Barred Owl (Strix varia)

 

Photo by Rhododendrites, 2020

Barry the Birder discovers

"Barry the Barred Owl"

I have just come across the story of 'Barry the Barred Owl', a bird that became a celebrity back in 2020, when it set a record for the longest stay in Central Park for a Barred Owl.

Sadly, Barry the Barred Owl, met its end, when during a low- level, swooping flight in the park, it fatally collided with a park maintenance truck.

Hundreds, if not thousand or more, of visitors and birders had seen  Barry the Barred Owl over the course of its 10-month presence in the park.

Such was Barry's notoriety, that hundreds attended its celebratory funeral.

An autopsy after Barry's demise, showed that Barry had suffered from rat poisoning, that had likely impaired Barry's vision and contributed to the truck collision.

The autopsy also discovered that Barry the Barred Owl was a female, not a male.  

However, such was Barry's noteriety, that her name and its spelling was never changed to Barrie the Barred Owl!   Oh, the ignominy of it all!

My first sighting of Barred Owl was May 12, 1995 at Mountsberg, Ontario.

  

Please comment if you wish.

Barry the Birder

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

Photo by Brad Imhoff/Macaulay Library

There are 7 species of grebes in Canada, the U.S, and Central America, of which the Pied-billed Grebe and the Least Grebe are the smallest.

It is the Pied-billed Grebe that I am familiar with.   Although I have never taken a picture of one, I have seen this common little diver  many times in ponds and marshes in southern Ontario, but not far north.        

The Pied-billed is the most common and widespread grebe in North America, although they are declining apparently due to oil spills and habitat loss, according to Fred J. Alsopp III, in his DK Birds of Canada Field Guide.

Alsopp says this stocky grebe has a large head and short thick bill that gives it a 'chicken-like profile", even at a a distance.   The thick bill is white with a black ring ("pied"), but in other seasons is dull and pale.

They forage by diving from the surface and swimming underwater, propelled by their feet.   They feed some on vegetation, but almost half of their diet is aquatic insects and the balance equally split between small fish and crustaceans.

My National Geographic Field guide says this bird sometimes hides from intruders by sinking in the water until only its head shows!

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)

                                                                  Photo by Joshua van der Meulen

'A striking sparrow - common in the west - scarce in east'

The largish Lark Sparrow is found in the western U.S., in several types of open country, often along roads.   It formerly bred as far east as New York and Maryland, but now rare in the east, mostly in the fall.   Being 85 years of age, not driving anymore, and living in southern Ontario, I don't except to ever see one of these striking sparrows anytime soon.

Strong face pattern and notable dark spot on chest, with white edges and corners on its long tail.

Its song begins with two loud notes, followed by a long series of sounds, starting with clear notes, then buzzy or gurgling notes added.

Photo / Cornell Lab of Ornitholgy

This bird is found mostly west of the Mississippi River and is common in cultivated areas, pastures, fields, grassland, prairies and savanna.   It is infrequent east of the Mississippi due to habitat loss and only casual to the U.S. East Coast, except for the southern tip of Florida.

Photo by Brian Sullivan (Macaulay Library)

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Eastern Bluebrd (Sialia sialis)

 Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Eastern Bluebird's population 

declined by more than 

90% in the 20th century.

Historically, Eastern Bluebirds were affected by severe winters and competition from European Starlings and House Sparrows  plus other competitors at nesting sites, but the historical trend is reversing noticeably.   Bird boxes have helped recovery, particularly those with proper hole sizes and predator guards.

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Bluebirds normally inhabit fields, meadows, farmland, parks and open woodlands.   They perch in the open, drop to the ground for insects, and perch in trees  and shrubs to eat berries.   In addition to berries, they also eat insects, earthworms and spiders, even snails, small lizards and small frogs.

They are bright, beautiful blue above, reddish brown on throat, neck and chest with white bellies.   Females are paler and duller than males.

They nest in holes in trees and posts, as well as nest boxes.  They traditionally faced competition from starlings and House Sparrows for nesting sites, however the provision of specially designed nest boxes has resulted in a comeback. 

Normally they are found across south-central Canada and the eastern U.S., and winter as far south as Mexico and parts of central America.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Northern (Red) Cardinal is associated with Remembrance Day and grief in general because its brief red colour and year-round presence makes it a popular symbol representing a message or visit from a deceased loved one.

The key reasons for the association are...

Visitors from Heaven: a well-known saying claims, "When cardinals appear, angels are near " (or loved ones), leading many people to view a sighting as a comforting sign during times of loss or memorial.

Year-round Visibility:  Unlike many migratory birds that leave during colder months, Northern Cardinals stay in the same area all year.   Their vibrant red feathers stand out brilliantly against gray autumns and winter backgrounds, drawing the eye when people are reflecting on those who passed.

Symbolism of Red: The bold red plumage connects with themes of life, vitality, resilience, and the remembrance of sacrifice, mirroring the sentiment behind remembrance flowers the red poppy.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Barred Owl (Strix Varia)

 

                                                     Photos by Sean Dwyer

Photos taken in the hills of Gatineau, Quebec

The Barred Owl is a chunky, mid-sized owl. It is mostly nocturnal and uncommon in Ontario, but is widespread in southern U.S. states.  Its voice is a series 8 to 9 hoots: "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you allll".   They prey mostly on mammals and amphibians.   Nice photos, Sean.

See my blog of November 5th for a couple of Barred Owl 

pictures from my own photo files.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

American Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

All Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Osprey has a few common descriptive names around the world, including Fish Hawk, Sea Hawk, River Hawk, and Fish Eagle.

Distinct regional subspecies include American Osprey, Eurasian Osprey, Caribbean Osprey and Australasian Osprey.

In North America, Osprey breed across Alaska, Canada and the United States down to the Gulf Coast, plus they winter in Central America, South America, as well as the southern U.S.A.

In Eurasia, they breed across northern Europe and Asia (including the U.K., Scandanavia and Japan.   They migrate south to Africa, India, and southeast Asia in the winter.

In Australia and the Pacific, they are found as permanent residents here and there along Australian coastlines, as permanent residents, and islands like the Solomons and New Caledonia.

In Africa and the Middle East, Osprey are year-round residents in parts of the Mediterranean, Red Sea and West Africa, while northern migrants arrive during the winter.

Ospreys are not found in Antarctica, but they are one of the mostly distributed raptors in the world.

Ospreys are unique in that they eat fish almost entirely (up to 99%), catching them with reversible outer toes and spiky pads!

The moment an Osprey surfaces from a dive, it manipulates the fish in mid-air to align it headfirst and parallel to its body...a crucial adjustment because holding the fish head-forward reduces wind resistance and aerodynamic drag.

Ospreys possess expansive 5-6-foot (1.5 to 1.8 metre) wingspans relative to their hollow-boned , lightweight bodies.

Their long wings generate amazing verical lift.

Ospreys have a reversible outer toe, which allows the birds to clamp down on fish with an even, opposing two-and-two distribution.   Plus, their feet pads have sharp, needle-like scales called spicules, preventing heavy prey from twisting or shifting out of aerodynamic alignment.

To lift a very heavy catch, Osprey will intentionally fly into the wind, forcing air directly over their curved wings, creating rapid air movement and maximizing lift.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Ponds that Kingfishers use are about to freeze over...

 

Photos by Dave Kemp

My online acquaintance Dave Kemp on Vancouver Island in British Columbia sent along  photos of a Kingfishers that he took recently.

The Belted Kingfisher is the only Kingfisher in most of North America.  They are large-headed birds with bushy crests and spear-shaped bills.   Males and females both have slate blue breast bands, white bellies and under-tail coverts, while the females also have rust belly bands  and under-tail coverts.

They are conspicuous and common along rivers and brooks, ponds and lakes, and estuaries especially during the breeding season.

They are generally solitary and found across Canada in summer, across the U.S. year around and in the south-west U.S. and Mexico in winter.   It is the only Kingfisher found across most of its range, except along the Mexican border.

They plunge headfirst into water from a perch or a hover above water to catch small fish.   They feed primarily on fish, but also take amphibians, reptiles, insects, crustaceans and mollusks.

Their population in North America is thought to be in slight decline.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Western Spindalis (Spindalis zena)

Photo by Kenneth Pinnow / Macaulay Library

Extremely rare visitor to Florida

from the Bahamas

The Western Spindalis is a very rare tanager visitor from the Bahamas to Florida.   The male is is unmistaklble, while the females are olive-gray, with pale whisker and eyebrow marks, with wing patterns like the males.

This bird was was formerly known as the Stripe-headed Tanager from the West Indies.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Parrots and parakeets, etc., etc.

Cockatiel

Budgerigars

Peach-faced Lovebird

Photos used here are from unidentified Google sources

According to my copy of Kenn Kaufman's BIRDS of North America, there are no surviving native members  of the parrot family in the U.S.   Plus the Carolina Parakeet is extinct and the Thick-billed Parrot no longer occurs naturally.   

That is not to say that there are no parrots and parakeets, etc. flying about the U.S., particularly in southern states like Florida, Arizona, California, Texas, etc.

However many escaped cage-birds are flying about in the lower U.S., and forming established feral nesting populations.

According to Kaufmann's guide there are as many as 16 species of these types of birds frequently seen.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

American Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

You need Eagle wings to get over things

that make no sense in this world.

--Tom Petty

Photos above by BarrytheBirder - taken in southern Ontario

Photos below by Dave Kemp - taken on Vancouver Island, B.C.

Aerial jousting

Challenging a sea lion for a free meal

Bald Eagle is big: L 31-37" (79-94 cm) W 70-90" (178-229 cm).  After the the California Condor, it is the largest raptor in North America.

Bald Eagle adults are quickly identified  by large bald heads and shortish white tails.   Adults are brown above and below; head is white, huge bill, eyes and feet are yellow.   Adult plumage is normally acquired in 4th or 5th year.

My Audubon Handbook of Eastern Birds, says Bald Eagles breed in Alaska and across southern Canada, the Northwest, Great Lakes region, and locally along Pacific and Atlantic coasts.   My Audubon Handbook also notes that Bald Eagles build massive stick nests which they may use for several years.

Bald Eagles hunt for prey, primarily fish, especially in the breeding season.   They sometimes steal fish from Osprey but capture the Osprey-released fish before they hit the ground.

Bald Eagles also eat carrion and injured or crippled waterfowl, squirrels, rabbits, and muskrats.

Bald Eagles are also solitary nesters, monogamous and thought to pair for life.

They are protected by national wildlife refuges and legally with heavy fines.

They have made a big comeback, especially in the U.S., since the 1970s, with widespread restoration programs, and banning of DDT, plus other chemical pollutants.

They have now been moved from 'endangered' status to 'threatened".

My National Geographic Field Guide says "Banning of pesticide use and intense recovery programs have increased populations of Bald Eagles that had been seriously diminished in the East".

Trumpeter Swans depart from Aurora...

                                                                         Photo by BarrytheBirder

A pair of Trumpeter Swans that made the McKenzie Marsh at the north end of Aurora, Ontario (just north of Toronto) their home all summer and through the record-setting warmest October ever, have finally decided to head south to their normal wintering grounds. These Aurora birds will head south probably just over the Canada/U.S. border to somewhere in the north central U.S. midwest.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Barred Owl (Strix varia)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Barred Owl is one of only three large owls with dark eyes in North America.   The other two are the Spotted Owl and the very small Flammulated Owl.

The chunky Barred Owl has dark barring on the upper breast and and dark streaking below.   Chiefly nocturnal; its daytime roost is well hidden.   Easily flushed, it does not generally tolerate close approach.

It is found across lower Canada and throughout the eastern U.S.  It is found in northern woodlands and in southern swamps, where it is known as the "hoot owl".   

It is mostly nocturnal and crepuscular but is often active in daylight, preferring deep woods, and inhabiting conifer, riparian, and swampy habitats.   

They feed on a broad variety of creatures, including small mammals, birds, frogs, salamanders, lizards, snakes, large insects, crayfish crabs and fish.

They are monogamous and thought to pair for life.

Their population is common and widespread, but swamp habitat population in the southern U.S. has diminished. 

Their range is now increasing in the northwest, where they hybridize with dark-eyed Spotted Owls.

The Barred Owls song is usually 8 or more drawn-out notes, "Who cooks for you; who cooks for you-all?"    They are often heard in daytime and respond readily to imitations of their call by coming closer and calling back.

The Barred Owl in the photos above did not appreciate my close approach with my camera and became entangled in the branches of the shrubby trees it was perched in.   It took great effort to extricate itself before flying off.

Please  comment if you wish.

BarrytheBIrder

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Photo- Macaulay Library

Official bird of Alberta, Canada, since 1977.

The Great Horned Owl is found almost everywhere across Canada, the U.S. (including Alaska) and Mexico.   They are fairly common and widespread.

It is perhaps the most powerful owl, often attacking animals larger and heavier than itself, including skunks, domestic cats and even porcupines!   Also takes snakes.

They are chiefly nocturnal, becoming active at dusk. 

They are big - 22" (56 cm) with a wingspan of up to 61 cm.

They hunt mostly at night and are frequently harassed by smaller crows in daylight.

Their habitats can vary from city to forest, and their nest can be found in trees, caves, or on the ground.

All in all, a big, bold and beautiful creature.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter striatus)

Image by Melani Marfield

(Note orange-red eyes)

Photo by istock / Henk Bogaard

A large, agile and powerful hunter, the Northern Goshawk is generally scarce and not often seen across lower Canada and northern U.S., while it lurks in deep, conifer-dominated forests and mountains.

It pursues prey as large as snowshoe, plus hares and grouse, plus poultry, other birds and small to medium mammals, even occasionally eating fish and some large insects. They sometimes carry mammalian prey to water and kill it by drowning.   Their hunting is mostly inside forests.

They sometimes winter irregularly south of their mapped range when southward irruptions occur in some years.

They are generally uncommon to rare, but are steadily increasing and stable in most areas, after hitting bottom in the 1970s.

This a large accipiter: 21-26" (53-66 cm) - WS 40-46" (102-117 cm), with conspicuous eyebrow flaring behind the eye, separating the adult's dark crown from the blue-gray back.

One of the 12 accipiters in its part of the world in Canada and the U.S.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Wagtails - 14 species worldwide...

 

White Wagtail

Cornell Lab photo

There are 14 species of Wagtails in the world, three or four of which make it to Alaska and down the west coast of British Columbia and the west coast of the U.S., including the White Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Gray Wagtail and Black-basked Wagtail.

Wagtails are sparrow-size ground dwellers with slender bills.  Most of them pump their tails up and down as they walk about looking for insects and spiders.

The four species that do make it as far as Alaska and farther south are the White Wagtail, the Black-tailed Wagtail,  the Yellow Wagtail and the Gray Wagtail.   Some Wagtails are also reported as casual or accidental in the U.S. Carolinas, Canada's Quebec and Newfoundland, plus Greenland and Iceland.

Worldwide, Wagtails are also found in Eurasia, Morocco, sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Africa, Cambodia, Laos, Europe, Siberia and Mongolia.   Some wintering birds may reach Australia.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

 

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)

Steller's Jay Photo by Jeff Max - Macaulay Library

Steller's Jay Photo by Rob Palmer Photography

Designated as the provincial bird

of British Columbia in 1987.

The Steller's Jay is recognized as the only 

crested jay in the west of Canada and the U.S.

The Steller's Jay was named after the Arctic explorer Georg Wilhelm Steller who discovered it on the Alaska Coast in 1741.

It has a black head and crest and a sooty black back and breast.  There is also some white or blue striping on the head in some populations.

This bird is omnivorous, eating a wide variety of creatures, including frogs, snakes, the eggs and young of other birds, many kinds of insects, even carrion.

The Steller's Jay population is common in pine-oak forests and coniferous woodland in the West but is accidental in the East.

In winter, family groups often frequent bird feeders.

They frequently mimic the calls of other birds, including hawks and loons.

They are not migratory.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

   

 

Green Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Photo by Scott Martin - Macaulay Library

Blue Jays - brash and flashy...

Green Jays - gaudy and noisy...

Image - Birds of the World

While the Blue Jay is found across southern Canada and in the eastern U.S., The Green Jay is found in Texas, Central America and parts of northern South America only.   A gaudy tropical jay, it is seen  commonly in riverside woods, oak groves, parks, suburbs, and dry brushlands of southern Texas.   They typically show up in small flocks.

Colour-wise, they are unmistakable, being mostly green, paler and yellow below, with purple and black head, and bright yellow outer tail  feathers.

My National Geographic Field Guide says the Green Jay's green and blue plumage blends with dappled sunlight and shade in woodland habitats.

National Geographic goes on to say that Green Jays are resident and locally common  in woodland and brushy areas of the lower Rio Grand Valley and locally further north and south.

Its expanding northern population occurs from southern Texas down through eastern Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, and in a second, narrower band along the Pacific Slope in Mexico.

It South American population extends from northeastern Venezuela west and then south along the Andes Mountains to Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and northwest Bolivia.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Western Grebe

Carving by Liza Chia - Art Feather Inc.

(Purchased by me almost 30 years ago in Toronto, Ontario)

The Western Grebe is a large (25") graceful swimmer that is common on many freshwater marshes in south-western Canada and the north-western U.S.A.   It is also found on coastal bays in winter.

It is striking black and white, with a swan-like neck, long thin yellowish-green bill and red eyes.   It is comparable to winter-plumage loons.

Many grebes have courtship dances, the Western Grebe, like the Clark's Grebe, performs a spectacular splashy race across water, with loud calls.

The Western Grebe is a highly aquatic and graceful swimmer that swims extremely well underwater but is almost helpless on land.

BarrytheBirder

Please comment if you wish.

Labnrador Duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius)

Painted images of female and male

Labrador Ducks

by John James Audubon

The Labrador Duck is an extinct North American Duck species.  It was the first known endemic North American species to become extinct after the Columbian Exchange, with the last reported sighting occurring in 1878 in Elmira, New York, while the last preserved specimen was shot in the fall of 1875 in Long Island, New York, by someone named J. G. Bell.

It was a rare duck before European settlers arrived, and because of its rarity, information on the bird is not abundant, though some, such as habitat, characteristics, dietary habits and reasons for extinction are known.

55 Labrador Duck specimens are preserved in museum collections around the world.

Taxonomically, the Labrador Duck was also as the skunk duck, a vernacular name it shared with the surf scoter and the Common Goldeneye (both, black and white-looking ducks).   Another common name was the Sand Shoal Duck, referring to its habit of shallow water feeding.

The female's plumage was grey.   The male's plumage was black and white, with wings entirely white except for the primaries.  This duck had an oblong head with small, beady eyes, and it bill was almost as long as its head!

They were thought to have laid eggs on the islands in the St. Lawrence Gulf.

This duck has been considered the most enigmatic (puzzling) of all North American birds.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder