We recently returned from a trip to British Columbia on which I took my good camera and lens, but mostly to no avail.  My biggest disappointment was missing out on photographs or Orcas we saw from one of the BC ferries.  And no thanks to the captain of the vessel, he not only failed to slow for the Orcas but failed to make any kind of announcement over the PA system.

I did take this photo of a gull taking off from the water.  The interesting thing about the photo is the pattern of light that occurred in the water as the gull took off.  There are two bright portions of water that closely resemble birds, but are not shadows per se.

Back in the yard again, here is a photo of what I believe to be a sub-adult male Rufous hummingbird that has not yet left on migration.  The mature males left on their migration many weeks ago.

We still have at least one male and one female Anna’s hummingbird in the yard, and these are photos of a male.  The Anna’s hummingbirds often overwinter with us and survive despite our occasional extended snows.  The second photo shows the male’s gorget when it catches the light… undoubtedly a formidable sight when it’s racing from the trees towards other birds.  

After seeing only one male Western tanager in the yard in the spring, we’ve had no sightings until lately.  Here are photos of two female Western tanagers.  Sibley notes that there are bright adults and pale adults, but I have no way of knowing if the paler bird is not the female product of this year’s breeding.

And finally, here are photos of a Chestnut-backed chickadee and a Black-capped chickadee.