Of all the creatures in the world...

 Oh to be one that flies above all the rest

Northern Harrier  

Great Blue Heron

Killdear

Kingfisher

Merlin

Osprey

Caspian Tern

Turkey Vulture

All photos by BarrytheBirder

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BarrytheBirder

366 Hummingbird species in the world...

 

Photo by Barry Wallace

The IOU (International Ornithologists Union) says there are 366 species of hummingbirds in the world, mostly south of the United States of America, and only in the Western Hemisphere.

The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world and is found in Cuba and The Isle of Pines.   It is 2.24 inches (5.7 cm) long.

The Giant Hummingbird is the world's largest hummingbird at about 9 inches (23 cm) and is found in Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia.   There are actually two types of Giant Hummingbird: the Northern Giant Hummingbird and the Southern Giant Hummingbird.   The 'Northern' one is the slightly larger of the two.

What is the rarest 'hummer' in the world?   It is the Iridescent Sabrewing, found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Mountains of northern Columbia and it has an extremely limited range.

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BarrytheBirder

Nuthatches - acrobats at the feeders...

 

Above...

White-breasted

Nuthatch

At left...

Red-breasted

Nuthatch

Both are very common in southern Ontario

in winter

and are able to empty nut feeders with amazing speed 

and non-stop

intensity.

Please comment

if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Swainson's Hawk still in Aurora in January!

                                                                  Photo by Barry Wallace

The Swainson's Hawk I featured in this space several times late last year and had subsequently thought, back in September, to have migrated south for the winter has suddenly reappeared in January's freezing temperatures here in Aurora in southern Ontario.   A fellow resident of the Delmanor Retirement Residence where I live, showed me a photo which he had taken, a day or so ago, of the Swainson's Hawk I had become so familiar with.   Obviously, with the cold temperatures hereabouts, but with very light snow cover so far this winter, this bird is finding food and is not thinking it should be in Mexico or points further south.

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BarrytheBirder

Snowy Owls found dead with bird flue...

 

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Birds found dead in Toronto Park in December

Two Snowy Owls were found dead at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto, Ontario, last month, have tested positive for avian influenza, also known as bird flu.   Avian influenza can spread between animals and humans and vice versa and presents a huge risk.   Dead and injured birds found near Toronto should be reported to the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority, or the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative or the Toronto Wildlife Centre.   No one other than members of these agencies mentioned above should touch, feed or handle birds to avoid potential exposure to avian flu.   Rodenticide, a common rat poison used to kill rodents that sometimes ends up in larger animals that eat them, is often under-reported in wildlife deaths because of the precautions around handling birds with avian influenza.   More details can be found in a Toronto Star story of January 18th, on page A2.

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BarrytheBirder

Barred Owl (Strix varia)

 

                                                                        Photos by BarrytheBirder

This chunky owl is quickly recognized by its dark eyes, dark barring on its upper breast, and dark streaking below.   It's mainly nocturnal and its daytime roost is usually well hidden, but it is much more likely to be heard than other owls in the daytime.   Its distinctive call is a rhythmic series of loud hoots, sometimes preceded by an ascending agitated barking.   It is found in lower eastern Canada and the eastern United States.   The photos shown here were taken on the Oak Ridges Moraine in King Township, a few miles north of Toronto, Ontario.

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BarrytheBirder

BirdsCanada.Org Appeal for Funds...

 

Art by Shaylena Stenback

I received an appeal for funds from BirdsCanada.Org recently, but the request was from 2024 and had been delayed by the recent postal strike.   I intend to make a contribution nevertheless, but wanted to share the artwork (above) that accompanied the request.   I was quite impressed by this charming coloured illustration of a Least Bittern by Shaylena Stenback.

The Least Bittern is the smallest Heron in the world, at roughly the size of a '...long-necked, long-legged American Robin'.   Interesting...as the Least Bittern is 13" (33cm.) long, while the American Robin is 10" (25 cm.) long.

Nevertheless, Doug Tozer, Director of Waterbirds & Wetlands at BirdsCanada.Org, makes an impassioned plea for funds on behalf of birds.  Doug went on to say that wetland birds like the least Bittern have seen a population increase of 21% on average since 1970, while grassland bird species have declined by 67% since 1970, and some species like the Chesnut-collared Longspur have declined by a disheartening 95%!

A quick way to reach BirdsCanada HQ is by calling 1-888-448-2473.

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BarrytheBirder

New bird for me...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Red-tailed Black Cockatoo

(Calyptorhynchus banksii)

I came across this bird recently as part of a travelling menagerie of exotic creatures that was making a presentation in the retirement community in which I live, in Aurora, Ontario.   This striking-looking creature is native to Australia, where about only 15,000 remain in the wild.

It is 60 centimeters (24") in length and can live up to 50 years, 

but its long-term prospects in the wild are not good.

 

Please comment

if you wish.

Barry the Birder

Grackle image...

                                                                  Photo by BarrytheBirder

The only reason I'm showing this photo of a Grackle, which I took some time ago, is because I didn't notice before, just how long its bill was.   All three types of Grackles in North America also have long keel-shaped tails.   This one above, with its long bill and  tail is a neat specimen.   Love that upward glance also.

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BarrytheBirder

Reliable sightings of Snowy Owls north of Newmarket...

 

                                                                Photos by BarrytheBirder

I've always found Snowy Owls, in winter,  at the western end of the Ravenshoe Sideroad, between Queensville and Keswick, north of Newmarket. My friend, Doreen Hiltz, of Holland Landing, wrote last week to say she and her son spotted some last week and got photos of one.   I have several photos of these wonderful creatures in this reliable location that stretches across the most northern reaches of the Holland Marsh, just south of Lake Simcoe's southern end.

My National Geographic Society Field Guide to the Birds of North America states the Snowy Owl is "A large white owl, with rounded head, yellow eyes.  Dark bars and spots are heavier on females, heaviest on young birds; old males may be pure white."

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BarrytheBirder

Wild Turkeys surviving the winter...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

'Meleagris gallopavo' 

I photographed these Wild Turkeys on the Oak Ridges Moraine in King Township.  These birds are the largest gamebirds in North America.   They are a bit smaller and more slender than the domesticated variety.   Males have dark iridescent bodies, red wattles and bare-skinned heads that are blue and pink, plus spurred legs.

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BarrytheBirder

 

January is suet time...

 

Downy Woodpecker downing suet

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BarrytheBirder

The delight and joy of hand-feeding chickadees...

                                                                 Photos by BarrytheBirder

Chickadees teach us that 

it is not the size of our wings, 

but the strength of our spirit that matters.

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BarrytheBirder

Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis

                                                                   Photos by BarrytheBirder

                                

If this 

beautiful 

creature 

can make it 

through 

January,

then 

so can I.

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BarrytheBirder

North Holland Marsh...Ravenshoe Sideroad

                                                                           Photo by BarrytheBirder

Does the Snowy Owl ever wish it was a Snowy Egret?

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BarrytheBirder

Sign of the times...

                                      

                                                           Photo: larrylzrd@gmail.com

                          Forwarded to me by onetime high school classmate, Rod Bell 

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Andean Condor - national bird of Columbia

Andean Condor

A few weeks ago, in this space, I listed the top three countries in the world for bird species.   Columbia was the top with 1,917 species.   I meant to say at the time that the national bird of Columbia is the ANDEAN CONDOR.   It is one of the largest flying birds in the world and is generally considered to be the largest raptor in the world.

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BarrytheBirder

Some of my bird carvings collection...

 

Photo by Barry Wallace

Carvings in photo above include Ruddy Duck by Jim Harkness, shorebird by F. Smith, Loon by Ron Sadler, Puffin by Dale Davies and Western Grebe by Liza Chin.

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BarrytheBirder

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) - Winter Warrior

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Dark-eyed Juncos, in most forms, have a dark gray or brown head and breast, sharply set off from their white bellies.   Their white outer tail feathers are conspicuous in flight.   They were once divided into four species.   Male of the widespread "Slate-coloured" type (shown above in southern Ontario) has a dark gray hood while its upperparts are almost entirely gray or have varying amounts of brown at centre of back.   Females are brownish-gray overall.   In winter, Dark-eyed Juncos are found in a wide variety of habitats.   Their songs are musical trills of one pitch, often heard in winter.

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BarrytheBirder

Asian Rock Sparrow found on Vancouver Island!!!

                                                                           Photo by Dave Kemp

My Vancouver Island birding acquaintance,  nature photographer Dave Kemp has passed along a recent photo which he took of a Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia) on Vancouver Island.  This bird is normally found in a very long but narrow stretch of Europe and Asia, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.   How on earth this bird got to Vancouver Island is subject to great speculation, but I suppose it is within the possibility that it crossed the Atlantic in a westerly direction to North America , or perhasps it crossed the Pacific in an easterly direction, to North America.   Whatever direction, it must have been an extraordinary crossing.   Great sighting Dave!                     

Please comment if you wish.         

BarrytheBirder

Some of my bird carving collection...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Top: Western Grebe 1987 - by Liza Chin

Centre: Shorebird - by F. Smith

Bottom: Loon 1983 - Ron Sadler

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BarrytheBirder

Drunk Waxwings are helped to sober-up...

Photo - Wonderae - Creativity, Inspiration, Wonder

The Waxwings pictured above happened to eat fermented fruit and then fell drunk on sidewalks.   Wise passersby collected them and put them in a safe place until they sobered up.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Great Blue Herons have headed south...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

It's almost Christmas and Great Blue Herons which spent the summer and fall in southern Ontario have long ago headed south.   I have to say however, that over the last 20 years or so, I did see a couple of Great Blues touch down on late-autumn ponds that had a thin skim of ice on them.   However, the herons quickly moved on...heading in a southerly direction.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry the Birder 

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

                                                                      Photos by BarrytheBirder

The White-breasted Nuthatch is a frequent visitor to seed and suet feeders in Canadian winters and is a resident from New Brunswick west to British Columbia.   It is also widespread in the United States as far south as Texas and Florida.   Despite is 'white-breasted' moniker, is does have a rusty/brown wash on its belly.   

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BarrytheBirder

North America's most abundant dove...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Mourning Dove

Zenaida Macroura

     Please comment if you wish.

      BarrytheBirder

Junco thinking about lunch...

                                                                                                                       Photo by BarrytheBirder

                                                      Frozen food?

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BarrytheBirder