Birds of a Feather

May 4, 2008
I’ve been out to the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, BC. I like to go with some photographer friends when I get the chance. I’m just getting to know some of the regular types of birds but I like to go with a more experienced bird watcher/photographer in order to get the names right. They offer guided tours with experts on the weekends and they know were the recent sightings of the more elusive birds have been.

The first spot of the day was a young immature bald eagle. He had a piece of fish he was eating on top of this dead tree and was keeping an eye out for anything that wanted to snatch it from him.

I must have photographed hundreds of ducks and geese by now but I’ve never been able to find the sandhill cranes until this day. There were a pair of them eating near a pond and luckily they were in a good mood. They have been known to attack cameras on tripods, they do look like alien 3 legged birds to sandhill cranes, and the occasional photographer.

I love Great Blue Herons and I found this one having lunch. He wasn’t paying any attention to the crowd that was gathering to look at him and was more intent on catching his meal. This was the first time I’ve seen the GBH walk through the shallow water while catching fish. He looked like a figure skater gliding on ice, so smooth that he barely made a ripple in the water.

Look closely and you'll see the small fish in his beak.

He then flicks the fish up, catches it, and swallows.

I put together a little video of him getting his meal.