Sometimes when I’m out birding alone, songs pop into my head.  Some of them are almost like a theme of the moment.  You’ll see some of these lyrics show up from time to time as the titles of the blog posts.  I hope they entertain you as much as them rattling around my head entertains me!

Thursday was another short day birding–a trend that will continue through the weekend due to Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s Raptor Identification workshop.  White-throated Sparrow was once again the mission for about an hour, before heading to Swan Lake.  I returned to the scene at Panama Flats where one was recently seen.  There were plenty of sparrows and other birds around, so it looked good! Fox , Golden-crowned, and Song Sparrows were picking through the offerings left by passersby.  Spotted Towhees were calling from the bushes and making occasional forays out for the seed, but no White-crowned or White-throated Sparrows were there on my arrival.  Bewick’s Wrens and Anna’s Hummingbirds were singing.  It was a wonderful sunny day at the flats. However, approximately every three minutes, someone would come by–either on a bike, walking, or with their dogs or children in tow, sending the sparrows deep into the brush.   Panama Flats has been such a fantastic place for interesting sparrows, often quite visible due to the sprinkling of seed by birders and neighbours.  It’s great that the area is getting a lot of use, something Saanich will need to consider as they begin to implement a plan for the area.  However, After another fruitless search for the White-throated, I think we need to  gradually move the sparrow feeding site a little further off the beaten path.

With the light beginning to fade, I headed to Swan Lake for another elusive bird, the American Bittern.  By its very nature, this cryptic species is difficult to spot.  My best chance was to see it coming to roost, and Chris Saunders had recommended showing up around 4:30 to wait for it.  On arrival, I met Court Cameron on the boardwalk, also enjoying the lake in the late afternoon light. It was a calm day and the light was having an artistic effect on the water and vegetation.

In the falling light, the moon was clearly visible–and very photogenic.

Ducks were heading in for the night.

For many women, they are anxious to generic in uk viagra get pregnant after marriage. Since the time the generic cialis online http://deeprootsmag.org/2012/12/18/kind-of-sort-ofno-really-good-exceptional-even/ drug was launched in 2005 by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, it has shown even better results. Factors That Lead To A Low Blood Pressure Level The causes of having a low blood pressure level if you do not have heart disease of nay kind are dehydration, due to extended vomiting and diarrhea, purchase cheap cialis severe blood loss and some inflamed organs of the body. Many people are looking for natural methods to overcome from over masturbation bad effects as check for more viagra levitra viagra early as possible.

Raccoons were just getting up.

And right at that very moment…….

I had to leave  (sigh!)

I have to say, though, that watching the changes on the lake as the sun set was so spectacularly beautiful, and I was happy to be there, even without the Bittern.