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Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Redpolls!

Exciting news!  Set out for our normal walk this morning....


this Bald Eagle was concentrating on breakfast as we walked by...


while this fellow was perched on the old broken piling at the first bay.....see how low the water is now...  Wandered over to the log bay where there wasn't much going on, an eagle or two, a couple of swans, and a Kingfisher....

on the way back, saw this...


male Anna's Hummingbird....he has taken up residence in the same area he (or a relative) has been for the last few years....

and then all of a sudden I realized there was activity right over my head....


the lighting was terrible but I was pretty sure they were Common Redpolls  and this photo confirms it.  Haven't seen any of these little finches from the far north in the area since 2014 but with the vast area of burned forest in the center of the province, had a feeling they might show up here this year and turns out I was right.  There were 10 or 12 of them feeding from the cones of the alder trees.  Hopefully I'll see them again and be able to get a better photo in future.

While we are discussing little birds and photos in difficult conditions....


took this photo of a Bushtit on the seed head of the native Hardhack or Pink Spirea shrub the other morning, in this case the sun was shining straight in my face so I couldn't even really see it, and surprisingly, turns out to be about the best picture of have of one of these little guys.

back to today, after lunch we headed over to Harrison bay...


a lot of beach there now....


the eagle nest was occupied today....


while others perched nearby...


not much in the way of little birds....this Song Sparrow about the only exception, although we did hear Chickadees, Junco and a Pileated Woodpecker.

Back near the parking lot...


a House Sparrow 


and a couple of Eurasian Collared Doves...

and here is something we've never seen here before....


a Gray Squirrel!  These are the squirrels that were initially imported to Stanley Park from back east and have spread throughout the lower mainland.  They are often seen in Agassiz, but it has been years since ones been in this area.  This wasn't the only animal seen today, there were 2 of the red listed sub species of the snowshoe hare spotted at the edge of one of the farm fields but they dove back into the shelter of the blackberry brambles before I could get a photo.

and one more thing of interest....I've mentioned the female Evening Grosbeak that has been around for several weeks now....well today...


I looked out and she had been joined by 5 males!  It is Christmas Bird Count week.....hope they stick around.


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