Continuing the celebration of green: this heron may be mostly grey with some blue, but the water is definitely green. I was hiking a coastal trail one winter morning when I spotted this long-legged wader patiently stalking tiny prey in the lagoon. A bit of maneuvering for a clear sight line didn't disturb it at all, and I came home with this shot.
Photographed at Witty's Lagoon Regional Park, Metchosin, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2009 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias wildlife bird wader wading stalking hunting green water lagoon winter wild nature coast Witty's Lagoon Regional Park Metchosin Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2009
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I really liked the light on this winter day - it was bright but soft, and the water carried pastel reflections. Not only that, there was some good action among the goldeneye drakes as they vied for favour with the females. This entails a rather complex and orchestrated dance that includes "skypointing", pictured above.
Photographed at Esquimalt Lagoon, Colwood, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2009 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula wildlife bird waterfowl duck drake male courtship display swimming winter skypoint wild nature coast coastal Esquimalt Lagoon Victoria Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada Flickr'sBestCreatures copyrighted James R. Page 2009
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Incoming! I probably would not have chosen a white sky as the background for a white bird, but when this Trumpeter swooped low over the water toward me, I saw the possibilities right away.
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Tags: Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator wildlife bird waterfowl white flight flying Vancouver Island wild nature BC British Columbia Canada
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This Pacific Wren was foraging along the shoreline at Muir Beach one day last winter, and completely accepted my presence - the biggest problem was not getting close enough, but creating distance so that I could focus.
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Tags: wildlife bird songbird wren brown beach coast foraging tiny Muir Beach Sooke Vancouver Island wild nature BC British Columbia Canada bokeh beautiful awesome best unique Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus
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Two females in a close flyby...
Photographed at Esquimalt Lagoon, Colwood, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2009 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Hooded Merganser wildlife bird waterfowl duck wetland lake Esquimalt Lagoon Victoria Vancouver Island BC British Columbia Canada SpecAnimal AvianExcellence
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