Barred Owl (Strix varia)

Photo by Jim Wilgar

Thanks to Jim Wilgar for this photo of a Barred Owl which he took recently on Manitoulin Island in Georgian Bay, Ontario.

Barred Owls are large (21") chunky owls with dark eyes, dark barring on upper breast with dark streaking below.   They are common in dense coniferous or mixed woods of river bottoms and swamps, and also in upland woods.   They are chiefly nocturnal, with daytime roosts well hidden.   They do not generally tolerate close approach, so get a photo while you can.  Usually found in the eastern half North America, but the northwestern portion of their range is expanding rapidly.   They feed mostly at night, taking crayfish, frogs, and small rodents.

Photos above and below by BarrytheBirder

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Barry the Birder   

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are charmers...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly across the Caribbean Sea during migration.   They are famous for spectacular non-stop flights between Central America, the West Indies, and North America, frequently completing journeys of up to 500 to 900 miles across the Caribbean or the adjacent Gulf of Mexico.

Many of these 3 1/4" 'hummers' use a coastal or shoreline route (flying over land through Mexico and Texas), others take direct over-water routes.   Because of these grueling 18 t0 24-hour non-stop flights, a hummingbird can double its body weight by storing fat before setting off!

"The hummingbird competes with the stillness of the air."

                                                  -Chogyam Trungpa

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BarrytheBirder

Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)

Drawing by Barry the Birder

Pictured above is a drawing of a Saw-whet owl which I drew 31 years ago.

I photographed the bird near to where I lived north of Toronto, Ontario, and did the drawing from the photograph.

This small owl, discovered in its daytime roost, often acts remarkably tame allowing for close photographs.

Saw-whets have no ear tuffs and are overall a warm brown, with reddish streaks on their chests.

they winter as far south as the Carolinas and to Mexico.

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BarrytheBirder

Swainson's Hawks continue to thrive in Aurora...

                                                                                              Photos by BarrytheBirder

Normally found all over North America, and particularly in Kansas, in the U.S., Swainson's Hawks are now see regularly over Aurora, Ontario, north of Toronto.

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BarrytheBirder

Most populus wildbird in North America...the American Robin

Photos by BarrytheBirder

There are over 370 million American Robins estimated to be in North America, closely followed by the Mourning Dove, estimated at around 350 million (although some estimates say the number could be as high as 500 miliion!).   When it comes to waterfowl, the Mallard Duck is estimated to number 6.6 million.  

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BarrytheBirder

House Finch (Carpopdacus mexicanus)

                                                                      Photos by BarrytheBirder

House Finch

An abundant and quite familiar  bird of backyards, cities, open woods, deserts and canyons.   Native to the west, it was unintentionally introduced to the New York area in 1940 and spread from there to occupy the east as well, especially in urban areas..

I is also found in southern Canada and northern Mexico.

They commonly visit bird feeders, often in flocks.   Nests are hidden in sites such as dense trees, palms, vines on walls, and hanging pots.

Their diet consists  primarily of seeds.

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BarrytheBirdeer
 

Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)

 

Photos by BarrytheBirders

This scarce , hawklike owl of northern forests hunts by day and night.   It may be seen perched at the very tip of a spruce, or flying fast and low from one tree to another.

It has a long tail, heavily barred underparts and a black rim around its face.   Its posture is less vertical than most other owls.   It is typically tame and easily approached .   On the day I took the pictures above, a crowd of almost 100 people had gathered to see this bird.  

Its voice is a sharp chattering, sometimes a low hooting trill.

It can be found from Alaska and east across Canada.   It winters to the northernmost United States.

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BarrytheBirder

Peacock (male Peafowl) - Pavo cristatus

 Photos by BarrytheBirder

The name"peacock" originates from Old English (peacocc), referring specifically to the male of the peafowl species.   The term 'peafowl' itself is derived from the latin word "pavo", which is the root of the word "pea" in the name.   The suffix "cock" denotesl a male bird, while the prefix "pea-" likely comes from the old English word "pawa", a shortened form of "pavo", referring to the bird's characteristic call.

The Common Peafowl, and Blue Peafowl is native to the Indian subcontinent, but has been introduced around the world.

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BarrytheBirder    

Ducklings born in incubator where I live.

                                                             Photo by Barry the Birder

Residents at the retirement centre where I live, in Aurora, Ontario, have just been treated to the hatching of ducklings, much to the delight of all residents who witnessed the process.

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Barry the Birder

Confusing raptor...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Q.  When is a red-tailed Hawk not a Red-tailed Hawk?

A.  When it is a Swainson's Hawk.

Pictured above are  Swainson's Hawks, which I have photographed in Aurora, Ontario, over the last couple of years.   At first, I thought they were Red-tailed Hawks, but then realized they were somewhat different: red-tails, but white breasts.    I have seen many since and they have mated and raised a few broods of youngsters.

Swainson's Hawks occur all over North and South America, but are most notable for their persistent habitation in the the mid-west U.S.A., notably Kansas.   They have an incredible migration pattern that can stretch from Alaska to Argentina that can total 19,000 kms.

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BarrytheBirder

Hummingbird limericks...

Photos by Barry the Birder

The Speedy Commuter

There once was a fast humminbird, 

Who zipped bt as quick as a word.

With a blur of its wings,

He drank all the sweet things,

Then vanished before he was heard!

The Battery Issue

A hummingbird started to mutter,

Mumbling, "How did I end in this gutter?

I'm sure I could fly

Right up in the sky,

If I's charged up my battery and flutter!"

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BarrytheBirder

'Hummers' abound...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

It's now the end of May and I'm seeing Ruby-throated  Hummingbirds by the hundreds of times at our feeders every day.   These 'hummers are very attractive of of course, but it's mostly females that appear. 

These creatures fly at 20 to 30 m.p.h. normally, but can reach 60 m.p.h. in a dive.   Wings flap 50 to 80 times a seconds, but can exceed 200 times per second in a dive!.

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Barrytheirder

  

Swainson's Hawks abound...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

This is one of seven or eight Swainson's Hawks fly around and about Aurora, Ontario, north of Toronto, above Lake Ontario.   This raptor is more commonly found in the U.S. midwest, notably Kansas.

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Barry Wallace

Spring migrants...

 Photo by Lissa Dwyer       

Brown Thrasher

Spring migrants in the last few days include Brown Thrasher,Yellow Warbler, Flicker, Hermit Thrush , Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Swainson's Hawk.

Swainson's Hawk

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Barry the Birder

'Hummers' at sunset...

                                                                        Photo by BarrytheBirder

Hummers at feeders more the 12 hours a day

They start around 5.30 a.m and last until just after sunset each day.

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BarrytheBirder

Swasinson's Hawks over southwest Aurora...

Photos by BarrytheBirder 

Swainson's Hawks continue to soar around above southwest Aurora in recent days.   Immediately above,  one the hawks attempts to perch atop a tall fir tree near Butternut Ridge Trail.

This is the third year in a row that Swainson's Hawks have inhabited Aurora.  Above, one of the Swainson's Hawks is seen, last year, perched on a rooftop railing at Delmanor Retirement Residence in southwest Aurora.   Swainsons Hawks are more commonly found in the midwest U.S.A., but are known to be also found in the eastern U.S.A. and in southern Ontario.

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BarrytheBirder

Losts of Swainson's Hawks around and about...

 

                                         Photos by BarrytheBirder

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BarrytheBirder

First humminbirds of the season...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Finally, after a few tentative starts, the Red-throated Hummingbirds have settled in at the feeders.   They are more than welcome, needless to say.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the only 'hummer' regularly seen in eastern North America.   The adult male has an iridescent red throat, green sides and a black forked tail.

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BarrytheBirder

American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)

                                                                           Photos by BarrytheBirder

The American Goldfinch has quite s poetic name in Irish.

The Irish for goldfinch is 

laisir choille /los-irr khwil-leh/

which tanslates as

 "flame of the forest".

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The European Starling was brought tp North America in 1890 and is now one of the most abundant species in North America.   They are found from from southeast Alaska, across southern Canada and south throughout the United States to Mexico.   

They are usually found in flocks when not nesting and may gather in big roosts that number in the tens of thousands.

Ken Kaufmann in his BIRDS of North America says Starlings nest in holes in trees, birdhouses, crevices in buildings, etc., competing with native birds for nest sites, even evicting woodpeckers from their own holes.

The Audubon Handbook of Eastern Birds says they are found almost everywhere, but especially in areas associated with man's activities.

Starlings are highly gregarious, their large flocks occurring in fields  and on lawns, often with cowbirds, grackles and blackbirds.

While their plumage is primarily black, they have a green and purple gloss in spring and summer.

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BarrytheBirder