16 stunning photos of birds in Metro Vancouver

If you're on Instagram (OF COURSE YOU'RE ON INSTAGRAM) then you don't haver to look very far beyond Vancouver to get amazing images of nature and the outdoors in your feed. It's not only the supergrammers with 100,000 who share the awesomeness, but it sometimes feel like there's an army . One person you should start following right now is @iPhilFlash. A rising star with 900 followers, he mostly shoots nature and has an absurd amount of bird photos that he's shot in and around Vancouver. Below are 20 of our favourites. Enjoy!

? The leader of the pack...? ~ The Shangri-las ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That's the leader of the Snow Geese poop patrol making sure they cover every inch of the park with poop...lol! Actually, 2014 wasn't as bad as previous years, fewer Snow Geese visited the park and my boots were very thankful for that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Camera: Canon 5D Mark III Lens: EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Settings: 1/1600 sec f/8 ISO 1250

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Apr 15, 2015 at 4:06pm PDT

? Who will love a little sparrow? And who will speak a kindly word?...? ~ Simon and Garfunkel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continuing with the Savannah Sparrows - this one was not to be outdone by his fellow sparrow. Collecting two caterpillars AND a spider he went on looking for even more! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Camera: Canon 7D Mark II Lens: EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Settings: 1/1250 sec f/8 ISO 640 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on May 20, 2015 at 4:13pm PDT

- A light breakfast - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A juvenile Great Blue Heron catches a tiny fish for breakfast. I think it's a juvenile because it was small and its feathers were brown. Unfortunately, this is close to a 100% crop of the original frame. Wish I could have cropped this in camera but I don't have a 600mm lens.? I think I'll go buy a lottery...haha! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #HarrisonRiver #HarrisonMills #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon #7DMarkII Lens: EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Settings: 1/500 sec f/8 ISO 1250 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many thanks to Henni of @astounding_shots for featuring my heron silhouette. Check them out for some astounding photography. Follow and tag #astounding_shots for your chance to be featured.

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Oct 17, 2015 at 9:10pm PDT

~ Lot Full ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A #SnowGoose looks for a parking spot at Garry Point Park. Photo talk: The 'Dutch tilt' was unintentional but I think it works. Straightening the horizon chopped off too much of the wing. Need more BIF practice. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #GarryPointPark #Steveston #RichmondBC #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Settings: 1/1600 sec f/8 ISO 400

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Nov 21, 2015 at 11:40pm PST

? Can't you see when you look at me: What a lovely creature is a swan...? ~ Barbra Streisand ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Portrait of an adolescent Mute Swan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #ThirdAvenuePier #GulfofGeorgiaCannery #StevestonVillage #Steveston #RichmondBC #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #GetOlympus OM-D #EM5 Lens: Olympus M.75-300mm f/4.8-6.7 II Settings: 1/400 sec f/8 ISO 640 252mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Dec 3, 2015 at 6:43pm PST

? Anna, girl before you go now...? ~ Beatles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Male Anna's Hummingbird at Richmond Nature Park on a freakin' cold winter's morning. So, who decided that these hummingbirds should belong to Anna? Haha...!? Photo talk: My only problem on this morning's shoot was acquiring the target at 600mm. I did have to search for the little humming bird a couple of times but I'm getting better at acquiring the target at this long focal length. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #RichmondNaturePark #RichmondBC #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/500 sec f/8 ISO1000 600mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Dec 30, 2015 at 4:33pm PST

- Shhh...be vewy vewy quiet. I'm hunting wabbits. - Elmer Fudd ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ok, the #ShortEaredOwl here is not hunting wabbits but most probably voles or mice. Did you know Elmer Fudd started hunting wabbits with a camera before he took up the shotgun? Photo talk: Another photo that shows well at IG size but won't make it to my Flickr account. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #Delta #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/2000sec f/8 ISO8000 600mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Jan 21, 2016 at 6:58pm PST

? The eagle's dancing wings create as weather spins out of hand...? ~ Yes (Roundabout) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was prepared for this takeoff because 90% of the time they take off after a poop and this one pooped a few frames back. Is that TMI? Haha...! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #BoundaryBay #Delta #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/2000 sec f/8 ISO 1250 500mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Feb 15, 2016 at 7:34pm PST

? Thought I heard a Red-winged Blackbird, Red-winged Blackbird down my road...? ~ David Francey (Red-winged Blackbird) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A #RedWingedBlackbird at Roberts Bank in Delta. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #Delta #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/400 sec f/6.3 ISO 1000 600mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Feb 28, 2016 at 5:22pm PST

?Puff the magic dragon...? ~ Peter, Paul & Mary ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A #DoubleCrestedComorant trying to take off eh! I thought this cormorant, in this position, looks very much like a dragon. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #Delta #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/800 sec f/8 ISO 640 600mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Mar 1, 2016 at 6:23pm PST

- Flying the coop - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ok, this #GreatBlueHeron is not flying the coop. He's flying off to gather nesting materials. The reason I think it's a "he" is because every time he returns to the nest, with a twig, he gets a scolding! Haha...just kidding! It must be some sort of nesting ritual - yeah that must be it. ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #Tsawwassen #Delta #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/1250 sec f/6.3 ISO 1600 600mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Mar 12, 2016 at 7:02pm PST

- Iridescent - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A closeup of Mr. #WoodDuck showing his beautiful iridescent feathers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #ReifelBirdSanctuary #WesthamIsland #Delta #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/2500 sec f/6.3 ISO 800 600mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Mar 16, 2016 at 8:45pm PDT

?Baby, blue on blue...? ~ James Blunt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A #TreeSwallow yelling at another Tree Swallow that was trying to land on the same roof. I would yell too if someone tried to steal my parking spot! ?? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #IonaBeach #RichmondBC #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/1600 sec f/6.3 ISO 1250 600mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Mar 24, 2016 at 6:52pm PDT

?If you dig,dig, dig with a shovel or a pick...? ~ Snow White ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Red-shafted Northern Flicker uses his beak to dig, dig, dig a hole in a tree to use as a nest. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #BlackieSpitPark #Surrey #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/320 sec f/6.3 ISO 1250

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Mar 28, 2016 at 8:36pm PDT

- Buzzbomb - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Have you ever had a #RufousHummingbird buzz by you? What a unique sound! Just love these little rockets. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #RichmondNaturePark #RichmondBC #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/1600 sec f/6.3 ISO 800 600mm

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Apr 2, 2016 at 6:54pm PDT

?Mirror, mirror lie to me, show me what I wanna see...? ~ M2M ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A #GreatBlueHeron in deep concentration holds stock-still poised to strike. The stillness of the heron and the water creates an almost perfect mirror image. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Location: #Delta #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #Canada Camera: #Canon_Camera #7DMarkII Lens: #Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG Contemporary Settings: 1/2500 sec f/6.3 ISO 800

A photo posted by iPhil Flash (@iphilflash) on Mar 30, 2016 at 7:36pm PDT