In the backyard...

                                                                                                  Photos by BarrytheBirder

My favourite hummingbird feeder

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BarrytheBirder

Befriending the Gray Jay...

                                                                      Photos by April Dawn Georgekish

My niece, April Dawn Georgekish, who lives on the shores of James Bay, in Quebec, has befriended and photographed the Gray Jay that you see pictured here.  The Gray Jay is also known colloquially as the Canada Jay, Whiskey Jack, Grey Jay and Camp Robber.   They are very friendly and are always looking for a handout or any food accidentally dropped.   In my canoe-tripping days, I occasionally saw the same Gray Jay follow us on entire trips in Algonquin Park.   Bigger trips with lots of canoeists meant more handouts and on occasion it was more than one jay that followed along on whole trips.  Many people feel the Gray Jay should be Canada's national bird.   Me, I'm still holding out for the Common Loon.

Squeaky wheels gets the grease...

                                                                                               Photos by BarrytheBirder

Young grackles are insatiable

at backyard birdfeeder

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BarrytheBirder

Determined grackle...

                                                                                     Photo by BarrytheBirder

This grackle is too big for this feeder in my backyard, but it succeeds by hanging on with one claw, and flapping its wings like crazy.   Several juvenile grackles were watching this procedure with interest, but none tried to emulate the technique.   Give 'em time.

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BarrytheBirder

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

                                                                                                  Photo by BarrytheBirder

Osprey over lake Seneca

There was  a medieval belief that fish were so mesmerized by the osprey that they turned belly-up in surrender.   In fact ospreys are superbly equipped to catch fish, so that no fantasy about upside-down fish was ever appropriate.   The moment an osprey plunges into water in pursuit of fish, its talons are almost undeniable.   It has large sharp talons, reversible outer toes (two forward and two back for better grip), sharp needle-like spicules on the underside of toes, backward-facing scales on the talons which act as barbs to help hold its catch.   It is so adept at catching fish that 99% of its diet is piscatory.   

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BarrytheBirder

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) eggs...

                                                                           Photo: Steve Wilson/Blue Jay Barrens

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Until today, I did not know what colour Blue Jay eggs were.   It had never come up, until yesterday, when I came across what I thought were Bluebird eggs.   I was wrong.  They were Blue Jay eggs.   I then learned that Blue Jay eggs can be blue (as in the photo above) or blue with brown speckles or greenish with brown speckles, or light brown with brown speckles, or yellow with brown speckles, or various shades of these colours with or without speckles.   I think for the time being I will be satisfied to know that generally speaking, Blue Jay eggs are a beautiful pale blue.   They are also about 50% bigger than Bluebird eggs.

Please comment if you wish. 

BarrytheBirder

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

                                                                                           Photos by BarrytheBirder

Dufferin Marsh ~ Schomberg

I spotted this Green Heron in the storm-water retention  lagoon at the Dufferin Marsh, in Schomberg, Ontario.  Not very big (18") but attractive in its own way, I was pleased to get a few shots of a bird I don't see very often.

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BarrytheBirder

United States national bird...

                                                              Photo by BarrytheBirder

American Bald Eagle

(Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

The American Bald Eagle has been the national bird of the United States since 1782, when it ultimately won out over the Wild Turkey by one vote.   Prominent American Benjamin Franklin preferred the Wild Turkey, but was not successful in having the large fowl named the national bird.   Remarkably, 238 years later, America's bordering neighbour does not have a national bird.   Each Canadian province and territory has designated bird, but not the country itself.

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BarrytheBirder

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

                                                                                                   Photo by BarrytheBirder

May have several broods per season

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds lay one to three eggs per brood, incubate them about two weeks, and after hatching, feed their young for about three weeks.   They can have several broods in a year depending upon their location in the eastern United States and southern Canada.   Ruby-throats do not form breeding pairs.   Males depart immediately after the reproductive act, leaving the females to provide all the parental care.   The average lifespan in the wild is five to nine years, although males seldom live beyond five years, due to weight loss from the stress of energetic migration and the energy expense of defending mating territories.

Please comment

if you wish.

Barry the Birder

 

Record brood of Peregrine Falcons...

5 Peregrine Falcons in one brood

Bird watchers around the world are learning this week of the biggest brood of Peregrine Falcon chicks raised in Northern Ireland.   The falcons were discovered high up on the walls of rural quarry, by Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group members Lindsay Hodges and Christine Cassidy.   It is expected that only a couple of the young birds will make it through to full adulthood and they will return to the same spot to raise their own young.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

In the village...

                                                                                                    Photo by BarrytheBirder

Start of June they were wee goslings

...start of July almost full grow

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BarrytheBirder

16th Sideroad ~ east of of Jane Street

                                                                               Photo by BarrytheBirder

Sometimes it doesn't have to be real.

A sculpture can fly.

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BarrytheBirder

The BIRD WAY

Above is the first new bird book I have purchased this year.   It has been critically reviewed and is highly touted (by reviewers or birders?).  After reading it, I shall express my own opinion of the book, in this space.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

More of Dave Kemp's west coast photos...

                                                                                               Photos by Dave Kemp

Pictured above is a pair of male Wood Ducks and below, left, is a male and female Blue-winged Teal.

Below is a beautiful photo of a flower that Dave identifies as  a California Poppy.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

British Columbia bird photos from Dave Kemp...

                                                                                                  Photos by Dave Kemp

Here are some photos from British Columbia by my birding acquaintance, Dave Kemp, who has been sharing his bird photos for a few years now.   It's always a nice surprise get Dave's pictures from the west coast.   Pictured above is a Common Yellowthroat and below, part of a flock of American White Pelicans

Above is a female Mallard with some of her ducklings, while below is a Cedar Waxwing, and at the bottom a bullfrog.

                                   more photos from B.C. tomorrow...

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures...

                                                                                     Flicker Photo by Dave Govoni

In my blog of yesterday, I mentioned both Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures.   Above is an internet Flicker photo of both vultures by Dave Govoni.   The Turkey Vulture is on the left and the Black Vulture is on the right. The most significant differences are the different coloured heads and overall feather colours (brown vs. black).

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder 

Turkey Vultures nest in Bob and Carol Field's barn...

                                                                                       Photos by BarrytheBirder

Carol Field, who lives on Keele Street, north of King City, called last Sunday to let me know that she and husband Bob had Turkey Vultures living in an old barn of their farm.   The vultures appear to have raised two youngsters in a nest inside the barn, which the vultures accessed via a couple of missing barn boards.   I have to say that the photos appearing here are not of the 'Carol and Bobs' vultures, but are Turkey Vultures that I had photographed elsewhere in King Township.   Carol and I had agreed that these birds have huge wingspans and the photos I have included here, certainly show those massive wings quite well.   This is the first time I have heard of a report of nesting Turkey Vultures in King Township.   I commented to Carol that not only are Turkey Vultures quite common in Ontario now, because of global warming/climate change, but Black Vultures from the U.S.A. are now starting to show up in southern Ontario also.  Indeed, the times they are a-changin'.

 

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Troglodytes aedon

                                                                                           Photos by BarrytheBirder

HOUSE WREN

The House Wren is the most widely distributed wren in the Americas, occurring from Canada to the bottom of Argentina.  It is one of 88 true wren species that are found predominately in the new world.   Only the Eurasian Wren occurs in the old world.   There are other bird species in the world called wrens, such as in Australia and New Zealand, but they are not true wren species.   I took these photos, a few years ago, when a pair of House Wrens nested in a birdbox in my garden that is usually home to Black-capped Chickadees.   It was the only time it ever happened in almost 30 years. 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

                                                                                        Photo by BarrytheBirder

Red-bellied Woodpecker

(Melanerpes carolinus)

I spotted my first Red Bellied-Woodpecker in 1996 in Niagara-On-The-Lake.   My only sightings since have been on my old friend Ted Bird's backyard deck in Schomberg, Ontario.   My most recent sighting there was this past Saturday.   This woodpecker's red belly is often difficult to see.   They grow up to 10.5 inches long and are a striking sight.   They are often called the "Zebraback".   Other common names are 'flag bird', 'jelly coat', 'patriotic bird' and 'shirttail bird'.   The southern Great Lakes are now the northern limit of their regular range.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Hummingbird feeders...

I have purchased many different types of hummingbird feeders over the years and I have decided that feeders, like the Hummzinger feeder (pictured above) are my favourites.  There are several manufacturers of this type.   They feature a flat platform style with a nectar container underneath.   As my numerous 'hummer' feeders need replacing, I will ultimately switch to this flat style completely.   The 'hummers' like them and they are easy to use, clean and refill.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder