hummingbirds | Ibycter

Wow! I can’t believe Weekend Expedition is turning 50! Seems like just yesterday we were at Richmond Nature Park, bringing bugs to kids and speculating how cool it would be to walk around and see the place. Catherine and I saddled up after a long week to see what we could see in this Richmond gem, a bog forest habitat just off Westminster Highway. The day was bright and sunny, but it was cool on the trails.

A male linyphiid (sheetweb weaver) hangs out on Oregon Grape.

These staphylinids seem to be having a sex party on a flowering Labrador Tea.

Catherine and I got our animal feeding jollies at home before setting out: we now have some really fat spiders!

Some prime spotting by Catherine: a female Snakefly!

This (lauxaniid?) is feeding on the corpse of a barklouse.

I really like how this chironomid blends into the lit-up leaf.

This one, in contrast, stands out.

This place is full of blueberries, all along the trails. None ripe yet though!

Here is a male Philodromus dispar in silhouette.

We found a whole bunch of rhaphidophorids (camel crickets) under some bark.

Back out toward the entrance was a newly-fledged Rufous Hummingbird.

Mama would come periodically with food.

The fledgling was already feeding itself as well!

This throat-stabby feeding looks painful, but seems to work well enough.

The whole scene was quite wonderful to see. In only a month and a half, they will be shipping out for a long migration south.

So yesterday, my brother Colin and I went out to see a hummingbird nest…And I realized we were quite near an area which has supported nesting Great Horned Owls for a number of years. I had never really had a tripod with me or a fast lens, so I had never gone into this dark and gloomy part of the forest to find it. Having both things on hand this time, we went to have a look, and to our surprise, the nest was quite visible from a nearby walking path! What a great day out!

Here we can see one of the chicks poking its head out to have a look. It may seem from these pictures that the adult was concerned we were there, but the majority of the time the bird seemed to be snoozing, only briefly opening its eyes.

Here the adult does some preening, while the chick has a look at a dog walking by on the trail.

I love how distinguished these owls look.

Here is a rare frame where the adult and the chick watch while we change positions.

Here is a shot of the adult with two chicks, one alert and one yawning.

In case you are wondering what the hummingbird nest looked like, have a look at this beauty!

And in other bird nesting news, check out this shot my brother got of a Cooper’s Hawk grabbing a branch for a nest just behind where the hummingbird nest was! Photo by Colin McCann.

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Tag Archive | hummingbirds

Weekend Expedition 50: Richmond Nature Park

Weekend Expedition 45: Nesting Great Horned Owls!