Cedar Waxwing in Caragana Blossoms

Looking through my photos from the summer, I found this shot of a Cedar Waxwing. What a perfect match between the yellow tips of its tail and the yellow Caragana flowers of its perch. There was a small flock of about five birds at the Condie Nature Refuge that day; some hid, some — like these two — posed.

Adult Cedar Waxwing, standing guard in the Caragana tree.  © SB

Another view of an adult Cedar Waxwing,
showing off its yellow tail and red waxy wingtips.  © SB

What are these? Cedar Waxwings (Jaseur d'Amérique)

Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan
Photo date: May 29, 2016.

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Killdeer Calling at Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina

One thing I don't understand about Killdeers: Why do they think that calling so loudly — and calling so much attention to themselves — will keep predators from finding their nests? Isn't there a chance that a supposedly threatening creature (me, for example) might not even know the Killdeer is there until they start their kill-deer, kildir call?

A Killdeer, at Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, SK

This Killdeer at the Condie Nature Refuge near Regina, SK, started calling as soon as I drove in. I ignored it. Then, when I drove out, it stopped in front of my car and continued to call. Kill-deer, kildir, kill-deer.

Enough, I thought. You want attention. I can't drive over you, so we both have time to kill. Time for a Killdeer photo session. (And what bright red eyes this Prairie plover has! The shorebird we can see without going to the sea.)


What is this? A Killdeer - Pluvier kildir
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Photo date: May 29, 2016

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Cedar Waxwing Courting Ritual: Pass the Insect

It's my bug, but if you love me,
you can have it... © SB

I recently saw several Cedar Waxwings near Regina, Saskatchewan, which reminded me of a courting ritual I saw this spring...

Pass the Insect.

The ritual began when a Cedar Waxwing with a bug in its beak attracted the attention of a second Cedar Waxwing, which flew down to land on the branch beside it.

The two birds then proceeded to pass the bug back and forth for several minutes until (I think) one of them ate it. All About Birds says they'll do the same with other small items, such as fruit or petals. 

Birds in Motion! Cedar Waxwings courting/feeding in an endless loop.. 

And now, in slo-mo...

The bug lure is working... The second Cedar Waxwing is landing... © SB

The bug changes beaks. © SB

Um, yum! A bug - Cedar Waxwing love. © SB

Time to share the bug love again. © SB

Back to the beginning. Start again. © SB

What are these bird? Cedar Waxwings.

Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada  

Photo date: May 28, 2012.

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Cedar Waxwings - with and without Wax-Tipped Wings

At times, Cedar Waxwings' red waxy wingtips seem to be missing — a young bird, perhaps — or simply difficult to see.

Although Cedar Waxwings seem unfinished without the bright identifiers that give them their name, even without them, these birds remain very distinctive, with their black masks and flying head feathers.

Here's a look at a wax-free Cedar Waxwing, and one with bright red wax on its wings.

One of a group of five or six Cedar Waxwings,
none of which sported visible wax.   © SB

Ah, much more bird-book-cliché!
A Cedar Waxwing, with waxy wings! © SB

What is this bird? Cedar Waxwing

Location: Near Regina, Saskatchewan. (First picture, along Seven Bridges Road near Lumsden; second, at Condie Nature Refuge.) 

Photo dates:  First, July 29, 2013; second, May 28, 2013.  

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Mourning Dove at Condie in a Shapely Brown Dress

I'd like a dress that flows like the back of this Mourning Dove, feather waist cinched, soft shawl collar flaring, brown narrow hips, and long long long long sleeves that go on and on and on and on...

(Edwardian? Victorian? I'm not clear on my period fashions.)

The Mourning Dove's eyes I could master with different glasses, but that's not the look that I'm going for. Green eyes, I have; googly rims, I don't need.

With this casual elegance, no need for a chair. Any old post or barbed wire will do.

A svelte and elegant Mourning Dove. © SB

What is this?  Mourning Dove
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo dates: May 28, 2013.

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American Dog Tick on Dandelion flower - Ick!

And now, a look at the dark side of prairie nature — an American Dog Tick (or Wood Tick) I saw today while I was out taking photographs of Dandelions and Early Blue Violets at the Condie Nature Refuge near Regina, Saskatchewan.

And yes, just seeing this image makes me itch! (I wore lovely light-coloured clothing and offered very little exposed skin to make myself as tick-safe as possible... If I look at this before I go out next time, though, I'll consider adding several additional helpings of DEET!)

American Dog Tick on Dandelion flower, waiting a meal... © SB

The marking on this tick's back indicate that this one is a Dog Tick, aka Wood Tick, and given its size, it's likely a female. Dog ticks aren't the species that carry the agent that causes Lyme disease, though I'm not convinced that any good can come of a tick bite! (For more on that, see tick-borne diseases at the link to CDC, below.)

Black-legged Ticks, or Deer Ticks, are the culprit for Lyme disease — although SaskHealth says they represent only about three per cent of Saskatchewan's ticks. Overall, the risk of contracting Lyme disease here in Saskatchewan is apparently low — but not zero. (You can read more on the Government of Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health Lyme Disease page.)

If you want to learn lots more about ticks — and really start your skin crawling — the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's Stop Ticks page is a good place to start. CDC also has information on Tick Removal. (Hint, tweezers really are best). And, Madisson County in New York also has a comprehensively itch-inducing tick page, with links to a Tick Bite Locator.

(For those asking — no, I did not get any ticks or tick bites today. As far as I yet know... And I may now need a second shower. Seriously, I'm way too suggestible to read this stuff, even the parts I've written myself! So this is it! Time to post and share the joy with others.)


What is this? An American Dog Tick, aka, a Wood Tick.

Location: Condie Nature Refuge, North of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo date: May 22, 2013.

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Belted Kingfishers near Regina, Saskatchewan

Belted Kingfisher, near Regina, SK © SB

I saw this Belted Kingfisher in early spring.

I was impressed by its colours and perky, aggressively cartoon-like head feathers and long narrow bill...

And I thought, 'Surely I'll see more of these birds on the prairie, as spring moves to summer in Saskatchewan.'

But I did not.

And so, to prove to myself that I saw a Belted Kingfisher near my home, here is my little bird — in a very tiny crop — photographed from a great distance away at the Condie Nature Refuge, north of Regina, Saskatchewan. 

Belted Kingfisher at Condie Nature Refuge © SB

What is this bird? A Belted Kingfisher
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, North of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: April 21, 2012.  

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Yellow Warblers: Spring in Regina

The Yellow Warblers are back — it finally feels like spring is really here in Saskatchewan! There is even a hint of summer in their bright flashes of colour in the trees. 

Warblers are shy creatures, and unlike shore birds that placidly pose in open water, they like to hide in bushes. From me, at least. 

And so, while it would be lovely to post a clear shot of these bright Yellow Warblers, that is not yet to be, as they have yet to pose for me...

Yellow Warbler © SB  

Hiding in the branches © SB   

Yellow Warbler
in willows © SB   

What are these?  Yellow Warblers  

Location: #1-2, Wascana Park, Regina, Saskatchewan (near the swimming pool); #3, Condie Nature Refuge, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: #1-2, May 9, 2012; #3, May 5, 2012.  

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Horned Grebes at Condie Nature Refuge

Near Regina, Saskatchewan: A pair of Horned Grebes rode the waves on the lake at the Condie Nature Refuge on Sunday morning. 

They floated low on the water and the shape of their heads was distinctly unducklike, so I was hoping to see grebes when the images were enlarged.

It was fun to see the pictures emerge and realize that these Horned Grebes were in full mating feathers. Yes, I know — it's that time of year. But a naturalist, I am not! 

Apparently, Horned Grebes can raise and lower their behind-the-eye feathers at will — and when raised, they really look like horns.  

Horned Grebe at Condie Nature Refuge, SK.© SB

What are these?  Horned Grebes.
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, north of Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: April 15, 2012. 

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Coyote at Condie Nature Refuge

Late fall, a coyote.

A golden day when the light falls soft and yellow on dry reeds, and the wind rustles stalks and seeds as it draws across the prairie.

Ahead, a movement counter to the fingers of the wind.

A small creature weaves its own path over the field, sees us, stops, ears perked, body still. Watching. Ten minutes pass before it slinks away into tall grass.

Half hidden, watch and wait.   

The stream through the refuge. 

These conifers, above, are not native here. They were planted long ago, when landscape designers believed the introduction of artist foreign elements would enhance natural beauty. Or so explains an old interpretive sign on the hill behind.


What is this? Prairie coyote. 
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan.
Photo Date: October 10, 2011.

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Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel: Stripes and Spots

Well camouflaged with stripes and spots   © SB 

When this Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel ran out in front of me, we both froze. I don't know what it thought I was, but in that first flash, I thought it was a snake.

Dramatic as the markings appear in a still shot — and also when the ground squirrel stopped to stare at me — they provided very effective camouflage when it was running through deeper grass.

This little rodent looked about eight or nine inches long, from tip of nose to tip of tail, and about two inches high. It wouldn't let me near enough to guess closer than that.

What is this? A Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel.
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan.
Photo Date: September 3, 2011. 

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Cedar Waxwing Calling: Anybody Out There?

Cedar Waxwing © SB 

Condie Nature Refuge:  One Cedar Waxwing called from the top of a drowned tree along Boggy Creek.

See, see, see.

It waited. No bird answered. It flew away.

What is this? A Cedar Waxwing, a fairly common prairie bird. 
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan.
Photo Date: September 3, 2011.

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Killdeer Landing on Boggy Creek, SK

Condie Nature Refuge: This lovely orange-backed Killdeer sailed in front of my camera Sunday, and I caught a few clear shots before trying a different setting, which immediately merged to washed out blur. Bad mistake. I'm still figuring out the optimal points for focus and light... 

These pictures were taken on the south side of Boggy Creek, from the Hillside Trail, at about noon — which is likely obvious from the tight shadow.

(I'm identifying this bird as a Killdeer because of its shape, size, banded neck, head markings and orange back... Other suggestions welcome!)  

Soaring down to the beach, orange back bright © SB

First one foot, and then the other © SB

All's calm and quiet now © SB 

What is this? A Killdeer, a fairly common prairie bird. 
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, SK.

Photo Date: August 28, 2011. 

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Damselflies: Condie Nature Refuge

Bluet Damselfly -- with startling grin.  © SB 

Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan: Damselflies are the tiny dancers of the Dragonfly world, so slight that my camera — even the new DSLR — struggles to find a still, solid point at the centre of their world on which to focus. Only two or three centimetres long, with a wingspan about the same, damselflies' needle-like abdomens must measure a few millimetres at most. (Not that I could catch one of these delicate creatures to try that — I have enough trouble trying to capture their image!

The first damselfly, at the top of this post, was stunning, a light shimmering turquoise blue, based on which, I've decided it must be a Bluet... Of course, nothing's easy for the non-biologist, and as it turns out, there are many different kinds of Bluets. Close-up shots of rear male appendages are apparently helpful for identification, but that takes photography to a whole new level.  

Take a minute to click to enlarge that Bluet — is it just me, or does its face bear a strange resemblance to the scary grins of the little creatures in the Gremlins horror movies of the 1980s/90s?

Continuing with the blue theme, the next two damselflies have bulging blue eyes — the first looked very opaque, while the second reflected a darker translucence. Again, these are tiny insects — shorter than the top two joints on my little finger, and I have very small hands.  

Damselfly, Boggy Creek, Condie Nature Refuge © SB

Damselfly, Condie Nature Refuge, Saskatchewan © SB

The final damselfly was paler, with a slightly brown cast overall, and very easy-to-see reddish spots at the top and end of its wings, similar to the damselfly immediately above.

Damselfly clinging to Thistle stalk © SB

All photos can be clicked to enlarge — and if you do, you'll see the amazing hairs on this last tiny guy's legs...


What are these? Damselflies — which look like tiny dragonflies, but are a slightly different species. 
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, about 12 km north of Regina.
Photo Date: August 27 & 28, 2011.

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White-tailed deer: Condie Nature Refuge

Warily watching... © SB 

Condie Nature Refuge, Regina, Saskatchewan: A young, still spotted, white-tailed deer watched as I drove through Condie today, its large tail a banner as it ran to the shelter of trees and then back across the field to the lower land beside the creek.  

The tail is certainly a marker for these deer; it's so different from the mule deer we saw at Grasslands National Park.

White-tailed deer at Condie Nature Refuge © SB 

What is this? A young white-tailed deer. 
Location: Condie Nature Refuge, near Regina, Saskatchewan. 

Photo Date: August 27, 2011. 

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