Sunrise on Wetlands and Geese

After a frustrating weekend of mostly rain, intermixed with the false hopes of brief clearings, I finally got out Monday morning to my local wildlife refuge for some photography and to clear out the staleness in my lungs and head. I also wanted to try out my new Wimberley tripod head before leaving for Costa Rica this weekend. I was even blessed with a sunrise when I arrived. There is not enough water yet for a great reflection, but at least the Dusky Canada geese obliged me by blasting off once I got my gear all set up (they usually choose to go while it is still dark and I’m not ready yet). I am starting to hear reports back from Bosque del Apache in New Mexico where this kind of shot is a ho-hum, daily thing this time of year and was starting to feel kind of left out, so this helped.

Sunrise on Baskett Slough NWR

I was really starting to love the clouds, so once the geese cleared out of the damned way I switched to vertical to get the clouds in the shot. Interestingly, this file had a lot of color artifact in the sky when I converted the RAW file in Adobe Camera Raw, so I started over and converted it in Capture NX2 and there was no problem.

Black-tail Buck

When the sunrise was over I headed up a trail to try to find a forked horn buck I’d been seeing earlier in the fall. I found this three-point, instead. He apparently drove the forked horn off because I never found him. This guy was a wee bit nervous, but didn’t want to leave the ladies he has been courting so had to tolerate me because the does and fawns all know me (HIM again!) and won’t even move off the trail to let me by half the time. I was cursing the oak branch above him until I saw that it was out of focus enough to actually look very painterly. I love the pastel background!  What a great way to spend a Monday morning! Maybe that new Wimberley head has some kind of good karma in it.

Well you know, maybe I’m just happy… that’s why I’m posting all these sales on my blog.

Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year’s, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. What other time (unless you’re super cool) can you really bother to get your favorite brands at a discounted price? You better move fast because Toronto street retailers Due Wes/Next Door is having a one-day only sale, and I’m talking sale.

From 10AM to 7PM,  experience the wonderful world of what retail calls a pre-Christmas sale. In this case, you’ll get the hipest fashion brands Canada Goose (though that one’s legendary), Mackage, G-Star, D&G, John Varvatos, Diesel, Acne Jeans, Filippa K, Energie, Dsquared, Miss Sixty, Seven, Rock & Republic, True Religion, and my-gosh-there-are-too-many-to-name-and-I-didn’t-know-this-store-was-that-hot at a discounted rate of up to 70%off. My gosh, this is gorgeous. But why couldn’t this be closer to my pay date?

Who: Due West/Next Door Clothing

What: Pre-Christmas Sale up to 70% off

When: Sunday November 22, 2009, 10AM to 7PM

Where: 431 & 433 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 2A5

For more info, visit: Due West Clothing Company.

I took a brief walk around Fernhill Wetlands (Birding Oregon p. 61) while meeting with a reporter today. The weather was rather dreary, but, as always, there were some birds around.

Eared Grebe is an unusual visitor to the main lake. Note the thin bill and dusky cheeks. The more common Horned Grebe has a thicker bill, white cheeks, and a neat black cap.

Another view of the Eared Grebe. The back end of this species tends to float fairly high in the water.

Most of the wintering Cackling Geese were off grazing somewhere, but these two were hanging out on the lake. The bird on the right has pale feather edges, indicating a young bird.

In contrast to the Cackling Geese, these resident Canada Geese are much larger with long snakey necks.

Common Mergansers were indeed common on the main lake this morning, but did not allow a close approach.

Great Egrets stand out on a dreary gray day.

Canada Goose, c’est hot!

L’entreprise canadienne ne conçoit rien de moins que les parkas les plus chauds et les plus durables, depuis plus de 50 ans. Pas étonnant que Canada Goose (autrefois Snow Goose) habille les grands explorateurs de l’Antarctique, de même que les équipes SWAT. Impressionnant!

Remplis de duvet et souvent bordés de fourrure de Coyote pour protéger des engelures au visage, les manteaux sont spécifiquement conçus pour garder au chaud lors de froids sibériens, même à des températures glissant sous la barre des -50 °Celsius. Woah!! Je préfère ne pas y penser….

Bien que le commun des  mortels ne compte pas s’exposer à de telles conditions, il peut tout de même compter sur son Canada Goose pour le protéger du froid, avec style, de New York, au Nunavik, en passant par Moscou, tient!

D’abord reconnus pour leur grande qualité, les manteaux Canada Goose font maintenant leur apparition sur la scène fashion.

Ne vous surprenez donc pas de croiser une fashionista se pavanant fièrement dans un Canada Goose. Même Hollywood en est gaga. Hilary Duff aurait été aperçue portant son bomber Chilliwack, lors d’un récent passage à Whistler.

Les magazines les incluent dans leurs éditos mode, même le GQ (Gentlemen Quaterly) a présenté des manteaux CG à maintes reprises dans ses pages mode.

Canada Goose, c’est définitivement tendance!

Les manteaux Canada Goose son disponibles chez Holt Renfrew, Style Exchange des Cours Mont-Royal, Altitude-Sports (4140, rue St-Denis, Montréal) et sur Altitude-Sports.com

Pour plus d’information: Canada-Goose.com.

L’hiver c’est froid, c’est blanc, c’est glacé… Manque de soleil, manque de chaleur et tout le tralala.

Mais l’hiver c’est aussi du plaisir tout plein… Lorsqu’on est bien au chaud. Rien de mieux que d’être emmitouflée dans du tout doux jusqu’au retour de la belle saison!

Hummm une doudou, un verre de vin, un roman, un chéri… Le bonheur! Mais pour se tenir au chaud, dans le dehors d’un hiver québécois? On fait quoi?

On s’habille chaudement!

Cette année, j’ai donc décidé d’investir dans un super outfit hivernal à l’épreuve des frissons, spécialement conçu pour la fashionista qui refuse de grelotter lors d’une soirée romantique à patiner dans le vieux-port ou d’une balade en raquette, dans un boisé perdu des cantons-de-l’est.

Je vous présente mes achats Hiver 2010. Tadaaaaaam!!1. Parka Kensington blanc, Canada Goose. 594,99$, Altitude-Sports
2. Bottes Joan Of Arctic, Sorel. 180$, Browns
3. Caches-Oreilles de fourrure recyclée. 59$, Harricana.
4. Mitaines The North Face, noires. 44,99$, Altitude-Sports
5. Mon pashmina personnel fuchsia. C’est presque devenu un trademark…

I WILL NEVER BE COLD AGAIN. I’m just going to look massive even though it’s a woman’s small.

Snow Goose

Here is a prime example of why dogs should not be used to chase geese! The city of Parksville in its infinite wisdom is allowing citizens to ‘help’ with the resident Canada Goose population problem by encouraging and permitting the harassment of these geese. A group of dog owners regularly sick their dogs on the geese to drive them away. The geese fly about 1/2 km, if that and begin to graze again. Not only are they encouraging the public to unknowingly break the law, by disturbing protected species that mix with the residents,  but are also sending out a message that it is ok to harass wildlife. Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose and occasionally the rarer Emperor Goose frequently associate with this resident population, all of which are federally protected! Not to mention the ‘Dusky’ Canada Goose which annually stop on migration. There is no doubt that the resident population of Canada Geese are causing huge devastation on our estuaries but  this is no way to deal with that.

Rich Mooney

Parksville BC

I’m including a small group of birds that I have photographed but are not from my backyard. They’re from different locations that will be indicated accordingly.

I hope you like them.

Hulking bodies hoisted to the sky, honking like clarinets all the way.

Nu rasar kylan in över oss och vi tömde förrådet i vårt sökande efter vinterjackorna.

Borta.

Vi har inte vetat att de saknades förrän nu eftersom vi flyttade in i maj. En Canada Goose, en annan dunjacka och min nya vinterjacka. Bra jobbat.

Enda trösten är att de kanske följde med de andra säckarna med kläder till Hemlösas hus. Då är det åtminstone 3 personer som har något värmande i vinter.

Nu ska jag bylsa på mig tretton tröjor och likt en michelingubbe ta mig ner till stan och Stadium för en ny jacka.

by Carl Strang

Last year I began a study of Canada goose winter roosting behavior in the western suburbs of Chicago, focusing on DuPage County. I found a number of roosting sites scattered around the county, open water places where the geese spent the nights. In the mornings the geese in the roosts dispersed, departing in groups of 20 or so, flying out to find food. In this suburban area, grazing on lawns was the primary winter fare. A period of severely cold temperatures froze three of the four largest roosts in January, and the birds departed the area rather than crowding into the remaining roost. By the time the roost areas thawed and the Canada geese returned, the time for territory establishment and migration had arrived for local birds and northern migrants, respectively, and the roosts quickly broke up.

In September I noticed familiar winter patterns, with groups of geese flying out from the Blackwell and Hidden Lake roosts as I passed them on the way to work in the mornings. On October 12 I went to the Blackwell roost to make an assessment.

Some geese, like these, already had left the roost by 7:30 a.m. and landed on nearby Silver Lake for preliminary staging. Others went straight to the lawns of Blackwell Forest Preserve and other nearby open areas to feed.

A few hundred such geese had left the roost by then, and 1000 or so remained when I reached it. I found none of the tiny cackling geese, but I did see one distant individual wearing the orange neck collar that identified it as a Hudson Bay region bird. Thus some Canada geese had arrived from the north, but the roost had not reached its 2008-9 peak of 3000 birds. It seems likely that, in addition to a continuing influx of geese from the north, smaller local roosts such as the ones I observed last year are active. If last year’s pattern repeats, those satellites will merge with the larger roosts later as the smaller lakes freeze over.

Driving back home on the 12^th, I saw a group of geese landing with others already feeding on the lawn at the edge of Butterfield Road near the Warrenville town center. Among the arrivals was an individual that stood out with much paler wings and back. It proved to have white (or nearly so) body plumage, but head and neck were normal colored.

I drove to where I could park, and took some photos in the dim light.

I suspect that this leucistic individual is a bird mentioned last spring by a friend, Anne S., who has observed it for several years. If it is the same goose, it usually feeds in another nearby location I don’t typically frequent.

I am hopeful that unusual individuals like this one and the neck-collared birds will allow me to track the daily movements of Canada geese resident in our area during the winter. My main goal this year, though, will be to see if the patterns I observed last year are repeated.

The RSPB reserve at Saltholme marshes has Hares as residents that are occasionally seen. Normally they keep well hidden, but I saw one on my most recent trip as it bounded to the edge of the waters at Wildlife Watchpoint, the hide nearest the reserves main building.

Hare (Lepus europaeus)

There were fine views of Redshanks on the mud flats.

Redshank (Tringa totanus)

The mudflats also attracted a pair of Dunlin.

Under bright sunlight, the speckled pattern along their wings can be seen.

As soon as the cloud dims the light, they appear much duller.

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

These birds are probably Juveniles, as they do not show the distinctive black patch on their bellies, seen in the breeding season. In winter they look grey.

Black-tailed Godwits were present at a number of the hides. Firstly from the new viewing point (close to the car park) called Back Saltholme. This sequence shows off the wingbars in flight and the black tail.

These show the elegance of the birds when feeding in the mud.

They often group together.

From Saltholme Pool, I saw through the spotting scope a Black-tailed Godwit in the water, again displaying the wing pattern and the black tail before flying off.

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)

Needless to say, Bar tailed Godwits have a barred tail, amongst other distinguishing features. I didn’t see any bar tailed godwits this day, but I did see a Greenshank on Back Saltholme.

Greenshank (Tringa Nebularia)

Ruffs were along the waters edge…

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

… as were Snipe.

Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

In the background, you can see a Lapwing.

Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

It was a windy day, so I didn’t see many flying Lapwings. However I did see two great displays of flying geese. First Canadian Geese, who noisily honked their way across the waters, before settling down again.

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

Later a gaggle of Greylag Geese followed the same path.

Greylag Goose (Anser anser)

Whether flying in a gaggle as above, or in pairs

or singly on the ground

these birds always elicit a huge warm smile from within me; les oies sauvages.

Lurking in the long grass was a Grey Heron.

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

And there were plenty of Little Egrets to be seen all day.

Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)

Ducks have begun to reappear in numbers. First, a newcomer to this diary, a male Pintail.

Pintail (Anas acuta)

Now, a welcome return to the shores of Saltholme by the Wigeon.

Wigeon (Anas penelope)

The last two pictures shows the male duck changing from summer to winter plumage, with the distinctive yellow forehead and the white band on the wing.

Next, Gadwalls. They are large ducks, and the males in winter have a wonderful, complex grey colour in full sunlight.

Gadwall (Anas strepera)

Teal have also returned in numbers. These are much smaller ducks and the males have a delightful pattern on their head. The first few pictures were taken under cloudy, windy conditions as the Teal rides the waves. The last pictures were in still, sunlight conditions and show off their colours to their best.

Teal (Anas crecca)

Mute Swans are always present at Saltholme.

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)

Another new visitor to this diary; a powerful Great Black-backed Gull swept over the reserve.

Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)

That beak looks vicious!

This next little bird is most definitely finch like.  I’m going to identify it as a female Reed Bunting, but I’m open to other suggestions…

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

Finally, a congregation of Golden Plover, swept over the water.

Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria)

I await the huge, shimmering flocks of Golden Plovers that can be seen later in the year at twilight.

Firle Beacon by Burwash Calligrapher

On Sunday afternoon, a couple of Little Owls showed at Place Farm in the dying light.

Today, flocks of five and 10 alba wagtails in the paddocks around Place Farm, with more overhead.

Groups of around 50 and 18 Canada Geese flew west towards the Ouse.

Back up to the Plantation again this morning, and one or more Marsh Tits again in evidence, this time with a mixed flock of LT, Blue and Great Tits and perhaps 10 Chiffchaffs, in scrub just to the east of the woodland.

In the plantation itself, Treecreeper singing and GS Woodpecker calling, while on the big field between there and the Coach Road a slim Sparrowhawk harrying a group of Meadow Pipits – unusual to see Sparrowhawk hunting in the open around here.

A few Skylark and Siskin overhead, and plenty of Pied Wagtails around the farm and village, with one or two Grey Wagtails among them.

Undiscovered Firle

Clouded Yellow, Laughton Levels - by Alan Kitson and Miou Helps

A large stubble field there was being enjoyed by a Kestrel, and it later became clear why – with a flock of roughly 120 Linnets feeding there (periodically ascending and breaking into smaller parties, before regrouping). This is a good size group for Firle (the largest I’ve seen since c.200 briefly at Place Farm two or three years ago).

The stubble had alaso attracted several Skylark, and at one point 35 birds flew over our heads – perhaps all disturbed from the ground nearby, but possibly some were just passing through.

Also seen: half a dozen Swallows, plenty of Chiffchaffs, a RL Partridge ’singing’, three Buzzards and a second, paler Kestrel, and to round off the day around 300 Canada Geese flying in from the east, landing on the levels towards Glynde – apparently a regular sight here at the moment (in contrast to the Downland side of the parish).

Fascinating to see a different side of Firle – the farmland here looks good for Merlin, scarcer owls and buntings, and there are plenty of records from the Glynde, Ringmer and Ripe sides of the levels to wet the appetite (Rough-legged Buzzard, Black Kite, WF Goose, Crane, Bewick’s Swan, GG Shrike, breeding Yellow Wagtail and Redshank). I look forward to visiting again.

Saturday for the first time in thirty years I took out my shotgun for the opening day of migratory bird season. Geese had been flying over the house in increasing numbers lately, and I resolved to bring one down for dinner.

Several hundred have been feeding each day in Chant’s large field near Crosby. I watched how the flocks approached their airport, and calculated that if I stood in a clump of nannyberry bushes at the northwestern corner of our property, I’d have a reasonable chance at about ten percent of the birds on their approach.

Steel shot was the variable. I had never used it before, and Louis Burtch last week told me “It’s like throwing a handful of sand at a goose.” Nevertheless I resolved to try, keeping in mind another Louis adage: “Don’t bother shooting if you can’t see their feet.”

I quickly discovered how difficult it is to determine distance with a bird as big as a goose. All my experience wing-shooting has been with ducks, and these things look as big as an airliner by comparison. I let the first few flocks pass because they were far too high, but then I realized that I had seen the odd foot on a couple of lower flocks, so I resolved to pick a single goose and shoot at it.

Then while I was occupied with a handful of nannyberries, a silent group glided in low and my snap-shot was directly at the goose, rather than ahead of it. Strangely, the birds ignored the blast and glided the half-mile to their landing zone, unperturbed. Resolving to lead the target more carefully, I blasted at my next goose, the third from the right in a flock of twelve. It folded and dropped like a stone. O.K. fine.

My trophy didn’t seem all that big compared to other geese I had handled, so I decided to add a couple of more birds to the larder. That’s when I discovered what thirty years of idleness can do to one’s co-ordination as a shooter: I tried for a pair, missed both, but to my surprise I found myself flat on my back after the second shot.

Chastened, I made sure of my footing before the next pass, and managed to rock a large goose, then killed it with a second shot, even keeping my feet during the process.

The biggest mistake of the morning was a case of nerves when a dozen geese lifted off and flew across Chant’s field, right towards my hide. The Remington started too soon.
Canada geese are big, and I’m used to targets flashing by me without much warning. I should have waited for the feet, but instead I blasted three loads of shot up into their path (which they ignored) and stared stupidly as, somewhat later, they flew over my head.

Alerted by this ill-advised fusillade, the big flock took off and headed for Delta. Still, I had two birds. Not a bad morning for an old duffer, and there would be plenty of goose for dinner that evening.

Following the usual photographs, I started to pluck the larger goose. The bird eventually dressed 6 1/4 pounds, but I think a quarter of that must have been pinfeathers. I plucked until my hands cramped. Mom plucked until her hands cramped. The cruel irony of it was that my young friend Sean grabbed the other goose and had it cleaned in just a few minutes. No pinfeathers at all. It was a beautiful bird, dressed at 4 3/8 pounds.

An Internet site suggested holding the older bird over a propane stove and burning off the down and pinfeathers. I should have known better: the page also had a recipe for crow marinated in garlic.
The inferno approach produced a few scars on the bird, short, nubby hair roots on my left hand, and a gawd-awful stench which required a complete change of clothes and shower before I was allowed in the kitchen.

Then it was over to Bet to cook the beast, pinfeathers and all. She warned me, “You’ll just have to skin it while carving the bird, but be sure you cut it up where nobody can see it.” The cooked goose smelled great, but the pinfeathers made it easily the ugliest thing yet to come out of the oven at the farm. What’s more, I discovered I couldn’t even skin it while carving: the skin remained welded to the meat. Strange bird, indeed.

At dinner Roz and I went back for more; Bet and Charlie barely finished theirs. Mom didn’t seem to like it. The bird served five with leftovers.

I asked the biologist how she would describe the taste of a large wild goose. Roz thought about it and told us it seemed most like emu of anything she had eaten. The flesh was dark and very firm, though hardly tough, dry, but not parched. With a little applesauce I thought it was a high-quality meat, though the blackened pinfeathers were a bit hard to take.

The next carcass in a similar state will be cut up into mystery meat, and should make an outstanding ingredient in a pasta dish or casserole. Lunch today was goose tortillas, solid Canadian fare.

It’s hard to top my previous post of bobcat and kitten photos, hence the lack of new material over the past several days.  Well, I suppose it’s hard to go wrong with intensely colored sunrise photos.  These were taken last Thursday and the amazing color was courtesy of the Station Fire down in L.A.  I’m particularly happy I was able to snag such an interesting shot of the first Canada Geese.  This was the first flock I’ve seen this season which must mean that Fall is on its way.  If you look closely, you’ll notice the geese are flying North.  No need to worry, these directionally challenged birds soon got back on track and started heading South.

-

“Orange Glow”  -  Taken from the bluffs at UC Santa Barbara, CA

-

“Order from Chaos”

-

“Morning Commute”

-

“Mirror Image”  -  click for larger version

-

It seems that the Goose Dance on Saturday was just in time – we could hear the geese calling high in the sky on their way south today.

This is the beginning of a long flight to warmer places for many, many geese. We will be hearing and seeing them for the next month and a half, at least.

Some interesting information about geese: when a goose flaps its wings, it creates an updraft for the bird immediately behind it, and the ‘V’formation allows the flock to fly 70% farther than if each goose flew on its own. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the flock and another goose takes the lead. And here’s some really heartwarming info: if a goose is injured or tired, two other geese go down with it to help it until it gets better and can rejoin the flock, or until it dies.

Fortunately for the Canada Geese, no one is allowed to shoot within the village. Soon we will smell the delicious scent of geese roasting over open fires as people roast their geese in their meedjwaaps.

The Cree say things have changed a lot in the last few years, concerning the Canada Goose. For one thing, the geese don’t go very far south now – probably because they have to as it is relatively warm further north in Canada. As well, the geese are smaller than they were. No one quite knows the reason for this. But not as many geese return in the spring either.

Here are a couple of sites I came across that may shed some light on some of these problems:

“The migration of Canada geese is being affected now by climate change. In response to increasing temperatures, these geese are arriving in Hudson Bay, during the summer, several weeks earlier than their food supply allows. Their primary food is marsh plants, which grow in response to the length of days, not to changes in temperature, and sprout after the geese arrive. But the birds are hungry and cannot wait for the plants to sprout. The geese eat the plants’ roots, decimating their own future food supply, while threatening this habitat used by other bird species.”

http://www.ecobridge.org/content/g_ref.htm#geese

“Temperatures in the Antarctic and Arctic have increased significantly to the point that sea ice has diminished in both regions. In the Arctic this has meant a decreased habitat for the polar bear. The polar bear depends heavily on the capture of ringed seal, because this seal has a very heavy lipid layer. This fatty tissue is especially needed by the female, who banks on the energy stores for the winter when she gives birth to a couple of cubs. The decreasing Arctic ice will vastly diminish the chances of polar bears capturing these seals, because the bears stalks seals using the seal’s breathing hole in the ice. The polar bears around Hudson Bay number about 1200. In late fall they wait for the formation of sea ice to allow them to hunt seals. Nowadays ice melts off the Hudson Bay three weeks earlier, which means that much less time to pursue and feed on seal pups. It also means they have that much less time to gorge on seals and increase their bodies’ fat stores. Compared to polar bears 20 years ago, the bears around Hudson Bay are 10% thinner and have 10% fewer cubs. According to a climate model developed by Canada’s equivalent of the EPA, Environment Canada, this sub-Arctic area of tundra within 30 years could become New England-like with a temperate leafy forest. No place for polar bears.”

http://www.ecobridge.org/content/http//www.ecobridge.org/content/g_ref.htm#hudson

I have included this last piece about polar bears because in fact two polar bears were stuck on one of the small islands off the coast of Waskaganish two years ago when the ice thawed too soon in the season. Some of my friends had gone over to do their spring Goose Hunt and encountered two, very alive, polar bears. As polar bears and humans do not mix, and as there as no way to return her and her cub to the Arctic, the bears had to be shot.

Encountering polar bears is a real anomaly for the southern Cree of East James Bay – but with global warming, who knows what will happen . . Of course in some of the Cree villages a bit further north there are always polar bears.

Find out which bird is featured this month