Northern Shoveler

Of all the birds I expected to see in this city, the Northern Shoveler was not one of them, even though they are apparently quite common throughout western Canada.  When I first saw this bird I recognized that something was different, but I made the assumption that he was just a larger Mallard Duck.   However, having learned to heed the sense that something is different about a bird, and in this way make the most of a possibility, I took the first picture anyway and was nicely rewarded as you will see.

Northern Shoveler male

This bird is a handsome fellow despite his large bill.  When I first spotted him he was coming towards me across  the pond, facing me head on, so it wasn't difficult to mistake him for a Mallard, especially since I was only half paying attention.  It wasn't until he turned sideways and was closer to me that I realized I really did have a different species of duck in sight, one I had never encountered before.  Naturally I got excited and took lots of pictures, which I couldn't wait to view on my computer in order to identify this bird.

Swainson's Hawk

I know that I have mentioned on several occasions that Hawks in particular are a favorite bird of mine, so I will, and do, take any opportunity to observe these birds in the wild and take their pictures.  This weekend was one of those incredible times when I had the opportunity to do so.  The Swainson's Hawk featured here, is one who managed to surprised me by literally appearing out of nowhere not once, but twice.

The first time he was coming at me  from across a farmer's field behind a stand of trees on the other side of the pond I was visiting.  It looked like he had just taken off from the ground and he was flying incredibly fast.  I barely had a minute to raise my camera and take a few pictures before he rode the air up above the trees and disappeared.  The second time he simply appeared above the trees in front of me.  Fortunately, this time my reflexes sort of took over, which resulted in some incredibly good and close up photos.

Swainson's Hawk wings down

Cedar Waxwing

This weekend was extremely satisfying as far as birdwatching was concerned. On Saturday I went to visit a couple of man made ponds  in the south of the city, where I had some tremendous luck taking pictures once before.  The weather was gorgeous to say the least and I had the delightful experience of having several feathered subjects to photograph.  Of all of these subjects, the Cedar Waxwing was the most illusive.  It is very good at hiding and if it cannot hide, or is startled all of them fly off all at once.  Which is why, before I finally managed to photograph these birds, the whole flock flew off on me twice.

Cedar Waxwing almost hidden

You know that the Cedar Waxwing is in the vicinity by the sound of their high pitched but very quiet whistle.   It is so quiet in fact, that it takes a moment for the sound to register in your conscious mind.   When it finally does register, finding the bird is no easy task, unless the flock happens to be sitting in a highly visible tree top that is relatively bare of leaves, which I have witnessed on one occasion.  If you are really lucky you will witness a flock of Cedar Waxwing descent on a Mountain Ash, or any other fruit bearing tree, or bush, to strip it off it's berries in mere minutes.  It's quite a sight.

Sandhill Cranes

It was the most amazing event, stretching out for roughly two weeks, when my attention was drawn by large numbers of birds flying overhead.  Their vocalizations were deep, and carrying, somewhat reminiscent of Ravens but somehow much deeper as they flew above me.   However these birds were much slimmer and bigger, their wings spanning to at least six feet.   At first I only managed to get pictures of them very far off in the distance, but because weather conditions were windy and cloudy, and I only had my small camera, the pictures were unclear.

Sandhill Cranes in V formation

Horned Grebe

Oh happy day!!!

I visited a place I had never been before today and not only did I see two species of hawks hunting the area, I also got many pictures of small birds which are totally unfamiliar to me, and baby geese.  The highlight of my day however, was the sight two Horned Grebe, aka Slovenian Grebe. They have been granted  other names over time, among them devil diver.  They are remarkably beautiful,  especially when displaying their breeding plumage.

Horned Grebe pair

When you first see them from a distance, the Horned Grebe seems  to stick out only  due to its  brownish color and because they tend to disappear  beneath the water.   However, a closer view of this bird  shows just  how striking its features are.  I was lucky enough that both birds were relatively close to me when I first arrived on the scene, and that neither seems to be shy of humans, as they were not bothered in the least by either my presence or the sound of my camera.  In fact they continued to come closer as I stood there taking these pictures.

Golden Eye Duck

Male Golen Eyed Duck in flight

The Golden Eye duck is a tiny diver that is much smaller than the Mallard duck and has very distinctive black and white coloring.  As usual there is more than one species of this beautiful little duck and they are not easily identified, although it is easier to distinguish a Buffelhead from a Common, or Barrow's Golden Eye.

Golden Eyed Ducks

Lesser Scaup

My apologies for being tardy in my posting of late, but I have been busy almost every day with birdwatching, taking my opportunities in bits and pieces as it were, eager to spot something new as usual.  Lately I haven't seen anything that I haven't seen in the past several years.  Also, unfortunately, opportunities to go to new locations in search of birds,  have not yet presented themselves to me. However, my pictures are turning out to be better,  so I have decided to share pictures of the Lesser Scaup that I have recently taken.

Lesser Scaup Female

It is difficult at best to distinguish between the Lesser and Greater Scaup; a diving duck, but because of the curve in the neck of this duck, it's amber eyes, and due to the fact that they are frequenting this fresh water pond, I have concluded that this particular duck is the Lesser  Scaup, as the Greater Scaup apparently prefers salt water.