DARE TO BIRD

When we take photos of Owls, we must ask ourselves at what cost? - Photo: Melissa Hafting Update: The Mayor of Delta has written to the province asking for help to better protect the birds and their habitat from harassment at Brunswick Point. A few years ago, I wrote a blog post about the deplorable harassment I and others had witnessed in Delta (in particular at Boundary Bay). You can read it in full   HERE   Well nothing much seems to have changed in Metro Vancouver. Now Brunswick Point is the new "hot spot" that bird photographers are flocking too and some are demonstrating unethical behavior. Current "best practices" suggestive signage hasn't helped either. Take a read of today's news story at the Delta Optimist HERE Not long ago we watched a group of 15 photographers encircling a Short-eared Owl on the ground with food (a vole). Only for that owl to get so distressed and fly up trying to get away as they proceeded to get their flight shots as he lost ...

Young birder Bridget wanted to go birding together again before she goes back to Uni in the US. So we decided to go get her the Northern Mockingbird on Westham Island. This is a BC bird she needed.  We had so much fun and waited and waited for the little Mocker to make his appearance on the holly. While we waited we got American Pipits, Least Sandpipers, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers, Trumpeter Swans, Western Meadowlarks, Flickers and several Rough-legged Hawks. It was so birdy. The trees were filled with sparrows White-crowned, Golden-crowned and Juncos. Finally we spotted the Mocker on top of the holly bush and he sat there giving us all great views. I spied my friend Monica way down the road and we yelled at her to get on the holly tree and she did and we all had good views. I was so happy for Bridge too. We were enjoying watching a River Otter role over on his back and play in the field like a little dog.  Suddenly a Peregrine came swooping down and chased a single Black-b...

Peregrine Falcon adult and young at the Abbotsford Nest - Photo: Raymond Ng As anyone who follows my blog or on Instagram  knows I have been fighting to help bring awareness and to save the Peregrine Falcon nest that is slated to be destroyed Mountainside Quarries at the Quadling Quarry mine in Abbotsford. I posted about this last month. See HERE   for the backstory. Sadly, 2021 really has not started off on a good foot. 2020 was hell and now 2021 starts off with a white supremacist domestic terrorist attack in the States, COVID-19 numbers continuing to rise in North America, hate crimes rising across Canada (that is finally exposing its systemic racism) and we get more bad news. Yesterday, I was informed that the provincial government went ahead and issued the permit allowing the mine to destroy the nest of the most active breeding pair of Red-listed Peregrine Falcons on BC'S South Coast. The only mitigation method in place is to put up nest boxes and ledges and hope the falc...

Finally the Rodenticide Ban is on next week's Public Works and Transportation Committee meeting,  Tuesday Jan 19th at 4pm .  You can read more on the story in the Richmond News HERE If approved it would go to the following Council meeting  on Jan. 25th at 7pm .  The agenda with item #7 can be found HERE : Here is the wording of the item: 7. BANNING RODENTICIDES ON CITY-OWNED PROPERTY IN RICHMOND STAFF RECOMMENDATION (1) That the City discontinue the use of rodenticides on city-owned property for one year, as described in the staff report titled “Banning Rodenticides on City-owned property in Richmond,” dated December 10, 2020 from the Director, Sustainability and District Energy; (2) That staff assess the outcomes of the one-year ban on city-owned property and report the findings to Council; (3) That staff be directed to develop an integrated rodent management program, as described in the staff report titled “Banning Rodenticides on City-owned property in Richmond,” ...

I recently did a podcast with Birding Tools. We discussed the lack of diversity in Birding and my work with young birders and why it’s important to mentor youth in this hobby.  You can listen to it on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Stitcher or iTunes for free. You can listen below just click play. More information on the program can be found HERE Also, Radio-Canada recently used my photos and audio and video footage in a recent print  story on Snow Geese take a look at the video  HERE .