2010/12/29

Biked to Terra Nova

Today begins a string of several pleasant days. Time for a bike ride to Terra Nova and try out my new bins. It is definitely an improvement - brighter and clearer images that allowed me to see some birds that weren't photographed by my camera, e.g. a male Common Merganser, a female Red-breasted Merganser and a Pied-billed Grebe.

Today's bike trip took me over five hours, I was exhausted by the time I got home, especially since I skipped lunch.

Here are some photos from Coots and Mallards photo from Steveston, as well as a female Brewer's Blackbird - one of those common brown birds that I don't normally pay attention to until this afternoon.

Pretty Female Mallard

American Coot (Fulica americana)

American Coot (Fulica americana)

American Coot (Fulica americana)

Coot (Family Rallidae) showing me its lobed feet
One of the photos that I wanted to get was a shot of the coot's lobed feet! Check!

Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
A female Brewer's Blackbird, I think, since it doesn't look that a female Red-winged Blackbird or a Cowbird (process of elimination).

Snow-capped Mountains
Turning to West Dyke Trail.

I noticed a group of Northern Pintails but they took off as soon as they saw me taking photos of them. I also saw a Belted Kingfisher diving into the ditch for food but didn't get any photos of it.

Pintails flying away

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
A resting heron. The moment of peacefulness was disturbed by a boy carrying a air crossbow wanting to fire at it. He didn't because I was still taking photos of it, but I don't really understand how people's mind works sometimes. [On an irrelevant side note: I saw my second dead heron today. One was from the roadside at the end of No. 3 Road near the South Dyke Trail saw from last week; today's was in the reeds along the West Dyke Trail near Steveston. I wonder what the deaths were caused by: food and/or weather or something else?]

It was getting pretty cloudy and chilly near sunset.

Time to go home.
.

2 comments:

Hugh Griffith said...

Your pictures are getting even better (have always been great).

What's an air crossbow? Is it a toy or a potentially lethal weapon? It's several ways illegal to harm a heron. Thankfully you were there.

PSYL said...

Hi Hugh. Thanks for the comment. I now wish I had paid more attention to the boy (with his family) and his toy (I think). I think it looks more like a toy than a weapon (in terms of colorful appearances rather than serious hunting camo) and plus the boy said to me that it's just air.

The heron was about 3-4 metres away from us in the reeds in that lookout in the Terra Nova Natural Area.

That's all the info I can provide. But if I do see him (or anyone trying to shot animals), I'll bring it to their attention. Thanks.

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