly started feeding it worms and other tasty morsels.

After watching the Cranes I decided to check for some Western Tanager that had been sighted. While I had no luck locating them,

… there were still good numbers of Wilson’s Warbler around.

This one singing and posing briefly in amongst the trees and bramble.

Then something else caught my eye low in the trees, a flycatcher. I managed some quick views with the binoculars and then a couple of shots. Unfortunately it did not sing or call, which can make identifying these small empids difficult. At least for me anyways,

… but I believe this one to be a Hammond’s Flycatcher. Then I spotted a larger flycatcher that was moving along the tree tops and snags. Given the horrible back lighting at first I could not identify it. Following it along the trail the lighting improved somewhat,

… and I was able to identify it as an Olive-sided Flycatcher.

While the photos are not great, it is a new addition to my life photo list. Just after this it did start to clear up a little, but it was after 4:30 pm and time to leave.

Just for fun on my way out this Red-winged Blackbird singing in the marsh.

Kinglet & Warblers

With the interesting warblers seen the other day, I headed back out to the North 40 for a brief walk this afternoon. I located some in the same spot and while watching them,

… this Ruby-crowned Kinglet was active in a tree behind me.

Once again the warblers were spending most of their time high up in the trees.

A couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers did come down a little lower. Then in the same tree as the Kinglet,

… the Wilson’s Warbler that had eluded me on Friday. Unfortunately I could not relocate the Townsend’s Warbler today.

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.