Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve
July 26th to 31st 2010
The sun has been shining every day and our walks at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve have been extremely enjoyable with the warm sun as a companion.
Damselflies also enjoy the warm sunshine.
Downy Woodpeckers were found checking out the trees in the Salwein Creek area.
A few more Northern Red-shafted Woodpeckers were seen along the way.
Flycatchers were found at the South Lagoon higher up in shrubs for easy reach of flying insects and on overhead wires, which are a favourite spot for insect “hawking” birds.
American Goldfinches were often seen together in several areas; one of the most common areas for them is just below the Rotary Interpretive Centre.
A small flock of Canada Geese flew in for a landing at the South Lagoon.
Great Blue Herons are easy to find, even though most of them have dispersed across the farms and waterways, watch for them at the edges of the lagoons, on logs or sometimes in the trees above the East Bird Blind. A good stretch is always fun to photograph and this fellow really hammed up the whole routine; we got over forty photos of it during the stretch.
House Finches are often ignored because they are so common around here but here was an opportunity to get a photo of Blackberries and House Finch together in the sunshine.
The Hooded Merganser was enjoying a peaceful moment on a log on the North Lagoon.
We are still finding baby Cottontail Rabbits.
An American Robin had gathered a remarkable smorgasbord of caterpillars and worms for its young.
A Song Sparrow posed near the path at the Salwein Creek Loop.
A young Swainson’s Thrush preened and rested in a Willow Shrub; normally these birds are like ghosts in the forest. We hear their songs and calls so we stop to look for them and just when we find that they were sitting very still right in front of us, they fly up to a branch behind a bunch of leaves.
Spotted Towhees are a resident bird, while the adults are very distinctive, the juveniles are rather plain and often people wonder what new bird they have seen when they find a young Towhee. We feel fortunate to find them as they are often found in the underbrush or behind tons of leaves in a tree.
Several Turtles were on the logs on the South Lagoon but this one took a moment to sun itself on a log on the North Lagoon.
Turkey Vultures flew over our heads watching us as they flew past.
Yellow Warblers were seen but this one was the only one that we managed to photograph.
A young Common Yellowthroat Warbler was found as well.
White-crowned Sparrows of varying ages were seen.
A few Wood Ducks were seen on both Lagoons.
Lazuli Buntings are a summer bird at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve. We always enjoy finding them, even if we don’t get a photograph.
The Chilliwack Spinners and Weavers were in the Great Hall; they are a very talented group that produce some of the most incredible works of fabric that we have seen. They usually can be found at the Chilliwack Fair which is August 7th & 8th this year at Heritage Park.
We stopped in at the Rotary Interpretive Centre for visits with Tony, Len, Val, Barb, Mike, Dylan, Ivy, Brett, Leona, Orson, Gordon, Dick and waved to Bill dropping Jenny off at the Spinners and Weavers.
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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