Yellow-headed blackbirds in Kelowna

I edited the image to get an unobstructed view of the yellow-headed blackbird.

It's always nice to see yellow-headed blackbirds, especially when you have others with you who have never seen them.  Although Canada has a fair assortment of colourful birds, few of them are as stark as these ones.  The three others I was with were visibly excited getting their first glimpse.  What made it better was the fact that I captured these colourful creatures on camera.

We hiked up the back of Knox Mountain in Kelowna and came to a pond I frequently visit.  There were the usual red-wings, coots, and a variety of ducks, but the appearance of the yellow-heads was new to even me.  I have seen the birds before, but never here and never in Kelowna.

The best photo I took was of a yellow-headed blackbird with a dragonfly, but there was a reed blocking a good view of it.  In post, I used Photoshop to improve the image, but it is hard when missing important details like the eye.  So I found another image with the bird (inset) and copied that part over.  Then I used the clone tool to fix up the rest of the bird.  Overall, the result is pleasing.

Over the years I have seen red-head ducks, rough-winged swallows, yellow-rumped warblers, and many other bird species.  It has always been a good place to visit and never disappoints me.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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