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A very short video showing a group of Buffleheads this evening at dusk. (55 seconds) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back Buffleheads !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  A new group of Buffleaheads arriving to Roberts Bay...    Anyone who followed LittleEagle this past Summer will recognize this tree!  This shot is for my new friend that I met at Roberts Bay this evening.. Thank you for the nice conversation about Nature!
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 Surf Scoters @ Pat Bay   A close encounter with a Great Blue Heron! The returning Buffleheads have so far not appeared around the Peninsula (other than a couple reports of them being around for a day, then gone)
I do love the Surf Scoters and these shots were taken on the 19th of October at Pat Bay!  The Varied Thrush is always a welcome Fall/Winter visitor to our area. Colourful creatures, similar to and related to the common American Robin ..
Has a soulful almost haunting song .. Feisty with one another and other species and often shy to humans!  Just before sunrise at Roberts Bay this morning Stardate .. 10/15/2017 298th day of the Solar cycle... Otherwise known as the day the Buffleheads return to Sidney, BC, Canada. As an earthing observer, this day so far has shown me zero returning Bufflehead Ducks... I perched myself on my favourite camera bucket this morning from 1/4 hour before sunrise until 11 AM .. At first wandering along Roberts Bay, photographing the early AM visitors, then sitting observing at the Ardwell beach access. The creature list that I observed was as follows: approximately 24 Common Mergansers, several dozen Mallard Ducks, perhaps 4 dozen American Wigeon, various Gulls, Cormorants, Canada Geese, 6 Great Blue Herons, numbers of song Sparrows and 1 Bald Eagle! Greetings to all the folks and friendly dogs who stopped by to chat about what an incredible and special place this is to live.. I enjoyed each and every on of your visits. Perhaps it was the clear, calm Summery weather that is holding back the Bufflehead Ducks (although there was mention of 1 passerby that some had already been seen a week a go ...???) Quite possibly as this sanctuary is the perfect stop off on their migration route! I will keep you posted as to returning Winter migrants on this blog, so please stay tuned~ Should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at [email protected] Cheers & Happy October 15th... Terry V :)  American Wigeon in mornings glow  "American Wigeon" puddling through the eel grass  Papa Eagle enjoys the sunrise at Roberts Bay  "Common Mergansers" snorkeling for breakfast   Common Mergansers fly to another corner of Roberts Bay  Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for attending the opening evening at the SHAW centre in Sidney. It was a great evening filled with all sorts of terrific speakers and a variety of entertainment. Thanks to FOSH and Farrell Boyce for inviting me ,,,, I very much enjoyed presenting a slide show based on wildlife seen by myself on the Saanich Peninsula. This weekend local Nature lovers celebrate the return of the Buffleheads (and other wintering species) as they have arrived from their Summer homes for countless years mid October.. in fact October 15th to be exact. Come Celebrate the Return of the Bufflehead Ducks!
The 2017 Buffleheads Celebration will take place over three days, Friday October 13, Saturday October 14 and Sunday October 15. We have some great events to offer you! Friday October 13: Public Reception 7 to 9 pm at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea (9811 Seaport Place, Sidney BC Hear updates from the many local organizations working to protect and promote our rich natural heritage and introduce the exciting concept of “naturehood”. Photographer, Terry Venables will present a slide show of his “grace in motion” photographs of local birds and other wildlife. We’ll introduce you to the Plein Air Painters, a group of local artists who paint directly from nature and who have supported many environmental outreach events by exhibiting their work. Pamela Porter, an accomplished area poet, will read some of her poems to improvised piano accompaniment by musician, Patrick Godfrey. There will be time to socialize with other guests and to share light refreshments. A highlight of the evening will be the formal unveiling of a new painting by Robert Bateman. This event (Friday, October 13) and that of October 14, will take place in the traditional territory of the Tseycum First Nation. We are grateful for the presence of representatives from the Tseycum community. We acknowledge the support of the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, which made this beautiful space and its facilities available at no cost. If you enjoyed the reception, a small donation to defray the out-of-pocket expenses would be gratefully received (donation basket at the exit). *************************************************************************** Saturday, October 14: Bufflehead Welcoming Ceremony, 9:30 am to 11am at Roberts Bay (intersection of Ardwell Ave. and Resthaven Dr. in Sidney) Everybody welcome! This is our traditional gathering to honour the Bufflehead Ducks and other migratory birds that choose to winter in our community. Join us under the tents at the Ardwell Beach Access, where Chief Tanya Jones of the Tseycum First Nation will welcome us to this place, one of the Tseycum traditional food-gathering sites. There will be Bufflehead-related displays and activities for adults and children, explanations of local natural history, brief addresses from supportive politicians, and much scanning of the Bay waters for migratory birds, Buffleheads in particular. Saturday, October 14: Nature Sketching, 10 am to 12 noon, at Roberts Bay (intersection of Ardwell Ave. and Resthaven Dr. in Sidney) Nature Sketching is a children and youth program established by the Robert Bateman Centre in Victoria BC (one of our partners in the Buffleheads Celebration http://www.batemancentre.org ). The program arises from Robert Bateman’s experience of outdoor sketching as a way of interacting directly with nature and developing observing skills. This is a special edition of the program Complementing the Welcoming Ceremony for the Bufflehead ducks. Young people not registered with the program are welcome to attend on this special occasion. Sketching materials and instruction will be available. Participants should wear waterproof shoes or boots; some wading may be required to cross Mermaid Creek where it fans out on the beach. Sunday October 15: boat Tour of the Victoria Migratory Bird Sanctuary, the Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary and Places In Between, 9am to 2 pm. Great Opportunity! Limited Spaces Available. https://shoalharbour.com/2017/09/26/get-ready-for-the-2017-buffleheads-celebration/ * Also (I have an image showing at the Sidney Fine Arts show this weekend) entitled " Born to Fly with Eagles " Sidney Fine Arts Show http://www.sidneyfineartshow.ca   I have been told that adult Eagles have been seen in the Sidney neighbourhood where LittleEagle was raised.... These birds are in all likelihood his foster parents. They were observed flying around the area and even in the nest making repairs....
I spent an hour looking for them this afternoon, but as fate would have it... never got a glimpse... I will go back this weekend and try for some photos. After visiting nestside with some of the local residents, I took a stroll on LittleEagles beach... You know I want to see the little guy so badly, but alas.. no sign (yet) of the little Hawk. (big sigh) I did see a Coopers Hawk chasing a songbird right below the nest.. That really gave me a "start" but knew immediately it was not a Red Tail.... Then a meander below on the beach netted a few images of Harlequin Ducks.. Such beautiful creatures!  Vancouver Island Smurf   California Quail .. back yard regular!  Fox Sparrow |
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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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