2011/02/14

Birding at Finn Slough - Bird of the day: TUVU

Another bike ride to Finn Slough to get the much-needed exercise/birding.

Along the way, I saw lots of Mew Gulls and other gulls circling around in the sky.

Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla)
Many Golden-crowned Sparrow feeding.

A Cooper's Hawk facing the other direction.

Female Common Merganser swimming against the river flow.

Then I saw something large flying across the sky. At first I thought it was an eagle, but it looked a bit different.

Looking closer, I realized it was a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)! I saw lots of them while in Ontario and some when visiting the gulf islands, but this was the first time seeing them in the Lower Mainland. What a sight - I wish the lighting was better for me to take a brighter image though.

The female merganser finally had enough of me taking photos of it and took off.

Double-crested Cormorant drying off. From somewhere, I read that cormorants have to dry their feathers because they either lack or don't have a well-developed oil glands (?) to waterproof their feathers; thus, the need to dry feathers. However, this also mean their bodies sink lower to the water surface and they can swim faster.

Homely House
Another image of Finn Slough.

PS: I just watched the Nature program on PBS tonight; it was about the wildlife of the Himalayas, and what an incredible episode it was! The extraordinary and resilient animals that live in one of the harsh environments of the world, amazing! Definitely will watch the re-run when it comes up again.

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