Cottle Lake Rufous Hummingbird
Gate Keeper of the bridge. You shall not pass!
Screamin' Redwing (Red-Winged Blackbird)
Not sure what this guy was so upset about. Caught a few frames of him as he dropped down beside me at Buttertubs Marsh.
Swamp Giraffe (American Bittern)
Like most members of the heron family, these guys can really stretch their neck out.
Better Background (Ruby-Crowned Kinglet)
Here is one on a different branch with a less distracting natural background.
Stern Gaze (Northern Hawk Owl)
These guys always seem to look like they are ticked off to me. Not sure why?
Best Eye Contact ( Northern Harrier)
Probably my best perching shot of the grey ghost from our last trip. Flickr folks please left click for more detail.
Underside View (Northern Harrier)
Found another harrier image this morning that I thought you might like. Be sure to zoom in for extra detail.
Berry Bandit (Varied Thrush)
Been a bit busy lately so I decided to take a bit of time out to photograph some backyard birds. In this shot a varied thrush steels a red cotoneaster berry from the bush in our back yard.
Sunny Day Kingfisher (Belted Kingfisher)
Went to French Creek and had some fun with the local kingfishers
Back Details (Bufflehead Duck)
Thought you might like this banking shot. Always a bonus when you can get detail in the entire back and both wings.
Pygmy Closeup (Northern Pygmy Owl)
Pretty harsh light at the venue the other day. Had to wait until the owl flew into the shadows.
Fall Colour Pygmy Owl #2
Found another one I like with a less cluttered background. Hope you like it!
Coming in For a Landing (Great Grey Owl)
Sorry, a rather large crop on this one. A great grey owl prepares to land on a small conifer in its favorite hunting area.
Right at Eye Level (Great Horned Owl)
This image taken in the forests of north Nanaimo. Horned owls seem to be everywhere again this year. Flickr folks please left click for better detail.
Out on a Limb (Great Horned Owl) Thanks For Over 5,000,000 views!!!!
The male keeping watch from another near by branch up in the oak trees. Flickr folks please left click for closer view. My thanks to all of the people who came for a look at my Flickr page over the past 10 years! I have just passed the 5 million views mark today (August 16, 2023).
Frank Lake Sora
Another image that slipped through the cracks. A Sora forages for food in the shallows at the edge of Frank Lake in Southern Alberta. We do get the Sora here on the coast of B.C. Just not quite as common as the Virginia Rail.
Me and My Mom (Great Grey Owls)
After a brief preening session on a burnt log the female great grey owl and her owlet stop for a quick portrait shot.
Skimming The Grass (Great Grey Owl)
In a farmer's field in Southern Alberta a great grey owl skims the grass as it hunts the fence line.
Bird on a Wire (Rose-Breasted Grosbeak)
Found this guy on the side of the road while photographing the great grey owls in Southern Alberta. Detected him originally with the Merlin sound app. Works pretty good! A lifer for me as we just don't seem to get them in costal BC.
Wings Down Version (Black-Headed Grosbeak)
Had some fun with the black-headed grosbeaks today at Morrell Bird Sanctuary in south Nanaimo.
Male Townsend's Warbler
Another one from the Enos Lake trail.
Holden Creek Mountain Bluebird
I had heard rumors of a fallout of bluebirds after this lousy weather we have been having lately. Sometimes the odd one will show up but usually at the end of March or first week in April. So, this morning I went on a quest locally to find some. I ended up at Holden Creek south of Nanaimo where I found 3 male and 2 female birds. We don't usually get to photograph these guys until we go to the interior later on in the spring so this is a special treat.
He's Still Out There! (Great Horned Owl)
Remember when you walk in the forest, after all of these years, "Jabba The Hoot" is still watching you.
Keeping a Vigil (Northern Pygmy Owl)
A northern pygmy owl keeps an eye on some ravens as they pass close by his perch.
Buttertubs Snipe (Wilson's Snipe)
As the snow recedes a Wilson's Snipe feeds in the exposed vegitation at Buttertubs Marsh.
First Jewel of Spring (Ruby-Crowned Kinglet)
Found this little guy bouncing in the alder trees on the edge of Buttertubs Marsh today.
Male Harlequin Duck in Flight
Really liking some of the recent results of the 2X converter on ducks in flight!
Don't Go Into The Light! (Short-Eared Owl)
Nice position for me but not so great for these guys. Can't imagine what they were thinking.
Twilight Glide (short-eared owl)
Just after sunset a short-eared owl glides by during a hunt.
Saving The Best For Last (Short-Eared Owl)
This image also taken before the sun came out in the morning.
Last Leaves of Autumn (Northern Shrike)
A northern shrike in afternoon light. Not considered a raptor but eats everything from bugs to mice and other birds. Sometimes called "The Butcher Bird", it has been known to impale its prey on sharp objects such as thorns and barbwire fences for eating at a later time. Nasty!
Male Wood Duck Portrait
Taken in the springtime. They should all be looking like this now after the fall eclipse.
ID Please? (Pheasant?)
Found this guy/girl wandering down the road the other day at the Nanaimo Estuary. Anyone out there have a clue as to what it is? Thought it was someone's chicken that had escaped at first. Pretty tame. Almost ran over it with the car. Have never seen one so blue.
Keeping a Lookout (Great Horned Owl)
A great horned owl keeps an eye on some ravens from a nearby fir tree branch.
Landing With Flair (Belted Kinfisher)
A kingfisher lands on a stick during a shoot with friends today at French Creek.
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
These little guys like to move around a lot!
Early Morning at Swan Lake (Barn Swallow)
Dodging shadows before the harsh light hit.
Eyes on Target (American Kestrel)
A male American kestrel prepares for a landing on an old tree snag at Cinnamon Ridge near Kamloops.
Focus Test - WIngs Up (Red-Winged Blackbird)
Here is another example with wings up.
Red Head Duck Liftoff
A red head duck blasts off from the surface of Python Lake in Kamloops. Thank you for the "Explore" and all the wonderful comments. This was just a quick grab in a sequence of several images as he unexpectedly burst out of the water.
Afternoon with "Mr. T" (Western Tanager)
Found a lovely cooperative western tanager today in Linley Valley. Took a while but they are finally back from Costa Rica.
Oliver Woods Pileated Woodpecker
Another in flight image from Oliver Woods Marsh.
Sunny Day Kingfisher (Belted Kingfisher)
No swallows at Foothills Marsh yesterday so I got a few more shots of my favorite kingfisher.
A Bit Farther Away (Violet-Green Swallow - Male)
Here is one of the male at a bit farther distance.
Showing His True Colors (Yellow-Rumped Warbler)
Every year I try to get at least one image of all four yellow areas on a yellow rump warbler. In this photo you can see a tace of yellow on the head, yellow on the throat, yellow on the side of the breast, and the yellow rump. It would have been a bit better with a different head position but this is pretty close. Please click twice for more detail.
Crash Landing! (Long-Tailed Duck)
Long-tailed ducks look pretty majestic when they are flying and taking off but for some reason are a bit awkward when it comes to their landings. In this image a drake attempts a landing but crashes into the water instead. A bit comical to witness in person.
Morning Star Harry Woodpecker
Photographed this guy down at the Morningstar Ponds in Parksville today. He was digging for bugs in an old dead stump. Please click twice for extra flavor and crispness.
Out in The Open (Wilson's Snipe)
Photographed this Wilson's snipe today at Buttertubs Marsh. This was a rare treat to see one of these birds out in the open. Normally they are hidden away in the grass somewhere and you end up flushing them inadvertently when you get too close. They bob up and down like a dipper. Fun to watch!
WIngs Down Version (Red-Breasted Merganser)
On the way out of Piper's Lagoon. Not the same bird believe it or not.
Windy Day Long-Tail Duck
A few more long-tail ducks showing up at Deep Bay now. The north wind was pretty cold out there yesterday.
Beautiful Even in Winter Time (Horned Grebe)
The horned grebes have totally converted over to their winter plumage once again at Deep Bay. Such an amazing transformation. Like two totally different birds.
Take a Bow (Roosevelt Elk)
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Pygmy Portrait 2021 (Northern Pygmy Owl)
Tried to get close but the pygmy owl was a bit elusive today. Should have used a higher F/stop. Forgot how super telephotos tend to compress at close distances. Thanks for your faves and comments everyone! I am shooting a bit less lately but seem to be getting more explores too.
More Even Light (Northern Pygmy Owl) #108
It was an uncommon day today where we got nice even light and the pygmy owl on an open perch with a good background. I had a high shutter speed as I was trying to catch the bird in flight. Unfortunately he turned at the last moment to fly away from me.
Portrait Version (Yellow Legs)
Here is another photo in the same sequence that I cropped in portrait. Thought it was also good because of the separation in the birds. You be the judge.
Moma is Watching (2021) (Great Grey Owl)
Here is a picture of the female great grey. Not much in the way of hunting in the usual places while we were there so unfortunately we didn't get any flight shots. Only saw one male and one female adult this time and they took off a few seconds after we found them. I guess timing is everything.
Resting on Some Marsh Grass (Yellow-Headed Blackbird)
The yellow heads seemed to be the dominant blackbird in the interior but you could still find some red wing and brewers blackbirds as well.
Taking a Breather (American Kestrel)
The male American kestrel takes a brief rest at the nest hole after delivering another lizard. Folks on Flickr please left click for the best detail.
Three Eyes Are Better Than One (Great Horned Owlets)
About a day before they left the nest. All three owlets are out now. Not sure where the other sibling was at the time of this image.
Momma and Owlet Pose For The Camera (Great Horned Owls)
Somewhat better eye contact on this image.
High Centered (Red-Eared Slider)
It was pretty slow for birds today so I went to the turtle races. This guy was in the lead until he got high centered on a log 🙂 Left click twice for higher detail.
Moma Was Busy Today (Anna's Hummingbird)
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Crown of Thornes (Mountain Bluebird)
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American Bittern Close Up
Trying to conceal himself in the shadows.
Common Golden Eye Duck (Piper's Lagoon)
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Sunshine Oystercatcher
Dave Pley and I had a lot of fun yesterday with the Deep Bay oystercatchers. It's been a long time since the sun was shining so it was good to get out for a bit. Had to reel back on the magnification as the birds were flying pretty close at times.
What Are You Lookin' At? (Great Horned Owl)
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You Have Lovely Eyes (Crested Cormorant)
There were some cormorants hanging around the pilings at Brunswick Point last Friday. Made for a few interesting photos.
A Bit Closer Today - Coming (Harlequin Duck)
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French Creek Female Kingfisher
Looking a bit scruffy like she's in the molt.
On Another Favorite Perch (Northern Pygmy Owl)
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Tufts Up! (Great Horned Owl)
On high alert after an attack by mobbing ravens. They don't call them "Great Horned" for nothing.
Morning Feeding Time (Barn Swallow)
Beat myself up a bit over this one. I decided to post it anyway. Not quite there yet with my tracking and technique on the new Sony but starting to try faster more elusive subjects. This barn swallow was feeding over top of the algae covered areas of Swan Lake in Victoria yesterday morning.
Red-Eared Slider
You may have noticed that I haven't been posting a lot lately. Just figuring out a new camera system. Thought I would start on slower subjects first :-). This turtle is a red-eared slider. Probably just let go from someone's private collection. They are invasive and are direct competition for our native western painted turtles. Amazing how big they can get in the wild as some of the larger ones can be the size of a dinner plate.
Another Great Horned Owlet
Ran into another great horned owlet yesterday at Hemer Park in Cedar. Momma was too shy and refused to come close for a good photo.
GHO Portrait (Great Horned Owl)
Taken somewhere in the temperate jungles of Vancouver Island.
What Are You Lookin' At? (Western Tanager)
This one taken at Oliver Woods Marsh here in Nanaimo B.C.
Enos Lake Townsend's Warbler
Did my yearly expedition to the Enos Lake trail in Nanoose Bay today. Ran into yet another Townsend's warbler singing up a storm in the arbutus trees.
Coming In For a Landing (Long-Tailed Duck)
I was a bit out of practice after being in the house for five weeks so finally got out to Deep Bay to play with the long-tailed ducks. Sorry for the quality. It will take time to get all of my flight photos up to snuff and shake the rust off.
Hiding In Plain Sight (Great Grey Owl)
Easy to see how you could walk right past one of these guys and never even see them. In this image the owl hunts the meadow from about 20 feet up in a fir tree.
Special Delivery (Great Grey Owl)
On her way to drop off a big fat vole for the young ones.
Resting In The Shade (Barred Owl)
Lots of these guys doing their thing in Linley Valley lately.
Minimalistic (Townsend's Warbler)
Taking advantage of getting as many good shots of these guys as I can. They seem to be everywhere this year but it is not always the case. Usually I find more black-throated grey warblers.
Pygmy Suprise! (Northern Pygmy Owl)
Went looking for Townsend's warblers and ended up finding a northern pygmy owl. Who knew?
Very Talonted (Northern Hawk Owl)
You can get a good sense of the size of the talons on this guy in this shot. Being a creature of the north the northern hawk owl is totally equipped for cold weather operation.
Landscape Version (Great Grey Owl)
Been pretty dead for me this winter as regards local raptors. Not much of that kind of action over here on the island. Will hopefully be able to try another trip to the interior this spring. Who knows maybe I can run into another one of these guys.
Flying Straight In (Northern Harrier)
In this image the female harrier flying almost straight at the camera.
Strange Cows (Roosevelt Elk)
At first we thought these guys were stumps or perhaps a small herd of cows grazing by the road. No bulls among them unfortunately but still interesting and unexpected as we drove along the edge of Cowichan Lake. We have been seeing elk more frequently in the past couple of years. Not sure if that is a good thing or not.
Different Angle (Little Mountain)
Here is another image taken of me by Jim Murray. Kind of gives you a whole new perspective. I am just re-adjusting the tripod to get another shot of a pygmy owl in that fir tree off of the cliff. Update: Many of the big fir trees including the one in this photo are no longer there or have been broken off. Big wind storms have plagued Vancouver Island this winter and done considerable damage on Little Mountain.
Blue On Blue 2018 (Mountain Bluebird)
A male mountain bluebird brings food for hungry chicks back at the nest.
Jungle Noises (California Quail)
A California quail calls from an old dead tree branch in Linley Valley.
These Are Not Bluebirds!
Went up island looking for bluebirds and ended up with snowbirds. Who knew? Had to shoot hand held with the 600mm.
Out on a Limb (Northern Pygmy Owl)
Here is a nice environmental image with a bit better background.
Half And Half (Yellow Rump Warbler)
Tried to get the tree to fill the whole background on this one but as soon as I moved he flushed and I was stuck with several very clear shots of the bird on a half and half background.
Grand Finale (Barn Owl)
Right at the end of the day the Boundary Bay barn owl caught a nice fat vole before disappearing into the trees once more.
More Fun WIth Long-Ears (Long-Eared Owl)
Went to Ladner with the guys again today. Had some more photo fun with long-eared owls.
King Of The Golf Course (Short-Eared Owl)
Caught this handsome dude hanging out on a fence post at the Kings Links golf course. The green grass makes an interesting change from the regular brown environment.
Maintaining Eye Contact (Short-Eared Owl)
Cool how owls always seem to keep their eyes level even in a sharp bank.
Bird On a Wire (Northern Hawk Owl)
OK, don't get excited! This is not from any of my recent images. I have been getting a few inquiries lately from my buddies that may have not been around or did not do bird photos when the hawk owl was in Nanaimo. I also wanted to start a new album for my owl section on them. My gear is a lot better these days than it was in 2009 when this was taken. However, I do have a few shots that will probably benefit from some of our fine new technology and I have decided to re-work a few hawk owl photos. Don't be too surprised if you see some of them mixed in with my short-ear stuff as I go through the old images and rejuvenate them.
Frozen Lunch #2 (Bohemian Waxwing)
Thought I would upload this image from last winter to honor our first day of snow today, November 2nd - way early! Hope we see more of these guys in the next couple of months.
