Tuesday 6 April 2010

Friendly, neighbourhood web-slingers

It was absolutely lovely down on the Nanaimo River estuary this morning, with the early sunshine illuminating the hundreds of spider webs, low in the weedy vegetation and as far as the eye could see. Which, given the great light, was actually quite far.  
My theory about the savannah sparrows was totally unfounded - there were loads of of them, singing from every available twig, stump and bush. Presumably, they just shut up and go into hiding early in the evening.
A female northern harrier was preening on a snag out on the marsh, while a northern shrike was occupying the posts previously favoured by the bluebird.
There were a couple of singing white-crowned sparrows, while a few more were back in with the golden-crowned. The flock was scattered, and feeding on the ground this morning and difficult to go through, so I wasn't able to locate the white-throated.
7 greater yellowlegs were on the river. Then it was 8.30am and I had to go to work... p'ah.

At lunchtime, I clocked the male Anna's hummingbird at Mafeo Sutton Park, plus a singing yellow-rumped warbler was down there.

Jenny, Chrissie and I went for an early evening wander to Hemer Park, but it wasn't overly birdy. As usual, great to hear varied thrushes singing away from the depths of the forest. A pair of wood duck, 3 ring-necked duck and 4 hooded merganser were on the pool. On the walk back we got buzzed by a rufous hummer and a Cooper's hawk flew up onto the telegraph wires beside us (see pic). A little further along a merlin was sat up in a conifer near the house.

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