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…..
February 17, 2018: As I stare out the window at an all-day blizzard, and daydream of Spring around the corner, my mind drifts to new life and ducklings, and trips over this memory of a humorous encounter from two days before Mother’s Day, 2015.
Click imageto enlarge in a new tab.
There’s a spot on the southwest side of Michaelbrook Marsh, where, if we leave the open playing field and sneak through the long grass, and carefully make our way around the wild roses, we can observe a log that often hosts a Great Blue Heron using it as hunting platform. More likely, though, it’s occupied by bale of Western Painted Turtles.
On this day in May, however, approaching very cautiously, I was delighted to find a mother Hooded Merganser and her chicks sitting between a pair of turtles. Fascinated, I recorded the scene. When I got home, my imagination took over, and this fantasy played out. And, while admitting that I speak neither Merganserese or Turtleian, I’m confident that this is what was happening….
So the turtles were acting as guards, lookouts, really. Mom was busy just watching over her babies. Boyfriend Pete is, as is the Hoodies’ custom, nowhere to be found at this time.
Among the chicks, most, as is normal, were simply sunning and being good.
But Georgetta and Herman (on the right) were restive, the brother, in particular. Click any image below to enlarge it in a new tab.
Mom and chicks between the lookouts. Herman and Georgetta are on the right. Click images to enlarge in a new tab. Guard on the left: “Jeeze, I wish Frank didn’t have his butt right in my face.” Mom: “Such a lovely day. And such a lovely family. I’m so lucky!” Georgetta: “Wanna go swimmin, brother?” Herman: “Stop crowdin’ me, Georgetta. I don’t wanna go swimmin’ again!” Guard on the right: “Man, I hate Merg Duty, especially when there’s so many of these little brats!”Herman: “Oh wow! Mom got me a pony!” Georgetta: “That’s not a ponee; it’s a elefunk!” Mom: “Oh dear!” Guard: “Must keep a stiff upper lip!” Herman: “I don’t care what you say, girl! I’m goin’ for a ride!”” Georgetta: “I bet you can’t stay on for five seconds….” Mom: “Oh dear!” Guard: “That tickles! Must keep a stiff upper lip!” Herman: “This has to be the most boring pony EVER!!” Georgetta: “I told you—it ain’t a ponee; it’s a elefunk!” Mom: “Oh dear!” Guard: “What do they think I am, a pony?” Georgetta: “Maybe you need a push!” Herman: “Maybe this IS a elefunk! It sure is slow!” Mom: “Oh dear!” Guard: “One-a-these-days, I’m gonna….!”Herman: “How do I make this guy go?” Georgetta: “MO-OM! Herman’s not sharing the elefunk!” Mom: “Oh for Pete’s sake! Speaking of Pete, he’s gonna get an earful if he ever comes back. Nobody told me there’d be days like this!” Guard: “My lips are numb!”Well, Herman managed to fall off and had to climb back up onto the log, Georgetta quit pestering to ride, and Mom put her hair up to warn the other chicks not to do anything foolish! As for the guard, he never let on another thing!
A couple of days later, this incident apparently forgotten, I observed the chicks having a ball in their bathtub, making as many bubbles as they possibly could….
Who knew that Sir Ralph, the most outstanding Great Blue Heron on my beat, is also a part time thespian? Here are a few scenes from his recent performance on the smaller stage at Belmont Pond:
Click on any image to enlarge it in a new tab….
“Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this sun of” —er—Belmont….“No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity. But I know none, and therefore am no beast.”“Shine out fair sun, till I have bought a glass, that I may see my shadow as I pass.”“Tis better, sir, to be brief than tedious.”“Bad is the world, and all will come to naught when such ill-dealing must be seen in thought.”“The world is grown so bad that wrens make pray where eagles dare not perch….”
I recently published a piece on the Great Blue Herons I encounter on my beat. This is an update with photos from the mid January into the beginning of February 2018.
We’ve had a mild winter (so far) compared with last year’s.
January 2018 much warmer than January 2017, esp. first half! Great news for herons!
A quick note about Sir Ralph, the subject of this piece, originally written for a response to a post on my Flickr site by a Texas colleague who expressed admiration for this bird struggling with our harsh Canadian climate:
On Sir Ralph of Thomson & Michaelbrook Marshes and Belmont Ponds
“Like many of us Northerners (aka Canadians, esp. the BC variety), he finds ways to enjoy every season, and here, in Kelowna, considers winter less “rigorous” than “stimulating.” Since this winter has been much milder than 2017, he has no trouble feeding himself as there has been some open water somewhere in the Marsh throughout.
And now, still in the first week of February, with the RWBlackbirds already back, staking out their territories, there is continuous open water — I estimate the Marsh to be 95% ice free. Although it may snow overnight and melt during the day, Ralph prefers this climate to Coastal rain. His prodigious plumage protects him and promotes his claim to regal status….
As you can see in a later post, he even engages in thespian pursuits when the muse seizes him…. Recently, he performed scenes from Richard III, not because he’s in any way like Shakespeare’s arch-villain, but because he’s versatile enough to play roles from villainy to virtuousness, a virtuoso in fact!
Next to Kessie, the resident American Kestrel, Ralph is one of the most likeable denizens of the fen, even if he rarely smiles (see photo below). He’s got the same dry sense of humour that my dad passed on to me….”
December 2017 ended with a promise of a repeat of January’s frosty days. Turned out to be hollow. Here’s Ralph on December 30:
At least it’s sunny….
By January 20, the Marsh had changed radically:
Click image above to open enlargement in a new tab….
At the end of January, we caught up with Sir Ralph in the smaller of the two Belmont Ponds that he also frequents (as well as Michaelbrook which is still quite frozen at this time). While there was only a little open water under the bridge over the very short connecting creek, he was surveying his options very carefully.
Sir Ralph sees his shadow and concludes that Woodchucks are poor prognosticators!
He was smiling as if he had inside info about an early Spring…. Time will tell.
…smiling as if he had inside info about an early Spring….On his way to check out the “creek” and the larger pond…. Click to enlarge.It’s a different world on this side….Sir Ralph tries to blend in with the Cattails along the shoreline….
He can make himself look tall and slim, but sometimes, methinks, he over estimates his “invisibility”….
Ralph tries to hide behind a Cattail, with dubious success….
Two days later, I visited Belmont again, where I found Sir Ralph indulging his passion for the theatre in a marvellous presentation of scenes from Shakespeare’s Richard III….
I’m known in a few places for my goofy sense of humour — my predilection for anomalies, ironies, childish imagination. So, if you’re not into such silliness, you’re in the wrong place! Run away, NOW!
But if you can tolerate a certain amount of not-so-serious-stuff, here’s a little to snack on:
Remember: if images show a icon, click to enlarge in a new tab….
Waterfowl who wannabe predators:
Last spring we saw a goose that was roosting on a cleanly topped tree trunk probably 20 feet above Mission Creek. Her mate (it had to be a female, right? It was during breeding season when all kinds of new ideas float in the air….) stood in the creek below, looking up as if to say, “So that’s it? You’ve left me for ‘a room with a view’?” Well, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture that situation (we saw it there a couple of times over several days), this year we’ve encountered similar phenomena again, several times in various places with different geese and a female Mallard.
April 13, 2017:
This pair of Canada Geese, wanted, I believe, to be designated Cangosprey. After Momma Osprey returned for the breeding season, then apparently abandoned this nest on what I call the Lightship, these two landed here several times over a couple of days and showed a definite liking for the perch. I don’t think they had any intention of nesting here; it was just a chance to enjoy an AirB&B staycation in an Osprey’s domicile. They even chased off another goose who showed interest in renting the place. Eventually they moved on from romance to serious domestic duties, Momma O. returned, and life resumed as normal….
April 21, 2017:
While visiting Robert Lake, I noticed something plopped on top of a post of the white fence at an adjacent horse farm: on closer examination, here’s what I found:
I see you! What’s your problem? Never seen a posted duck before?
Hmm; at some point I’m going to have to get off this thing, and I can’t even get my feet under me! Yikes!
Never did see how she resolved her situation.
Later that afternoon, on a quick visit to Munson Pond around sundown to check out the local North American Beaver, Castor canadensis, we also noticed this rabble rouser; I think her name is Forrest Goose. She spoke with a thick tongue like a great Political Science professor from the Philippines I was enjoyed:
“Lithen up fellow creathures of the foresth!”
“Itth me, Forreth Gooth, and I have a few thingth to thay! Heronth and Othpreyth are not the only oneth who can thit up in treeth!”
“OK, Cango, I’ll get down thith time, but one o’ thethe dayth….
…one o’ thethe dayth, I’m gonna change the world!”
2017: Closer to home, we have the ongoing saga of the Turtle Sitters of Belmont Pond….
Last year (2016), the duties fell to the Wood Ducks. Could be the reason they eventually moved to a different location to raise their own brood. For a bit, the job fell to Mergus Merganser….
Wilbur and Wilma Wodu with their turtle charges
“Have you seen Kilroy?” “I thought you were watchin’ I’im!”
“Oh, never mind! I see ‘im!”
“Kilroy! You get back here on this log right now, you hear! I’m comin’ t’ getcha! Stay right there!”
“Now that the Wodus have gone, are you our new sitter?” “Sheesh! What have I got myself into?!”
And, in 2017, Mergus has a new mate, and guess who’s been handed the Turtle-sitting chores? You got it! Miranda Merganser. And Kilroy’s a year older and bolder….
“Look! I don’t like this arrangement any more than you do, Kilroy, but you will do as I tell you!“Dang! Now where did that little brat go this time??!”
Hope you found something to chuckle over, or, as the poet asks, “What’s the point?”
icon, click to enlarge in a new tab….
birds & musings 