Peter

I've had some basic bird feeders in my yard for a couple of years and I learned pretty quickly where birds "hang out" in between trips to the feeders.  There are a couple of trees, the top of a fence, the roof of a shed next door that holds woody debris and leaves, and the roof of a storage shed in the yard.  It's these locations on which I focus for getting good photographs of the birds who use my feeders.  I also sit outside, in a chair on the back porch, about 8 m or so from the feeding and perching sites. I cradle my camera and lens, waiting until the birds become accustomed to me being close and begin moving from their perches to the feeders, feeding with earnestness and efficiency, then heading back to their perch for a break from feeding and to perhaps reassess the safety of the landscape.  The ground feeders have similar behavior.  I’ve noticed that while they’re at their perches, many of the birds are turned away from me but have their heads cocked and one eye on me.  My hunch is that they are turned away from me so that they’ll be able to fly away from me if necessary.  These sessions are always so satisfying, for the good photos obtained, and for just observing the birds and learning their behaviour, as well as just being with them.

Three year-round residents in the Vancouver, Canada area that are on my life list are Great Blue Heron, Spotted Towhee, and Black-Capped Chickadee, while three year-round residents in the Vancouver, Canada area that are on not yet on my life list are Red-breasted Nuthatch, Double-breasted Cormorant, and the Northern Shoveler. In contrast, three bird species that are found in the Vancouver, Canada area for only part of the year that are also on my life list are Wilson's Warbler, Warbling Vireo, and Rufous Hummingbird, while three bird species that are found in the Vancouver, Canada area for only part of the year that are not yet on my life list are Pacific-Slope Flycatcher, Caspian Tern, and Lesser Yellowlegs.

A favorite birding location in the Vancouver, Canada area is the Reifel Bird Sanctuary.  As an example of how bird species move in and out of this sanctuary, Snow Goose, Bufflehead, and Trumpeter Swan are relatively less common now (August) than they typically are in February, while the reverse is the case for Cinnamon Teal, Kildeer, and the Tree Swallow.

For Vancouver, Canada; I used Explore Birds in Merlin, Likely Birds filter, to select five bird species I had never heard of: Violet-Green Swallow – breeds here and overwinters in Mexico and Central America, but the bar chart indicates the species can be found in this region for most of the year although in greater numbers from April through to August. A species of open habitats including lakes and wetlands. Red-Breasted Sapsucker – Common in this region throughout the year, which is part of its year-round range. A striking bird with a brilliant red head and breast. A species of forests, typically mixed and coniferous forests. Yellow-Headed Blackbird – A striking bird, frequenting open habitats, with males having a head and breast of bright yellow and females having mottled or splotched, yellow on the head and breast. More common in central North America with some occurrences on parts of both coasts of the continent.  The species migrates between its breeding areas in Canada and the US and its overwintering areas in Mexico and southern US.  The species is not very abundant in this region. Cinnamon Teal – a species found throughout the Americas, with the western US and parts of western Canada, including this region, providing breeding habitat, with overwintering habitat in western and central Mexico. Greatest abundance in this region is from the beginning of April to the end of August.  A species that frequents wetlands and similar habitats, males are a ruddy red-brown, while females are less red-brown but with very detailed patterns of coloration through its body.  Eyes are a bold red. Red Crossbill – a species found throughout the northern US, provincial Canada, parts of sub-Arctic North America, and all of Europe.  It is a year-round resident of this region. Found most often in coniferous forests as it feeds on conifer seeds and has a bill shaped expressly for this purpose. Both males and females are relatively plain coloured, males being dull orange-red mixed with brown/gray areas, while females are similarly patterned but with olive-yellow replacing the orange-red of the males.