But recently I was hit with a streak of bad luck, missing the Solitaire in Shelburne, than being unsuccessful with Greater White-fronted Geese in Owen Sound, and then this morning with the Mountain Bluebird in Waterloo.
This morning me, my mom and (weirdly) my sister decided to take on the exhausting (16 min) drive to Snyder's Flats, to try and relocate the Bluebird. About an hour and a half later, we were already leaving the flats with nothing to show except for a slightly out of range Raven. But I was determined to get this first county record, so convinced my mom to (again) drive my up to the flats. As soon as we got there, I noticed two people off on the flats with massive cameras pointed in the same direction, always a good sign. We hurried across the field to find the Bluebird perched on top of a bush. It sat there for a few seconds, eyeing us up with it's ringed little eye, before flying to the ground, catching an insect than flying a few yards away to the top of a tree. It repeated this pattern, and I managed a decent shot:
Pretty little thing! Too bad it's not a male... Ah well, I can't complain!
It continued it's little flight routine, and worked it's way in an arc across the flat. I guessed where it was going to perch next, and lucked out when it landed in the top of a tree only a few metres from me!
A very grey individual I thought, although the sunset colours don't make it appear that way!
We followed it around a little more, until it settled in top of a tree on the opposite side of the road, and preened. We crept up closer and closer until we were right underneath the tree! It barely seemed bothered by our presence and continued preening.
Preening it's wing
Too bad this picture doesn't bring out the blue more in it's wing and tail!
And there we left it with the quickly dying light... And I might go again tomorrow in better lighting!
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