   A pair of Harlequin ducks taking a break from fishing in the fog
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 Mr Towhee looking for snacks through the snow    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.   An arctic cold front hit on Friday and the birds have been extra hungry. Here, a beautiful male Varied Thrush guards his frozen apple ... Thanks to my dear friend who alerted me to come and rescue many pounds of fallen apples that the Thrush family find delish! |
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June 2025
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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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