All throughout the winter and early spring of 2021, our local photographers have been capturing the best of our feathered friends and furred friends and neighbours. Check out their work that has appeared in the Pages of the East Kootenay Advertiser over the past months. This is Part IX.

See More: Urban Wildlife Part VIII.

See More: Urban Wildlife Part VII.

This pair of Trumpeter Swans had eyes only for each other. Trumpeter Swans mate for life and in the spring they engage in a beautiful, graceful courtship that involves a lot of wing flapping on the water and constant soft hooting back and forth. In a few weeks eggs will be laid and the cygnets will appear in early summer. Helga Knote photo

Kurt Swanson had a close encounter of the third kind with a ram near the Bull River Trout Hatchery. Kurt Swanson photo

Fluffy but fierce! This Northern Pygmy-Owl made an appearance in a local backyard last week and in the space of a half hour, dispatched, and dined on two unlucky mice (one of which can be seen dangling from the hunter’s talons). Christina Blaskovich photo

Karen Nordby had a close encounter of the Weasel kind along Jim Ogilvie Way in Kimberley, stopping to exchange pleasantries with a fellow pedestrian dressed in winter whites. Karen Nordby photo

A male Common Goldeneye enjoys a splash bath in a patch of open water at Peckham’s Lake before a leisurely preening session in the warm sun. Helga Knote photo

A mourning dove, waiting for its mate. Christina Blaskovich photo

See More: Urban Wildlife Part VI.

See More: Urban Wildlife Part V.

Female Pine Grosbeak: Grosbeaks live in open evergreen forests with spruce, pine, or fir across Canada. They forage on the ground or in trees, grabbing seeds and fruits or or nipping fresh buds and needles from the tips of branches. Miriam Saville photo

Juvenile Bald Eagle surveying his domain. Miriam Saville photo

A Grey Jay. Miriam Saville photo

A house finch enjoying late afternoon sunshine. Stewart Wilson photo

A black-billed magpie in a pensive mood at St. Eugene Mission. Stewart Wilson photo

See more: Urban Wildlife Part IV.

See more: Urban Wildlife Part III

This mountain chickadee was showing its acrobatic skills as it fed on seeds above Joseph Creek. Stewart Wilson

A peregrin falcon takes wing. Stewart Wilson photo

A pileated woodpecker at Elizabeth Lake. Stewart Wilson photo

A Red-Breasted Nuthatch. Miriam Saville photo

A flock of common redpolls was enjoying feeding on seeds on a sunny afternoon at Elizabeth Lake. Stewart Wilson photo

This sharp-shinned hawk looks like it is about to start feeding on some berries, but it is waiting for any unsuspecting songbirds. Stewart Wilson photo

See more: Urban Wildlife Part II.

See more: Urban Wildlife Part I.

Watch out songbirds! This northern shrike is on the lookout for its next meal at Elizabeth Lake. Stewart Wilson photo

A flock of snow buntings. Stewart Wilson photo

Above and below: These snow spiders were discovered a few minutes apart by a girl in Joanna Popoff’s kindergarten class from Gordon Terrace Elementary during a weekly outing to Elizabeth Lake. Stewart Wilson photos

Song Sparrow celebrating the day. Miriam Saville photo

Above and below: This Townsend’s solitaire seems equally at home on its perch by the construction site off Innes Avenue as at Elizabeth Lake. Stewart Wilson photo

Mountain Bluebirds are back in our valley, taking advantage of these warm, early spring days. This brilliant, sky-blue male (left) was seen at the Irrigation Fields, along with several others. Helga Knote photo.

Above: Mountain Bluebird photo by Miriam Saville

Western Bluebird Photo by Miriam Saville

American Wigeons are medium-sized, rather compact ducks with a short bill and a round head. They tend to sit on the water with their heads pulled down, giving them a no-necked look. Breeding males have a brownish gray head with a wide green stripe behind the eye and a gleaming white cap, resulting in them being referred to as “bald pate” ducks. Miriam Saville photo