I went out with local birders on Saturday January27 to do the monthly shorebird count. One of the many atmospheric rivers sweeping in from the Pacific Ocean meant heavy rain, fog and some wind. It certainly didn’t stop the birds nor the birders.
A blelted kingfisher on the outlook for prey at MK Bay Marina, January 27. 2204 in heavy rain during an atomospheric river.
Male and female mallards at Wathl Creek as it empties into Douglas Channel. Heavy rain bouncing off the water. (Robin Rowland)
There were at least 60 probably more common mergansers both at Wahtl Creek and further out from MK Bay Marina.
Here are three males and female. (Robin Rowland)
Two male common mergansers. (Robin Rowland)
Three female common mergansers. (Robin Rowland)
There were a lot of mergansers further out in the harbour. (Robin Rowland)
A crow flies across the Wahtl ereek estuary with something in its mouth. (Robin Rowland)
birds, climate, crow, Douglas Channel, duck, estuary, fog, ice, Kitimat, Photoblog, Photography, rain, seabird, Sony RX10iii, stormbelted kingfisher , Bird , Bird photography , British Columbia , common merganser , crow , Douglas Channel , fog , Kitimat , mallard , merganser , rain , Weather
An American robin eats a mountain ash berry in my backyard. (Robin Rowland)
This October was a great month to shoot birds in Kitimat, not only in my backyard, but on the ocean at Kitamaat Village and MK Bay Marina.
Dark-eyed junco, also enjoying the mountain ash berries among fall colours in early morning light. (Robin Rowland)
Three green winged teals in flight at the Kitamaat Village waterfront. (Robin Rowland)
A Great Blue Heron foraging at the Kitamaat Village waterfront. (Robin Rowland)
A Great Blue Heron foraging at the Kitamaat Village waterfront. (Robin Rowland)
A Great Blue Heron flies over Kitimat harbour. (Robin Rowland)
Ducks in a row. Widgeons and Mallards on the Kitamaat Village waterfront. (Robin Rowland)
Widgeons and Mallards on the Kitamaat Village waterfront. (Robin Rowland)
A murder of crows over Kitamaat harbour. (Robin Rowland)
A bald eagle over Kitimat harbour. (Robin Rowland)
Herring gull in a rainy Wahtl Creek. (Robin Rowland)
A northern flicker on the wires overlooking my backyard. (Robin Rowland)
Alpha 55, birds, crow, Douglas Channel, duck, eagle, gull, heron, Kitimat, nature, Photoblog, Photography, Sony RX10iiiAmerican robin , bald eagle , Bird , Bird photography , British Columbia , crow , great blue heron , green winged teal , herring gull , junco , Kitimat , mallard , widgeon
Early summer is often a great time to photograph birds in the Kitimat Valley.
An immature (about two and half years old) bald eagle near Kitamaat Village. (Robin Rowland)
An immature (about two and half years old) bald eagle near Kitamaat Village. (Robin Rowland)
A soggy crow near Kitamaat Village. (Robin Rowland)
Fledgling starlings in flight in the wetland waterfront of Kitamaat Village (Robin Rowland)
A pair of bald eagles at MK Bay. (Robin Rowland)
A western tanager in a tree near MK Bay. (Robin Rowland)
A western tanager in a tree near MK Bay. (Robin Rowland)
birds, crow, eagle, Kitamaat Village, Kitimat, Photography, Sony RX10iii, wetlandbald eagle , Bird , Bird photography , birds , crow , Douglas Channel , Kitamaat Village , Kitimat , MK Bay , starling , western tanager
The weather in Kitimat has been awful during most of the fall, cold, windy, rainy, foggy and generally miserable. Not unexpected in a La Nina year.
I went down to Kitamaat Village for the monthly bird count in a rain squall. So the visibility was pretty bad. As I was about to leave, a half dozen northwestern crows landed right beside me, in the pouring rain and stayed long enough for me to shoot their portraits.
BC, birds, crow, Douglas Channel, Kitamaat Village, Kitimat, nature, Photoblog, Sony RX10iiiBird , Bird photography , birds , British Columbia , crow , Douglas Channel , Kitamaat Village , Kitimat , rain , storm , Weather
A crow mobs a bald eagle at the mouth of Wahtl Creek, MK Bay marina, Kitimat, BC. I was out shooting for fun along the Kitimat/Kitamaat Village waterfront when I captured the story of a fiesty crow that demanded a bald eagle get off an old log in the Wahtl Creek estuary. The crow apparently thought it was its perch, not the eagle’s.
The crow flies to the perch and finds the eagle on top.
The crow circles the eagle.
The crow circles the eagle.
The crow settles on a lower branch of the old dead tree.
The crow leaves and the eagle takes off from the perch.
The eagle skims over the low tide estuary.
The eagle flies over the Wahtl Creek low tide estuary.
The eagle circles over Kitimat harbour/
The eagle circles around, flying right past me, so I was able to capture this magnificent close shot.
For a few moments I lost site of the eagle as it flew over Kitamaat Village, then it flew back.
The eagle has landed–back on the perch.
Almost immediately the crow comes back and mobs the eagle again.
The crow mobs the eagle, at first the eagle ignores the crow.
The crow mobs the eagle, at first the eagle ignores the crow.
The crow mobs the eagle, at first the eagle ignores the crow.
As the crow returns, the eagle looks back at it.
As the crow returns, the eagle looks back at it.
It certainly looks as if the eagle is getting annoyed with the feisty little crow.
The crow settles back down on the lower perch.
A few minutes later, the eagle decides to leave, as the crow looks up at the coveted perch.
A few minutes later, the eagle decides to leave, as the crow looks up at the coveted perch.
That’s my perch, the crow is the winner and flies up to the upper perch.
The eagle flies by me once more heading out over the harbour.
The eagle heads across the Kitimat Arm of Douglas Channel toward the mountains.
The eagle heads across the Kitimat Arm of Douglas Channel toward the mountains.
Cameras, Sony RX10iii and Sony Alpha 77 with Minolta 500mm mirror lens.
Alpha 77, BC, birds, crow, Douglas Channel, eagle, Kitamaat Village, Kitimat, Photographybald eagle , British Columbia , crow , Douglas Channel , Kitamaat Village , Kitimat , MK Bay , photoblog , seascape , Wahtl Creek
A juvenile bald eagle prepares for take off at the Kitamaat Village waterfront. (Robin Rowland)
Portrait of a juvenile bald eagle at Kitamaat Village, March 10, 2019. (Robin Rowland)
The juvenile bald eagle just after take off, March 10, 2019. (Robin Rowland)
A flock of Barrow’s golden eyes hug the shore off Kitamaat Village. (Robin Rowland)
A crow caws on a snag at low tide at Kitamaat Village, March 10, 2019. (Robin Rowland)
A song sparrow on stump on the Kitamaat Village waterfront. (Robin Rowland)
Storm clouds over Douglas Channel, March 10, 2019. (Robin Rowland)
A crescent moon sets over the mountains of Kitimat, with “earthlight” from our home planet illuminating the sphere, March 8,2019. (Robin Rowland)
A seagull hunts for oolicahn on the Skeena River, March 6, 2019. (Robin Rowland)
birds, crow, duck, eagle, Kitamaat Village, Kitimat, moon, nature, oolichan, Photoblog, Photography, Skeena, Skeena Riverbald eagle , Barrow's Goldeneye , Bird , Bird photography , birds , British Columbia , clouds , crow , Douglas Channel , Kitamaat Village , Kitimat , landscape , Moon , moonset , photoblog , song sparrow
There were more crows than usual Sunday morning at the Kitamaat Village waterfront. Crows perching on old driftwood roots….
…or in the air along the shore line.
Suddenly all the crows took to the air….that murder of crows (or as one of the other birders said “it looks like two murders”).
It was soon clear that they were mobbing a juvenile bald eagle.
The eagle escaped the crows. And we saw it about 20 minutes later, a little further away over the mouth of Whatl Creek at MK Bay, flying over some gulls skimming the water.
BC, birds, crow, eagle, Kitamaat Village, Kitimat, nature, Photographybald eagle , Bird , Bird photography , crow , Douglas Channel , Kitamaat Village , Kitimat , ocean , seascape