Birds

Spring is not only a time for a cascade of wildflowers but is also a very exciting time for watching birds. This is a time when there is a lot of movement from migrating birds heading north. And resident birds are becoming more active and visible as they don mating colors and engage in flirting behaviours. The two birds pictured to day are year round residents here but for some reason I don't see so much of them in the winter (probably because I spend too much time indoors when it's cold outside). Above is a Downy Woodpecker and to the left is an Anna's Hummingbird. Both were photographed a few days ago near Esquimalt Lagoon.

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

Here's another bird that likes to hop around upside down. This is a Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens), probably a female since the males have a red patch on the back of their heads and I couldn't see any red on this one as she hopped around looking for bugs in the bark. (Click here to see some shots of a male Downy Woodpecker.) She was sharing the same Garry Oak as the Brown Creeper we looked at a few days ago. They actually seemed to be hunting together since they arrived together and departed at the same time.

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The West Bay Walkway continues to provide an amazing amount of wildlife sightings for an urban environment. This morning on an hour's walk I saw a Harbour Seal, 3 Northern River Otters, 2 Belted Kingfishers, 5 Hooded Mergansers, a Great Blue Heron, small flocks of European Starlings and Robins, a Chestnut-backed Chickadee, as well as a wide variety of joggers and walkers.

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

I saw a Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) at this place on the West Bay Walkway 2 years ago and now whenever I pass I stop and look to see if there's another. Yesterday I was lucky and watched this small woodpecker for about five minutes. The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of North American woodpeckers. Its diminutive size is one characteristic that distinguishes it from its larger relative, the Hairy Woodpecker. Another distinguishing feature can be seen in the photo to the left - some small black spots on the outer white tail feathers. It is quite challenging to photograph these small birds since they rarely sit still when they are foraging for insects clinging to the bark of branches. The 30 second video below gives some idea of their constant searching movement.

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

I apologize for the fuzzy photo of this Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) but promise a better one some day. I am posting this one because after a year or so of intermittently chasing this small local woodpecker this is the best of several hundred photos I've attempted of the jittery little guy. He moves quickly and jerkily, mostly on the underside or backside of branches and seems quite shy. He's one of two kinds of woodpeckers I have seen locally. The other is quite large and equally difficult to photograph. Flickers are another relative that I am working on....