Red-Tailed Hawk
Bald Eagle
Ducks
Blue Heron
Red Winged Blackbird
I love my drive back and forth to work.
The building that I work in lies on a flat, delta-like area of farms and flatlands...perfect for birds.
The above are just a few that I see almost daily.
I always catch my breath watching the hawks drift over the fields.
Once, when I was a child, I was standing in my backyard trying to decided how to spend my afternoon, when out of the sky a pigeon fell, bloodied and broken.
I froze, unsure what to do.
Before I had a chance to do anything, a hawk came whistling out of the blue sky and struck the bird at my feet.
Trying desperately to get the pigeon air born, he flapped in front of me for a few moments, lifting it a few feet off the ground.
Little hawk, big pigeon...he dropped the bird again and flew up to a tall tree to consider his alternatives.
There weren't any; he wasn't big enough to fly off with the pigeon, and eating it while a little girl stood there stunned wasn't an option either.
He flew off, leaving the tattered bird behind.
We had to put the bird out of it's misery, of course.
Well, my dad did.
But that was my first encounter, up close and personal with the amazing birds.
What an experience.
And then there are the little Blackbirds; they have such a delightful trill when they set up shop in the reeds and rushes that line the ditch-banks. I look forward to them every spring.
I'm a lucky girl; happy amidst all this wildlife.
I do have to give credit were credit is due...I was inspired by Ms. Spider On The Road and her recent post about African birds.
I got to considering how varied and amazing our local wildlife is here in British Columbia.
Thus, what you see here.
Thanks Spider!
* Side note...I didn't take any of those pictures, though I wish I had!
11 comments:
Indeed you are lucky--the wild life here in the DC area is usually of the lobbyist or governmental kind. Not as naturally beautiful ... and they drop even more shit.
-- david
Mmmm...they look tasty. :)
My favorite will always be the Bald Eagle. I don't know why but they just seem so majestic as they sit atop their pirch and look down at the world (or at their prey).
My parents have 1.5 acres of Waterfront on Vancouver Island and when I was a kid there were 3 nests in the trees of these glorious birds. I spent hours watching them.
My dad tells me know that the families are gone (moved on) but you can often still see the birds flying by or perched on a tree watching life around them.
Birds of prey are amazing creatures aren't they, so focussed, in a similar way to sharks. They do what they do so incredibly efficiently?
sMy favorite bird is the duck--especially mallards.
I've caught a hummingbird before. It got it's beak stuck in the corkboard at our school. It was so beautiful, tiny and delicate.
If you watch the red winged black birds when they "set up shop" it's pretty amazing. They've each got little territories (called leks or something) set up with their female and they'll try to simultaneously sneak into other territories and defend their own. After about 10min you have a pretty good idea of where the boundaries are. Fun! Post was removed for a typo
Interesting, I also had these confrontations. Great blackbirds used to come into our living room and get trapped behind the picture over the fireplace. My dada used to come grab them for me. I remember being both scared and astounded, as only a child can be.
Hey Tai.
I hope that all is well.
Interestingly/conversely I was just visiting a blog where the author contemplated the extinction of all birds.
It seems quite nice where you are. Seeing lovely birds every morning must be nice.
Are you a fan of The Beatles' Blackbird? It's a great song...(Sarah McLachlan does a pretty good cover too).
Take care out there and have a swell weekend!
Your Pal,
Zambo.
I love your bird pictures - birds are near and dear to my own heart and your photos were lovely. I especially enjoy the blue heron. There are lots of birds to see around here (the bay area near San Francisco) and I think the birds in my yard eat better than I do with all the food I put out to lure them in :-)
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