     Female Rufous so beautifully decorated with a gold toned pollen that I am going to print this image on canvas. It will be on display during the Sidney, N Saanich Spring Studio Tour , June 9th and 10th ...
"Gold Dusted"
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  Time seems to move along faster and faster each year and the time I get to spend with these beautiful wee creatures is truly fleeting. They arrive to Vancouver Island about mid March from their Wintering area in Southern Mexico and by mid June each year they are heading south again. I am seeing young Rufous (and Annas) at the feeders this past week and going through a record amount of nectar. (some days 3 litres)  A female Rufous seen here just exiting, stage right! :)
 Please mark your calendars for June 9 & 10 2018 and make sure you come out to see the Studio Tour ... Lots of my latest and favourite images on canvas and metal, plus greeting cards and of course some gold and gemstone jewellery . I will look forward to your visit...  A rare jewel like visitor to my yard (May 23rd)  MOM Osprey at the nest keeping an eye on the Starlings and keeping a watchful eye open for Papa to return with an evening snack (just before sunset)     With small insects swirling all around Papa Osprey and moonlight glowing, right at sunset.   Late afternoon on May 9th, I observed the relocated nest site and at first I spotted the female Osprey looking rather forlorn atop the hydro pole where the nest originally was built. No sign of the male for over 2 hours (which is rare... the average time I have observed over the years is 35 minutes for papa O to fly off and return with a fish) It was very windy yesterday which may have added to the difficulty of finding dinner, but the above photo was shot just before 5 PM and by this time the female had flown up to the relocated nest and was watching for her mate.  Mom sitting at the original nest site.. Remains of a few sticks visible because the male thought he would rebuild the nest here.... But my thoughts are that the female accepted the moved nest as it is now in a better spot , plus it is urgent because this week she will lay her 1st egg  During my watch and wait for the male, Mom goes to the relocated nest and adds some fine grass to the centre. 1.. Dad Returns with a Herring dinner!
2... Mom takes the fish and enjoys her meal on the platform edge 3... Herring gone 4,5 Mom returns to the nest 6.. The happy couple  The full story with photos a bit later!!! ..... BC Hydro ... you folks are awesome!  Love Birds ... the happy couple before the move  Mom Osprey checks out the platform where 1 goose raised a brood and now gone  The other platform on the farm ... A second Canada Goose nesting on the Osprey platform  An immature Bald Eagle flies past and upsets the Ospreys  A dark phase Red Tail Hawk flies past ... beautiful bird!  BC Hydro arrives at the farm around 3:30 PM This pair of Osprey have been nesting on this farm in N Saanich for many years... 2 tall nesting platforms were installed because the Osprey were using the short (high voltage) hydro pole and causing great problems for the farm and themselves as u might imagine. This Spring both tall nesting platforms were occupied by Canada Geese, so the Osprey built a nest once again on the live Hydro pole..... May 8th, BC Hydro came out to do a nest relocation and my gosh it was quite a process. The tall platform beside the pole was now unoccupied by the goose (she raised her brood and was gone) The galleries below show this process... Please click to enlarge photos.*  A rare peek inside the nest of a West Coast Osprey  Here is where the Osprey pair sat the whole time nest relocation was taking place Below are some wider angle views of the operation!  BC Hydro crew is finished and packing up .. Beautifully done guys! The 3 images below were taken about 10 minutes after the BC Hydro crew drove away. The pair of Osprey first investigated the pole where the nest was... Both Mom and Dad sat atop the hydro pole and seemed to have a conference, then Dad flew up to the relocated nest on the tall platform, soon followed by Mom. When she began rearranging nesting material, my hopes brightened that the pair would accept the relocation. I will be back to the farm this afternoon and certainly report back on what I see. * The Ospreys were observed mating over the past 2 days, so I do expect the first egg to be laid as early as tomorrow, but certainly this week! This is year 3 that I have been watching this pair of Osprey... They were beaten to their favourite nesting platform by a Canada Goose who will not give it up , so instead of building on another nearby platform, they have perilously built on a live power pole ...  Male Osprey lands lightly on the female's back  Dad took off to go fishing (I thought) but returned a minute later   Dad brings another freshly snapped stick for the nest  Dad brings in the stick ... I wonder how many flights were taken to build this? The 9 images in the gallery below show an agitated pair of Osprey ... Finally I realized why when another female Osprey tried to land on their nest. This other bird circled a few times, tried to land but was scolded off and eventually she flew across to the vacant nesting platform. *CLICK on individual photos to enlarge*  Ohh my! Mom is MAD! (Mom watched this other Osprey land nearby and took off, chased her away. Ospreys will not tolerate any other birds near their nest.    A female RWBB tries yo chase off the Osprey (not sure the Osprey noticed, however)   Canada Goose stole the Osprey nesting platform ... They aren't happy about this but the geese are tough and determined birds!  Thanks to Captain Chris for guiding us today on a terrific local adventure! We saw quite a few species including the Pelagic Cormorants (above photo) , many gulls, Black Oystercatchers, GB Herons etc. The weather was unbelievably Summery, and calm waters made for smooth sailing. My thanks to the ladies aboard who also made the experience top notch with pleasant nature conversation and excellent bird identification! Looking forward to our next outing!  Pigeon Guillemot ... A new species for me today , identified by one of the tour guests, as seen landing in the blue water just off Arbutus Island ... Neat birds  Nesting on a cliff face Pelagic Cormorants  Male Pelagic Cormorant in breeding plumage  Any small crevice on the rocky slope will serve as a nesting site  Great Blue Heron sneaks along one of the small islets off North Saanich  Black Oystercatcher stretches  seals soak up some intense May sunshine  Group of Pelagic Cormorants perch on a small island (behind them Camas Lilies flourish)  One of 2 Mute Swans that has aparantly been living nearby for 20 years |
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April 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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