2205_3584 Red-necked Phalaropes
A shallow, intermittent saline lake, Reed Lake in southwestern Saskatchewan - along with Chaplin Lake and Old Wives Lake - is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Approximately 100,000 Sanderlings and dozens of other species use this site annually - either as a spring stopover along their northern migration route or as a staging area in the fall. When I was there last week, I saw thousands of Red-necked Phalaropes and Wilson's Phalaropes at both Reed and Chaplin.
In the evening, at Reed, I found a somewhat flat rock at the water's edge that allowed me to lie flat without getting covered in mud and dried sodium sulphate deposits (although it didn't matter, because I was already covered from a previous location that didn't have a flat rock to lie on). The birds soon settled down and a great many came in close to investigate. The light ranged from dull to fantastic as clouds piled up to the west, blocking and then releasing the sunshine. The only annoyance took the form of two people in a van who flew a drone along the shoreline, at times spooking the birds. It made half a dozen passes. I resisted giving it the finger. I don't know whether they were making a "serious" film or just having fun, but I did learn last year during the production of "Wild Prairie Man" that all documentary films today must include the requisite drone shots to be considered "professional" and "viable".
I tried not to be a grumpy old man. After all, the birds were mostly unperturbed, and in fact the much greater issue for them this spring is avian flu. I did see a large white bird dead along the beach - a swan or pelican - and I saw one sick gull. No doubt there were more. Pretty sad. But the vast majority of birds appeared healthy. And overall it was a good trip, as I came back with two lifers and 1800+ new photos to go through.
More to come...
Photographed at Reed Lake, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2205_3584 Red-necked Phalaropes
A shallow, intermittent saline lake, Reed Lake in southwestern Saskatchewan - along with Chaplin Lake and Old Wives Lake - is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Approximately 100,000 Sanderlings and dozens of other species use this site annually - either as a spring stopover along their northern migration route or as a staging area in the fall. When I was there last week, I saw thousands of Red-necked Phalaropes and Wilson's Phalaropes at both Reed and Chaplin.
In the evening, at Reed, I found a somewhat flat rock at the water's edge that allowed me to lie flat without getting covered in mud and dried sodium sulphate deposits (although it didn't matter, because I was already covered from a previous location that didn't have a flat rock to lie on). The birds soon settled down and a great many came in close to investigate. The light ranged from dull to fantastic as clouds piled up to the west, blocking and then releasing the sunshine. The only annoyance took the form of two people in a van who flew a drone along the shoreline, at times spooking the birds. It made half a dozen passes. I resisted giving it the finger. I don't know whether they were making a "serious" film or just having fun, but I did learn last year during the production of "Wild Prairie Man" that all documentary films today must include the requisite drone shots to be considered "professional" and "viable".
I tried not to be a grumpy old man. After all, the birds were mostly unperturbed, and in fact the much greater issue for them this spring is avian flu. I did see a large white bird dead along the beach - a swan or pelican - and I saw one sick gull. No doubt there were more. Pretty sad. But the vast majority of birds appeared healthy. And overall it was a good trip, as I came back with two lifers and 1800+ new photos to go through.
More to come...
Photographed at Reed Lake, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.