Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve
May 29th to 31st 2010
The last three days of May had cool, rainy weather but we got out for our daily walks and as always, enjoyed them at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve.
Red-winged Blackbird chicks were often seen demanding attention from their parents.
A male and female Blue-winged Teal couple were at the East Bird Blind.
The Black-capped Chickadee chick graduates from the nest in the hole in the tree are doing well and are still very demanding of their parents.
Willow Flycatchers were seen in several locations; they love to use overhead wires to rest on between “hawking” insects.
A male American Goldfinch looked good on a yellow wildflower stalk.
Some of the older Canada Goose Goslings, from the top of the broken tree, were learning more about survival from the adults. We have observed Canadian Geese as being one of the best examples of good parental care and guidance.
A Black-headed Grosbeak perched on a dark, leafy branch.
Great Blue Herons were seen in many different locations.
A tiny Rufous Hummingbird perched high atop a snag on the opposite side of the Salwein Creek.
A sweet little duckling popped out of the grass at the edge of a path near us. We stopped to give it a chance to catch its breath when a female Mallard came out of the grass after it. Soon, another duckling popped out, another, another and another until 11 newly hatched duckling stood on the gravel pathway with their mother. They were going in all different directions but she managed to get them in order and they marched off down a grassy pathway into the lagoon. Several older sets of Mallard ducklings were seen with their mothers as well. Males were seen in various stages of moulting.
A male Hooded Merganser has been visiting the lagoons for a few days now.
A few female Common Mergansers used logs to rest on; we are hoping to see young Mergansers with them one day soon.
A Pileated Woodpecker called and we found it a in a Cottonwood tree.
Pretty Poppies dot the grassy hillside near the Rotary Interpretive Centre.
Cottontail Rabbits of all ages entertain us on our walks.
American Robins are always present on our walks at this time of year.
Song Sparrows love to sing no matter what the weather brings.
We were lucky to see the Swainson’s Thrush that is usually hiding while calling deep in the forest.
A Spotted Towhee called to its mate.
Turtles were on logs even though it was very chilly for this time of year.
A Warbling Vireo caught our attention at the edge of the Salwein Creek.
A few Wilson’s Warblers were found on all three days.
Wood Ducks and their ducklings were seen on all three days. The males are starting to show that they are in moult.
A male Common Yellowthroat was seen for a few seconds at the Salwein Creek.
The little male Ruddy Duck was still visiting the lagoon. He doesn’t seem to be ready to move on in his migration as yet.
One dark, rainy morning, we watched a Beaver heading up the Salwein Creek into the North Lagoon.
Two muskrats were seen at the Salwein Creek marsh area. The amount of activity that they performed suggested that they must be nesting somewhere close by.
We stopped in at the Rotary Interpretive Centre for visits with Gordon, Val, Karen, Yvonne and Cynthia, as well as a quick hello to Dawn arriving in the rain to work on her garden.
At the end of the road, in a new corn field, we stopped to watch two Killdeers.
We are not authorities on birds, wildlife, plants, cameras or photography, if you are doing research on any subjects, please refer to a more educational site for advice and double-check whatever you research.
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