Weaselhead by Water

Tuesday was a lovely day for a paddle on the Glenmore Reservoir.  The water levels are still very high and I was also able to paddle a long way up the Elbow River.  The marshy area where the river enters the reservoir was extensively flooded and there was some very cool paddling in among the bushes.

West end of Glenmore Reservoir, photo taken with smartphone

The birding was relatively sparse, at least in part because of the time of day (11:30 to 2:30).  Despite this there were some neat sightings along the way.

Spotted Sandpipers aren't very spotted at this time of year but there were many of them along the south shore of the reservoir, including these two squabbling for space on a log.  There were also many Cedar Waxwings and some tantalizing glimpses of warblers such as Wilson's and Yellow Warblers.  Closer to the west end of the reservoir I enjoyed watching this Least Flycatcher hunting among some shrubs.

Just around the corner I surprised a juvenile Cooper's Hawk.  This was to be the first of two accipiters for the day as a Sharp-shinned Hawk flew across in front of me as I was paddling up a narrow channel in the Weaselhead.

Heading back across the reservoir there were a few ducks, gulls, and grebes scattered across the water but I most enjoyed watching three Double-crested Cormorants swimming and sunning themselves along the mouth of the river.