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Archive For The “robin” Category

Birds in the nearby forest

Birds in the nearby forest

I usually take a morning walk through a forest park near my house. We had the first major frost this morning, and so the resident birds, steller’s jays, American robins and juncos were very active.

A steller jay in an old tree. (Robin Rowland)

A steller jay  explores through the cover of grass. (Robin Rowland)

A steller jay peeks through the cover of grass. (Robin Rowland)

An American robin in a forest mountain ash tree. (Robin Rowland)

An American robin in a forest mountain ash tree. (Robin Rowland)

An Oregon junco hides in the underbrush. (Robin Rowland)

October 9, 2019 Robin Rowland
birds, Kitimat, Photography, robin, Sony RX10iii, steller's jayAmerican robin , Bird , Bird photography , birds , British Columbia , forest , Kitimat , photoblog , steller's jay

Fall feeding frenzy in my backyard

Fall feeding frenzy in my backyard

I looked out into my back garden on the morning of October 2, 2019 to see more flocks of birds flying around in an early October downpour. Far more birds than I expected. It is bear season and there are more black bears around town than usual, which means my feeders are currently empty. No matter, the birds were concentrating on a mountain ash tree in the backyard.

In less than a hour I visited by a raven, a varied thrush, a northern flicker, steller jays, juncos and too many robins to count. I managed to get good photographs of the robins, the raven, the northern flicker and the varied thrush. I had no luck capturing the juncos and steller jays. I didn’t see any sparrows.

A robin grabs a mountain ash berry. (Robin Rowland)

I used two cameras for this shoot. I normally keep an older Sony Alpha 55 with a Tamron 70-300 lens on my dining room table all the time to shoot birds in the garden. Once I realized that the feeding was going to continue for a while I grabbed my Sony RX10-iii which has a 24 to 600 lens.

The raven (Robin Rowland)

American robin at the top of the mountain ash (Robin Rowland)

A robin grabs a berry from the top of the mountain ash. (Robin Rowland)

A pair of robins at the top of the mountain ash (Robin Rowland)

Varied thrush. (Robin Rowland)

A robin perches in the mountain ash. (Robin Rowland)

This morning the garden was quiet, so it looks like that for some reason, the gathering only happened yesterday,

October 3, 2019 Robin Rowland
Alpha 55, garden, nature, Photoblog, Photography, raven, robinAmerican robin , Bird photography , birds , fall , mountain ash , Northern Flicker , rain , raven , Robin , varied thrush

Beyond reach

An American robin reaches for berries on a tree in Kitimat, BC, March 23, 2019. (Robin Rowland)

Today is the first day the snow has melted enough that I could go for a walk in the play bush near my home. An American robin was  on a tree branch and kept stretching its neck to try to get berries that were just beyond reach.   After numerous tries, it finally realized it was a futile effort and flew off another branch where the picking was easier.

March 23, 2019 Robin Rowland
BC, birds, robin, Sony RX10iii, springAmerican robin , Bird , Bird photography , birds , British Columbia , Kitimat

A robin hunts for bugs in a pile of moss

A robin hunts for bugs in a pile of moss

robin_tossesmoss

An American robin, searching for bugs, tosses a pile of moss out of the way as the sun sets over Kitimat, May 27, 2015. (Robin Rowland)

The sun was setting over my yard, and this robin swoops down and stops on the fence post, looking down at a pile of moss that has grown up in one corner.

The robin lands on the post, preparing to hunt for his sun set dinner. (Robin Rowland)

The robin lands on the post, preparing to hunt for his sun set dinner. (Robin Rowland)

The robin explores the piles of moss that have grown up since winter. (Robin Rowland)

The robin explores the piles of moss that have grown up since winter. (Robin Rowland)

The robin picks up a pile of moss preparing to toss it out of the way of the bugs. (Robin Rowland)

The robin picks up a pile of moss preparing to toss it out of the way of the bugs. (Robin Rowland)

All images taken with my 1960s vintage Tele-Astranar 400mm prime, with E-mount converter and my Sony Alpha 6000.

Instagram

May 28, 2015 Robin Rowland
Alpha6000, Photography, robinBird , Bird photography , British Columbia , Kitimat , sunset , Tele-Astranar

“I’m here for lunch” and other spring bird shots (plus a salamander or two)

One of the at least three families of stellar jays that live in the cedar trees at my house is bolder and smarter than the rest.  Or maybe it’s a “point bird.”   If I go out with a bag of seeds to refill the feeder, there is the harsh call of the stellar jay and in a few moments,  the bird is close by (often on my deck) and watching me pour the seeds into the feeder.

Stellar jay flies to the feeder

So a couple of days ago, the stellar jay was sitting  on my fence, watching, as I filled one feeder.  Went back in the house to get a different bag, for a second feeder.  Brought my camera along this time and caught the jay as it took off, heading right for me.  Bold or what?

Stellar jay on my deck

Here’s the stellar jay just a few seconds later on my deck.

Yellow-rumped warbler

A yellow-rumped warbler, a “common migrant” along the BC coast, sits on a branch on the new trail to Maggie Point near Kitimat harbour.

Mallards on Douglas Channel

Mallards flying over  the choppy ocean of Douglas Channel near Maggie Point.

Male harlequin duck on Douglas Channel

A male Harlequin duck skims the choppy waters.

A Savannah Sparrow another “common migrant” along the BC coast, sits on my neighbor’s roof.

 

Robin

A robin checks out a Robin on my front lawn.

Golden crown sparrow

Golden-crowned sparrows are also regular lunch guests at my feeder.

bird at feeder

Not sure who this little guy is.  He was determined to get seeds and was good at finding the best spots in this feeder.

Salamanders

When I went out with the Kitimat Valley Naturalists, we went to special protected sites at Pine Creek, near Kitimat, to look for salamanders, part of a province-wide salamander count.  Taken with a macro lens, but not exactly the best light. Next time I go out I will bring a small reflector.

Salamander

salamander

 

 

May 27, 2012 Robin Rowland
birds, duck, garden, jay, Kitimat, nature, Photo gallery, robin, sparrow, warblerBird , Bird feeder , Bird photography , British Columbia , Douglas Channel , golden-crowned sparrow , Harlequin duck , Kitimat , Kitimat British Columbia , mallard , Robin , savannah sparrow , stellar jay , Yellow-rumped warbler

Fledglings’ first flight

392-00404_fledgerobin.jpgSometimes the photos come to you.

Be prepared.  I have my Sony Alpha 850 with the Sigma 170-500mm on the dining room table to shoot the birds that come to my feeder.
It had been a slow week at the feeder

On Wednesday morning, a fledgling robin suddenly lands on my back deck, and not at all close to the feeder (which needed to be refilled anyway)

390-00371_fledgerobin.jpg

  
The fledgling robin didn’t appear to be that sure of itself, normally birds check out the feeder, fly away, come back, grab a meal, then fly away again. This fledge stayed put for at least 10 minutes….
….anxiously hopping up on one leg.
395-Untitled 4.jpg
Then a minute or so later,  the fledge turns and opens its mouth.
394-Untitled 3.jpg
Suddenly, and just out of focus range, one of the parents arrives with a worm for the fledge. The parent is gone again in an instant.
393-00420_parent.jpg

The fledgling robin still stays where it landed now about a dozen minutes earlier, probably still a bit unsure of itself.

 

396-00425_fledgerobin.jpg

Finally, safety and courage in numbers.  A sibling lands right beside the fledge. So it’s two  robins trying their first flights.
397-00445-fledgerobins.jpg

A few moments later, the fledged kids take flight into the cedar tree behind them as one of the resident stellar jays comes down to claim its territory and grab some seeds from the feeder.

 

398-stellarjay1.jpg

June 17, 2011 Robin Rowland
robinBird photography , birds , deck , feeder , fledgling , parents , Robin , stellar jay , worm

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