Author: keikelo

2021, Part 6 ~ Late April into May ~ birding & travel

Looking back in January 2022….

By the end of May, the spring migration has pretty much peaked. This ‘mid-spring’ season always causes some excitement as we wait to see which species return — or don’t —, what patterns are altered, which accidentals surprise. Mating, breeding, and the raising of young by many species provided many comforting diversions as usual.

In late April, as we dealt with our grief after Sean’s death from cancer, we turned to travel first as documented here and then, later in the month by heading from home east then south along Highways 33 and 3 from Kelowna to Rock Creek, then west to Bridesville and on to Osoyoos before turning north for home.

As we were driving I realized that I wanted to revisit (from a trip in April 2017) was the property of fireman-cowboy-preacher Ed Brouwer at Eagle’s Nest Ranch. I had no idea if he’d be home, or even if Ed still lived there.

Highway 33 from Joe Rich Creek to Westbridge is mainly moderate elevation fir forest. Nothing special to see or to stop for. South of Westbridge, however, we get into an area that had been ravaged by wildfires in the previous decade. Kettle River Recreation Area is just southeast of where the 33 is on the map above. While some of it had been burned, and some campers’ lives had been in danger, no one had died in the fire of 2015, and much of the park was spared from the flames. We turned into the park and had lunch by the river, one of my late son’s favourites for fishing the eddies where the brisk current is forced by the river’s bends to slow down.

While some lovely Yellow-Rumped Warblers foraged furtively along the shore, we didn’t see much else in terms of bird life. This little Yellow-Pine Chipmunk was a delight to watch as ate our sandwiches. As he got used to us, he moved from shade into better light and allowed me a few fotos.

Yellow-pine Chipmunk (Tamias amoenus) Kettle River Recreation Area Day camping, near Rock Creek, BC.

It was a typical late April day, a mix of sun and clouds, neither warm nor cold; in short a good day to be on the road. Next stop we decided would be Eagle’s Nest Ranch and the Williamson’s Sapsucker Sanctuary that Ed B. had created after our suggestion.

The WISA isn’t bound to stay in any one woodlot, of course, and on this Friday afternoon, we didn’t see any. We did visit briefly with Ed, a retired fireman and now a cowboy-preacher in the area between Bridesville and Osoyoos, the Sidley Road region on the east side of Anarchist Mountain which overlooks Osoyoos (Lake) and the southern Okanagan Valley.

I’ve ‘borrowed’ this image of Ed in his firefighter days nearly a decade ago from the Flickr site of Patrick Kelly. Today, Ed operates his ranch in the Sidley Road region west of Osoyoos, and ministers to local folks there. He is a very kind, compassionate, and down-to-earth gentleman. We talked about my son and he offered to pray for him and us.

Ed’s dog Washington is a massive St. Bernard with a heart as big as the sky and the demeanour of a saint. I’m sure he sensed our feelings. After greeting me, he went to Nana who was undergoing cancer treatments at the time as if to comfort her. He stayed by her side the whole time as we chatted to Ed. It was a remarkable encounter. I hope we get to see both Ed and W again.

Here, Washington had followed us out the drive as we were leaving. I stopped to thank him and to take this photo.

Below: We enjoyed watching this young foal frolicking and learning the ropes from his mère.

Looking south across Eagles Nest Ranch, Sidley Road region north of Highway 3, east of Osoyoos.

The ranch gate of Eagles Nest. The top of the post reflects Mr. Brouwer’s faith.

As indicated above, we had found Mr. Brouwer’s property a fabulous spot for woodpeckers. Besides Williamson’s, we had great closeups of a Hairy excavating an aspen, and a pair of Pileateds hard at work. While I saw Red-naped, I didn’t get decent shots that time. On our way out of Eagle’s Nest Ranch, I took some scenic shots and managed to find some Red-naped woodies as well.

From here, with the afternoon light fading as clouds rolled in, we headed for Osoyoos where we spent some time at Haynes Point Sanctuary, where again we found some Yellow-rumped Warblers, and a beautiful blossoming crabapple tree.

Yellow-rumped Warbler male at Haynes Point Sanctuary, Osoyoos, BC. Late afternoon.

Crabapple tree at Haynes Point Sanctuary, Osoyoos, BC. Late afternoon.

Crabapple blossoms details. Haynes Point Sanctuary, Osoyoos, BC. Late afternoon.

The images of spring were lovely, but the ache in our hearts will remain for a long, long time….

April ~ Part 5 — week 3:

No one expected the week preceding Sunday, April 18 to be Sean’s last. Certainly, he didn’t. He continued to go to work, was eager to get his first Covid 19 vaccination on Thursday the 14th. We talked about it by phone. ‘No problem,’ he said. But his right arm was next to useless and his breathing so laboured that phone calls had to be brief. I planned (in my head) to visit him on Sunday.

In the meantime, I continued to enjoy the fine spring weather, walk my daily beat, and to add to my photo collection. We even travelled to Bertram Creek Regional Park, a few minutes south of our place on the east side of Okanagan Lake. Not much to see at first in the park itself. We wandered down to the observation pier that stretches out into the lake and watched a pair of Common Mergansers keeping their distance from us. Until, that is, this eagle showed up, flying in our direction:

This approaching Bald Eagle did us a great favour by causing the C Merganser pair to flee in the direction of the pier and my waiting camera.
***Click on photos to enlarge them in new tabs***. *To return to this post, just close the tab*.

Good shots of Mr. Greenhead can seldom be counted on; I got very lucky. Thanks, Baldy!

Closer to home (like in the foundation stones of our condo or in the small walled-in front yard) there was some fun to be had, too, watching our local residents at work and play…. Click images to read captions; to see the photo’s title, click the ℹ️ symbol.

I did travel up to Beaver Lake Road to check on the bluebirds. Only later did I understand that for me this would become the Year of the Female Blues. I usually get much more cooperation from the males than from their mates. That expectation was turned on its head this year — only one of many challenges to custom….

Our part of Kelowna has numerous coveys of California Quail, one of which likes to frolic in Belmont Park a few minutes walk north of our place. On Saturday, the 17th of April, as I took my route in a counterclockwise direction for a change, I heard this fella rehearsing his one note solo. Click the images to see details.

Johnny One Note practises for Spring! California Quail (Callipepla californica) Belmont Park, Kelowna, BC.

Or did I have it all wrong? Was he trying to warn me that my world was about the crumble?
My son left this world the next day.…

2021 April ~ Part 4

Before the 18th: Early spring predators & ‘critters’

So far my posts on spring 2021 (up to the time of my son’s passing on April 18) have focused on birds. But I’m also quite interested in non-avian wildlife, and even plants — especially in the equinoctial seasons. So I’m going to include a couple of shots of raptors first and then some of the creatures that have to pay attention to attacks from the sky.

Turkey Vulture over Trapalanda Farm on the northeast sector of my beat.

The earliest of the larger butterflies of spring: the Mourning Cloak.
New Growth Area above Crawford Falls (west side), Kelowna, BC.

2021 April ~ Part 3

Before the 18th: second week of April…

In the first week of the month, spring temperatures toyed with our expectations, starting high, then falling then rising again.
In the second week, however, temps dipped before rising dramatically after the 12th….

Still, for the beginning of April, these conditions felt more or less normal, and I went about, as in previous years, surveying the ponds and brooks and marshes on my beat, looking for ducks that had been more or less ‘away’ all winter.

Ducks are fine, of course, but spring is much more about migratory passerines, especially as warblers and goldfinches add fresh colour among permanent residents still in their winter plumage. I must admit, however, that there were fewer House Finches and warblers than I expected. In fact, the population patterns I’d come to expect over six previous seasons seemed ‘off’ for spring, summer, and fall.

For all that, it seems there’s always an abundance of blackbirds, including, by mid-April females popping up one or two at a time, prompting great excitement among the brightly coloured males in the marshes. We can even begin wondering when the Yellowheadeds will make it back….

One of our favourite spots to visit as early in spring as we think the birds will be back is White Lake Grasslands Park, northwest of Oliver, BC. It’s a great spot for early bluebirds, both Westerns and Mountains, Western Meadowlarks, and Say’s Phoebes. As well, there’s often a chance to see some raptors, even a Golden Eagle if we’re really lucky. And if the birds are uncooperative, perhaps we can inspect some spring flowers.

For enlarged images, click on any one in the gallery.

For April ~ Part 4, click here.

2021 April ~ Part 2

Before the 18th: first week of April…

While my son soldiered on in early spring, we all knew he couldn’t hold out long, as his breathing became more laboured, and he lost the use of his right arm. And yet, we all tried to support him by respecting his courage. I wish I’d said, however, “To Hell with Covid!” and spent some time with him. We spoke frequently by phone, and while he went to work for one-on-one sessions with his golf clients, he didn’t want those of us still circulating among the general public to visit him at home. I should have gone anyway; I’ll regret that choice for the rest of my life.

For the first part of April, life continued fairly normally, Covid restrictions notwithstanding. I could still hike my beloved Thomson Marsh and environs, drive to Munson Pond and Park, or one of the other birding locales like Robert Lake or Beaver Lake Road where I was unlikely to run into many people. I got a lot of satisfying images, including some almost ‘nemesis birds’. I’m trying to focus on diversity here….

In the shot below, the little nuthatch has pulled something out of the bark and
is tossing it around before swallowing it.

I have photographed Red-breasted Nuthatches for many years, but much less frequently than I’d have liked.

This spring was a
spectacular exception.
If RBNUs were found here in springs past, I wasn’t aware of it. But I didn’t know what to listen for. This year I quickly discovered that they make a sound like a tiny tractor backing up — a nasal one- pitch ‘beep-beep-beep’. And once I’d discovered ’em, they became a joy to work with!

More RBNUs below….

While pursuing a Cinnamon Teal, out of the corner of my eye I caught a Red-tailed Hawk over Michaelbrook Marsh being chased by a RW Blackbird. With no time to adjust my manual set up, I swung the camera up and hoped for the best. Only when I got home did I discover that it was our old friend Ready Eddie (Re’ddy with his white eyebrow and throat, a hawk I’ve been tracking for over 6 years) being harassed as he has been so many times over the years by Red-winged Blackbirds.
**I first photographed this phenomenon in this area back in March 2016**! (Scroll down the post.)
In the shot above the RWBL has backed off after successfully sending Re’ddy packing….

*American Kestrels* ***Kessie*** (right) and ***Amke*** (Falco sparverius) near their nesting site on the north side of Michaelbrook Marsh, Kelowna, BC. In the seven springs I’ve lived in Kelowna, Kessie has mated in this northwest sector of her territory every year. Whether her mate is the same one I’m not sure. This has become a rite of spring for me as much as for them.

I love Mountain Bluebirds! They are found in many parts of the Okanagan from White Lake Grasslands Park, north-west of Oliver to Beaver Lake Road in Lake Country. In 2020, I discovered them even closer to Kelowna in an area only 15 minutes from home.

While Western Bluebirds also nest in these areas, I find them less photogenic than the MOBLs. Every year there’s a continuing challenge to discover where they will nest and to get the quality of images this species deserves!

In most seasons, I’m most dedicated to the males . In 2021, however, I found a female to give them a run for their — er — feathers.
You’ll see later on….

The Okanagan is blessed with an abundance of Red-tailed Hawks. Click here for my 2016 study of them.

An intriguing feature of this species is the great colour variability among its indvIduals. The harassed fella (posted above the kestrels above the bluebird), as you can see, has a white throat and overall lighter tones including a tail that’s not very ‘red’ compared to the one to the right here, soaring above Beaver Lake Road in Lake Country. This one has classic hues!

Some birds are more difficult to capture than others, of course.
Western Meadowlarks are often found in the same areas as our two bluebird species, but I find them much more flighty. Early spring, however, often brings opportunities as it did this April day. Of course, I’d prefer this bird to face me. S/he didn’t, but I would catch up with one more co-operative later in the month.

The Black-billed Magpie is another species I find challenging to photograph despite their relative abundance here. Finding them in the open in just the right light is certainly possible, yet I struggle to get my settings ‘just right’.

While this setting is far from pretty, it’s typical of where this youngster and his relatives hang out. He looks a little guilty about giving me as good an opportunity as even this!

One of our most colourful and controversial species, BBMAs never fail to get a reaction from onlookers. Personally, I like ’em and defend them against their detractors, which doesn’t make me very popular!

American Robins are one of the most familiar birds in North America. For many folks, the ‘first robin’ of a new year marks the beginning of spring.

Many bird photo-graphers I know don’t like to post images of commonplace birds.
I, contrarian, love the common birds with which, perhaps, I identify. And, as I’ve learned through travel to and living in ‘foreign lands’, what’s ‘common’ in one place is ‘exotic’ in another!

Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) Belmont Park, Kelowna.
The Siskins in our area seldom pose for closeups.
This ‘keyhole shot’ has been edited to remove obstructions.

I must add, too, that, this bird was much lighter in colour than most Siskins.

The images below, while of low quality, were taken in low light as the bird was foraging in a shallow ditch.

On another day, I found a Pine Siskin sipping water from the ditch that runs through this part of Belmont Park. Very different ‘look’ in this spot, I think you’ll agree!

Red-breasted Nuthatches inhabit the same general area of Belmont Park. So, as promised above, here are three more images of them. They were sooo cooperative this year!

For reasons I find difficult to explain, I love Say’s Phoebes, despite their muted hues.
Perhaps it’s because they’re a western bird and it took me so many years to learn where they hang out. Regardless, I see several every year, now, and, again, why I don’t know, I have trouble getting the quality of image I want.

This bird was one of a pair nesting in the large back yard of a family dwelling near Vernon’s Swan Lake Nature Reserve.

For Part 1 of this series, click h ere.

For Part 3 of this series, click here.

Spring ~ Ineffable sadness buffered by M. Nature

April ~ Part 1: Travelling to soothe the grief

Note: it will take some time for the photos of this piece to load.
If viewing on an iPad, I recommend Landscape View, rather than Portrait….

For my family, April was the saddest month by far in a long, long, time, as my son Sean died on April 18 after a long and recently terrible struggle with cancer. He was three months and two days short of his 53rd birthday, and had been living with the disease since his colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 2016.
While we miss him profoundly every day, we take comfort knowing that he no longer has to suffer from disease that, especially in his last months, stole his physical strength and eventually his ability to breathe. Brave and determined to the very end, he set an example for all of us to follow. Writing about him and his amazing life is still a great challenge for me. I’m not going to attempt that journey here/now….

Instead, I will focus on my passion — birding and nature photography. While Sean was much more into fishing and hunting (for food) than I, he was also a capable photographer and a dedicated conservationist. He wasn’t as much ‘into birds’ in general, but he was very fascinated by birds that shared his passions — raptors, especially Ospreys and eagles, and loons….

Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) live both north and south of Thomson Marsh and often fly over, usually on their way to or from Mission Creek on the northern edge of my beat. Occasionally, they show up in pairs or as rivals riding the thermals, chasing but rarely catching each other or engaging in combat….

(Pandion haliaetus) Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC.
There were a couple of other Ospreys in the area that day as well, flying well above her….
No conflict that I could see, but she was clearly aware of something “up there.”

Click (or right click and choose “Open image in a New Tab”) on photos (or finger stretch them on an iPad or iPhone) to enlarge them.

Birding was a great consolation in April. Spending time with my younger son Mike helped, too. My wife Nana, going through her own cancer journey, was a rock of support. Like Sean, she was/is determined to make the most of whatever time she ‘has left’, and to that end, took up kayaking in May.
We travelled from Kelowna to one of our favourite provincial parks and its environs several times from April until fire season began at the end of June. These favourite natural settings were immensely comforting to both of us.

The northern of the two lakes at Kentucky-Alleyne Provincial Park near Merritt, BC.

Closer to home we enjoyed great RW Blackbird sightings again this month as well as ducks that we count on getting close to only at this time of year — American Wigeons, AGWTeals and Hooded Mergansers, especially.

Randy Redwing on April Fools Day plays King Kong!

To keep my posts a little shorter than I have in the past, I’m stopping here.
There’s more on April in these posts:

2021: April, Part 6 ~ Late April into May ~ birding and travel

Highlights from Covid hell….

All users and computer users especially: please be patient while the graphics load. I could use lower quality images to speed things up, but I’m not in a rush and I hope you’re not either.
While clicking on any image will enlarge it, it will take time to download….
In the multi-image galleries below, you can click on any photo to enlarge all the photos in the gallery.

If you’re using an iPad (best in landscape view), you can enlarge single photos by stretching
them with your fingers. For photos in Galleries (collections of image), tap one and wait for it to download.
Click the ℹ️ symbol at the bottom of each photo to read the full captions and descriptions.

Part 1 ~ Winter surprises….

The Covid-19 variant first found in India
will henceforth be referred to as the “Delta variant,”
the World Health Organization (WHO) announced May 31.

Trust me to grab your attention with a phony headline. Rest assured, however, this post is not mainly about the pandemic that has been crushing the world for the past two years.

Rather, this is the first of a series of posts of my birding highlights from 2021, a year that many will remember as Covid hell, but which didn’t hold back my wife and me all that much. We’re both triple-vaccinated and very cautious about mask-wearing and social-distancing.

Of course, on December 29 as I begin this post, the Omicron variant is running wild ‘everywhere‘.

The Omicron variant is reported to be running wild around the world. Three of my eight grandkids have had Covid, including one who’s double vaccinated but has been suffering with the disease through Christmas along with several of her hockey teammates. A younger set of twins have had it twice, months apart and both before and after they were vaccinated. Apparently, however, the second time around (yes, they were tested!) was not so severe.
Left: BC health officials tell us about Omicron.

So, I don’t mean to test fate, nor to dismiss the misery that this virus in its multiple variants has wrought and will continue to wring in the New Year! My wife and I have been both very cautious and lucky to avoid the scourge, and we’re most grateful that we’ve been spared — so far.

2021, truth be told (and shouldn’t it almost always?) from a birding standpoint alone, however, was pretty good here in Central Okanagan. What follows are some of the moments by which I’ll remember it:

January: More Intersex Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)! At least three in my territory now as Socratease (at Thomson Marsh) and Muncie (at Munson Park) joined Homer, the first iDuck I stumbled across and wrote about at length. Below, from left to right: Homher, Muncie, Socratease.

But wait (as the hucksters say), there’s more!

By spending more time over at Munson Park than in previous years, I was able to enjoy great chances to observe this solitary Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula) that stuck around well into Spring.

This species, the
only one to breed exclusively in Canada, is wintering more often in BC in recent years. It is normally found east of the Rocky Mountains.

February brought a Harlan’s Hawk (whitish Red-Tail) to Munson Pond/Park. Very similar to Whitey, a Harlan’s that I documented in the winter of 2014-15, I dubbed the Munson visitor ‘Whitey II’. S/he was a great favourite with visitors and photographers for several months.

Whitey II, a Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), probably a Harlan’s variety,
in residence at Munson Park, Kelowna, BC from mid-winter into early spring.
Am pretty sure I’ve seen him/her in other areas south of the Park as well.
Below you’ll find two more shots of her/him perching.

The Kids’ Fish Pond at Sutherland Hills also provided excellent opportunities to work with a variety of ducks. I’ll post separately about them…. By the end of the month, most of the snow was gone and spring seemed on its way!

This Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) drake *poseur* deserves his own post (along with his mate, of course)
and will get it in due course!

‘Keepin’ the lads
in check…’

This Ring-necked group was especially interesting to study. But there were Hooded Mergansers and Barrow’s Goldeneyes as well! I’ll cover them all in a separate post.

March: a lifer — a Peregrine Falcon showed up at Munson Pond!

Among all my birder/photographer associates, I’m perhaps the last to ‘get’ one of these. Like Whitey II, s/he was enjoyed by many folks over several weeks, but I saw her/him only once. Was very glad to get some shots, which required considerable processing to prepare for presentation!

Not the action shot one wants of a PEFA, but beggars can’t be choosers!

March is usually a great month as the Okanagan begins its transition from winter into spring. While the birds below are not unusual to see here at this time, I was very pleased with the opportunities they provided and the photos obtained: a Pygmy Nuthatch (actually shot at the very end of February), Kessie the kestrel‘s mate ‘Amke‘, a Barrow’s Goldeneye pair in various locations, Trumpeter and Tundra Swans from late February into March at Michaelbrook Golf Course, Red-breasted Nuthatches in Belmont Park, a Pintail Duck at TMarsh, and Great Horned Owls across from the Community Garden, (where they would hang out all through summer), and, of course, Mountain and Western Bluebirds in several places, RC Kinglets up close, and a glorious Spotted Towhee at Mahoney Lake, west of Okanagan Falls.

In the gallery below, you can click on any photo to enlarge all the photos in the gallery.
If you’re using an iPad (best in landscape view), to read the full captions and descriptions,
click the ℹ️ symbol at the bottom of each photo.

They’re all back! The iDucks, that is….

Updated February 2022 and March 2024.

Note: You may have to wait a bit for the images to load.

Also, on your Mac, you can see enlargements of any single images
by right clicking on the photo and choosing ‘Open image in a new tab’.
Gallery images can be enlarged just by clicking on any one of them.

If you’re using an iPad, it’s best to turn it sideways to landscape view….
Also, try viewing in Reader Mode! Available only with Safari web-browser as far as I know….

In an earlier post (November) I wrote that Homher the Intersex Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) had ‘magically’ reappeared after being ‘away’ for the summer from both Belmont Pond and Thomson Marsh.
I was overjoyed to see her again.

Well, I’m happy to report that the other two iDucks I first identified in the January 2021 have also showed up again in their separate locations in November 2021. First, Muncie on November 13 at Munson Pond/Park, and then on November 19 near Teal Pond in the SE sector, Thomson Marsh the one I call Socratease showed up.
As well, another duck I am able to eyedentifye — er, identify — by her blondness and beige ‘beads’ at the back of each eye and below the eye-line, a ‘regular’ female I call Molly also graced us with her presence! (Added 2024: Homher, Muncie, and Socratease all have a similar ‘bead’ to ones Molly sports!)

First, then, Muncie at Munson Park about 3.6 km northeast of TMarsh where her ‘cousins’ reside.

December 2021: Muncie, the Intersex Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) of Munson Park, Kelowna, returns after being ‘away’ all summer! She appears to be in fine fettle as we used to say!

To my surprise Muncie has white ‘beads’ behind both of her eyes,
just like the second and third ducks in this post, especially Molly the blonde hen.
You can enlarge the images by right clicking and choosing to Open image in a new tab.

Then (below) Socratease, as she appears now, on the left, and as she did a year ago, on the top right.

Above: The bottom right image shows her foraging in December 2021.
While her bill is less like a Mallard hen’s than Homher’s and Muncie’s, there’s no doubt that Socratease is an Intersex Mallard, too. Click on any gallery image to see the photos enlarged.

Finally, Molly Mallard, who despite hanging out in a wintering flock of more than 100 ducks, stands out first as one of the blonde hens, and then because of a unique white ‘bead’ behind each eye. Below the photos of Molly are some further observations about this detail.

Molly Mallard, a blonde hen has a distinctive ‘bead’ at the back of her eye not seen on other blonde hens in the large flock of wintering Mallards, some ‘regulars’ in the area, and some just winter migrants.

Here’s Molly from her other side, with the ‘bead circled’:

A uniquely marked Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) hen that I discovered last spring, which has returned for the winter of 2021-2. Rather independent, she eschews company as she goes about her ‘shopping’…. Her most distinctive mark is a white ‘bead’ just behind her eye (on both sides), ***circled in this image***. I haven’t seen this feature in any of the other ‘blonde’ hens in the winter flock….

Now that snow covers our area, it will be more difficult to keep track of these individuals, but you can be sure I’ll try….

Below, Homher, the iDuck that started all my research: December 2021 after an early snowfall:

Homher doesn’t mind the snow as much as she does the ongoing documentation of her existence….

Here’s another photo of Homher with Molly (taken February 7, 2021):

Molly the eye duck with Homher the iDuck, SE sector, Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC. It was a coincidence that she crossed paths with Homher; they don’t necessarily hang out together….

It’s nearly impossible to differentiate “normal Mallards” by appearance.
Molly is an exception! Her creamy complexion and the “bead” at the back of each eye enable me to pick her out of the large flock quite readily….

In progress: Added February 2022. I am working on the blonde Mallard hens in the large flock wintering in
the SE sector, Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC. A coming post illustrates what I’ve ‘discovered’.

Homher the iDuck reappears!

After disappearing for the summer, the most interesting duck in Thomson Marsh over the past year and a half (since March 2020) has suddenly reappeared along with some of the ‘winter mallards’ that make Teal Pond and its vicinity their home from November through April. Please give the images time to load!

Homher the Intersex Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), discovered in the area in the spring of 2020, comes and goes with the seasons. We’re very happy to have her back again in Thomson Marsh, near Teal Pond.

For those who don’t know, an intersex mallard is a female that, over many years, has taken on many characteristics of drake Mallards from some green in the head to dark breast plumage and the curly black over white tail feathers. For the story of how I came to realize that Homher is an iDuck and not a hybrid or an eclipse drake, please check out my very lengthy account here: https://birdsandmusings.wordpress.com/2021/02/05/its-not-a-hybrid-after-all/

I last saw her nibs in June 2021. I had my doubts (as I had several times throughout the previous year) that I would ever see her again. But here it is, November 2021 and she’s back, the picture of good health — no sign of the limp that bothered here last winter.

Hope you enjoy these photos from October 27. I saw here again on Nov. 4, but as it was nearly dark, I have photo to prove it….

Not a great photo, but it illustrates how Homher differs from both drakes and hens in the ‘normal’ Mallard range. While the other ducks tolerate her, there’s no close connection. She wanders around with them and goes back and forth between Teal Pond and this grass area near Kelowna Rec Field, Kelowna, BC.

“So why is she called Homher,” you ask. Well, when I first saw her in Belmont Pond, about a km west of where she resides now, one of the first things I noticed about her, besides her obviously female bill, was her white eyelid. For some unexplainable reason, I thought of Homer the blind poet. And, as I thought she was a male, most likely a hybrid of some kind, I named it for the great Greek storyteller. Eventually (see the link above), I learned that our odd duck was a female, and had to adjust the spelling from Homer to Homher. These photos illustrate how her eye is an important part of her ‘iDuckness’….

And finally, Homer in her higher def portrait for this day. Expect updates as the winter moves in….
She’s in our thoughts daily!

For my report on the other iDucks that have also come back for the winter, click here:
https://birdsandmusings.wordpress.com/2021/12/27/theyre-all-back-the-iducks-that-is/

Sean Richardson ~ July 20, 1968 – April 18, 2021

This piece was first published on Flickr and Facebook where I also invited folks to read the posts on the website of The Harvest Golf Course where he had been Director of Instruction since 2013 (link below):
https://harvestgolf.com/golf/practice-facility-academy#SeanRichardson

We like to say that children are supposed to outlive their parents. In the case of my son Sean, aged 52 years and 272 days, the ‘normal’ course of life events didn’t happen. The cancer he had been battling since 2016 took him from us on April 18, 2021, what would have been my dad’s 115th birthday.

Our hearts are broken. Sean is no longer with us. We will never again see his impish smile, chuckle at his witty quips, sardonic comments about politics and politicians, or listen to his goofy laugh, which only a handful of his closest friends and family probably got to relish. We will no longer imbibe his delightful instruction and good-natured ribbing, or ponder his philosophizing.

Most folks knew only his gentle, thoughtful, deeply caring and helpful side. By nature, a peacemaker rather than a fighter, when provoked (a very rare occurrence), however, he’d let his opponent know in no uncertain terms. And that foe would have to think about why and whether ever to do THAT again! He did all he could to beat the disease, but in the end, it took him from us.

Hundreds of people who counted him a friend, and he greatly valued those acquaintances. He was attached profoundly to a handful of confidants, most dating back to his schooldays in 100 Mile House, who, along with his family, knew him in both joyful and stressful times. His life was never as simple as some may have thought, especially if you met him only in his maturity after he married Tracy Hansford. The mature Sean was a treasure to the whole community, to those who knew him intimately as well as those who called him a teammate, colleague, coach, fellow fisherman or hunter or conservationist, or public speaker (Here he is at the BC Legislature speaking on behalf of hunting and wildlife conservation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFLPJ4dk6Ps (11 minutes 35 seconds).

He was a natural leader and diplomat.
Here is a post was delivered to him in booklet form only days before he died.
It details the response of participants in a leadership conference January 28, 2020, where he acted as a leadership consultant to a group of 14 leaders from the international PCL Construction company. It’s worth a read, I think.
https://leadershare.ca/encourage-the-heart-blog

For his closest friends and family, his death is devastating. We depended upon him so much for seeing the best in us, bringing us together, leading by example in celebrating life, pushing past obstacles, over hurdles, around paradoxes, and onto a better future. For us who knew what an authentic gem of a human being he truly was, his death is nearly unbearable.

And yet the mature Sean showed us that the ‘unbearable’ is probably ‘manageable’ — that giving up is simply unacceptable. “If something needs to be put aside in order to carry on, then do it,” he’d have said. “Don’t bang your head against a wall, or wail, complain, lash out, or indulge in self-destruction. Find a way to carry on, one step at a time, to find the positive even when the world is roiling with apparent insanity. Calm down, breathe, weigh your options, make the best choice you can in the moment you occupy.”

That’s how he lived, and how he hoped those he loved would live as well. “You don’t have to agree with me,” he’d have said, “but you have to keep your wits about you. Be the best you can be as much as you’re capable of being.”

There was another section providing more information about Sean’s life that I removed after receiving criticism that it was too personal. I am still deliberating about whether or not to put it back up. I have no doubt that Sean would have approved it.

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