Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)

                                                                                                Photo by Ken Thomas

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Cranes are very large, long-legged gray wading birds of open country and freshwater marshes.   They travel in large, noisy flocks with their melodious calls carrying for more than a mile.

They breed from northern Alaska and across Canada to Hudson's Bay.   They also migrate to the Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes region.   They winter in central California and throughout the southwest to Texas, plus they are also resident in southern Florida.

My Audubon Handbook of Eastern Birds says they give a long, hollow, rattling 'garooooooooooooooo'.   Apparently, flocks often call in flight, with a guturral crowing rattle.

Sandhills adults are gray overall, with a bare red patch on crown.   They are highly social and may occur quite localized, but be absent elsewhere.

Populations nesting in wetlands with iron-rich mud may appear reddish-brown in spring from oxidization of mud on feathers.

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BarrytheBirder

Birds Canada 2026 Calendar

Photo by Sarah Gardner

Tufted Titmouse (Parus bicolor)

The Tufted Titmouse pictured above is from the Birds Canada 2026 Calendar.   It is the featured bird for January, 2026.

Titmice are small hardy birds with short bills, short wings and drab plumage.  They are active and agile, often hanging upside down from twigs to feed, and they flock together when not nesting.

They are found around the southern Great Lakes, across the eastern U.S.A. and parts of eastern Mexico. 

They are common in deciduous woodlands, mesquite, parklands, and suburban areas where they are often found at feeders, where they are active and noisy.

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BarrytheBirder

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Red-breasted Nuthatches are found across lower Canada and throughout the U.S.   They favour dense conifers in the north  and the high mountains in summer, but are also found in other trees, especially in fall migration.

They are frequently quiet and tame.   In some years, large numbers move south and into lowlands in fall.

They have a typical head-down nuthatch behaviour, with a black eye stripe and white eyebrow.   They are buffy orange below and have blue-gray backs.

No backyard winter bird feeder is complete without friendly 'Red-breasteds'.

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BarrytheBirder

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Photo by David M.A. O'Neill / Birds Canada

The White-Breasted Nuthatch (L 5 3/4" (15 cm) is a winter warrior found across lower Canada and The U.S.A.   In winter, it often travels in flocks with Chickadees and other birds, and is frequent visitor to bird feeders for sunflower seeds and suet.

All white face and chest, set off by a narrow black (or dark gray) crown stripe. It is stubby and slender-billed and crawls upside down and sideways on tree trunks and branches, searching for insects in bark crevices.

They range and are residents from British Columbia east to New Brunswick, south to central Texas and central Florida.   They are common and found in deciduous and mixed  woods.

Photo by BarrytheBirder

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BarrytheBirder

Still no Snowy Owls on the Ravenshoe Sideroad...

 
Photos by BarrytheBirder

My partner Pat and I took another recent trip up to the south end of Lake Simcoe, looking for Snowy Owls, on the Ravenshoe Sideroad in the northern reaches of the Holland Marsh.   It was the third such trip early this year, so far, and no luck so far.   The Ravenshoe Sideroad is normally a reliable spotting site.

Reports of Snowy Owl sightings are regularly popping-up, further south, in the Greater Metropolitan Toronto area, including the Toronto waterfront on Lake Ontario.

Nevertheless, Patricia and I shall keep our ears and eyes open for the next several weeks....hopefully new photos to come.

 

Photos by Barry Wallace

Please comment if you wish.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)

Male

Female

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak breeds from Alberta east to Nova Scotia and south to Oklahoma, northern New Jersey and in mountains to northern Georgia.   It winters from Mexico to South America, and occasionally in the southwest U.S.

This striking 8" heavy-billed grosbeak, with s very large triangular bill, is a black-and-white bird, with a musical song. It is common in summer in leafy eastern forests as well as thickets and suburbs with adequate cover.   They move rather deliberately among tree foliage and sometimes come to ground of bird feeders.

Breeding males have black heads and upperparts, white bellies, white wing patches and bars.   Their breasts have a splash of bright red.   In flight, it shows red wing linings and a white rump.   Females are dark brown above and striped below.

It song is rich and clear like a robin's, but faster.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Cornell Lab / Macaulay Library 2025 photos of the year...

Spotted Towhee and Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly 

 Photo by Laura Macky

One of Cornell University Macaulay Library's Photos of the Year

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes atratus)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Turkey Vultures are very large with long wings, long tail and small head.  They soar with wings held in a shallow V (called a dihedral).  When taking off, wingbeats are deep and ponderous and they rock from side to side in flight.

They are very common in warmer climates, soaring all day over open country, forests and deserts.   They are found across lower Canada, all of the U.S.A. and Mexico.

Many may roost together in migration, or to feed on carcasses.   Many birds may gather at road kills.

Turkey vultures have a red head and white bill and they commonly feed on carrion and refuse. 

Please comment if you wish. BarrytheBirder

20th year of publishing this 'BarrytheBirder' blog...

 

Self-portrait photo by BarrytheBirder

I am now into my 20th year of publishing this daily birding blog.    I began on October 30, 2011, and I'm now about to go over 7,000 entries.   It's been a wonderful journey, but I'm now into my 85th year.

I no longer have an automobile or a driver's licence, and the old body is not as spry as it once was.   Fortunately my partner Pat, although slightly older than me, does still own a car and drives it quite well.   She kindly drives me around and I occasionally take bird photographs.

I think I may have a another 5 years in me, maybe even more, so I plan to keep plugging away at this blog for the foreseeable future.   Thanks for joining me on this birding journey over the years.

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

                                                                                                 Photo by BarrytheBirder

    

  First American Robin of 2016

My sister Diane, who lives in Nova Scotia just posted that the first American Robin of 2016, arrived where she lives in Nova Scotia on February 18.   This is certainly much earlier than I am used to here in southern Ontario.

I am used to seeing Robins show up in March/April, here in Aurora, Ontario.

Robins are found in winter in California, Texas and Florida and northern Mexico.   In summer they are found across the U.S.A.   They are found from Alaska and across Canada in the summer breeding season and into the fall.

American Robins are extremely common and considered the most abundant land-bird in North America, with a population somewhere between 370 and 380 million birds.

They are widespread across the continent, doing well in urban, suburban, and rural environments. The Robin population is stable to slightly increasing, and they are not regarded as a species of high conservation concern.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Number of individuals birds in the world?

 400 billion individual birds in the world?

No, there are not 400 billion individual birds worldwide.  Current scientific estimates suggest there are approximately 50 billion individual birds globally across all species.   The number represents total bird populations, not species diversity and was established through comprehensive studies published in 2021.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

Photo: Macauley Library

Yesterday's blog was about the Eastern Towhee: today it's the Spotted Towhee.   The Spotted Towhee is distinguished from the similar Eastern Towhee by the white spotting on its back and scapulars; as well as the tips of the median and greater coverts, which form white wing bars.

It is found on the American Great Plains and casually in eastern North America.

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BarrytheBirder

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

 

(Photo by BarrytheBirder)

Tree Swallows are one of the most prolific swallow soecies in North America.   They are common and widespread in summer, nesting in holes in trees or in birdhouses (especially bluebird boxes).   They are common in wooded habitat near water, also nest in fence posts and barn eaves.

Tree Swallows are distinctly bicoloured, dark glossy blue or greenish above and very white below.   Their dark caps go down level of the eyes.

They migrate in huge flocks, going north earlier in spring and linger farther north in fall than other swallows. 

They form huge flocks in the fall and unlike most swallows, they winter regularly in southern United States, feeding on berries when insects are scarce.

Tree Swallows breed from Alaska to Labrador and south to southern California and Maryland, as well as occasionally to the Gulf Coast.   They winter from central California south, along the Gulf Coast, sparingly on the Atlantic coast, and also in Central America.  

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Osprey photograph in a recent Macauley Library email...

Photo by Matt Gillfedder

Is there anything as intense as an Osprey's stare?

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The photo at top, taken by Matt Gillfadder, appeared recently in a Macauley Library email which I received.   It immediately caught my eye because of the intent and penetrating look of the Osprey.  To my mind, no other raptor has the look of the Osprey's orange piercing eyes.   It's also the black, arching eyebrows that give it that inimitable fierce gaze. 

I have dozens of Osprey photos that I have taken over the years, in my photo files.  The one pictured below, of Osprey nest at the top of a light standard, was taken at a baseball diamond on the Ravenshoe Sideroad, southwest of Keswick, Ontario, , near the northern reaches of the Holland Marsh, just south of Lake Simcoe.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry the Birder

American Goldfinch (Carduelis Tristis)

 
Photo: Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust

A recent e-mail to me from the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust included the American Goldfinch photo seen above and a brief description of this bird's fall and winter behaviours.

The e-mail commented that American Goldfinches undergo a fall molt staring in September, lasting 6 to 8 weeks.   This seasonal feather makeover replaces their vibrant breeding plumage with a more muted palette.   Males trade their sunny yellow and black caps for olive or brown tones, while females shift to a softer olive yellow.   The subtle winter looks help them to blend into bare bare trees and open fields.

Their habits change also.   In Ontario's colder months, goldfinches feast mainly on thistle seeds, along with aster, sunflower, and coneflower seeds, especially at feeders  Unlike summer, when insects are on the menu, winter is all about seeds - critical fuel for surviving the chill.   

Come spring, goldfinches go through another molt to regain their dazzling yellow plumage, signaling the start of the breeding season (see photos below).

Male

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Female

Goldfinches breed from north-central British Columbia east to Nova Scotia, south to the Great Lakes region  and northern New England, in mountains to central United States.   In winter thy can migrate south to all of the United States and a small part of northeast Mexico.

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BarrytheBirder 

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Male

Females

The Northern Harrier, formerly called the Marsh Hawk, is a long-winged and long-tailed hawks that hunts by flying low over open fields and marshes, looking and listening for prey.

They take many rodents and also some birds.   They perch low or on open ground, seldom on tall poles or trees; usually flying low except when migrating.   

They are best known by their shape and by their slow, low flight, with wings angled up in a shallow V. Contrasting white rump (see top two photos) is conspicuous.

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BarrytheBirder

House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

At just 4 3/4" the Common Wren is a shy but curious and hyperactive little wren of brushy undergrowth, found in a variety of habitats, from deep woods to backyards..  They frequent tickets and brush piles, especially around fallen logs; while in suburban areas they frequently use nest boxes.

Energetic and spry, they breed from central British Columbia New Brunswick in Canada, south to southeast Arizona to northern Georgia.   

In winter, they can be found in the Southwest, along the Gulf Coast, and north to Virginia, but they rarely winter north into their summer range.

The House Wren is so slightly larger than the Winter Wren and Sedge Wren.

Its song is a very fast, musical or jumbled series of sounds.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

New bird species in the world...

 

Photo: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Recent discoveries have identified several new bird species, with a notable surge in Indonesia and the discovery of a unique hybrid, the "Grue Jay" (Blue Jay - Green Jay mix), in Texas in 2025.   Other recent findings include the Wakatobi Sunbird, various species in the Sulawesi region, and a new nightjar in Timor.   Approximately 5-6 new bird species are described annually.

A rare hybrid bird identified in a suburb of San Antonio , Texas (centre photo, panel above / credit Brian Stokes) is the result of mating between a male Blue Jay (left, credit: Travis Master / Cornell Lab of Ornithology / Macauley Library) and a female Green Jay (right, credit: Dan O'Brien / Cornell Lab of Ornithology /Macauley Library).

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Varied Thrush (Ixoreus naevius)

                                                                     Photo by BarrytheBirder

Varied Thrush

The Varied Thrush, about the same size as the American Robin, is a shy, elusive, but common inhabitant of the wet forests of the Canadian and American west coast.   It may wander widely, even reaching the east coast, where I took the photo, above, in southern Ontario.

This attractive thrush shows colours of orange, light orange, medium blue and dark blue, plus black.

It breeds in western coniferous forests and is found usually in trees or undergrowth, but sometimes comes out on lawns and roadsides.   It is very rare in winter as far east as Atlantic Canada and south to Virginia, especially at feeders during harsh winter weather.   They do not typically associate with American Robins.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

European Starling (Sturnus vulgari)

                                                                     Photos by BarrytheBirder

The European Starling was a species introduced into New York in 1890-91 and it soon spread across the North American continent and is today found in a wide variety of human-altered habitats.

It is abundant, aggressive, bold and often competes very successfully  with native species for nest holes.   Apart from nesting season, it is usually seen in large flocks, sometimes mixed with blackbirds.

The adult in breeding plumage is iridescent black, with a yellow bill with a blue base in males and pink in females.   In fresh fall plumage, feathers are tipped with white and buff, giving a speckled appearance; bills are brownish.

In flight, its short, square tail, stocky body and short broad-based, pointed wings are to be noted.

The highly gregarious Starling's call notes include gurgles, squeaks, burbles, chirps, warbles and twittering.   It can also mimic songs of other bird species.

Kenn Kaufman, in his Birds of North America says "Starlings nest in holes in trees, birdhouses, crevices in buildings, etc.; very aggressive, they may compete with native birds for nest sites, even evicting woodpeckers from their own holes."

They range from south-east Alaska to Newfoundland and south throughout the U.S.A.

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comment 

if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)

 
                                                                    (Photos by BarrytheBirder)

The Northern Shrike summers in the far north, in spruces or thickets on the edge of the tundra, while it winters on farmland and open countryside farther south as far as the northern United States.   The southern range limit and numbers on the wintering grounds very unpredictably from year to year.   It breeds from Alaska east to Labrador, 

The adult Northern Shrike is like the Loggerhead Shrike but larger, with its narrower mask quite reduced in front of its eye and does not extend above the eye.   It has faint grey barring on underparts and the base of of its lower mandible is often paler. Its bill is long with a distinct hook.

This bird's song is unexpectedly musical, and can include imitations of other birds.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

How many warbler species in Canada and the U.S.A.?

                                                                         Canada Warbler

                                                                   (Photos by BarrytheBirder)

There are approximately 50 to 56 species of wood-warblers (family Parulidae) that regularly inhabit or breed in Canada and the United States.   While there are over 115 species of warblers in the Americas, the smaller estimated numbers represent those that regularly  migrate to or reside in North America during the breeding season.

                                                            Yellow Warbler

                                                                            Wilson's Warbler

                                                       Orange-crowned Warbler

                                                              Tennessee Warbler

                                                           Common Yellowthroat

A more dashing bird you won't find

than the Warbler, the Yellow-rumped kind

He's so lively and quick

He could pass for St. Nick

If it weren't for his buttery behind.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder