Vancouver’s Lost Lagoon is a 16.6 hectare (41 acre) body of water, West of Georgia Street, near the entrance of Stanley Park.  It is home to many species of birds, including the lovely Mute Swan, the Canada Goose, the Great Blue Heron, the Bald Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, the Downy Woodpecker, the American Coot, Northern Shoveler, Horned Grebe, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, Roufus sided Towhee and the American Robin.  Although we did not see all of the birds that call the Lost Lagoon home, here are just a few that we did manage to spot:

- The Great Blue Heron
- The Mute Swan
- The Canada Goose
- The Mallard Duck
- The Herring Gull
- The American Robin
- The American Bald Eagle

We also saw several Red-Eared Sliders, sunning themselves on logs floating in the Lagoon. Here are just a few images from Vancouver’s Lost Lagoon:

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Once again, my Magnolia tree in my front yard became host to a lovely pair of fledgling sparrow siblings (and their doting mother). Their cute little faces warmed my heart…instantly. A stressful day gave way to a moment of near silence (if not for the chirps of the hungry chicks).  I followed them from the treetop to my backyard fence railing, where their mother fed them with seed from my feeders.

They may not be Pileated Woodpeckers, beautiful Yellowthroats, or Western Tanagers, but they’re gorgeous, just the same (…atleast while they’re little):

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I decided to wake early Tuesday morning and head to Delta’s Cougar Canyon.  A friend had hiked through there recently and was fortunate enough to see a pair of Barred Owls perched on a low branch near the creek.  I was hoping to see them as well.  I hiked down to the creek around 6:15AM and they were nowhere to be found.  I sat and listened for several minutes before proceeding deeper into the forest.

I hadn’t hiked far when I saw a tiny fluttering in the flowers out of the corner of my eye. I stopped and studied for a moment; it was a beautiful Hummingbird sipping nectar from a flower.  I’m unsure as to whether it was an Anna’s or a Roufus Hummingbird but at that moment, it really didn’t matter.  I was thoroughly enthralled as I watched it sip from one bloom and then another and another…before flying off.  I saw several of the smallest of birds over the course of my hike.

After a few more twists and turns down the path, I hit what felt like the mother load!  I heard a knocking in a nearby tree.  I crept up slowly and there it was — a beautiful and meaty Pileated Woodpecker, pecking at a dead tree.  The woodpecker was so engrossed in his meal that he allowed me to approach and snap quite a few close-ups, and this short video:

The treetops were teaming with sounds of Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Song Sparrows, Cedar Waxwings, various Finches, Stellar’s Jays, Northern Flickers, a variety of Flycatchers, and many others I failed to recognize.  I saw a young Downy Woodpecker knocking on another dead tree too deep in the forest to photograph.

Here are just a few of the photos from my hike:

I plan to stop by Cougar Canyon on my way to work tomorrow to see if the Barred Owls are present.  Stay tuned to see if I’m successful.

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Since I have family visiting from out-of-town, I thought I would take them to the Vancouver downtown core via our Rapid Transit system – SkyTrain.

The SkyTrain is a two-line urban mass transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It uses fully automated trains running mostly on elevated tracks. SkyTrain’s 49.5 km (30.8 mi) of track make it the longest automated rapid transit system in the world. It also uses the longest mass transit-only bridge, the SkyBridge, to cross the Fraser River. There are 33 stations in the system, which carries an average of more than 210,000 passengers per day on the two lines. The Expo Line was built in time for the Expo 86 World’s Fair. The Millennium Line opened in 2002, and was extended by one station in 2006. A third line, the Canada Line, is under construction, and scheduled to open by early September 2009. The Evergreen Line, which will run from Lougheed Town Centre to Coquitlam Town Centre, is in the planning stage, and is expected to be complete in 2014.

It took us roughly 45 minutes from end-to-end (Surrey to Waterfront Station).  First stop was Canada Place and The Port of Vancouver where we snapped several shots of the North Shore Mountains, the glorious Lions Gate Bridge, and the harbour aircraft lifting off and landing in the Burrard Inlet.  We visited the newly constructed Vancouver Convention Center, the Vancouver Art Gallery (on Robson Street), and snapped many photos of the beautiful landmarks in between (such as the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver).  Here’s the day in photos:

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My mother-in-law is visiting from Los Angeles so I thought I would show her how I prefer to spend my days – birding at the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary on Westham Island.  The day started off a little strange.  We arrived early to find the ducks and Canada Geese mysteriously absent from the walk-up. Normally, there would be 20-30 ducks and geese waiting for the birdwatchers and other visitors…but not today.

We have set some heat records over the past week, in Vancouver, with the warmest day reaching 35c near the water, and 42c inland (a good 10c over the seasonal temperatures).  Rain was also absent for over a month, in an area known as`The Wet Coast`. Perhaps the geese decided to head further North (a choice I would have made myself, had I not needed to earn a living in town).

I did see my first American Coot (identified with the help of my friends on Twitter) and a number of Great Blue Herons were also present.  Missing were the red-winged blackbirds and the cowbirds…replaced with even more Savannah Sparrows out in the grasslands.  I followed the call of a mysterious bird, finally managing to get a photo of it high in the tree top.  Once I returned home and analyzed the photo I had taken, I suspected the bird was a European Starling (non-breeding).  The song/call was different  so I thought perhaps it was another bird entirely.  Once again, my friends on Twitter confirmed that the bird was, in fact, a European Starling — and that the Starling was likely mimicking another.  I had no idea that Starlings were successful mimics.  I went to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Website and looked up E. Starlings.  Here`s what I read:

Starlings are relatives of the mynah birds, and like them they have impressive vocal abilities and a gift for mimicry. They can warble, whistle, chatter, make smooth liquid sounds, harsh trills and rattles, and imitate meadowlarks, jays, and hawks. The songs tend to consist of either loud whistles or softer, jumbled warbling. Whistled songs are a few seconds long, often used between males. Warbled songs can go on for more than a minute, and seem mainly directed at females. Males sing several varieties of each of these two classes of songs. Females also sing, particularly in the fall. Songs often include imitations of other birds, including Eastern Wood-Pewee, Killdeer, meadowlarks, Northern Bobwhite, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Flicker, and others.

We went over to the blind to watch the ducks and were shocked to see the sheer volume of Salmon swimming near the waters edge.  I tossed in some seed for the ducks and the fish started jumping. It was the mighty ducks vs. the mighty salmon…and the salmon were winning.

Here are just a few of the images I snapped:

I tried in vain to coax several chickadees down from the canopy with a handful of seed.  They came close, within a few inches from me, but retreated after investigating.  I was disappointed, having brought some premium seed from home.  Perhaps they were not hungry.  Perhaps… next time.

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This time, my garden gnome was channeling his inner geek at the Vancouver International Airport.  If you’re an IT professional, you’ll likely appreciate many of these photos.  Join the gnome as he boldly goes where no gnome has gone before (behind the scenes at YVR!)

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This is my garden gnome.  Now, normally, he would stand watch in my garden 24/7. On this day, however, my friend, Sherri, had OTHER ideas!  I had no idea any of this was taking place.  I arrived home to see my gnome in the garden….smiling.

NOTE: This BLOG post is rated PG-13.

Clearly, I have some CRAZY friends!

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My friend, Robbie (or @YsMum on Twitter), had the amazing privilege of hosting these rather chubby Canadian ‘resin’ Goldfinches in her backyard. Follow them as Robbie slips into stealth mode to carefully photograph these rare birds as they explore the feeders, the bird bath, and more…..

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The Bloedel Conservatory is one of the most popular attractions in Vancouver, come rain or shine. The spectacular triodetic dome capping Queen Elizabeth Park is dedicated to the wonders of the natural world, with an emphasis on plants and birds.

Over 500 different plants from tropical and subtropical areas of the world are on display, and over 100 birds of various species call the Bloedel Conservatory home, free-flying within the spacious plexiglass dome. Where else can you take a stroll through a simulated tropical rainforest paradise and then explore the subtropic and desert climate zones, all in the same place?

The conservatory was constructed through a very generous donation from Prentice Bloedel in 1969. The same donation enabled the Park Board to cover the main reservoir atop Queen Elizabeth Park. A visit to Bloedel Conservatory has become a holiday tradition as the crowning glory of one of Vancouver’s most beautiful parks. The stunning Queen Elizabeth Park offers breathtaking views of Vancouver and the Coasts Mountains on the North shore.

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American crows are omnivores and will eat almost anything. During the breeding season, American crows consume insects and their larvae, worms, fruits, grains, and nuts. They actively hunt and prey on small animals such as frogs, mice, and young rabbits, though they’re more likely to scavenge carrion such as roadkill. They also are significant nest predators, preying on the eggs and nestlings of smaller songbirds. In the fall and winter they eat more nuts, such as walnuts and acorns. On rare occasions, American crows will eat from bird feeders put out by humans.  Uh-huh – no kidding!

American crows store food items such as meat and nuts in short-term caches. Caches are hiding places that are scattered around, rather than in one place. They may be in tree crevices or on the ground, where they are often covered with leaves or other material….or….in my bird bath!

Crows forage primarily by walking on the ground and picking up the item, or by walking along tree branches.

Crows will hold a nut under one foot and strike it with the bill to open it.  In this case, however, these two soaked shelled peanuts in my bird bath to soften them up.

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