Spring at Reifel

This is the time of year to observe young waterfowl. The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a great place to start. We were able to observe a few families of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and Canada geese (Branta canadensis).

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Canada goose goslings Canada goose gosling

Canada goose gosling resting Mallard hen with ducklings

I was fortunate enough to observe a rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) up-close at a feeder. Many of them were present, fighting for a chance to get to feed. I decided to put an eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in the mix so my blog is not so bird-centric ; )

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Rufous hummingbird at feeder Eastern gray squirrel foraging

Easter at Reifel

Spring has finally arrived on the South Coast of British Columbia. On Easter weekend, a trip to the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary was a great start to the season. We were lucky to observe a large flock of lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) in one of the nearby fields on the way to the Sanctuary:

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Flock of snow geese, Ladner, British Columbia Snow geese in flight, Ladner, British Columbia

A male northern pintail (Anas acuta) put on a wonderful display after grooming himself:

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Northern Pintail Stretching Northern Pintail Flapping

Red-winged blackbirds (
Agelaius phoeniceus) and a black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) were in abundance, and provided great subjects to photograph.

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Red-Winged Black Bird Black-Capped Chickadee

One of the highlights of the day was observing sandhill cranes (
Grus canadensis) up close and personal. The Sanctuary is one of the best places to do so:

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Sandhill Crane Portrait Sandhill Crane Profile