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The prancing cowbirds

And the artsy heat haze

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Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

An unusual mid-week visit to Reifel with friends from the Vancouver Queer Birders led to a bunch of excellent photos of wrens and cowbirds, as well as unleashing my inner Impressionist, with the heat haze. It made for lovely smudgy landscape shots of the outer marshes and the things you see out on the water, from big cargo ships to some odd towers or something.

Not to mention, faraway shots of eagles almost lost in their big wide world. I don’t usually like doing wide shots, but these ended up unexpectedly beautiful and — dare I say? — artistic. Don’t know why I didn’t try this before, I do love other people’s wide environment shots in the Audubon Society Photo contest winners, and on social media, just as much as tight shots. Worth exploring, I think!

The photos

Closeup of a Sandhill Crane preening its feathers & back. The light is dappled
Preening Sandhill Crane
A male Mallard Duck resting on gravelly ground that is mostly covered in small green leaves. The light is dapped, and his eyes are mostly closed
Resting Mallard
A male Anna's Hummingbird is sipping at a flower, surrounded by lush green foliage. He is backlit, and his wings are captured flapping straight up
Anna’s Hummingbird
A Marsh Wren is balancing on two twigs, body facing me but head turned a bit camera left
Marsh Wren
A Marsh Wren is hanging on to a thin vertical branch, singing
Singing Marsh Wren
A Marsh Wren is standing on top of a bush, facing camera right and partly hidden by foliage, singing
Singing Marsh Wren
A Marsh Wren is standing on top of a couple broken reeds, singing its heart out. There are more dry brown reeds in the background
Singing Marsh Wren
A male Wood Duck is standing in lush grass, alertly looking around. Its mullet is very flat and slicked down
Wood Duck
View from the outer dike trail. In the distance is a hazy BC Ferry, a single gull flyiing around, and some soft hazy clouds.
Hazy ferry
A Marsh Wren is standing on a lichen-covered branch, seen in profile, tail up and alertly looking up. It is mostly in the shade. In the background are some soft blue sky, a few branches with green leaves
Marsh Wren in the shade
A very hazy cargo ship out beyond the marshes. There are soft clouds in the sky, some sandbanks closer up and what could be small pilings.
Hazy cargo ship
A Bald Eagle flying in the hazy distance, with mountains in the background, and large buoys in the water. Closer up are beached and bleached logs
Eagle and buoys
A Bald Eagle in the distance, flying over the edge of the marsh. In the background are soft hazy blue mountains, and wibbly mirage-y edges of water. Some brown reeds in the foreground
Heat haze eagle
View north from the viewing tower: Mountains crowned with clouds under a blue sky, and South Richmond
Richmond and mountains
A bunch of reeds and grasses, seen from above
Reeds from above
View from the Reifel viewing tower. In the distance are three odd looking tall things, maybe signal towers, two glowing red at the top. Closer in are sandbars and expanses of reeds and grasses
Three tall things
A male Purple Martin in flight, against a solid blue sky
Purple Martin
A female Spotted Towhee in the grass, partly seen from the side and partly from the back, her head turned so I can see one red red eye
Towhee in the grass
A Bewick's Wren hanging on to a vertical branch, holding something yummy in its beak
Bewick’s Wren with lunch
A Tree Swallow on a thorny branch, body facing me but head turned to the side, a bit above eye level against a solid blue sky
Tree Swallow
A Tree Swallow on a branch, a bit above eye level against a solid blue sky. It is stretching one wing and its tail
Stretching Tree Swallow
One of the small ponds of Reifel. It is fairly shallow, enough that we can see some of the bottom's texture. On the opposite shore are some scraggly trees, a mix of green and yellow reeds and grasses, and taller trees further out
Reifel pond
A Canada Goose out on the water, vigorously splashing about
Splashy Canada Goose
Closeup of a female Brown-headed Cowbird, seen in profile, against a bokeh grey / brown background
Brown-headed Cowbird (female)
An adult Canada Goose out on the water, followed by a number of tiny fuzzy babies
Goose with babies
A male Brown-headed Cowbird, seen in profile, against a solid blue sky
Brown-headed Cowbird (male)
A male Brown-headed Cowbird is standing on a wooden railing, in strong daylight, facing me. Background is light blue water
Brown-headed Cowbird (male)
A male Brown-headed Cowbird is leaning down, tail up, and feathers all fluffed out, trying to look big and sexy
Brown-headed Cowbird looking sexy
A male Brown-headed Cowbird is pointing its head vertically and prancing, trying to look tall and sexy
Brown-headed Cowbird being tall and sexy

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