In late February, we travelled to Tikal, Guatemala and Belize with Eagle-Eye Tours. Tikal National Park is situated in the jungle of northeastern Guatemala and is one of the major sites of Mayan civilization. It was inhabited from the 6th Century BC to the 10th Century AD. Most of the larger Mayan buildings have been largely excavated, however the majority of structures remain covered by the jungle. The site is exceptional for biodiversity, with more than 300 species of birds, five species of cats, two species of monkeys, more than 100 species of mammals, more than 200 species of trees, as well as reptiles, amphibians, abundant insect types (I still have bites that itch!) and an incredible diversity of plants and flowers. The following photographs were all taken in Tikal. I will make subsequent postings from Belize.
Temple 1, also known as the Temple of the Great Jaguar.Orange-breasted falcon. This falcon is about the size of a peregrine and roosts on the Mayan structures.Orange-breasted falcon roosting on one of the Mayan ruins. This species is critically endangered.Ocellated turkey. This bird has the most incredible feathers. The refraction of light from its feathers result in a metallic sheen and changing colours.Ocellated turkey.Keel-billed toucan, tossing back a seedTawny-winged woodcreeperTropical royal flycatcherYucatan spider monkeyChestnut-coloured woodpeckerBlack-headed trogonCoatis
Roadside-hawk, on the nest.
American pygmy kingfisherAgoutiNorthern potooBoat-billed heronPale-billed woodpeckerPurple gallinuleBlue-grey gnatcatcherWhite-crowned parrotRed-lored parrotChachalacaBrown jayBarred forest falconRusset-naped wood rail, on the nest.View of one of the courtyards of the Mayan ruins.Mayan ruins “emerging” from the jungle.
The Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island provide excellent opportunities for winter birding. These are some of my favourites from this year- so far. (I am also including some winter scenery shots. This is such a beautiful area of the country!)
Varied thrushNorthern hawk owl (a rarity for this area)Common raven – performing its unique repertoire of strange calls!Cedar waxwing. Some stay over in this area for the winter.Surf scoter.Mount Baker (Kulshan) as seen from Boundary BayBald eagle. There are literally thousands of eagles in this region in winter months!Anna’s hummingbird. This hardy species winters in the area, and by mid-February, many have started nesting.Purple finchNorthern pygmy owlSpotted towheeWood duck henAmerican bitternNorthern pintailBewick’s wrenRuby-crowned kingletThe Salish Sea (Strait of Juan de Fuca) with the Olympic Mountains in the background.Northern flickerFox sparrowMarsh wrenThe view from Port RenfrewTrumpeter swansSnow geese, with Mount Cheam in the background
I had not encountered pygmy owls before moving to the Fraser Valley of British Columbia in 2019. Since then I have been fortunate in seeing them every year, generally on logging roads. It has become one of my favourite owls to photograph, because they are challenging to find. When you do find them, they will generally let you watch them for a long time period, as long as you maintain a healthy distance. Indeed, they will ignore you and will hunt as if you are not present. I have watched them catch small rodents as well as lizards, and have had them dive to the ground a few feet from me and fly right past me as if I weren’t there. The following pictures have been taken over the last five years.
The fierce look of the hunter. Although the pygmy owl looks “cute” it is a very capable hunter and will take on birds that are considerably larger than it is.The northern pygmy owl likes voles and shrews, as well as birds and lizards.Note the vole the owl has in its claws.This owl looks “innocent” until you notice the end of the rodent’s tail sticking out of its mouth.When alarmed, the pygmy owl “stretches” out appearing larger and taller.Commonly, you will see the northern pygmy owl, perched on top of a branch, from which it can see and listen for prey.I see the northern pygmy owl most often in ares that have been logged out perhaps ten years earlier, and where trees have started to grow back.This owl is guarding its prey, “mantling”, which is also something demonstrated by other species of owls.The northern pygmy owl is a cavity nester, and has nests fairly high up in trees (often fir trees) near its hunting areas. I believe this owl was close to its nest although I did not attempt to find the nest. It flew into this area after successfully hunting lizards.Southern cousins. Ferruginous pygmy owls, photographed in Costa Rica.
The following photos span nature photography outings in 2024. It was a wonderful year for photography, and brought many surprises. These are a few of my favourite photos. I have posted some of them before. I start each week, month and year wondering what I might be able to see, and as we enter 2025, I have the same question. Wishing everyone who reads this blog, a healthy and happy year!
Mating red-eyed leaf frogs. Taken in Costa Rica on a night walk. Jan.uaryJuvenile red-tailed hawk. Taken in Delta BC, in February.Great-blue herons on the nest. Taken in Abbotsford in February.Snow geese taking flight during the “golden hour”. Skagit County, Washington. March.Bobcat. Encountered while cycling the Vedder Trail in Chilliwack. March.Great-grey owl. BC Interior, April. I had been looking for owls when I walked past this one. It was only a few feet away and when it took flight I jumped. It was not perturbed by my presence however as it subsequently flew by me.Rocky Mountain bighorn ram. Jasper Alberta, April.Anna’s hummingbirds at the nest. Delta BC, April.Cinnamon teal. Ridgefield NWR, Washington. May.Aurora Borealis. Looking straight up. Sumas Prairie (Abbotsford BC). May.The amazing colours of the Lewis’s woodpecker. Grand Forks, BC. May.Dancing grebes. (mating ritual). Salmon Arm, BC. May.Northern gannet diving for fish. Saint Vincent’s, Newfoundland, June.Common loon feeding its chick. Gander, Newfoundland, July.Atlantic puffin. Elliston, Newfoundland, July.Beaver feeding on water lilies. Gander, NL, July.Humpback whale, lunge feeding. Trinity Bay, NL, July.Brown (grizzly) bear. Hyder AK, August.Brown bear getting a whiff of a more dominant bear, from which it ran. Hyder, AK. AugustSalmon Glacier, north of Stewart BC. August. The glaciers in this area are receding rapidly.Sooty grouse. Manning Provincial Park, BC. September.Green heron with dragonfly. Abbotsford, BC. OctoberAmerican bittern. Abbotsford BC. October.Hooded merganser drakes, “performing” for a nearby hen. Delta BC. November.Black bear with chum salmon. Lower Mainland, BC. November.Bald eagles fighting for a piece of salmon. Harrison Mills, BC, NovemberRiver otter. Abbotsford BC. November.Great-grey owl in the snow. BC Interior, December.Northern pygmy owl. BC Interior, December.
For those that like birding, December is a good month to be in Southern BC. On the Coast, the weather is warm enough for many migrating species such as ducks, geese and raptors from more northerly climates. While the vast majority of birds that spend their summers in the area migrate further south, there are others that remain year round. All in all, it makes for an interesting mix of birds. So far this month (13 December), more than 210 bird species have been recorded in British Columbia, while in Southern BC i have managed to see more than 80 species. This certainly is in contrast to most of Canada in December! The following pictures have been taken this month, in the Metro Vancouver Region, Fraser Valley and in the Thompson Nicola Region.
American kestrel, with “lunch”.Northern pygmy owl, looking down at meGreat-grey owlWhooper swan with trumpeter swans. The whooper swan is a Eurasian swan and this is only the third recorded siting in BC.Barred owlRed-tail hawkBrown creeperHooded mergansersGreat-grey owl. This owl had just devoured a rodent which it heard beneath the snow.Northern pygmy owl. Only 6 inches tall, this is a fierce raptor and can take on species larger than it is.Canvasback duckFrost (from fog) covered treesTownsend’s solitaire (which like to feed on juniper berries)More frost covered treesHooded merganser henSunrise from Abbotsford, over Mount Baker WA.Bald eagleMount Judge Howay, north of MissionBewick’s wrenGreat-grey owl
This past week, we managed to see and photograph short-eared owls in Abbotsford and Skagit County Washington. I have seen short-eared owls in Alberta, Newfoundland, BC, Washington, Ontario, Indiana and Kentucky. This has prompted a retrospective review of short-eared owl photographs I have taken. The first one, taken in Indiana has been viewed on line some 13 million times and downloaded more than 140 thousand times. (I used to post photos on a photo sharing site, Unsplash, but no longer do so after it was taken over by Getty Photographs and they changed their policies.)
Taken at the Somerville Mine in Indiana in 2017. The owl was hunting over reclaimed strip mining leases.Taken in Abbotsford this past week. I had been driving around trying to spot an owl when I noticed motion at the side of the road. This owl perched on a fence post beside the car.Another photo taken from the Somerville Mine in Southern Indiana, 2016.Short-eared owl at Boundary Bay, 2020. Not the greatest owl picture but a great backdrop!Generally in Indiana, you could only see short-eared owls at dusk. The exception was on cold snowy days, when the owls had to work harder to find rodents. At the sea shore in Delta, the owl activity is often influenced by the tides, so often it is possible to find owls in broad daylight. This photo was taken in Delta in 2020.This owl is protecting its catch. Taken in 2020 in Delta.Evening hunt in Delta. taken in 2022.Evening hunt in Delta in 2023.Short-eared owls squabble amongst themselves and with northern harriers with which they compete for rodents. 2023Short-eared owl chasing a northern harrier. 2023.Diving for a rodent. 2023Owl with the prize. 2023Short-eared owl in Abbotsford. 2024
There are many black bears in the Lower Mainland, at the edges of the mountains. Indeed we see them from time to time in Abbotsford and have had them in our driveway and knocking over our bird feeder. On almost all of our hiking and cycling trails we see bear warning signs. So it is no surprise for us to see or encounter bears, particularly in the autumn when the bears are fattening up for winter hibernation and the salmon are spawning. This week however was exceptional in that we were able to observe a bear across a small creek from where we were, while it rested, fished, climbed and feasted on salmon. Its actions made it quite clear that it was nervous of other more “dominant” bears in the area, and in fact we encountered a sow and two cubs as we left the site and returned to our car. The following is a sampling of photographs I took while watching.
October marks the “rainy season” in the Lower Mainland, with lots of rain, occasional floods, shorter days, falling leaves, cooler temperatures and migrating salmon and birds. But it is also a time of incredible natural beauty, if you get out, explore and observe. The following photos represent some of the highlights for me of the natural beauty observed this month.
Great blue heronMushrooms and other fungi have been bursting out everywhere!Fly agaric mushroomsBlack bear in its favourite “perch”, immediately over a prolific salmon stream.With the return of the salmon, we have the return of the eagles.Hooded merganser drakesSteller’s jayMigrating salmonBlack bear with chum salmon.Autumn coloursSpectacular aurora borealisFerns growing from lichens on treeCackling geese in flightAmerican bitternGreen heron with dragonfly
The following pictures were taken from Abbotsford (Sumas Prairie) on the night of October 10. Experts say the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are more visible right now due to the sun being at what astronomers call the “maximum” of its 11-year solar cycle. What this means is that roughly every 11 years, at the peak of this cycle, the sun’s magnetic poles flip, and the sun transitions from sluggish to active and stormy. The variety of colours were astounding. In several photos, you can see the Big Dipper clearly. In many photos, the traffic on the Trans Canada Highway shows as a line of lights.
One of the things I appreciate about living in the Lower Mainland of BC is that you can see a good variety of birds, any month of the year, if you take the time to look. September is a good month to encounter migrating birds. I particularly enjoy spotting and trying to identify shorebirds……….a difficult challenge, particularly as many of the species are only encountered during migration. The following is a sampling of bird photos taken this month.
Clark’s nutcracker. A boreal bird of higher elevations. Taken in Manning Park.The Canada Jay. Previously called the Gray Jay. Commonly known as the “Whisky Jack”. Also a boreal bird, taken in Manning Park.Greater yellowlegs on the left, short-billed dowitcher on the right. I had to get expert advice to identify the dowitcher. To me, the long-billed and short-billed dowitchers are virtually indistinguishable from each other. Taken at Blackie Spit.Long-billed dowitchers. Taken at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.Sharp-tailed sandpiper. This is an interesting bird to spot in the Lower Mainland. The species breeds in Siberia, and migrates south to Australia in the winter of the Northern Hemisphere. However, a very small number of juveniles, move eastward, through southern Alaska and into the Yukon and British Columbia. Certainly a rarity in this part of the world. Again, I depended on experts to spot and identify this bird. (There were there or four present at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.Pectoral sandpiper. The sharp-tailed sandpipers were associated with the more common pectoral sandpipers. Taken at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.Sandhill crane “colt”. At the Reifel Bird Sanctuary, there has been a resident pair of sandhill cranes for several years. This is one of the two cranes that hatched this year.One of the resident sandhill crane parents at Reifel.Great blue heron. These birds are resident in our area year round. I keep reminding myself not to take any more pictures of them, but every so often I cannot resist as one poses in front of me, or flies by with its most unusual call.Ring-necked duck (drake). The ducks are transitioning from eclipse to breeding plumage and are being seen in ever increasing numbers in the region as we enter Autumn. Taken at Reifel.
When we lived in Kitimat, we usually drove up to Hyder AK/ Stewart BC each summer to see the grizzly (brown) bears fishing. At the time, Hyder was notorious as a location for hard drinking and getting “Hyderized”. The Stewart / Hyder area has a long reputation for boom and bust as the economy has depended on mining. There are still significant mineral reserves in the area, mainly on the BC side of the border, and from what we saw on the trip, there is a lot of renewed mining activity. Hyder however is not doing well with most buildings derelict and only one decrepit bar still running. However, the US Department of Agriculture which oversees the Tongass National Forest has installed an exceptional bear viewing platform, and actively maintains surveillance over the platform to ensure protection of bears and people at Fish Creek, which is about five miles from Hyder, and accessible by paved road. When we were there this week, we observed two adult brown (grizzly) bear boars fishing and interacting on the creek. We missed seeing an older sow, and a black bear that had been chased out earlier. If you go there, you will need a passport: not to enter Alaska, but to return to Canada. The only road access to this location is through BC. Here are some of the photos I took.
Our first glimpse of a brown bear came after two visits. This six or seven year old boar has been named “Runner” by the Forest Service Rangers.We watched Runner fishing, which proved to be a pretty easy task, given the large number of salmon in Fish Creek (mainly chum salmon).After going into the bush to eat salmon in peace, we observed Runner sit-up, sniffing the air. Something had disturbed him.
The reason for the disturbance was the arrival of another brown bear, upstream. According to the Rangers, this bear is of a similar age and the two bears have not come to terms yet with respect pecking order. This bear, has been named “Scruffy” by the Rangers. For a while after his arrival, the two bears maintained a good distance between them and fished.
Runner. (Note the roe being squeezed out of the salmon by the pressure of Runner’s grip!)All of a sudden, Runner stood up again and stared back at Scruffy, who was approaching………………..…..and ran in the opposite direction……………………and ran, until there was a good distance between them.Scruffy stopped his advance and resumed fishing.Keeping a safe distance, Runner resumed “doing his thing” and fished some more, ever wary of Scruffy. It was a very interesting evening for observing!
