Post by bandj on Jan 8, 2011 21:07:46 GMT -8
Bryan and I walked the North Jetty at Iona today. Wow - were we ever surprised when an American Kestrel zipped out from behind us to settle on a nearby beach snag with a small rodent. In summer we've watched Kestrels feed their young innumerable crickets. Clearly their winter diet is rather more substantial! Here are a couple of photos. Can anyone identify the rodent?
We also had some good sightings of Western Meadowlark.
If you want to visit the North Jetty at Iona, it's best on weekends when the tide isn't too high. During the week there's a big section where work is going on to do with the log booms.
Here's a picture of the kind of walking.
A few days ago we saw an American Tree Sparrow in the gorse at the beginning of the jetty. Didn't get a photo unfortunately. There are banded birds around since there's a banding station near the ponds on Iona. We saw a banded Varied Thrush and a banded Kinglet.
If you are in the area during the week, the South Jetty and the ponds provide lots of good birding. We caught a flock of Dunlin in perfectly sculpted sand. A great way to start the New Year!
Janet and Bryan
We also had some good sightings of Western Meadowlark.
If you want to visit the North Jetty at Iona, it's best on weekends when the tide isn't too high. During the week there's a big section where work is going on to do with the log booms.
Here's a picture of the kind of walking.
A few days ago we saw an American Tree Sparrow in the gorse at the beginning of the jetty. Didn't get a photo unfortunately. There are banded birds around since there's a banding station near the ponds on Iona. We saw a banded Varied Thrush and a banded Kinglet.
If you are in the area during the week, the South Jetty and the ponds provide lots of good birding. We caught a flock of Dunlin in perfectly sculpted sand. A great way to start the New Year!
Janet and Bryan
