One-day thaw suits Elvis & Costello

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Winter disappeared today up on the King Ridge, at the Pine Farms Orchard, between Keele and Jane Streets, on the north side of the 16th Sideroad.   It suited the resident Muscovy Ducks, Elvis (on the left) and Costello (on the right) who embraced the 11-degrees temperature and the wet, bare ground.   This winter is resembling last winter, more and more, much to the satisfaction of snow-shovellers and certain ducks.

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BtheB

Red-breasted Sapsucker by Dave Kemp

Photo by Dave Kemp

                    Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

My friend Dave Kemp from British Columbia slipped state-side recently and one of the bird photos he took was of this Red-breasted Sapsucker at Coupeville, Puget Sound, Washington State.   The Red-breasted Sapsucker inhabits the west coast of North America, from Alaska down to California.   It won't be seen in Ontario any time soon, so I'll have to head west if I want to see one.
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BtheB

Snowy Owl at Holland Marsh

Edward Avenue ~ just west of Jane Street

Fair amount of brown streaking on breast and wings ~ probably a female

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Goldfinch has spring colours in January

Photo by BarrytheBirder

The American Goldfinch pictured above (Jan.13) at the backyard feeder was a bit of surprise, in that its bright yellow colouring was advanced by about three months.   It stuck out like a sore thumb among the other goldfinches, which won't take on the bright yellow colouring until April.   The nearby Redpoll seems somewhat impressed by his colourful feeder-mate.   The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has declared that the American Goldfinch is one of the strictest vegetarians in the bird world.   It eats seeds almost exclusively and is therefore described as being granivorous.   Now there is a word I have never heard before.

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BtheB   

150 Redpolls at a time

Photos by BarrytheBirder

There have been approximately 150 Redpolls at the backyard feeders since just before Christmas.   This is the most we have ever had at one time in the 25 years we have had these feeders.   The Redpolls come in all sorts of colour configurations as you can see in the photos above.   Some have no red, except for the spot on the top of the head, others have considerable red on their breasts.   Some have noticeable brownish-grey striping on the sides of their breast and others have little or none.   Then there are ones with some form of leucism that turn all or some of the feathers completely white.   Leucistic white feathers can occur in small or large blotches or in stripes.   The bottom photo above, while in poor focus, does show vertical white stripes up the back of a Redpoll with a touch of leucism.
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BtheB 

B.C. birds by Dave Kemp

Photos by Dave Kemp

A Bald Eagle and Red-breasted Merganser, with flounder, are two of Dave Kemp's recent photos from Terra Nova Park, Richmond, B.C.   See more of my friend Dave's bird photos at pictureperfect.nu.photogallery
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BtheB

Icy nap near Dufferin Street

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Trumpeter Swan

Cygnus buccinator