Cleaner

This can't be summer love...Justine Timberlake

In For The Kill

Off To Hunt

Electric Flicker

Every Year we have our hydro knocked out by birds.

This Flicker though doing a really cool bongo drum

on this Hydro Transformer Can it is in danger of sudden death

From Out Of The Tree

Flight is an amazing thing.

Oceans abound

Land is hard and strong

But the air envelops all

Running Out

Nice little Vancouver Island Blacktailed Deer on the run.

Duck Dodge

Caught this young, just about fully changed color, Bald Eagle flying in over my barn, as it flew over the barn a wayward duck comes in has a bit of a panic but manages to fly off without incident.

Raptor Across the Valley

As the Bald Eagle flies across the Valley Floor he gazes fiercly down into the fields searching for its next meal.

As Eagles Spar

As the Eagles Fly Past they go into a high speed acrobatic sparring match screaming their intent like children on a playground.

Shall Eagles not be Eagles?

Wrens be Wrens?

If all the world were Falcons, what of that?

The wonder of the Eagles were the less, But he not less the Eagle.

Lord Alfred Tennyson

Snow Crows

The crows were having a blast buzzing around in the snow. Seemed to be enjoying themselves jumping on the hydro lines and screaming as the snow bounced off.

Geese Over the Barn

As you can see from the video the numbers of Geese have become almost uncountable. Most of the other birds are back in pretty large numbers as well.

Spring I guess will be official when the Vultures arrive.

First Week of Feb Around the Barn

Around the Farm this week we have new boss crow he is bigger and more aggressive but people shy.

The older white winged crow is no longer around at all. Though there are a few offspring with a bit of white on them his distinctive dog call whistle is silent.

Had another eagle fight this week and apologize for the poor pictures but it was raining, had the camera set for different set of shots and it happened really fast. (Excuses) Loud and absolutely awesome as the bigger eagle swooped down on the smaller eagle seen in the first shot.

Between the tree branches you can see the actual hit and the smaller eagle immediately fled.

Multiple duck formations overhead. Swans, geese, brant, blue heron are all calling and flying overhead.

More song birds are now here and the robins have begun to show up in numbers. Chickadees are all over the place. Starlings are back at over double the number from last week maybe couple of hundred of them in the air. Had a couple of mosquitoes around and a whole bunch of flies. Lots of Brewers around.

Sparrows and a thrush, one small woodpecker black and grey that I could not identify. It is still here but not able yet to get a picture. We also have a brilliant red bird with a lighter color underneath. Almost thought it was a parrot but not able to get a picture of it AGAIN slipping...

Gulls are now at a minimum probably due to weather being much better.

We also have had a couple of doves which I have not seen here before and a group of pidgeons blew past into the trees.

Changes Around Quamichan Valley End of Jan 2011

Sunrise over the last couple of weeks of Jan 2011 have been over seas of Fog making for spectacular soul searching mornings.

This week I have several Brewers Blackbirds to add to the list from last week.

Approximately 75 to 100 Starlings

Chickadees

Brants

There was a horrible fight with two factions of crows. Now we have a much larger Murder flying around so not sure what happened but the outcome is obvious with twice as many crows now.

Last weeks smaller murder of crows. The new larger group is really aggressive and really camera shy. Next week will post pictures of the new larger group.

The resident Bald Eagles also had a nasty territory fight on their wings. The start of it was above the neighbouring farm and ended up in the small forested area behind them. Our resident eagles won the battle as was evident from the Juvenile that reappeared checking them out.

Last week around the Barn

Red Tail Hawk

In my coup with the song birds now this one is not able to get out how did he get in?

Have to let him out every day.

Towhee

The Three Trumpeteers

List of critters from the last week

42 Song Birds
4 Robins 1 with white on it

1 Towhee

1 Redwing

1 Evening Grossbeak

Several Varied Thrush hard to count

38 Brewers BlackBirds

6 Killdeer

About 4o Crows hard to count 1 has white streaks on wings

4 Ravens

Hundreds of Gulls inland due to storms and calving

Hundreds of Trumpeteer Swans
Hundreds of Canada Geese

Several Snow Geese

8 Woodducks

12 Buffleheads

2 Blue Herons

1 Grey Heron?

30 or so California Quail

1 Redtail Hawk

2 Resident Bald Eagles

3 Young Bald Eagles various stages of growth

2 Gold Eagles

1 Snowy Owl

1 maybe 2 Grey Owls

1 Merlin or Sharpskin not quite sure

1 Cooper Hawk

2 Rats RIP

3 Mice RIP

3 Racoons

2 Black Squirrels

1 Very Pregnant Black Tailed Deer

5 Deer in total 1 a buck no horns

Heard but not seen

2 Owls the greys I think

1 Cougar twice around 0530 in the morning once on Tuesday and once on Friday from the direction of Richards Mountain

Shots Across the Valley

With the snow dusted backdrop of Mt Maxwell on Saltspring Island, Birds lift off from Quamichan Lk in the beautiful Cowichan Valley, as hunters open up on them, splitting the quiet Sunday morning peace, with shotgun blasts and the birds panicked calls.

Columbia Black Tailed Deer

Black Tail Fawn cleaning itself



Black Tail Buck



Blacktail Doe standing still listening and watching to see if there is danger.

The Black Tail is a master of the interurban wildlife scene, living within the realm of men. Using the gardens and farms as their personal kitchen. Often times hiding, giving birth and just living in plain sight. They also live in the rugged back woods, valleys and mountains of Beautiful Vancouver Island.

For more information...

www.vancouverisland.com/wildlife/?id=55

www.for.gov.bac.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/bro/bro39.pfd

Let Me Out

In the never ending quest for sustenance, as large as Gilgamesh's journey, the little birds get into my Chicken Run and eat the scratch grain. This Sparrow makes it through the 1" holes in the wire quicker than Houdini.

Can't Talk Nuts

Tried to give me the business but mouthful of nuts kept it to a squeek

Covey And The Cat

Covey of Quail run up out of the brush



Oh Oh "CAT Cat Cat"


That was it no third shot, they exploded all over the place in a panic, heading for the cover of the brush

Harry the hungry, hairy heron.

Met a little girl, out fishing with her parents, who says, with a cute high pitched 100mph voice, "this is "Harry the hungry, hairy heron" who is waiting for his breakfast." My caption for the week. Love kids.