Neck Point Park, Nanaimo, BC

One of the highlights of visiting Neck Point Park was getting a fairly close look at a Black Oystercatcher! It was hunting for marine life while the tide was out.

This was the only Chestnut-backed Chickadee that I saw on the island. Their sound is similar to the Black-capped Chickadee and I needed to set my eyes on the bird to be sure of the species.

Common Whitetail also appears to be common on Vancouver Island.

Another Lorquin's Admiral

Western Tent Caterpillar was as abundant on Vancouver Island as the Eastern Tent Caterpillar is in Ontario! Some bushes had been defoliated.

Fairy House entrance!

Ghostly Owl

 Piper's Lagoon, Nanaimo. B.C.

While enjoying the scenery, we found 21 bird species at Piper's Lagoon!

Most of the birds were distant, including this Pelagic Cormorant. The diagnostic white hip patch is visible in the photo.

A White-crowned Sparrow kept his eye on us!

The tide was out and we got to explore the underwater life!

There were lots of Yellow Shore Crabs scurrying along the wet sand!

Crown Brodiaea

 Buttertubs Marsh, Nanaimo, B.C.

Our driving journey across the western half of Canada began at the airport in Nanaimo B.C. We picked up the car we were asked to drive back to Ontario, and headed to Buttertubs Marsh, one of our favourite birding locations on Vancouver Island. 

A male Anna's Hummingbird, landed right above me. I think we surprised each other! We didn't find any active nests as most baby hummingbirds had likely already fledged.

The Hummingbird may have been checking out out the dragonflies that I was watching in the area including this Blue Dasher

Dragonflies in a mating wheel.

The Lorquin's Admiral was a "lifer" butterfly for us. We saw several on the west coast.

European Honeysuckle was a hot location for many pollinators.

Bullfrogs could be heard croaking throughout the marsh.

 Regina, SK

We had the pleasure of meeting up with some cousins near Regina. (Thanks to Gayle and Elwood for their hospitality!) After a very enjoyable visit, we explored the trails around Wascana Lake, right in the heart of Regina. Above, a Mallard Mom protects her ducklings! (A few are peeking out from underneath her.)

After finding a pair of Red-necked Grebes, we realized we had seen 6 Grebe Species on this trip! (Red-necked, Pied-billed, Western, Clark's, Eared and Horned).

Eastern Kingbird

We also visited the Wascana Waterfowl Park Display Ponds. There weren't many birds, but we saw lots of dragonflies including a member of the Meadowhawk family.

A home made nesting box comes with its own porch!

Eastern Kingbird

Gadwall

Wascana Lake is home to Rowing, Canoe and Sail clubs.

 Pelican Lake, SK

Pelican Lake is a part of the Thunder Creek Heritage Marshes. It is the only location where we didn't see any Pelicans!  This system of wetlands, creeks and uplands contains more than 10,000 acres of wildlife habitat along its 80 kilometer length!

View of Pelican Lake (with no pelicans!)

American Avocet in flight.

Piping Plover! Two were present. Hopefully they were nesting!

Purplish Copper

Western Kingbird

 Swift Current and Moose Jaw:

After a long day of driving we went for an evening walk at the Highland Coulee Trail system in Swift Current. Westerners seems to have a distaste of the all too common Black-billed Magpie, but we were thrilled to have a close encounter with one near our parked car! This large, flashy relative of jays and crows is a social creature, gathering in large numbers to feed on carrion. They're also vocal birds, keeping up a regular stream of raucous calls.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-billed_Magpie/overview

While walking on a hill top, 3 American White Pelicans flew overhead!

Uncut fields provided habitat for many insects including one of the Blues, possibly a Melissa Blue.

Four-spotted Skimmer

Painted Lady

It was fun to find a Spinystar Cactus in bloom! 

We visited the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre. I have not seen a Burrowing Owl in the wild but had some close looks at a few of the captive birds that cannot be released. The centre was created to help promote the conservation of the endangered Burrowing Owl and their prairie habitat through education, stewardship and eco-tourism. The building site, located on the Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds, was chosen because several pairs of burrowing owls typically nested in the infield of the racetrack!

https://www.skburrowingowl.ca/

Display board portraying first 20 days of growth for a Burrowing Owl!

 Busy Canatara Birds!

Bird parents are being kept extremely busy as they find food for the growing babies in their nests! I found a Song Sparrow carrying a dragonfly to a hidden ground nest, and 15 minutes later it had a full beak again! I believe I can see signs of 5 different insect species in the sparrow's mouth in the second picture!

After a fish feast, a Great Blue Heron appears to be "flossing his teeth" with his long toes! Birds don't really have teeth, although they may have ridges on their bills that help them grip food. Birds swallow their food whole, and the gizzard in their stomach grinds up the food so they can digest it.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/do-birds-have-teeth/

I initially watched a Black-capped Chickadee carry food into a nesting cavity. I waited quietly nearby and on it's second visit, the bird was sporting a beard! Perhaps there was an insect tucked inside the cottonwood fluff that it wanted to feed to the baby chickadees!

 Reed Lake, SK

According to a posted sign, The Chaplin-Old Wives-Reed Lakes complex is one of the most important inland sites for migratory birds in North America, with more than 30 species of shorebirds stopping or nesting here every summer. The large lake has an average depth of less than a metre allowing it to warm quickly in the spring. The warm temperatures combined with the lake's saline chemistry provides ideal conditions for explosive hatches of aquatic invertebrates which are prey for shorebirds.

The viewing tower was visible from the Trans Canada Highway.

Just prior to arriving at Reed Lake, the ground was covered in salt that creates the saline conditions mentioned above. One method of obtaining the salt (Sodium Sulphate) is to pump the water into smaller ponds and allow it to evaporate. Then the crystals can be gathered and harvested near a processing plant.  

http://saskschoolsinfo.com/sask/na2so4.html

Many bird species could be viewed from the tower including American White Pelicans.

Redheads and Northern Shovelers showed high numbers in the skies.

I believe there are 38 Eared Grebes visible in this photo!

While standing on the viewing tower, I enjoyed watching a family of Columbia Ground Squirrels running and playing.

A sideroad allowed us to drive to another viewing point where we had some close looks at American Avocets!

We even had to wait for them to get off the road!