Only seeing 1 red squirrel around these days :( Its been a tough winter for this scarce native.18/3/2024
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Its gotta be tough guarding the nest territory ... You can tell by the look on this Heron's face! :) This afternoon I spent 1/2 an hour back on the bay where yesterday I saw 8 78 G B Herons. 3 were the only obvious ones fishing along the shoreline then after a few minutes about 2 dozen came from their perches and flew across in front of me. Here are 7 from that group that suddenly appeared. While watching the Herons, a flight of Greenwing Teal landed almost right in front of me
The Herons were mostly gathered along the beach waiting for fishing opportunities but also lots were perched in nearby trees. This shot is the closest Heron colony and just a short hop from the beach where I was observing so many Herons. I believe I counted 16 - 18 nests in this small grove of Alder trees. This image above was a few hours later in warmer air (sun broke through) Less Herons were still around but many were roosting in nearby trees.
The above photos are from yesterday afternoon while out in a local farm field with friends who are advanced falconers. The wind was blowing at near gale forces but REM, the Northern Goshawk flew his laps and did extremely well despite encounters with a Great Horned Owl, a Peregrine Falcon, Red Tail Hawks, several Eagles, Turkey Vultures and even a Merlin. Thanks to everyone who was there to observe and help keep a watchful eye on Rem! OK, so around these parts many gardeners despise the native deer population because they are so fond of the delicious flowers and assorted greenery that thrive in peoples yards... They are welcome in my yard along with the birds!
First photo is Mom (native Island Blacktail deer, and second one munching on some new sprouts is last years fawn.... She had two but I think this is the only survivor. These photos are just a handful of glimpses at the incredible array of creatures all living together at ButterFly Gardens. I was so impressed today with my visit there that I had to share with you.
If you live on Vancouver Island or come here for a visit I think you should consider spending a coupole hours there. an Amazing place! Since Anna's hummingbirds are non migratory they don't have much choice on staying around for this weather. Incredibly over the years of caretaking hummingbirds here I have noticed that during these cold snaps the dominant males guarding their territories (feeders) become extra aggressive when it snows and the temperature drops like it suddenly did on Friday. A beautiful Varied Thrush (male) contemplates the yard before heading down to the ground to scavenge for food. There have been daily attempts from a large Coopers Hawk (who is also hungry) to make a meal from one of these colourful Thrush's *Flickers and Robins are also a target for the Coopers Hawks* Even the Pileated Woodpeckers with their large powerful weapon of a beak are subject to attacks from large hawks, but these birds can fight back! This American Robin looks about as pleased as the Hummingbird about the snow!
The afternoon sun must have felt incredible after several days of -4 to -9 C for this Summer loving bird... What a colour! A big thank you to Aaron for spotting this beauty yesterday afternoon! Yes...you aren't seeing things. Really!!! This Summer Tanager has been living in North Saanich for a few months instead of spending his usual winter in South America. These birds are rarely seen North of Southern California in any season, so quite a shocker to have one here. I want to give a special Thank You to the kind people who are caretaking this misplaced avian beauty and thank you for allowing me to wander around your property to click a few images. These photos were taken today January 14th, just at the end of an extreme cold snap. Currently its still -5C Thank you also to Karen (visiting here from Vancouver) who spotted this Scarlet beauty and pointed out its hiding spot way up in a thick Cedar.. I would have never seen this bird if not for these folks. So appreciated... God Bless.... Photo above is a full framed image looking up to the tree to give perspective on what I was seeing... Quite a tangle of branches! This Red Breasted Sapsucker above was giving quite a show this morning while we searched for the Summer Tanager
Below, a teeny tiny Kinglet sporting his Ruby crown flitted about and finally paused for 2 seconds allowing me to get this photo. |
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March 2024
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Summer 2023.. I just received notice that my blog has been awarded a distinction of being one of the top 10 photography blogs in Canada.
* All images and content copyright Terry Venables and NaturalImagesCanada *
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