One of the best things about carrying a camera when out looking for birds and animals is that people you have never met will stop and talk to you. They might tell you about the bird they just saw a few metres down the path. That is how I found the Merlin shown below. They might just comment on your camera, which is not as helpful. (Yes, it is a long lens!) In the midst of a pandemic, however, every bit of friendly human interaction is welcome!
A really nice interaction came last week. I met a recently retired colleague that I hadn’t seen in a long time. We talked about the Osprey nest down by the river that we had both been watching. The Osprey pictured on this page was perched high above the nest, calling away to another that was also perched nearby. The two were big enough that I couldn’t tell whether these two were the young or the parents. I saw two others sitting on light standards overlooking the highway as I walked back.
This summer, I decided to visit Carburn Park and one area of Fish Creek Park regularly to see if the same birds and animals stayed around. At Fish Creek, I saw a mother Wigeon with her ducklings several times and watched as the little ones grew bigger. In the same spot, a Muskrat was busy working on his home along the bank. He and the Wigeons seemed to co-exist very happily. There was a female Goldeneye there on my first visit but she had moved on by the time I returned.
Also at Fish Creek, these King Birds decided to put on a concert just as I came up from the ravine from visiting the Wigeons and Muskrat. They went on for quite some time before flying away.
At Carburn Park, a female Northern Shoveler spent several weeks on the pond, alone among the Mallards. As usual, there were many deer in the park, including this fawn that was laying in the grass, chewing away and not at all concerned about me.
