Happy World Migratory Bird Day!
A male rufous keeping a wary eye out for rival Anna's hummingbirds
In honor of World Migratory Bird Day, here are a few photos of rufous hummingbirds (Selasphorus rufus) which have visited us here over the past couple of years.
A thirsty rufous hummer (Selasphorus rufus) returns from her long-distance journey.
🌱 Sounds of the first spring morning 🎶
Birds in this recording, as identified by Kate:
American Robins, Common Ravens, Pacific Wren, Rooster, California Quail, Dark-eyed Juncos, Gulls (Glaucous-winged?), Anna’s Hummingbirds, Northwestern Crows, Pine Siskin, Downy Woodpecker? (drum), Spotted Towhee, Northern Flicker
~13 Species in 14 minutes
Sidney Spit Restoration Adventure
Yesterday, Kate & I had an opportunity to do some restoration #volunteering with the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve on a beautiful tear-drop-shaped spit jutting out from Sidney Island which is home to a coastal sand ecosystem (rare in this region) which hosts several at-risk species such as the contorted-pod evening-primrose, Edwards' beach moth, & the ground-nesting (deceptively-named) common nighthawk.
A vibrant varied thrush greets a grey winter morning, perched amidst budding branches
🌺 ✨ Hummer Nectar Schedule 2022! ✨ 🌸
Hi folks!
It's a new year, and you know what that means.... time to print out your shiny, new & improved ✨Hummingbird Nectar Refresh Schedule✨!
Last year, I was dreaming about including a flip-side to the schedule that would provide a recipe, helpful tips and interesting facts. Whelp, with a timely nudge from the Rocky Point Bird Observatory (who asked to display an updated version on their website), I finally achieved this!
Download the new schedule here & read more about the process in Kate's Patreon post.
World Migratory Bird Day Spotlight: Rocky Point Bird Observatory 
World Migratory Bird Day is upon us once again, as many of our feathered friends prepare to embark on their journeys across vast, treacherous autumnal flyways, connecting communities and ecosystems around the world (while we humans continue to manage our zugunruhe). In honour of this auspicious occasion, we thought we'd take some time to spotlight our incredible local bird observatory, where we've previously had the opportunity to participate in their migration monitoring and saw-whet owl migration programs.
A very soft and warm swainson's thrush being held gently by Kate
Hummingtunes IV 
If you missed the previous editions of Hummingtunes, you can find them here: I, II, III.
Bandcamp Friday is upon us once again (Sept 3)! For today's edition, we've decided to keep things short and sweet by sharing a list of songs related to one of our favourite subjects—which may shock you—birds! Feathered friends have always served as a natural source of inspiration for composers and songwriters, so there was, unsurprisingly, no shortage of avian-influenced tracks for us to choose from on Bandcamp. We hope you'll enjoy these selections—instrumental and otherwise—from fellow bird-noticing artists we admire. We also invite you to join us in picking up some wholesome tunes this time 'round & supporting some talented music-makers in the process!
Catching Some Rays
On a particularly hot, sunny day earlier this summer, I was out identifying plants in the garden when, rounding a bend, I was met with this sight on a mossy mound of rock near the bird bath:
They were absolutely still, frozen in their respective poses:
