A few images taken around home and in the Okanagan region in April prior to our departure for Texas on the 24th. Click any image to open it, enlarged, in a new tab.
Killdeer returning to Thomson Marsh marks the official beginning of Spring….American Wigeons show up in Spring and add some new colours and patterns to the Marsh.Every so often they move out of the Marsh and into the Rec Fields where they strut around like royalty….Here for a couple of weeks, it seems, and then they’re off to breed elsewhere….Northern Pintails rarely come close enough to the Marsh to be photographed. In 2018, I learned that I could get shots in fields north of Munson Lake….Sexually dimorphic Ring-necked Ducks and a female Bufflehead spent a couple of days in Thomson Marsh in mid March, giving me this closeup opportunity….Gadwall Drake on Golden Pond, Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC. Year-round residents, really, we see them in breeding plumage this time of year and they feel like visitors.American Coots are seen on my beat frequently in Spring, less commonly in other seasons….A behaviour I noticed for the first time this Spring involves an odd relationship between Coots and Gadwalls where the latter waits for the Coot to dive down and retrieve succulents that the Gadwall craves. Because the Coot usually brings up more than it can devour, the Gadwall moves in and appropriates a share. I watched a pair of GADWs do this for several days with a pair of Coots, with no serious complaints from the AMCOs….Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC. For all my Coastal friends who can walk right up to these gorgeous little ducks at, say, Piper Spit in Burnaby, let me tell you that getting this shot required 20 minutes of hard work! The brook here is very narrow, so the teals, especially, cling to the shadowed side with its tangle of underbrush. Occasionally, if they flush, they’ll land in a slightly more accessible part like this. On my camera tolerance scale where 1 is “here this second; gone the next,” and 10 is “I’ve got all day; knock yourself out!” they’re a 3…. Getting the shot, in the end, is very satisfying….Hooded Merganser female who showed up alone in Belmont Pond, just behind our condo, and spent several days grooming herself as if waiting for a mate to join her. The same situation occurred last year.
Click any image in the group below to enlarge the whole group and view one by one.
Hilda Hoodie preening…
and preening…
and preening some more until…
she’s finally happy with her “look”:
Now it’s time for Hilda to sit back and wait for His Nibs to show up….Belmont Pond, Kelowna, BC. Well, Hilda clearly knew he was coming, and now that’s he’s logged on, she’s really trying to impress!Belmont Pond, Kelowna, BC. “Okay! I’m here! What now?” They stayed for a few days and then they were gone, not to be seen again until Autumn….While 2017 was a better year for Common Mergansers here and in several other ponds I monitor, we were graced in early April by this fella’s a visit. Unfortunately, this year he didn’t bring a mate…. Did see a pair and a singleton in Thomson Marsh, but here in Belmont Pond, we have a much better chance to get close enough for a good look….
Belmont Pond, where Noogye, a young Great Blue Heron now fully promoted to adulthood, exchanged pleasantries with Como the Common Merganser: Como: “You fish your way…” Noogye: “…and I’ll fish mine!” Como: “Er, that’s just what I said…. (Sheesh! Herons!)”
In the next post, I’ll take a look at Spring Wood Ducks of Belmont Ponds…..
Beautiful shots and commentary as well. I love shooting ducks it takes a lot of skill to get good photos of them I never realized this until I started photographing them. Because they are common and easy to access I thought it would be easy how wrong of me! This shows your skill level thanks again!
Thanks, Mel. I don’t know how you manage to stay connected to so many people. This piece was intended just to get me going again. Lots more to look at once the hot days keep me in by the fan in the afternoon. Am enjoying Dare to Bird, too, but still haven’t figured out how to leave comments. I do what seems necessary, but am not succeeding….
birds & musings 
Beautiful shots and commentary as well. I love shooting ducks it takes a lot of skill to get good photos of them I never realized this until I started photographing them. Because they are common and easy to access I thought it would be easy how wrong of me! This shows your skill level thanks again!
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Thanks, Mel. I don’t know how you manage to stay connected to so many people. This piece was intended just to get me going again. Lots more to look at once the hot days keep me in by the fan in the afternoon. Am enjoying Dare to Bird, too, but still haven’t figured out how to leave comments. I do what seems necessary, but am not succeeding….
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