Harlequin Duck

While at Clover Point I noticed some Harlequin Ducks. A male of the species is pictured above. These sea ducks dabble for their food in shallow waters but also dive for deeper prey such as crustaceans and worms. They often overwinter here but disappear in the summer. However, unlike most other migratory birds they do not fly north but breed and nest in the mountains, flying eastwards to their favored nesting grounds. This behavior is highly unusual - there's an interesting article about these ducks HERE.

Red-letter Day

A couple of days ago Fern and I went to Macaulay Point at sunset to capture the full moon rising over the city. Unfortunately the rising full moon was hidden by a low bank of cloud. Nevertheless, the sunset was dramatic enough to make the trip worthwhile. But what really made the day for me was the little dim, blurry photo to the right, taken after sunset. It's not a clear photo but it's clear enough to enable identification of a bird that is new to me. This is an adult male Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata). Despite the poor quality of the photo the distinctive head markings identify this bird clearly. When even the Surf Scoter was no longer visible I turned the camera to the skyline to capture the lighted dome of the Legislative Assembly Building towering above the houses of James Bay.