Red Bird update

The beautiful little red and black bird in the pictures I posted a few days ago is called a White-winged Crossbill.  Odd  that, because its wings are only edged in white and, although they have white streaks, the wings themselves are black.  I had a little trouble identifying this bird, partially because of its name, but also because it looks quite similar to a number of other birds, one of them being the Pine Grosbeak.

Pine Grosbeaks however, as  you can see in the photograph below (courtesy of Wikipedia), have a heavy short black bill to help them crack seeds. This bird is also rose red in color, but its wings have more white streaks, and  they have gray areas on their chest, as well as below the wings.  In addition they have gray patches around their bill, while their tail is long and slightly forked.   The Pine Grosbeak is the largest of the finches who inhabit the northern parts of the country.

Pine Grosbeak

White Winged Crossbill

In comparison the White-winged Crossbill has very dark black wings with a couple of clear white streaks, a short black tail underlined with white, and a clear black streak displayed as a crescent on the side of it's head.  It's red color is darker and more pronounced, than that of the Pine Grosbeak.  Their beak, is lighter in color and has a distinct hook when viewed from the side.  This is what helped me to identify the bird in my pictures.  You can clearly see a hook on the beak of the bird, in my picture just above if you double click to enlarge it.

The hook on the top half of the beak crosses over the hook of the bottom part of the beak, hence the name crossbill.  This specialized beak helps the White-winged Crossbill to dig the seeds out of pine cones.  The White Winged Crossbill is also a finch, though smaller than the Pine Grosbeak, and prefers to inhabit boreal and/or coniferous forests.  It is labeled as nomadic, since it wanders all over its northern habitat, which ranges from Alaska to Newfoundland, as well as a portion of the states.  They fly in large flocks year round, and may on occasion be seen in city parks.

White winged Crossbill on the ground

An interesting fact about the White-winged Crossbill is that they call out, thereby drawing attention to themselves, only when food is scarce.  It is precisely that which drew me toward the stand of trees where I found and photographed this bird. It has a very distinct voice, one I hadn't heard before.  Apparently when food is plentiful they are quiet, and so often remain unseen.

More  information on the White-winged Crossbill  can be found at the links below, as well as a good video of how this bird digs seeds from pine cones.

http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-white-winged-crossbill.html
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nsbirds/bns0405.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhlDA2DocXM
http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=458

Susan

Why we're (almost) always out before sunrise...

Getting up before sunrise pretty much always guarantees an image that takes the breath away. This one is of the Salish Sea (The Strait of Georgia), taken from an elevation of just 98 metres above sea level. This time, from above the clouds! Always worth getting out of bed and outside, even though some days it is admittedly a bit of a struggle!

When aspiring to what is truly important in our lives, it is our willingness to struggle, to make significant effort, that makes all good things possible. Struggle may be difficult and frustrating at times, but it often opens doors and liberates our spirits. It can become a labour of love. That must be, for example, why an easy run or a smooth paddle is never quite as satisfying as the ones that require us to struggle up the hills or against the waves. Although there must be balance, when it's all said and done, it feels pretty good. At least, that's how I see it.

Duncan.

Catch a "ray" and you're sittin' on top of the world!

Actually, I think the Beach Boys' song was, "Catch a wave" but same idea. When you catch a ray of sunshine during the overcast days of March, it just feels darn good. Out here amidst the southern Gulf Islands of the west coast of Canada we've got blossoms and flowers, you could even say, "blossoms and flowers r us" 'cause we've had 'em for a couple of months now! But we've also had some cloud cover at this time of the year. OK, so we get a lot of cloud cover even though the tourist brochures describe our area as being in the "rain shadow" of the Olympic Mountains. Well, despite the "orographic lifting" of air up the Washington mountains and the subsequent dropping of a bunch of the moisture on their windward side, we in the leeward side still get ample rain. Yup, lots of rain in the "rain shadow".

This being the case, it's particularly nice when, despite the rain and frequent wind warnings, you find a "window" of opportunity and get out on the water...and the sun breaks through! As they say around Easter time, "Alleluia!" And the sun was out long enough for Joan to get this pic. So there you go, proof positive that the sun shines in paradise (wet and windy Vancouver Island) in March!

Of course, what we need to remember is that above the layers of daytime overcast, the skies are always blue! As for you folks in southern Ontario and the forecast for sunshine AND plus 25 degrees Celcius...wussup with that?!

Duncan.

PS Coming soon - an update on trail running in the Vibram Fivefingers (VFFs) - and I don't care if you laugh! They are awesome in creeks and in the mud! :-)

Episode Guide - The Series - One Ocean Online

In watching this series, I have come to realize just how important it is to learn about how everything on this planet, including ourselves, is intertwined, interconnected and interdependent.  All life on this world begins with our oceans.  We really need to start taking  better care of our world.  Please watch and learn at the link below,  and then share.


Episode Guide - The Series - One Ocean Online

Susan

Red bird: something new to research

So the sun was shining and the outdoors was calling.  Naturally I went, and to my absolute delight discovered something new.  Of course now I also need to do some research because the little red and black bird I  caught on camera is totally unfamiliar to me.  Here are some pictures and the information on this little bird will follow as soon as I have discovered it.

Red belly

Red Bird in flight

A closer look

White winged

Just checking things out

Eating

Peek a boo

Just double click on the pictures to enlarge them.  Enjoy!


Susan

Birding: First trip out

Today I decided is was just about time to go out and see what birds I could find.  There weren't many, at least nothing new.  In  my enthusiasm to get started on my  bird watching, I think I jumped the gun and went out too early.  The ponds at both parks are still frozen solid and I saw only a couple of geese and some cocky Blue Jays.  In my experience however, you never know what you might see when you least expect it so why not take the opportunity?

Besides I had to experiment and practice with my new equipment, and there really is no better way than just to go out and do it.  The video camera is going to take some getting used to and I'm going to have to learn to do a few new things on the computer to get the most out of it.   It has a thirty four times zoom, perfect for watching and capturing hawks in the sky, and so far it looks like it is going to be worth every penny, even though I will no doubt suffer some frustration in the process of learning how to use it.  It is a good thing  that  I enjoy learning  new things. The sooner that is done the better, since I really do want to share the video footage, which will also hopefully give me some good clear shots to use.

Blue Jay going up

So, this my first trip, out had a dual purpose.  My video footage this time will not be shared.  As far as beginning efforts go it was neither bad nor good.  However, I still need some additional equipment  ( just a cable) and learning to get to a point of sharing. The learning might take a while.

Across the pond

It was overcast and gloomy when I went out. This is not usually good for lighting conditions, depending on where you take the pictures of course. For example, all of my pictures at the one park I visited, which sits in a hollow, turned out too blue.  Still I got more out of my  trip  than I thought, as usual.  I experimented with the pictures, something I also enjoy doing but haven't done in a long time.   The results are the two images you see.  What do you think?

Susan

Canada Goose

Geese in flight

One of the birds that I see frequently when I visit the parks here in the city is the Canada Goose.  In the spring  and fall especially, but throughout the summer as well, they are seen flying everywhere, sometimes in formation and sometimes only in pairs, their loud honking heard even at a distance. On occasion you will even see a goose flying all by itself, although that is an odd event, as geese are clearly social creatures, who greet each other rather noisily in welcome when arriving wherever other geese are present.



Like all social creatures, they also have likes and dislikes in regards individuals, and so you will sometimes see one goose attempt to chase another off.  You will even see all the Geese in one group attempt to chase  individuals away from their current chosen territory.  Geese also have group leaders, who lead flight formations and make decisions in regards to departure times during migration.  This can be noted clearly in the fall, as they depart for warmer climes, as I have observed on several occasions.  Once they arrive for the season however, individuals clearly make their own decisions in regards to where to fly to socialize and hang out.  They have their favorite places to visit and rest from their long migratory journey, and they usually hang around for a few weeks before heading to their nesting grounds, where ever those may be.

Pair of Canada Geese

Lone Canada Goose

As often as I see the Canada Goose however, I have never seen them nesting in the city.  What I have noted though, is that many people love the Canada Goose.  From senior citizens to children, all seem to take great delight in observing and feeding them.  As a result many of the Geese are quite used to people and they will come fairly close, even feeding from your hand directly, if you don't make any sudden movements.  Feeding Geese is a particularly delightful experience for children and many people take their children and grandchildren to the parks to do so. This is great, as it teaches children to appreciate and interact with nature to some extent, but please feed them responsibly if you do so.  Geese and Ducks have very specific dietary requirements and they could get sick as a result of being fed the wrong foods.

Geese squabbling

I like to feed the Geese on occasion myself, but when I do I bring oats rather than bread to spread in the grass for them, having noted that Geese will graze on grass. Oats are related to grass after all.  I feed Geese and Ducks in order to give back to nature, in appreciation for the bounty she provides for me in terms of beauty and peace more than anything else.  I was in fact motivated to do so, after a very brief and special moment that  my brother and I shared with a lone goose, who sought out our company at a pond one day late in the spring.  We had gone for a walk and when we arrived at the pond, we were surprised to discover that there was only one Goose in the entire pond.   There were not even ducks around, or in fact other people, which was not at all typical.

Geese close up

We sat down in the grass to soak up the sun and relax.  It wasn't long before we noticed that the Goose was swimming closer and closer towards us.  She did not appear to be afraid.   At first we thought that the Goose was expecting to be fed, like many Geese do when they see people.  But this turned out not to be the case.  In fact, she seemed to be simply lonely, since she would have left as soon as she realized we had no food to share with her otherwise.

My brother and I stayed quietly where we were, watching as she finally got out of the water, and before we knew it, the Goose was resting in the grass, quite contentedly, mere inches from our feet.  She was in fact, close enough for us to touch her, if we chose to do so, which of course we didn't.  We simply accepted the fact that she was there.   Naturally I couldn't resist taking some pictures, as you can see below, but she didn't seem to mind.

The Goose stayed with us until we left a long time later.  Her easy acceptance of our presence and companionship was as delightful as it was unusual.  I don't know about my brother, but I found the whole of the experience to be, not only truly peaceful, but more enhanced by the presence of this bird.  Since the peace I experienced enveloped me for quite some time afterward, I sincerely hope that the Goose gained some benefit from our presence as well.

Canada Goose visits

 
After all, simply sharing a space with the presence of another living being, can bring not only peace and companionship, but comfort for all, both great and small. This, it seems to me now, is especially so when there is true acceptance; one without fear and expectation, as neither we, nor the goose had any, or so it appeared at the time, and maybe that is a simple lesson to be learned here.  In any event, I am grateful for the experience and truly hope others may experience the same, or at  the very least something similar to it .  As usual if you wish to learn more about the Canada Goose please follow the links above and below:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/canada-goose/
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/canada_goose/id
http://bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/birds/cdngoose.htm

Susan

You can't see the entire world from the top of Everest...

"You can't see the entire world from the top of Everest...

The view from there only reminds you how big the world is

 and how much more there is to see and learn."

- Tenzing Norgay

As someone rather special to me celebrates a birthday this week, I'm reminded of the importance of Tenzing Norgay's words. Tenzing Norgay was, of course, the very fine Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer who stood atop Mt. Everest with Edmond Hillary on the 29th of May, 1953. The words quoted above resonate with humility and wisdom. Of anyone in the mountaineering community at the time, he would have been forgiven for boasting. Not only did he share in the first acknowledged summit of the world's highest mountain, but en route he probably saved the life of his climbing partner, who would become a friend for life, when Hillary plunged through the ice and fell into a deep crevasse.

Climbing Everest guarantees some very serious bragging rights. Heck, just a few of years ago, after an 11 km trail race in which I stood third last, I was so "puffed up" with pride that I was told I was impossible to live with! (Well, give me a break, I was the oldest registered runner!) Anyway, such an accomplishment on Everest could really tempt one to live the cliche, "been there, done that, not much left to do". Not Tenzing Norgay, however, nor Edmond Hillary. They stood at the top of the world's highest mountain and realized how much more grand and majestic and unexplored was the world beyond their vision - and how much more there was to do and to learn in life.

Throughout the years in my vocation, I have had the opportunity to meet some folks, who in so many ways, have arguably  "done it all". Still, they hunger for more adventure, more of life's experiences, more opportunities to grow and learn and discover. In so doing, they know they risk falling into life's "crevasses". They invite disappointment and even failure but they remain undaunted. They don't see advancing years as an excuse to rest on their laurels or their past accomplishments. Each new dawn is seen as an "invitation" and even if the sunrise is accompanied with increasing challenges, they dare to move forward. Their minds are open to new perspectives, new paradigms, and new possibilities. They welcome the opportunity to paddle uncharted "waters" for they know that in so doing, they live on the threshold of continued self-discovery. And they are living, truly living. I've also met a few "stick-in-the-muds". Where the former radiate joy, the latter look grim.

As one very special individual adds another year to her chronological "portfolio", I am thankful that she so often stands at the top of many "summits" and patiently reminds me of the glorious view beyond the ocean of visible peaks - all calling out to be discovered and celebrated and shared. When I occasionally look a little "grim", she quickly nudges me into seeing the "view" for what it truly is! For that, I'm thankful. Happy BD J!

D.

The above image is a much lesser "Everest". It is Ha Ling, rising above Canmore, Alberta. We hiked up its scree slopes a while back. From the top, you can see countless peaks in the Canadian Rockies.  And far beyond the horizon are countless more peaks...all the way to the Pacific ocean. On the fortieth anniversary of his summit of Everest, we listened with deep appreciation to Sir Edmond Hillary when he spoke at our son's school. A great mountaineer, adventurer, humanitarian, and encourager of others, he signed our program, "Ed Hillary". It's framed and forever a reminder of a man of deep humility who, with his dear friend Tenzing, saw a world of new opportunities and possibilities from the highest place on earth. In doing so, both made the world a better place.

Peregrine Falcon

My days always start early, it doesn't  matter if I  am working or not, and I am simply not content to be idle. So I usually have a plan or two in place for things to do on my days off and this often involves birdwatching.  Typically however, I do not see a  lot of birds when I am working, because of course I work indoors, although I have a tendency to carry my camera equipment around with me in case I spot a bird on my way to and from work. I also always  arrive early to work to allow me the chance to have a cup of coffee.   It is a good thing  that I do both, as it turned out on this particular day, when I stepped outside before starting work for the day to finish my coffee.

Peregrine Falcon perched on building

Because I always have one eye on the sky especially in spring, summer and fall, I spotted a member of  the raptor family that I had never seen before within just a couple of minutes.  But, to my dismay, it dove after a pigeon and out of sight.   Nevertheless, I decided to take the chance that it might fly by again and so I sprinted inside to grab my digital binoculars.  Talk about a lucky decision!

Peregrine Falcon in flight

Not only did the bird return into my field of view, but it perched on the top of a new building that had only just gone up across the street from my work location.  The bird turned out to be a Peregrine falcon, which I had heard  hunting in the downtown area on occasion, but had never actually seen directly.  In this city there is a pair of Peregrine falcons that nest atop of one of the high-rise buildings downtown every year.  A fact  that  made the news when they first built their nest there.

So when I realized just which bird I had within the sights of my binoculars,  I was of course delighted, especially since I know that the Peregrine Falcon had been in danger of extinction due to the wide spread  use of DDT which prevented their eggs from hatching.  The fact that I was seeing it, represented it's come back from that danger.  Obviously the offspring of the falcon pair downtown were not only hatching, but surviving, and seeking their own hunting grounds.

Coming to a landing

I cannot really even begin to describe just how fortunate I felt on that particular morning, or the joy I experienced in seeing this bird. In fact it was such that my whole day was enhanced and went very well, which was unusual considering the work I do.  Several curious people stopped to ask me what I was looking at and naturally I attempted to share my joy  with those people.  However, it was not really a surprise that many of  them were not as enthusiastic about birds as I am.   I was even teased suggestively, at one point, about watching the work crew still putting the finishing touches on the building where the Peregrine was perched. Why would I be interested in anything else after all?  Of course, being an intelligent woman I just laughed and shrugged it off.

Naturally for me, who loves hawks, the more hawks to be seen in the sky the better, and if the variety of hawks seen in greater, that is even better still. Unfortunately, I didn't see the Peregrine falcon again last year, but I am confident that I will at some point.  I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for it when I start going out birding again this year.  In the mean time  I have been doing some research on this bird, so if you are interested just follow the links as usual:

http://www.peregrine-net.com/PGS_PGN_GENERAL/Falcon_Info.html
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/peregrine_falcon/id
http://falcon.unibase.com/descrip3.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Falcon

One  interesting fact about the Peregrine falcon that I have learned, is that this bird is capable of speeds of up to 200 miles per hour when diving after prey.  The links above, aside from giving you information, will provide you with much better images than mine, to help you identify this bird.   As always, enjoy.

Susan

Cormorant

Every once in a while I see a bird that I can't identify, usually briefly and at a distance.  Sometimes this is  frustrating, especially  when I see it on more than one occasion.  In cases like that I try to remember that  when it comes to spotting birds I tend to get lucky eventually  with a close up view.   This was just the case with the Cormorant which I had seen in the air a  few times.  It is the long wings, in addition to the long neck and tail, of this bird that will get your attention if you ever see it in the air, as you can see by the blurred image below.

Cormorant in flight

When I finally got a close up view of this bird it landed in a pond near a busy transit station that I visit infrequently.  I saw it  fly into the pond directly ahead of me, as I was sitting soaking up the sun's rays and quietly contemplating the nearly empty pond.  I knew  immediately that I was seeing a new bird by its flight and shape, which got my attention like nothing else could.  Reflexively I turned on both my camera and digital binos, but the bird dove immediately beneath the water, so that I was forced to bide my  time before it popped it's head up above the surface.  This bird can stay a long time under water let me tell you.

Nervous Cormorant

The Cormorant seems to be a very shy and nervous bird, who is very much aware of his surroundings.  It swam closer and closer toward me, as I waited patiently for a good shot with my camera, but as soon as  I moved it shied away.  So, at first, I tried to keep as still as possible, so as not to startle it into flight.  As it nervously checked out the pond's suitability, it shied at every loud noise by either diving beneath the water or suddenly changing directions.  This made it very difficult to take pictures, that and the fact that he was keeping a wary eye on me as well.  Realizing this, I decided keeping still wouldn't result in any pictures at all and so, I was forced to move slowly and carefully if  I also wanted to get a closer look at him.

More below the water than above

It took me about  five minutes to edge closer to the pond with my camera but I was rewarded  with a couple of good pictures.  Which was lucky, because not five minutes later, a jogger startled it into flight and it was gone.  I managed to get a couple of  more images with my digital binoculars, but it's sudden departure was so fast,  that it startled me, which in turn resulted in a few blurred images of the Cormorant in flight. Still they are good enough images that I will be able to identify the bird again if I see it in flight and perhaps in future follow it's flight to get some better images.

I  did  see the Cormorant again on another occasion, this time in Miami, but only at a distance that was too far to allow for the taking of good, clear pictures.  An interesting fact about Cormorants that I stumbled across while researching the bird, is that they can be tamed and trained to help human fisherman catch fish.  This apparently is done in China.  If you wish to learn more about  the Cormorant just follow these links:

http://www.arkive.org/cormorant/phalacrocorax-carbo/info.html
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/cormorant-info.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-crested_Cormorant

Susan

Butterfly park

One of the main reasons, besides seeing my mom, that I looked forward to my trip to the Caribbean was the prospect of seeing and taking pictures of birds and wildlife. This particular stop on our Caribbean cruise, St Thomas Island, was to be dedicated to exploring the local shops, tourist market and the beaches. So of course I was looking forward to visiting the beach, rather than the shopping.  Imagine my surprise in discovering that at the port in St Thomas, the first thing I was told about was a butterfly park situated directly next to the docks and cruise ships.

St Thomas harbour

Because time spent at each of the stops along the cruise is limited, and plans had already been made as to which activities would take place, at first I didn't think that I would get the opportunity to visit the butterfly gardens, but as it happens I did get to do just that, since my mother decided  that she would rather rest after shopping, than visit a local beach. Now of course, I was at first torn between visiting the beach and possibly seeing wildlife there and visiting the gardens.  In the end, despite an invitation to go to the beach by a couple we'd met aboard and an unexpected rainfall, I  decided on the butterfly gardens instead simply because  butterflies have a tendency to bring a certain amount of cheer into a day just by  their presence, and  I was very glad that I did.

 

St Thomas Tourist market & local foliage

Of course the shopping trip though interesting and expensive, had to be endured  first.  While the shopping  trip admittedly had allowed for the opportunity to take some really good pictures of the local vegetation, sea birds and of all things chickens roaming freely, humming bird nests, and some insights into the locals, I generally do not enjoy shopping, as I have very little patience for it.  In fact if it weren't for my  mom and promises to family to return with souvenirs, I would have by passed the shopping very cheerfully altogether and gone to the beach instead, and then the butterfly gardens.  But of course promises have to be kept and I will do almost anything for my mom.

Beautiful blue

Tour of the butterfly gardens included a guide's explanations of  life cycle of butterflies, preservation of butterflies, their feeding and survival habits and much more, and was very informative.  Entering the butterfly gardens was like entering a large securely closed gazebo, the walls made of fine mesh, allowing for an  open air atmosphere and for sunshine, and in this case rain  to enter.  The butterfly garden itself was about the size of very large entertainment tent, but well maintained and of course included a little shop for tourists before one entered the garden itself.   There were many species of butterfly and moths to be seen, and despite the rain which causes the butterflies to hide under the foliage and vine covered  shelters inside the gardens themselves, I managed to get some decent pictures.

Small and colorful

Giant butterfly

The butterflies of course varied in color and size and were absolutely beautiful, and the moths were huge. They were not the only inhabitants of the park either.  I saw  several lizards  hanging off  the mesh walls  and hiding in the foliage, which added a nice little bonus to the experience.  After the guided tour, we were invited  to explore the gardens at our leisure.  Which suited me just fine since, when I get in the mood to explore and observe, I like to take my  time, and of course I did pay to enter  the park.

Moths hanging from roof

Black and white butterfly

The park included a couple a small ponds and a display of butterfly cocoons, some of them in the process of hatching. Some of the larger cocoons even had a  gold sheen to them and were shining like a newly minted coins.  I found it all very fascinating.  It was explained that the butterflies would not be released once they were hatched, as some species have the potential to become a threat to the local ecosystem and also as pests.

Navy blue

Orange and white beauty

In fact when we first entered the park we were told that before we left the park, we were required to check ourselves to make sure that none of the butterflies had landed on us and thus prevent them from escaping as passengers on our person.  I didn't think this would happen of course, but to my incredible delight one butterfly did  indeed land on me at one point during the tour.

Butterfly garden pond

Since for some reason I don't see butterflies where I live very often, and certainly not the more exotic variety, visiting the park was a special event for me and the butterfly landing on me only caused it to be more so.  My only regrets,were that I couldn't stay longer to observe all the different butterfly species, and that it was raining intermittently throughout the tour causing most of them to hide. Still, even though I was soaked to the bone by the time I left the gardens, I was filled with joy and excitement.  If you love butterflies and ever happen to find yourself on St Thomas Island, the butterfly garden is an wonderful visual experience. 

Susan