It appears, reports our birding correspondent John Tschopp, that 2018 is an exceptional year for reproduction. At least for the birds. (We'll obviously have to wait a few more months to find out if the prime conditions alter the human population, too.) The berry bushes are loaded. The cherry trees are full of fruit and … Continue reading Baby boom, bird-style
On a grey, wet winter day, we sometimes escape the gloom to spend the day at the Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver. For bird lovers, it’s a mini tropical paradise that’s close to home. I had intended to take macro shots of the plants while my husband photographed the birds but the … Continue reading Summer in a Dome
On the way to the Tsawwassen Ferry, as I inspect the trees at the base of the hill, I feel transported to a world where pterodactyls still fly in the skies: a colony of great blue herons live there. It’s hard to look at a heron without thinking of ancient times: their gangly legs, their … Continue reading A Siege of Herons: Connie Sobchak ponders the similarities between a heronry and a shopping mall
Thanks to the skills of Gary Sobchak, we have some incredible pictures of an attack by a Pygmy Owl on a Northern Shrike. The Shrike did turn into dinner for the Owl. It happened Friday Jan. 30 at Meadow Rd. and Miller Cr. Many years may pass, before an event like this will be documented again. … Continue reading Birdwatch: Pygmy Owl kills Northern Shrike
The latest from John Tschopp, a first time sighting of the rare red-necked grebe: Finally I can report a bird, that took a rest in Pemberton, feeding in a pond on private property. It is on the Pemberton list, but it is the first time I have seen it. The Red-necked Grebe is a rather … Continue reading BirdWatch: the Red-Necked Grebe
A sign that we live in healthy habitat, I imagine, is the following update from our Ornithology Expert, John Tschopp: One does not have to climb mountains or ford rivers to do some fine birding. The traffic circle in downtown Pemberton can produce exciting birds. The three pictures below were taken on March 1st - the Crossbills … Continue reading BirdWatch: Red Crossbills at the Roundabout
A local birder, Ray Mason, sent our Birding Guru, John Tschopp, two outstanding pictures of Ptarmigans taken at Hope Creek a few days ago. They appear to be White-tailed Ptarmigans. Thanks guys! The White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura), aka the Snow Quail, is the smallest type of grouse, and changes its speckled gray brown plumage in winter to dress whites. … Continue reading Birdwatch: Ptarmigans
Our man on the binoculars, John Tschopp, shares this report with local bird-watchers: With the big heat over, we get to see some bird activity again. The last of the Hummingbirds are packing up for the trip South. The Canada Geese practice flying in formation. Many birds are feasting on Mountain Ash berries. One morning … Continue reading Seasonal Observations: Barred Owls
Heather Baines, retired physician and Pemberton's regional coordinator of the BC Breeding Birds Atlas survey, recently took a remarkable picture near Carpenter Lake, just west of Lillooet, that our birding correspondent John Tschopp has shared. It shows a colony of Cliff Swallows that lives up to its name. The birds built their nests against a cliff … Continue reading Sighted: Cliff Swallow Colony
63 species of bird was spotted along a 25km stretch of the Pemberton Meadows, on Saturday, for the Breeding Bird Survey of 2013. Reports ornithologist-wrangler John Tschopp, "it was a good turnout and the birds were cooperating. Highlights included a Bullock's Oriole at the Lillooet Lake Road, a black-headed grosbeak singing above the bridge over … Continue reading Seasonal Observations: The Spring Bird Count
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