Inglewood Bird Sanctuary September 6, 2025

He said "GO"!  He said "hang that camera around your neck"!  He said "strap on that backpack"! He said "you raise that camera and take photographs"!  This is my interpretation of what the surgeon told me at my check up appointment.  I followed his advice that it's time to get back to doing things, that it is safe to do so, just listen to your body!  If something is painful to do then don't do it.  So, I arrived at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary while it was still dark, sat in my car for a bit then strapped on my backpack, slung my camera and purse around my neck and off I went!  It felt so good it felt so right!

The morning was chilly yet it was not fresh.  Late yesterday most of the wildfire smoke blew out of the city.  Instead of the rating being at high risk as it was for the past number of days, this morning it was moderate.  I could smell smoke but I could not taste it and it did not bother my eyes or throat.  

The Sanctuary was a happening place this morning!  I did lots of watching as I have been doing the past while yet in addition to watching I was snapping and snapping and snapping!  Many of my photos were blurry, I had a feeling they might be as I was getting use to holding my camera up to my eye.  The strength is coming back with lots of recovery exercises.   I was so happy to be able to zoom in to capture close ups like I did for this Female Downy Woodpecker.

There were many Wood Ducks, this male being one of them!  

The way they were chasing each other, it looked like springtime flirting.  

Or it could have been the juveniles just being kids.    

While I was chatting with two other birders, this Merlin landed on a tree just above us.  There were two and they were both playing chase with a crow.  They flew over top of us many times, at times too close and too quick to capture a shot. 

The Osprey is eyeing me!  There were two, one at each end of the pond high in the trees.  They were chatting loudly to each other.  I guess I distracted this one and it stopped being so vocal for a few seconds. 

Two Beavers were busy building nests not too far from each other.  

I had a better view of this one so watched for quite some time. 

Figure this one out!  That's the backside of Mom with her head to the right eating from the ground.  That's her fawn behind her with the head to the left.  I was at the Sanctuary a week or so ago and I believe this is the same pair.  Back then there were still a few spots on the Fawn, today there were none. I need to google to find out when are they no longer considered a Fawn and does having or not having spots have anything to do with it!  

The leaves are beginning to change colour and some are already falling from the trees.  

It's not swish season yet but I will be out there swishing when it's time to!

While I covered a good distance it was not a great distance nor was it done in a clip style fashion, yet I was exhausted once I got home.  I blame that on the excitement of doing something in a normal fashion again and the extra effort it took to take photographs holding my big camera up to my eye which I did 130 times!