Bush Tits have to be the most delicate lively and social birds ever!  Much smaller than our Chickadee's and perhaps twice the size of a hummingbird, these little puffballs are like soft fluttering clouds!
They fly into my yard in a ballet of flights, one bird, two, three at a time and interact as a happy family going about their feeding as 1 unit with many pieces.   
I see up to 30 of these little creatures at a time and they cluster around my peanut feeders and enjoy the hummingbird nectar.
Today I stood out near one of the feeders to click these images and at times they were too close to focus using my 100-400mm lens.
​Hope you enjoy them.... Almost 2016 ................... Terry :)

Mr Anna's watches the flights of BushTits , but does not seem as annoyed by them as he does the Chickadees! :)

                  Ringneck Ducks  .. Drake ^ above  and Hen v  below (first I have ever photograped! 

The Weather Network called for a sunny morning today , so out I went to Pat Bay, dressed in warm camo clothes. The temperature was a crisp 0 C when I set out so I was glad to have the extra layers.  It can be cold work waiting for a Kingfisher to land near enough to take his picture or wait for a flock of Common Goldeneye ducks to swim past in just the right light.  
An interesting thought  came to me while chatting to a nice passerby this morning( who was escorted by a very happy Cairne Terrier) thoughts  about seeing a Kingfisher.
I always hear their sharp call before ever seeing one.  
So if you're hoping to  see one of these fast moving blue beauties... Listen for their call, then watch the sky for a darting bird that lands on an open branch near the water. They will move from spot to spot and watch the water intently below in hopes of catching a small fish. 
Only a couple days left till Christmas and I have a bit of shopping and 1 order left to finish..... So likely won't be out  with the cameras again til Boxing Day (weather permitting)

I  would like to wish everyone who takes the time to check my blog a
 Very Merry Christmas!
  Thanks so much for your comments .., and also for your pleasant conversation when you see me out in the field!

 All so appreciated!

All the best........  Terry :)

The Scoters on the right have a better jaccusi!   :))

A Kenmore Air floatplane banks around and prepares to land at the sea plane harbour at Pat Bay! 

 Splish Splash ... It was bath day at the pond.... I have never seen so many ducks in a short period of time taking spot baths... They flap their wings showering sprays of water, dip their heads repeatedly and repeat... this goes on for a minute or two.
 It also seems to create a chain reaction among the other ducks who adopt the ducky see, ducky do attitude!

As a bonus today, I had golden crowned sparrows at my feet (some too close for minimum focus) , a lovely resting scaup, a few Wigeon and a herd of Mallards so large and so laid back that passing vehicles had to honk repeadedly to clear the roadway of avian loungers!   What fun! 

And here's wishing a very  happy birthday to my new friend Glen @ the magic Pond!  

Cheers to everyone...  Have a happy weekend .................. Terry
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​ ( Marcy and Ron... what a BIG  treat to see you folks today  !!!  :)  I hept hearing Jimmy and seeing his smile! :)

Only 9 more days till Christmas ... So I haven't been straying too far from my workshop , but who could resist taking a few hummingbird photos during the peak light time this afternoon???
​Hope you enjoy this little jewel of a bird (well birds really.. maybe 12 Anna's at the feeders each day now) 

Yesterday's windstorm left debris everywhere ... All around Vancouver Island.  Hydro crews are still on the job restoring electricity to many areas who have been affected.  13 hours here yesterday without power... Was like the old days, with candles lit and a cool house!
Today the sun didn't come out to visit, but the wind is at a minimum and the wee creatures set abot their regular activities.
Grooming was high on the list for my little Anna's hummingbird male!  
I  handheld the camera to shoot these photos  @ 300mm with an ISO of 5000 and various shutterspeeds from 1/200th - 1/800th

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Tiny Anna's hummingbird in the back yard plum tree ... photos from December 10th 

This afternoon I was out doing a few errands and decided (since it was sunny) to take my camera along and go to my Magic Pond.
Of course the beauiful sunfilled day turned dark and a deluge of water fell from the heavens the moment I arrived.  
I'm glad I decided to wait it out, as eventually the skies again cleared and the sun shone, though briefly.  
At ISO 5000 these images are a bit more moody than the previous which were shot between ISO800-1200.
Hope you enjoy them ... The wood ducks are always spectacular even in low light, as are the Mallards!  
​All the very best.......................... Terry :)

I was on a small errand this morning to the Deep Cove Store and decided to take along my camera because the light was so enticing.  
I passed a group of avid birders along Scoter Trail who were chatting up a storm.
 Several Canada Geese were perched upon a small rock and preening while many species of ducks were gathered along the shoreline and diving for breakfast.
I met a nice woman with a wee Terrier and we briefly chatted about birds in the area.
​  The above photo is one of the last one taken before heading home.
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There was a group of Scaup feeding directly in front of me, not far away and the morning sunlight was just about perfect.  The colours and feather details are tricky to see from a distance but up close... Amazing! What a perfect Sunday Morning!!!   

                                             1400 coots today @ Elk lLake and here's 4 of them!

To the folks I spoke with this evening and discussed Scaup and Scoters 

I said the group of ducks was all Scoters....... I walked back towards them after we spoke and somehow they turned into 75% Scoters.... I swear a little while earlier they were all Scaup.   Well, thats ducks for you... The Scoters are sure an interesting bird, but so are the Scaup and little Buffleheads.