WE HAVE SNOWBIRDS GOING IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

 There are lots of snowbirds returning from the southern US these days going past us in their trailers and motorhomes.  Then there are the original snowbirds, the ones with feathers, who are arriving in ever growing numbers.  And there are still a few that winter in our region but have mostly headed north already.  We had a very warm day here with the temperature reaching 17C which is about 62.6F.

The Magpie rode around on the ram for a while.  He was searching for bugs in the ram's hair.

Mountain Bluebird.

Northern Flicker.

Red-tailed Hawk.

Northern Harrier.

The north end of Vaseux Lake.

Mountain Bluebird.

Still a few of these Trumpeter Swans that haven't headed north.

Canada Geese in the Okanagan River.

Junco.

Marmot.

Northern Shrike.

Kestrel.

Still trying to get a good shot of a meadowlark but they aren't        cooperating, they keep hiding behind things.

Marmot.

THERE'S GETTING TO BE MORE BIRD VARIETIES WITH THE APPROACH OF SPRING.

 

Male House Finch.

Barrow's Goldeneyes.

The Marmot that lives under the road.

Kestrel.

Kestrel.

Not all of the Trumpeter Swans have gone north.  These ones were heading south!

Canada Geese.

Male Western bluebird.

Female Western Bluebird on top and a Pygmy Nuthatch down the side.

Pygmy Nuthatch.

                                         Pygmy Nuthatch.

STILL WAITING FOR SPRING TO KICK IN.

 We continue to get teased by hints of spring but it isn't happening yet.  The bulbs have pushed up out of the soil in the flower bed but there they sit waiting for some warmer weather.

The Marmot poked his head out for a bit but I think he decided it was too cold.

Red-tailed Hawk soaring far above me.

Junco.

Male Western Bluebird.

Western Bluebirds.

Western Bluebirds.

Kestrel.

I wonder if the Kestrel is nesting there.

Golden Eagles.

Looking over the vineyards to Vaseux Lake.

Vaseux Lake from McIntyre Creek Road.

Amazing how this pine tree can grow in the rock face.

Amazing how this pine tree can grow in the rock face.

LUNAR ECLIPSE AND BACK TO MY PRIVATE GAME PARK.

 I kept checking the weather forecast for the time of the eclipse and it didn't look good.  Cloudy conditions were predicted the whole evening and night.  I had a bath and was headed to bed and decided to take one last look out the door and surprise, the sky had cleared.  So I pulled on some warm clothes and set up my camera with the 800 mm lens on the tripod out on the porch.  My low budget gear didn't give a stellar result but I didn't think it did too badly.  The rest of the photos were taken this morning on our walk and drive.

Lunar eclipse.

Yellow-bellied Marmot.

I didn't see these Red-tailed Hawks until I looked through my 800 mm lens.  It was so far away I thought the tree might have been a sheep.

Female Western Bluebird.

Male Western Bluebird.

Western Bluebird pair.  The female wasn't sharing her meal and flew off to eat in peace.

Female Western Bluebird.

Female Western Bluebird.

Chipmunk.

A minutes old calf.  He got up and was wobbling around then all of a sudden he started jumping around.  So glad to enter the outside world!

It didn't take long for it to tire out.

Mountain Bluebirds are a different colour than the Western.

Mountain Bluebird.