Post by Gord on Jan 5, 2007 16:02:36 GMT -8
Was just going over my notes from 2006. I really had an enjoyable and sometimes exciting year of birding. Some highlights just off the top.
Probably the first memorable time was finding a slaty-backed gull on Evans Rd. I remember watching my even more special, barely three month old, little girl sleeping (at the time, about as rare an occurance as finding a slaty-backed gull) in her car seat while her silly father snapped away happily with his camera. Was feeling pretty blessed and lucky!!!
Then, later in the early spring a visit to Boundary Bay for the morning. Finding over 40 Eurasian wigeons were very cool and seeing over a dozen snowy owls in one place is not soon forgotton anymore then forgetting the sight of thousands of shorebirds flying as if one.
Easily the best of the summer was the nesting purple martins at Nicomen Slough. A pretty astonishing surprise (for someone who was musing deep down it would be some time before any martins were seen) being energetically dive-bombed by a purple martin.
Thor, Dave, Dave's brother and Jeff will no doubt remember our hike up Cheam Mountain and being swarmed by over 20 ptarmigan. Poor trail choices aside at the end, it was a beautiful trip with a bunch of great guys.
I finally saw a northern goshawk this year!
Fall migration saw me and Jason finding the scarlet tanager at Island 22. Definately a bird you want to see with someone else or at least get very good pictures of it!!!! It was nice to be out with you Jason, but not only for your company!!! ;D
Then out to Boundary Bay for a day trip where, among a lot of bird activity, the highlight was having a lifer upland sandpiper fly over my head.
I think capping off the year and quite possibly the best few minutes of birding Ive ever had was during the Christmas Bird Count in Chilliwack where I saw snowy owl, gyrfalcon, merlin and peregrine falcon within that time span. The prairie falcon later in the day was icing on the cake.
Id love to hear about your highlights of the year and hope that 2007 is a great birding year too!
Probably the first memorable time was finding a slaty-backed gull on Evans Rd. I remember watching my even more special, barely three month old, little girl sleeping (at the time, about as rare an occurance as finding a slaty-backed gull) in her car seat while her silly father snapped away happily with his camera. Was feeling pretty blessed and lucky!!!
Then, later in the early spring a visit to Boundary Bay for the morning. Finding over 40 Eurasian wigeons were very cool and seeing over a dozen snowy owls in one place is not soon forgotton anymore then forgetting the sight of thousands of shorebirds flying as if one.
Easily the best of the summer was the nesting purple martins at Nicomen Slough. A pretty astonishing surprise (for someone who was musing deep down it would be some time before any martins were seen) being energetically dive-bombed by a purple martin.
Thor, Dave, Dave's brother and Jeff will no doubt remember our hike up Cheam Mountain and being swarmed by over 20 ptarmigan. Poor trail choices aside at the end, it was a beautiful trip with a bunch of great guys.
I finally saw a northern goshawk this year!
Fall migration saw me and Jason finding the scarlet tanager at Island 22. Definately a bird you want to see with someone else or at least get very good pictures of it!!!! It was nice to be out with you Jason, but not only for your company!!! ;D
Then out to Boundary Bay for a day trip where, among a lot of bird activity, the highlight was having a lifer upland sandpiper fly over my head.
I think capping off the year and quite possibly the best few minutes of birding Ive ever had was during the Christmas Bird Count in Chilliwack where I saw snowy owl, gyrfalcon, merlin and peregrine falcon within that time span. The prairie falcon later in the day was icing on the cake.
Id love to hear about your highlights of the year and hope that 2007 is a great birding year too!