Long-Tailed Ducks on Vancouver Island's east shore...

Photos by Dave Kemp

Beautiful 'Long-tails'  by Dave Kemp

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BarrytheBirder

February on Vancouver Island...

 

Photos by Dave Kemp

Trumpeter Swans

Over  the Comox Glacier ~ Vancouver Island

My British Columbia acquaintance and naturalist Dave Kemp says the weather is great in East Vancouver Island's Comox Valley.   He says it won't be long before the herring run starts and activity will pick up.   Meanwhile Dave's camera just keeps clicking along.

More Trumpeters above and below

Cooper's Hawk

Common Golden Eyes

A pair of Long-tailed Ducks

A Common Merganser

 California Sea Lions

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BarrytheBirder

The times are a changing...

 

Photo by BarrytheBirder

PIGEON

I have recently moved from the pretty village of King City, where I had lived for the past 65 years, to the town of Aurora,  where I was once the publisher/general manager of the long-time local newspaper, The Banner.   I am now an ancient eighty-year-old and live on the fifth floor of the new Delmanor Retirement Residence and I have a pleasant balcony overlooking part of the Oak Ridges Moraine.   I have not seen an American Goldfinch or Red-breasted Nuthatch yet, but I have been visited by pigeons, and one of them is pictured above.   Rather than put out seed birdfeeders and end up with shells all over the balcony, I have decided to start out in the spring with Hummingbird feeders.   I will keep you up-to-date dear reader about my new birding headquarters as spring approaches.

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BarrytheBirder

Vancouver Island birds by Dave Kemp...

 

Photos by Dave Kemp

Totem bird

Sandpipers

American Widgeon

Trumpeter Swans

Wild Turkey

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BarrytheBirder

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Who says starlings aren't colourful?

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BarrytheBirder

Evening Grosbeaks always welcome in winter...

 

Photos by Barry Wallace

Evening Grosbeak

Male

Female

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BarrytheBirder

More Dave Kemp photos from Vancouver Island shores

 

Photos by Dave Kemp

West coast Raven

River Otter

Sea Lions

Sleeping Sea Sions

A very large clam

Red Birch

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BarrytheBirder

B.C. bird photos from Dave Kemp...

Photos by Dave Kemp

Bufflehead

Harlequin Ducks

Common Goldeneye

Greater Scaup

 Bald Eagle

Anna Hummingbird

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BarrytheBirder

Dave Kemp photos from Vancouver Island...

Photos by Dave Kemp

American Kestrel

(Falco Sparverius)

The Smallest falcon in North America

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Barry Wallace

My favourite winter bird...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Dark-eyed Junco - female

(Junco hyemalis)

Dark-eyed Junco - male

Nick-named "Snowbirds', Juncos are a common and favourite winter visitor in southern Ontario.

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BarrytheBirder

Pileated Woodpecker in Aurora...

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

I'ts not often I get to see Pileated Woodpeckers where I live, in the winter, much less take photos of them.   In this case I must apologize for the poor quality of the photo above; though taken with a telephoto lens, it was too far away to get a good shot.   My daughter Allison spotted this big woodpecker on the old Elderberry Farm property in south Aurora, west of Yonge Street.

The much better photo, at right, was taken elsewhere, on another occasion.

For the record, Pileateds are almost the size of crows.

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comment 

if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Images from East shore of Vancouver Island...

Photos by B.C. birder and naturalist Dave Kemp

Sleek otter comes ashore

Frosty early morn' image

End

of

life

shoreline

sentinel...

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if you wish...

BarrytheBirder

Vancouver Island images from Dave Kemp...

 

All photos by Dave Kemp

American Kestrel

(female)

Surf Scoters aplenty

American Black Duck

(female)

Black Turnstone

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BarrytheBirder

American Black Duck...

 

Photo by BarrytheBirder

American Black Duck (females)

(Anas rubripes)

Native to eastern North American and very similar in appearance to the extremely common and numerous female Mallard.   They have dark brown bodies contrasting with pale brown heads and dull olive longish bills.   Black ducks, despite the plain name and rather attractive in their own way.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder