Hi there,
Once again it's been a while since I made an entry into the blog. I didn't want to seem too repetitious as most of my photography entailed going to Nanaimo River Estuary in a vain attempt to get good pictures of the Short-Eared Owls.
It got to be a bit of a circus there for a while with lots of photographers from all over the island coming to try their luck with these elusive little fellows. On several occaisions I ran into people using lures to entice the owls or sometimes tempt the Northern Shrikes to come a bit closer. Not exactly my cup of tea as the birds have to try hard only to end up catching a leather pouch or immitation mouse rather than the real thing. Eventually the owls got smart and now hunt mainly at night. During the day they roost in one of several hiding places throughout the estuary. Needless to say I haven't been getting the shots of them like at the beginning of the season. Time to take a break and go elsewhere.
It is pretty bleak and dark these days at Buttertubs Marsh but if you are lucky you can find the odd "diamond in the rough". I did just that last week when I was able to get quite close to a drake Hooded Merganser. These guys normally swim in the opposite direction when approched for photography. He was forced to fish in the last open water in the marsh near the storm drain under the large oak trees at the front corner of the marsh. All of the water foul and their major food source (small minnows), seemed to be compressed into a twenty foot open patch of water just off of the path. This made for some great shots as they seemed more intent on their meal rather than being bothered by someone taking their picture.
Also this past week I have tried going up island to Deep Bay for some shots of the water foul and shore birds there. Out on the point is a great place as the Cormorants and Sand Pipers are constantly flying by. Of course there are the regulars such as the Buffle Head and Golden Eye ducks too. My favorite of all of the birds there has to be the Longtail Duck. They seem so unusual with their black and pink bills and puppy dog faces not to mention their wonderful long sweeping tails. It can be a bit of a challenge to get good pictures because they don't always come in close but it is a nice change. It's always better to visit Deep Bay in good weather as the wind and rain can really whistle around the point and get you soaked and cold in no time. My best shots of Longtails are on a sunny day when all of their colors really stand out in contrast with the blue of the water there.
Take care and happy birding,
Steve
