How fast is a hummingbird?

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Hummingbirds routinely reach flight speeds of 38 to 48 km/h (20 to 30 mph), but during courtship dives, males can achieve maximum velocities ranging from 88 to 86 km/h (55 to 60 mph).

Relative to their wee size, these are among the highest speeds ever recorded for any invertebrate.

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BarrytheBirder

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

Photo by Barry the Birder

Hundreds of times a day

she visits the feeders,

seemingly insatiable.

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BarrytheBirder

Peregrine Falcons at Keswick...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Lots of Peregrine Falcons continue to appear in southwest Keswick, Ontario, on the Ravenshoe Sideroad.   They are found atop huge nests atop the light towers of the big baseball park and perch on much of the agricultural irrigation equipment on the north Holland Marsh lands.  They feed on nearby fish in the south end of Lake Simcoe and in the north Holland River.

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Barry the Birder 

Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)

                                                                    Painting by Phil Chadwick

Phil Chadwick is a one-time resident of King Township, Ontario.

Usually a locally uncommon warbler of open second growth, woodland edges, and  brushy pastures.   Adult males have a yellow crown, grayish-blue upperparts, with noticeable black throat and ear patch.

They breed from central Minnesota through the Great region to southern New England, south in the Appalachians to northern Georgia.

They are declining in some areas, due apparently to competition with Blue-winged Warblers.   This bird winters mostly in the tropics.

Phil Charwick artwork is available at fineartamerica.com., Santa Monica, California.

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Barry the Birder

Swainson's Hawks continue to fill Aurora's skies

                                                                                                      Photos by BarrytheBirder 

Several Swainson's Hawks, particularly endemic to the west-central U.S.A., and Kansas in particular, continue to inhabit southwest Aurora, north of Toronto, Ontario.   They have seemingly replaced the Red-tailed Hawks that used to frequent the area.

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BarrytheBirder

American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The American Tree Sparrow is a cold-weather sparrow that nests at the edge of the arctic tundra, in open areas with scattered trees and brush..   It is seen south of Canada in winter only, when flocks roam forest edges, brushy fields, groves of small trees and gardens, often with other sparrows and juncos.

They have a gray head and nape crowned with a  rusty cap, two-toned bill, dark chest spot and two white wing-bars.   Its song is musical clear whistles and warbles. 

They are high northern nesters, breeding from northern Alaska east to northern Labrador, but winter from southern Canada to nortern California, central Texas, and South Carolina.

Their song is a noticeably syncopated series of clear, whistled notes, often doubled or tripled and high-pitched at the beginning.

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BarrytheBirder

Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

A big sparrow that is usually found on the ground under dense thickets, scratching in leaf-litter with its feet.   It is usually seen only in small numbers, but is distinctive because of its rusty-brown overall colouring, especially in the east of North America.

They winter from southern California, and from southern Kansa east to New Jersey and south to the Gulf Coast. 

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BarrytheBirder

White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)

Photos by Barry the Birder

Very common in the east - scarce in the west

White-throated Sparrows have a conspicuous and distinctive white throat, dark bill and a yellow spot before the eyes.   Upper parts are rusty-brown (see photo)   They haunt the undergrowth of parks, woods, undergrowth and gardens in winter, foraging on the ground, frequently with other sparrows or juncos.   They usually summer in northern forests.

Their song is a clear whistled 'Oh, sweet, canada-canada-canada'.

Adults have two colour morphs; white-striped birds usually mate with tan-stiped ones.

Their hunched short-necked posture (again see photo above) is unlike the the erect stance of White-crowned Sparrows (see photo below).

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Barrythe Birder

Champion migrator...SWAINSON'S HAWK

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Swainson's Hawks are renowned for having one of the longest migrations of any North American bird of prey.   They travel a total round-trip distance of about 12,000 to 14,000 miles (roughly 20,000 to 24,000 kilometres) every year.

Their annual journey takes them between their summer breeding grounds in western North America (stretching as far north as Canada and the top of Alaska) and their wintering grounds in the grasslands and pampas of southern Argentina.

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BarrytheBirder

Trumpeter Swans...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

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BarrytheBirder

Hummingbirds are native exclusively to the western hemisphere!

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Tiny hummingbirds,

drawn to the sunrise's nectar

then flying backward

                                        

                                        - Mark Tulin

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BarrytheBirder

Hummingbirds ... June jewels

Photos by BarrytheBirder

A vibrant green flash in the sun

Determined never to be done

 Flew backwards and fast,

A blur going past,

For him, every sip is just fun.

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BarrytheBirder

Swainson's Hawks taking over Delmanor rooftop...

 ...a hawk a long way from Kansas

                                                                      Photos by Barry the Birder

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BarrytheBirder

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

                                                                            Photo by BarrytheBirder

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird's wings beat between 50 to 75 times per second (roughly 3,000 to 4,500 flaps per minute) during normal flight and hovering.  However, during courtship dives, males can reach an astonishing 200 beats per second!

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BarrytheBirder

More Swainson's Hawk photos...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Swainson's Hawks are found all over North America and are particularly noted for their consistent presence in the U.S. midwest, especially in the state of Kansas.   They have been consistent visitors for the last three years in the town of Aurora, north of Toronto, Ontario, as seen here.

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BarrytheBirder   

Father's Day sighting of Swainson's Hawk...

                                                                        Photos by BarrythBirder

               Photos taken atop Delmanor Retirement Residence in Aurora, Ontario.

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BarrytheBirder