We are off for a safari and visit to Tanzania next month and my brother has generously agreed to lend me some fancy camera equipment for this trip. I took the ferry over to Vancouver yesterday and he picked me up and took me to the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in nearby Delta. I fitted a 70-200 lens with a 2X teleconverter to the Canon EOS 5 body that Mike had given us years ago for use in Nepal and elsewhere. The lens is one of Canon's high end pieces of glass with a large aperture and even with a teleconverter (which dims the image a bit) it still took pretty decent pictures of various birds. Below are some results. I was pretty happy with them given I have almost no experience shooting birds. Good equipment makes it possible to get a few good shots out of dozens of attempts.
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| I believe this is a ring necked duck in company with a female mallard |
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| Northern Pintail duck |
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| Sandhill Cranes visit the sanctuary |
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| Another Pintail |
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| Northern Shoveller |
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| American Wigeon |
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| Hooded Merganser |
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| There were sometimes over a dozen blue herons hunched over keeping each other company |
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| This short eared owl was just one of at least 3 who were hunting voles in the salt marshes. They are active during the later day unlike many owls who only hunt when it is darker |
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| My brother was not alone in his passion to capture wildlife. Lots of other birders were out on this relatively warm and occasionally sunny January 14. |
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| Wood duck |
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| This tiny Saw whet owl was asleep the first two times we walked by his tree. On the third visit he/she had just opened its eyes. |
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