Cooper's Hawk & Bufflehead

A Cooper's Hawk (58) makes his home in the Shoreacres & Slocan Pool area. I know they nest in the forests as I observed them copulating in the spring of 2008. Then, that fall we observed an immature Cooper's Hawk. We often see them chasing the small birds in our back yard. I was able to witness one time how the White-crowned Sparrows froze into place when they realized they couldn't escape to the safety of a tree. That time, the sparrow was spared.

A large flock of about 60 ducks landed in the Pool this morning. I rode my bike over to the end of Shoreacres Rd for a better look. Most of the ducks were Northern Shoveller's and American Wigeon. There was a small group of Bufflehead (59).

The morning rain showers brought a large number of migrating White-crowned Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows. Also, Robins seemed to be everywhere.

American Kestrel

 Val and Al first reported American Kestrels (57) this morning (also called Sparrowhawk) and I saw one this afternoon not far from their place. They nest somewhere in the vicinity and each fall we are fortunate to see their offspring as they hunt for grasshoppers in the surrounding fields.

I heard an Eurasian Collared Dove cooing. With their pale colouring they blend right into the aspen trees and are hard to find.

Eurasion Collared Doves

The excitement here in Shoreacres continues. What were reported as a pair of Mourning Doves has turned into a pair of Eurasion Collared Doves (55). This is another new bird to the area. I had a quick glimpse today but will hopefuly post photos later that were taken my by neighbours.

The Pelicans were still in the Pool yesterday morning but were gone by the afternoon.

Also, in the Pool today were a pair of Common Loons (56) and more Green-winged Teal were in our pond.

Osprey

Yeah, they are back! My favourite bird the Osprey (54) has returned to Shoreacres. They nest near the gas pipeline crossing where the Slocan River meets the Kootenay River.

Big Excitement on the Pool Tonight!

My neigbhour Valerie phoned at 6:30pm to tell me 2 American White Pelicans (52) were on the Slocan Pool. Larry grabbed the scope and video camera and I admit we drove 1/2km down to the pool. We met Al & Val there and sure enough 2 Pelicans were serenely swimming not far from shore at the end of Davidson Road. Pelicans are fairly common in Creston but I consider them extremely rare here in the West Kootenays. I have never seen them here myself but recall hearing about some flying upriver about 10 years ago. According to Al & Val who have lived here for more than 30 years, they have never seen Pelicans here before. Thank you Al for spotting them and Val for phoning me. (Note: top photo above taken in Texas. Lower photo by Al Dingwall taken on Slocan Pool)

While at the Pool there was a large raft of ducks which I was able to scope out. Yesterday there was only one Northern Shoveller, today there were lots more. And among the Shovellers and American Wigeon I saw one male Green-winged Teal.

The Killdeer was still on her nest this evening. I can see her on the next from the end of Jeffs Road so I don't disturb her.

Ducks

Went out for a walk to the Slocan Pool (after spending some time helping someone rescue their neighbours' escaped horses!). There was a raft of ducks, mostly American Wigeon. But amongst the Wigeon was a lone Northern Shoveller (51) and a pair of Ring-necked Ducks.

Killdeer Nest

I walked down below our property this morning on the look out for sparrows and warblers. I wasn't disappointed when I saw two Savannah Sparrows (50) feeding in the Knapweed and grass on the slope. An adult Bald Eagle was soaring overhead.

In the area I saw the Killdeer earlier this week I looked carefully for a nest, not really expecting to find it. So, I was surprised when I did!

White-crowned Sparrows and Song Sparrows were also about. A Red-tailed Hawk circled overhead and a Northern Shrike made a brief appearance. The chittering of the Tree Swallows are constant as they check out the nest boxes. Glad to have them back.