April 2018
For the last few years I've been kicking off April with a trip to the Okanagan for a guided birding tour with Avocet Tours. This year was a bit disappointing as we had poor weather for most of the three days. I did see a good number of new species for 2018 and managed a couple of good photos.
This Great Horned Owl was roosting at the Lakeside Resort in Oliver where the group stayed for two nights. This was taken around 8:00 AM as the owl was preparing for a daytime sleep.
Great Horned Owl - Lakeside Resort, Oliver BC - April 8, 2018
After the tour while heading home we stopped at Manning Park Lodge. The Ravens were working the parking lot looking for any scrap of food. We had four of them on the hood of the car at one point. This shot captured the conditions they were dealing with.
Common Raven - Manning Park BC - April 10, 2018
Next are two shots taken on the same day at Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts, both featuring the local ducks. There had been a Herring run in the last week and the birds were still numerous and active.
This shot shows a pair of Harlequin Ducks, the male in the foreground.
Harlequin Ducks - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA
April 14, 2018
On the same day I saw this pair of Red-breasted Mergansers just as they came together quite close to shore. This is one of my favourites for 2018.
Red-breasted Mergansers - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - April 14, 2018
On the following day I met with a birding friend named Chris who runs a website named birdviewing.com . Chris was from Montreal but moved out to the coast. I think he might have returned to Montreal later in the year.
One of the places we visited was Brunswick Point, which is located at the west end of River Road in Ladner. One of the birds that day was a male Northern Harrier. They look quite different from the more frequently seen female and are sometimes called "the Grey Ghost".
Northern Harrier - Brunswick Point, Delta BC - April 15, 2018
This photo did not make it into any of my blog posts for some reason. It was taken through our living room window at a distance of less than 30 feet. There were actually two of them in the yard but the best photos were of single birds.
Pileated Woodpecker - Backyard, North Delta BC - April 29, 2018
May 2018
May is considered the prime birding month in most of North America. It may be a little late out here on the west coast but the results in 2018 were pretty good.
One noticeable bird in the spring is the Marsh Wren. The males are unabashed singers looking for a mate:
Spring is a good time to see Swallows, and one of my favourites is the Violet-Green. This is a western bird and the colours are spectacular.
Violet-green Swallow - Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam BC - May 7, 2018
By mid May many species have young that they are guarding carefully. This shot from Reifel Bird Sanctuary shows that parents will put their chicks anywhere that they feel is safe.
Mallards - Reifel Bird Sanctuary - May 20, 2018
Although we thin of birds as cute creatures, some of them are stone-cold predators. Here's a cute Pied-billed Grebe with an unfortunate small frog.
Pied-billed Grebe - Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam BC - May 21, 2018
Whenever there's a rare bird alert, most birders try to attend the scene and get a record for the year and sometimes for a life bird. So it was in late May when an alert went out for a Great-tailed Grackle in Vancouver. I'd seen one in Arizona in 2008, but this was my first in a while.The bird was being seen at a residence around Alma and 4th Avenue in Vancouver.
The day I went out it was pretty easy to find:
Great-tailed Grackle - Vancouver BC - May 27, 2018
On the same day I visited Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts just across the border in Washington State. Usually i'm there to see Loons and Sea ducks, but the star on this day was a sparrow on the shoreline.
White-crowned Sparrow - Point Roberts WA - May 27. 2018
One noticeable bird in the spring is the Marsh Wren. The males are unabashed singers looking for a mate:
Marsh Wren - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC
May 6, 2018
Spring is a good time to see Swallows, and one of my favourites is the Violet-Green. This is a western bird and the colours are spectacular.
Violet-green Swallow - Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam BC - May 7, 2018
By mid May many species have young that they are guarding carefully. This shot from Reifel Bird Sanctuary shows that parents will put their chicks anywhere that they feel is safe.
Mallards - Reifel Bird Sanctuary - May 20, 2018
Although we thin of birds as cute creatures, some of them are stone-cold predators. Here's a cute Pied-billed Grebe with an unfortunate small frog.
Pied-billed Grebe - Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam BC - May 21, 2018
Whenever there's a rare bird alert, most birders try to attend the scene and get a record for the year and sometimes for a life bird. So it was in late May when an alert went out for a Great-tailed Grackle in Vancouver. I'd seen one in Arizona in 2008, but this was my first in a while.The bird was being seen at a residence around Alma and 4th Avenue in Vancouver.
The day I went out it was pretty easy to find:
Great-tailed Grackle - Vancouver BC - May 27, 2018
On the same day I visited Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts just across the border in Washington State. Usually i'm there to see Loons and Sea ducks, but the star on this day was a sparrow on the shoreline.
White-crowned Sparrow - Point Roberts WA - May 27. 2018
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