Snow Geese Return to Westham Island 2014

Just for the wonder of our Snow Geese, this is one of nature's great spectaculars right here in our "backyard."

For the Love of Peanuts

For some time we have had Steller's Jays fly across our back yard.  They are resident in the neighbourhood and we often see them at a large hedge on 44th Avenue, just the other side of Ladner Elementary School.  Occasionally they would stop at our feeder and help themselves to a few sunflower seeds, but mostly they just ignored it.  Last year I put a few peanuts out on the deck rail and immediately got the jays' attention.  Ever since we have allowed the jays to entertain us with their enthusiasm for peanuts.

They will watch and wait for me to put the peanuts out.  I think they even know our car; often when I drive home along 44th Avenue, park the car in our garage, and come upstairs to the kitchen I find a jay on the bird feeder bar, expectantly waiting.  If not present when I put peanuts out they arrive within seconds after I leave the deck.  If they are already there, they'll come as close as a metre away from me, but never take a nut out of hand.

Lately. I have clipped the peanuts onto strings hanging from overhead.  This puzzled them at first and only one would attempt to pluck any off the strings.  This one soon got the knack of jumping and flying at the selected peanut with head turned just so to successfully pull it off the string.  For about a week it appeared that only one bird could do this as the rest contented themselves with the loose nuts on the deck rail, then others started catching on after observing.  Now, most of the jays do it, some more expertly than others.  The birds who are more adept at plucking peanuts off the strings may even ignore the easy pickings lying on the deck rail in preference for the challenges on the strings.  Some even choose peanuts higher up the strings over the easy to reach ones at the ends.  Now more jays than ever come to participate in our peanut challenge.

I Really Should Let the Birds Have Their Part

House Finches on our deck bird feeder last winter; these guys are constant companions all year round.  I love the male's long and melodious song from high in the trees around us.

American Kestrel in one of our birch trees last winter; a pair showed up late last summer, stayed all winter and into the spring, then left early this summer.

This female Black Headed Gross Beak gave us a surprise visit last spring.  I had to photograph through a window to avoid disturbing her.

Chickadee with Pine Siskins at our feeder last spring; Chickadees are also constant year-round cheerful companions while Siskins arrive very intermittently and unpredictably.  When they are here, Siskins assertively boss the bigger House Finches but seem to get along quite peacefully with the Goldfinches.

Sometimes the House Finches just mob the feeder as last spring when they all seemed to have had very successful nesting and lots of kids.

Goldfinches visit all year round as well, though in smaller numbers and less frequently.  This pair joined the two adult and juvenile House Finches last spring.  I had not really noticed before but male Goldfinches are very variable in changing into their summer finery.  The first males in summer duds showed up in April last spring, yet others only just started changing in June.  I noticed some males in winter drabs in August, while others have only just now finished changing.