Totally captivated in 2007 by the live camera feed of the Hornby Island nesting Bald Eagles in B.C., I was drawn into birding and have never looked back. Thus begins my account of what I'm fortunate enough to discover each day and perhaps capture with my camera.



Unless otherwise stated, all images were taken by and are the property of Janice Melendez

Species Counts:

2014 Final Year List: 255; 2015 Year List a/o June 5, 2015: 235; Life List: 327

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Rouge Park- Wednesday, June 30


Doug and I began the day at Rouge Beach, where the promised nesting Cliff Swallow colony was easily found. Yes, they will nest under overhanging ledges on rocky cliffs, hence the name, but also on man-made structures like under this bridge. With the winds I found them incredibly difficult to photograph, combined with their quick, swooping flight, so consider yourself warned:



Two swallows both trying to fit into the jug-like nest made out of mud, a tight squeeze!





My total count is FIVE for the number of swallows here in these four nests:



In Rouge Marsh, I finally saw my first Great Egret for the year:



John joined us so we departed for the Twyn Rivers area of Rouge Park, finding it very quiet on the bird front, other than Black-capped Chickadees, a Great Crested Flycatcher, Northern Flickers, Cedar Waxwings, and at last a nice visual for the year of a singing Indigo Bunting.


Here's Doug's feeble attempt to get me into BOTANY instead, nnooooooooooo :



I continue vehemently denying that the impending summer dead-zone of birding is upon us, but now realize by the lack of bird photos, IT IS HERE, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. Is it so bad that I'm now shooting snail shells??



Just smack me now, let's go back to butterflies and dragonflies, a Little Wood-Satyr for starters:

 


Red Admiral:



Northern Pearly-Eye:



Northern Broken-Dash Skipper:



Canada Darner:




We finished our day down by the lake, I had never seen a Baltimore Oriole nest before, what a work of art it is, so intricately woven!!




Several Northern Mockingbirds were in attendance, including this juvenile:




So ended the day, but so begins my summer doldrums without the birds :-(




2 comments:

Unknown said...

Just do a lateral move then from feathers to shells and fairy wings. You photograph it all so beautifully that your fans don't care what the subject matter is but eat them all up gladly, whatever the subject matter.

Ann Brokelman said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.