Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Sunday December 29, 2013

Greater Flamingo Advocacy

Kudos to this wonderful group of caring folks that are helping young flamingos. There is nothing more important than advocates like these for our wildlife.

Does co-operative breeding defeat brood parasitism? Here is information on what recent studies have learned in this process.

For fun, learn what it means to dream about birds:

The Christmas Bird Count is on! See what is happening in Canada for bird news, and learn more about those efforts.

It has been both warm and cold this week. Yesterday was 61 degrees F, and today it has dropped to 29 degrees. Granted, there have been temperature fluctuations here and there, but this is beyond ridiculous. It has been so absurd, that the poor birds just don’t know what to do. Mornings have been quite chilly, even on those warmer days, so to me, it would be a bit of a deterrent for these birds to stick around.

On and off for the past week, I have seen an immature Black-crowned Night Heron. At first, I wasn’t sure which heron it was, and yesterday morning with the bird being fully in view, I solved the mystery quite easily. I’m rather surprised that this youngster didn’t choose to travel a little further south, but with these irruptive years, odd things tend to happen. Even so, I am pleased that this bird chose to stop at the lake so that you’d be able to see what a first year looks like. The eyes help give it away.

Even though the water level in the Southern Cove is quite high, at least one beaver is still in the area. I saw evidence of this mammal over the holiday, as a tree had been felled, but due to the high water, I thought that the beaver moved elsewhere, especially since the tree was in a non-customary locale. Not only did I notice the beaver, but Great Blue Heron did, as well. Heron seemed a bit disturbed about the presence of the beaver, as it would be another mouth in search of fish, but our friend moved on rather quickly. Personally, I’m glad that there was no battle between the two.

The Canvasbacks are still sharing space with the Buffleheads and Mallards. During the mornings there has been a slight crust of ice on the water, and the ducks seem to gravitate toward this area. I was in the proper place, and caught these gorgeous Canvasbacks taking off from the water, which is my first group this year. What a bonus. I am still awaiting the Gadwalls and Green-winged Teals. Here’s hoping that both make an appearance soon.

Another wonderful find was the lovely Bewick’s Wren yesterday morning. I have been hearing a song that I had never heard before for the past few days, and I was pleased to find that my search was over. These wrens tend to move quite rapidly, and my good fortune allowed this shot. These birds are common to the area, and are the only wrens that are found in all seasons.

Our one diehard Northern Mockingbirds remains for the season. It has been attempting to get the Blue Jay to respond to the area, which has happened once or twice. Honestly, I would feel so much better to know that I am capable of getting a shot or two of this bird at the lake. Hopefully, it will occur this winter, as there are still berries on the trees, just waiting for the jays to come and eat them. I suppose that I could cheat and put up some suet or place a few peanuts in strategic locations, but I really wouldn’t feel right about staging photos. Let’s see if they will be at the lake while I am.

Since all good things eventually come to an end, I will bid you goodbye until the next time that we meet next year. Keep your head in the clouds and your eyes to the ground. Happy birding, and here’s to finding that elusive winter avian that will put a feather in your cap.