Thursday, April 19, 2012

New and Old Sightings On The West Side Of the Vermilon River. A Post to SWF.

The storm swept through the US Midwest,crossed the Great Lakes bringing a temperature drop from 20C(upper 60's F) to -5C(low 20's F) or so, all in a day. The temperature drop was accompanied by snow flurries. So once the storm cleared, Boom & I were on our way. The morning was cold, but as the sun rose, it warmed the air. Remember, click the photos to enlarge and watch the slide show.
 All the scenic photos are of the upper River for a change. You can see the effect the sun has on the water in all the photos. The water is really copper coloured, and shows black on overcast days.
This is a shot of the far bank. As you know I'm fascinated with water, but what struck me in the shots below, taken of a little rapids, was the reflection, and the jello look of the water as it flows over the rocks.

It fascinated me so much that I included a second photo.
The day started off with a heavy frost and the sun's reflection created fairy lights in the tree branches.
These Buffleheads were in the big wetland.
Male and Female Buffleheads

The Buffleheads were lucky for us as I finally caught up with the Wood Ducks, who normally take off like a shot when they catch sight of movement.
This is a female Common Goldeneye that was on the far side of the River. Too far for my lens.
 But this is a shot I caught of her when the ice was still on the River. They're real northern ducks and stay as long as there is open water in the winter.
The song sparrows were in fine form.
Song Sparrow.

Ring-billed Gull In Flight.

Raven In Flight.


 I caught this guy in the stand of black spruce. He's a real find as he's a Red Breasted Nuthatch, the first I've seen here.
 I included this photo of his cousin the White Breasted Nuthatch, which I had shot earlier. You'll see more of these guys in another post.
 Even the Red-winged Blackbirds proved  lucky.
Red-Winged Blackbird.

I included two photo's of the Common Grackle, not only because the sun lights him up well, but also because he's central to our detective game.
Common Grackle.

 "Birds of a feather ..." is an old adage, but certainly true with Blackbirds. I'm pretty certain this is a male Rusty Blackbird. He's a real find as they're under stress because of oil  in the Tar Sands, and river dams being constructed  for hydro in Quebec. Now begins the detective work. For that I use Cornell. But if you compare him to the Grackles above what stands out is the difference in the beak.
 This is a photo that I took this fall of A Rusty Blackbird in non-breeding plumage.
This is another case for Cornell as I think this is a Brewers Blackbird, but I still need to do more work to confirm the ID.
 Just as exciting as the shots above are these photos. This is a Yellow-Rumped Warbler in breeding plumage. The first warbler sighting of the season. You'll see more of these guys in other posts. A Post to SWF @ http://skyley.blogspot.com/ , Camera Critters @ http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/ and Scenic Sunday @http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/
Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

57 comments:

  1. An incredible landscape and astonishing birds - mostly outside my experience.

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  2. Incredibly beautiful blues!

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  3. A bonanza of birds! I like the way you caught the sparrow in mid-warble. It's snowing a bit here in Breckenridge - we need the moisture.

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  4. Great post!
    Beautiful photos of the landscape and birds.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Mette

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  5. Beautiful shots of the water. I love the reflection of the trees. Great group of tiny birds you have.

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  6. Great shots Gary, you're fantastic scenes from no.1 to 5 are superb landscapes.

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  7. Wonderful sequence of shots. So much variety and beauty.

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  8. Great collection of nature studies, that little touch of frost adds a nice glittery shine to everything.

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  9. Wonderful blue, blue skies and superb landscapes indeed, Gary! These are terrific as always! And of course, the birds! Always delightful! Enjoy your weekend!

    Sylvia

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  10. Spring is in the air at Vermilion River...just lovely pix. I didn't quite see the jello look of the water until I did the slide show and then I did. I wish I had a warbler in my backyard.

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  11. Stunning captures. . .its nice to see what changes the sun makes to the terrain and that 'jello' water. Love the handsome grackle!
    p.s. we had snow last week, at times with a blue sky.

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  12. Great water pictures Gary! The birds are great too :)

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  13. That is spectacular view! The birds are beautiful too.

    SWF

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  14. the landscape is magnificent. great job on the reflection shot.

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    1. Thanks for the great walk along the water and for birdviewing! Beautiful, Gary!

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  15. Wonderful crystal clear landscape Garry .... you live in a magical place!

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  16. Gorgeous captures!

    My Sky Shots. Wishing you a great weekend!

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  17. Beautiful landscapes and skies. Wonderful photos. Happy skywatching!

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  18. Those 2 different speices of Blackbirds are really cool looking Gary!

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    1. They all fly together, the Grackles, the Brewers, the Red Wings and the Rusty's, which makes it hard to tell them apart.

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  19. A wonderful selection of birds, most of which I've not seen before. The Grackle is so shiny.

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  20. Nice pictures, such as mirrors waters are pure poetry.

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  21. gARY Wow I'm impressed with all these photos! It certainly was a good birding outing!
    Nice to meet you and your blog!
    Thanks for leading me here!

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  22. Very nice shots, my favorite is the raven in flight. I'm also fascinated by water but we don't have much around here.

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  23. I can't stop looking at the 'jello' water shots. Amazing color!
    Also a great shot of the song sparrow!

    I smiled when I read your comment on my Jake Turkey shot and you alluded to the rest of the song about his looking for love. :)

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  24. Since I'm a painter, thank you for including those first two photos -those trees are a fabulous sight! (Birches?) Have a great weekend!

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    1. The birches are a main stay in this forest.

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  25. I love these shots - wonderful all!

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  26. loved that scenary. And your spring friends. :)

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  27. Nice post with both landscape beetles and birds.
    Thanks for the comment on my blog.
    Wishing you a good weekend.
    Hugs Hanne Bente / hbt.finus.dk

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  28. That perky little song sparrow just warms my heart!

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    1. His song as we trek into the woods is most inspirational!!

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  29. This serie is just great!
    Happy SkyWatch to you!

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  30. Beautiful birds and beautiful scenes!

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  31. You have beautiful birds in Canada !
    I like also the doggie...

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  32. Wonderful series of these great landscapes and the colorful birds.

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  33. And thanks for your tour of the waters and the numerous birds.
    The built environment and nature--I need some of both.
    Shalom to you up north.

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  34. Very beautiful ! Your bird pictures are always so nice !

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  35. It has been a while since I visited your blog. I do like your birds.
    Best regards fom Mormor Norway
    http://www.starbear.no/mormor/2012/04/19/himmelsk-81/

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  36. Wonderful reflections! And your selection of birds this week is really nice too. :)

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  37. I've never seen a yellow rumped warbler before! Another bird I hope to see soon.

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  38. Wow what a nice birds! great picts and gorgeous surroundings!

    Thanks for visiting my blog,
    greetings from the Netherlands,

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  39. Very interesting blog and photos are very beautiful. I like wild nature very much. Very impressive!

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  40. Lovely shots, Gary. It's good to see the green returning and that brilliant blue sky! The bird shots are marvellous, as always!

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  41. Beautiful shots of the bird. Wonderfully captured. The place is beautiful too.

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  42. Fantastic to see!
    Very nice work! Love the reflections in the water and all the different birds!
    Have a nice weekend
    Yvonne & Raphael

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  43. Wow!Beautiful scenery here.

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  44. Love to see a greater variety of bird life in your beautiful neighborhood as migration warms up!

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  45. Love ALL your shots. So wonderful nature, captured at it's best. Thanks for the information.

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  46. You got a tremendous amount of really good shots there Gary but my fav is the yellow rumped warbler. What a gorgeous bird and pictures!!! One that I would love to see also is the bufflehead! Looks like a beautiful duck! One was lost here last year but too far away from me ;-)

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