Monday, June 29, 2009

B.C. Trip Part IV

June 16


Artisan Birding


Before breakfast Jean and I birded the grounds of the Tara Shanti for one hour.


Image by Bob


No new birds but we would discover the the nest of the Rufous Hummingbird pair. If not for spotting the male Rufous selecting a piece of lichen from a tree branch and taking it back to the nest in a Honeysuckle vine, the nest would have remained unnoticed.

Can you spot the nest?




Here is a cropped image.

Hummingbird nest images by Bob


Later that morning we visited the Artisan Way (Hwy 3A) in Crawford Bay, a strip of various artisans and their working studios.


The North Woven Broom a historic log barn with hundreds of brooms hanging from the rafters.



Image by Jill (Mum)






The broom used in the 'Bewitched' movie poster was made at this shop. Along with some pretty cool Harry Potter prototypes.


The building housing the Barefoot Handweaving Studio & Gallery was interesting.



Image by Bob

Guess what was used for insulation. Straw!! How cool is that.


Image by Bob


More importantly, there was a bird singing outside the studio that caught the attention of Jean and I. It would disappear but would return when we continued our tour at Breathless Glass, Fireworks Copper & Glass and Kootenay Forge.



Tim at Breathless Glass making a wine glass.



Images by Bob


The bird was amazingly coloured, brilliant turquoise head and back; reddish breast; white belly and 2 white wing bars. A lifer Lazuli Bunting (#270).



While at the last artisan shop, Dogpatch Pottery, I scanned the field and sky from the road side, spotting Red-tailed Hawk, Common Raven, American Robin and Violet-green Swallow.



With the shopping concluded Jean and I had lunch with her mum on the beach neighbouring the Crawford Bay Wetlands. The Wetlands were calling and this time I had our scope.



Images by Jean unless stated otherwise.

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