June 2018
I had one outing in the Lower Mainland early in the month. It was at Burnaby Lake Regional Park on June 2nd. I did not create a post for this outing for some reason, probably because I was off to Calgary two days later.
The Swainson's Thrush is a bird I often hear at this time of year, but seldom see or photograph it. They like to hide in whatever tree they sing from and blend in very well.
On this day one was quite visible and this was the best shot I managed of this elusive bird.
Swainson's Thrush - Burnaby Lake Regional Park, Burnaby BC - June 2, 2018
I normally go the the Okanagan in June for a brief birding trip. Due to extensive spring flooding, many of the sites I would normally visit would be inaccessible.
So I decided to do a trip in Southern Alberta instead. There wasn't time to drive out there, so my friend Mary-Jean and I flew to Calgary. She stayed with friends and I stayed at my cousin's place. Full details of the trip are located here: Alberta Birding Trip
While birding at Glenmore Park in Calgary we were inundated by a sudden rainstorm. It didn't last too long and brought out the birds when it finished.
Here's a Chipping Sparrow taking a bath in a parking lot.
Chipping Sparrow - Glenmore Weaselhead Reserve, Calgary AB - June 4, 2018
This House Wren looks none the worse for wear after the rain. This is one my favourite photos of the year. I still use it for my desktop background at home.
House Wren - Glenmore Weaselhead Reserve, Calgary AB - June 4, 2018
One more made the cut from this day, a Least Flycatcher seen later in the afternoon.
I normally go the the Okanagan in June for a brief birding trip. Due to extensive spring flooding, many of the sites I would normally visit would be inaccessible.
So I decided to do a trip in Southern Alberta instead. There wasn't time to drive out there, so my friend Mary-Jean and I flew to Calgary. She stayed with friends and I stayed at my cousin's place. Full details of the trip are located here: Alberta Birding Trip
While birding at Glenmore Park in Calgary we were inundated by a sudden rainstorm. It didn't last too long and brought out the birds when it finished.
Here's a Chipping Sparrow taking a bath in a parking lot.
Chipping Sparrow - Glenmore Weaselhead Reserve, Calgary AB - June 4, 2018
This House Wren looks none the worse for wear after the rain. This is one my favourite photos of the year. I still use it for my desktop background at home.
House Wren - Glenmore Weaselhead Reserve, Calgary AB - June 4, 2018
One more made the cut from this day, a Least Flycatcher seen later in the afternoon.
Least Flycatcher - Glenmore Weaselhead Reserve, Calgary AB - June 4, 2018
The next day we drove south to High River to visit Frank Lake, a well know birding spot. I could have added three or four more photos from this day but picked just two.
The Barn Swallow is a common bird, but I like how this photo shows the colours that this bird exhibits.
Barn Swallow - Frank Lake, High River AB - June 5, 2018
There are many Yellow-headed Blackbirds at Frank Lake, and I usually shoot the flashy males. But this shot of a female with a dragonfly was my pick. It was probably taken to a nest to feed hungry nestlings.
Yellow-headed Blackbird (F) - Frank Lake, High River AB - June 5, 2018
Our third day saw us heading east towards Brooks to visit two provincial parks: Dinosaur Prov Park and Kinbrook Island Prov Park. I'd visited the former many times, but this was my first time at Kinbrook. Two photos stood out from there.
The first was a shot of a Common Grackle, a larger cousin of the Blackbird.
Common Grackle - Kinbrook Island Provincial Park AB
June 6, 2018
Another bird seen overhead was a Wilson's Snipe. This is only the third or fourth time I've ever seen this species, and the photos I took are by far my best ever.
Wilson's Snipe - Kinbrook Island Provincial Park AB
June 6, 2018
Our last day in Alberta we spent in Calgary visiting Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. I took a couple of interesting photos there.
It's not often that I post photos of the invasive European Starling, but this shot shows the beauty of the bird.
European Starling - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB - June 8, 2018
I can't figure out what was happening in this photo of Eastern Kingbirds. I assume the lower one is a chick begging for food. But it appears that the upper bird is angry and is about to strike the younger one. I took a burst of shots and it's inconclusive whether the bird below was fed or struck.
Eastern Kingbirds - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB - June 8, 2018
No guessing required here in what's going on with these Tree Swallows...
Tree Swallows - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB - June 8, 2018
One last shot from Alberta, where a Wood Duck becomes a CottonWood Duck...
Wood Duck - Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Calgary AB - June 8, 2018
The last photo for June was taken in Southern Washington State where Edith and I took a small vacation in a place called Westport. There were thousands of Sooty Shearwaters on the move one evening. I like how the ocean waters look like clouds.
Sooty Shearwaters - Westport WA - June 28, 2018
July 2018
Only four photos from July, two taken locally early in the month and two from a short Vancouver Island vacation.
Early in July a rare bird alert came out for a Chestnut-sided Warbler in North Vancouver. The location was a lower trail on Grouse Mountain called the Powerline trail.
If I didn't see the Warbler, at least I could enjoy this shot of the common Spotted Towhee.
Spotted Towhee - Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver BC - July 2, 2018
My luck held and I also saw the Warbler. It wasn't a lifer as I'd seen one in 2012 at Point Pelee in Ontario. But this was a good bird to see again.
Chestnut-sided Warbler - Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver BC - July 2, 2018
In late July, Edith and took a short vacation on Vancouver Island. We stayed at a very nice Bed & Breakfast in Metchosin. The back yard had a water fountain that attracted Chickadees and Nuthatches, and the occasional Hummingbird as well.
The Chestnut-backed Chickadee is quite common on the Island, sometimes more so than the Black-capped.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee - Metchosin BC
July 26, 2018
I believe the Nuthatch on the left is a fluffy juvenile. It is certainly different looking from the one on the right.
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Metchosin BC - July 26, 2018
That's the end of a long post, the next one will detail birds seen in August and September.
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