Waterfowl, anyhow

Half of the birds in my local guide book (Birds of Coastal British Columbia) are aquatics. But they've separated them into groups: Diving birds, Seabirds (most of these dive), Gulls and kin, Waterfowl (some of which are divers), Wading birds, Shorebirds (who are usually wading). A bit confusing.

These water-loving birds were on or in or over the water around Tyee Spit last week.

Standing on water. Male mallard showing off his speculum, which is usually blue, here faded to pink.

Grebes, probably Horned grebes, Podiceps auritus, in their winter plumage. These are classified as "Diving Ducks". One of the smallest waterbirds.

A gull and his shadow.

Harlequin ducks, male and female. These are surfers, and also dive.

A distant gull with what looks like a fresh salmon head.

Not in my guide book. Little metal water-loving fliers. De Havilland Otters.

And there are more mallards ... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

La mitad de los pájaros en mi libro guía, son acuáticos; es decir, pasan la vida en o encima del agua. Pero el libro guía los separa entre: Buceadores, Aves Marítimas (la mayoría de los cuales son buceadores), Gaviotas y parecidos, Aves Acuáticas (algunas son buceadores), Aves Zancudas (que buscan su comida en el agua al borde del mar), Aves Costeñas (limícolas, que casi siempre se encuentran buscando su comida en el agua). Un poco enredado.

Estos pájaros amantes del agua se encontraron alrededor de la lengua de tierra Tyee Spit la semana pasada.

1. Un pato real macho, parado y extendiendo las alas para mostrar su espéculo, que generalmente es azul fuerte, pero en este caso es color de rosa.
2. Zampullines cuellirrojos, Podiceps auritus, en su plumaje de invierno. Estos son buceadores, y unos de los pájaros acuáticos más pequeños.
3. Una gaviota con su sombra en el agua.
4. Patos arlequines, macho y hembra. Les gusta el agua agitada y también son buceadores.
5. Una gaviota en la distancia, con lo que parece ser la cabeza de un salmón.
6. Estos no están en mi libro guía. Pajaritos acuáticos metálicos. De Havilland Otters.

Y hay más patos reales. Para mañana será.

Three harlequins and a loon

 And there were ducks:

Harlequin, male in breeding colours.

And two females.

And a loon. I looked up from my search for kelp for the aquarium when I heard a splash, and there was the loon, just off-shore, big and beautiful, and I think, just as surprised as I was. By the time I'd got the lens cap off the camera, he had gone down. After that, he stayed well away from the shore.

Common loon, immature.

Some diving birds take short dives, some seem to go straight down and bob to the surface a few feet from where they went down. Loons travel a long way underwater, coming up after several minutes, far from where they disappeared. They swallow most of their catch underwater, so you don't often see them coming up, like the mergansers, for example, carrying a fish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y, desde la playa de donde saqué la foto que subí ayer, unos aves de buceo.

1. Un pato arlequín macho, en plumaje de la época de reproducción.

2. Dos hembras, patas arlequines.

3. Un colimbo grande juvenil.

Andaba por la playa buscando algas para mi acuario cuando oí un chapoteo, y di vuelta para ver un colimbo; creo que lo sorprendí también. Mientras le quitaba el protector de lente a mi cámara, se sumergió, y no salió a la superficie hasta que estuvo bien alejado de la playa.

Los colimbos (Gavia immer) se alimentan de peces que persiguen por largas distancias. Algunos de los aves de buceo hacen cazas breves; algunos parece que bucean verticalmente y salen a la superficie casi donde desaparecieron. Los colimbos, no. Hacen largas cazas debajo del agua, y aparecen otra vez después de varios minutos, muy lejos del lugar donde se sumergieron. Se comen mucho de su presa dentro del agua, así que pocas veces los vemos subiendo a la superficie con un pez en en pico, como lo hacen, por ejemplo, las serratas.

En inglés los llamamos "loon", que es una palabra que también usamos para significar "loco", tal vez debido al canto del colimbo, que parece un risa loca. Y como la nueva moneda de un dólar canadiense trae un retrato de un colimbo, a estos les llamamos "loonies", que también quiere decir "locos."

Cormorant rock

A couple dozen or so Double-crested cormorants perch year-round on a couple of rocks just off-shore, one just south of city centre, one to the north. Both rocks are well below the low-tide line beside beaches that are too rocky for comfortable walking, but the cormorants are still easily spooked by humans.

I've attempted to tiptoe up close several times. The tide was very low a few days ago, and I tried again.

11 birds here. Several had flown away as I approached.

From a bit further away, cropped to look at the one with the white markings. The feathers have a distinct greenish cast; the orange markings around the chin are visible when the heads are turned to catch the light.

As I approached, step by cautious step, stopping every time they looked my way, a few birds left, then a few more, then finally all the rest at once.  The rock is tall, with most of it above water even at high tide. The cormorants take off downward, dropping to splash along the surface of the water before they rise into the air.

Leaving a trail across the water. Swimming, they sit low in the water.

Last nine to leave, splashing as they go.

I posted this last photo on the Worst Bird Photographs Facebook page, but I can't reisist adding it here:

The fabulous double-headed cormorants. This was taken from a greater distance, when they first started noticing my approach. 16 birds that I can see. (One is just the bill.)

Squiggles and divers

The sun shone today, all day. The snow melted. Birds sang in the trees. I went out without my jacket; looks like spring*!

In the calm, shallow water between the docks and the shore, a mixed flock of diving birds was fishing among squiggly reflections of fishing boat masts.

Bufflehead landing on squiggles

Same set of reflections, different bufflehead.

A quick stretch before the next dive.

Common goldeneye.

There were several courting couples among the goldeneyes. They get started on the nesting season early.

Looking almost straight down from the bank. The rocks are covered with barnacles and limpets. I saw a few orange starfish, but no crabs; they're all hiding from the birds.

Pacific loon. These stayed nearer the open water at the end of the docks.

*Can't trust Campbell River weather; they're promising us freezing rain for tomorrow. It's a good thing I got in a long, long walk this afternoon. And I found a new favourite spot! More on that tomorrow.