Hundreds of raptors shot and poisoned in UK

A recent report by the Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) says that hundreds of birds of prey, including Golden and White-tailed Eagles, Hen Harriers and Red Kites , were shot or poisoned in 2013.   A spokesperson has called on shooting industry leaders to assist in stamping out illegal killing of birds of prey as the RSPB's annual Birdcrime report has revealed there were 164 reports of shooting and destruction of birds of prey last year.   The report also reported 74 poisoning incidents which the RSPB believes represents only a fraction of illegal bird persecution.   Reported Incidents occurred throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.   Birdcrime reports show that the illegal persecution of birds of prey is still a huge problem in Britain.   The RSPB has suggested numerous measures and solutions to alleviate the situation, but the eradication of incidents remains elusive.

 Golden Eagle ~ photo by Tony Hisget/wikipedia

 White-tailed Eagle ~ wikipedia photo

 Hen Harrier (male) ~ photo by Hen Harrier Ireland

Red Kite ~ photo by THKraft

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BtheB

Man on paraglider chases and kicks Barn Owl

Photo by Javier Fernandez Sanchez/Getty Images/FlickrRF

Prosecutors have accused a Utah man of violating U.S. federal law in a video that appears to show him chasing and kicking a Barn Owl in mid-flight.   The man was charged with two misdemeanours after allegedly using an aircraft to harass wildlife and pursuing a migratory bird.   The harassment charge carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $100,000 fine, while the other charge could lead to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.   An online video surfaced that appears to show a man on a paraglider, near Utah Lake, kicking a soaring owl and boasting: "I kicked an owl butt."   The accused is a well-known local TV pitchman who has a history of problems with local authorities.   It seems to me someone needs to give himself a kick in the butt - after he serves the time and pays the fine.

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BtheB    

Redpolls can stay warm in snowbanks

                                                                                                    Photos by BarrytheBirder

Recently I received a 2015 calendar from the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the month of December for next year is illustrated with a picture of a Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea).   A few notes state that redpolls can survive winter temperatures to -53C and during the winter months, they have been known to tunnel deep into the snow at night to stay warm.   The tunnels are burrowed 10 centimetres into the snow and can be more than 30 centimetres long!   Smart birds.

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BtheB

The otter and the puffin

Photo by Richard Shucksmith / BWPA

Richard Shucksmith's photo of an encounter between an otter and a puffin was the 'Animal Behaviour' winner in the 5th annual 2014 British Wildlife Photography Awards.   The photo was taken in the Shetland Islands of Scotland.   The encounter appears to have had a most unfortunate end for the puffin.

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BtheB 

Wildlife photographer of the year 2014 contest

Photo by Jan van der Greef

The winners of the 2014 Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014 has been announced at London's Natural History Museum in England.   One of the finalists in the Bird category was the photograph above, titled 'Touche', by Jan van der Greef, of the Netherlands.   The long-billed hummingbird on the right was not identified, but it has what must be the longest bill, compared to body length, of any known hummingbird.   I will therefore go out on a limb (no pun intended) and suggest that it is a Sword-billed Hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera).   The Sword-bill's bill is longer than its body and it is a large over-all bird (14 cm./5.5").   It occurs in several countries in northern-western South America and usually lives above 2,500 metres (8,000 ft.).   It is on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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BtheB

Staring at Starlings

 Photo by BarrytheBirder

Fall / Winter Plumage ~ Ontario ~ Canada

 Photo by Alan McFayden /Green Shoots /Flickr

Starling murmuration ~ Gretna ~ Scotland

Photo by Joy Russell / Green Shoots / Flickr

Sharing lunch with feathered friends

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BtheB

Gulls and geese gather

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Jane Street and Highway 9

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BtheB

Falcon regains sight after cataract surgery

For the first time, a falcon has undergone eye surgery to remove cataracts and has received new prosthetic lenses.   Banner, a 4-year-old Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus) lives at the New Hampshire School of Falconry in Deering.   She had cataracts in both eyes for nearly two years and couldn't fly or hunt for the past two years.   On September 29, a veterinary team at Caves Animal Hospital in Deering sedated her, cut into each cornea, removed cloudy protein and implanted uniquely designed artificial lenses, and sewed the corneas shut.   Veterinarian opthalmologist Ruth Marrion performed the surgery in about an hour and the result was perfect.   A team of worldwide specialists designed the artificial lenses, made by Canadian manufacturer I-Med, and donated them to the New Hampshire surgical team.   The small lenses are only six millimetres long.   Anti-inflammatory eye drops are making sure the eyelids are not irritated by sutures in her corneas.   Lanner Falcons are native to the western Palearctic and africa.   To read more about Banner's prospects, go to care2.com and click on Animal Welfare.

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BtheB

Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk lacks experience

                                                                                                                         Photo by BarrytheBirder

This young and hungry Sharp-shinned Hawk was unsuccessful in its swift attack on the American Goldfinches at the Niger Seed feeders today.   But instead of immediately flying off like mature hawks do, it decided to perch and look about for returning birds.   The birds, of course, did not return as long as the juvenile hawk remained in place.   It eventually spread its wings and leaped into the air to look for other prey.   In our backyard, adult 'sharp-shins' and Cooper's Hawks, if their feeder attacks are successful, will usually drop to the ground or quickly move to a nearby branch, adjust their grip on their prey and take off for more private surroundings in which to devour its meal.   Small birds, like sparrows, are easy prey for the hawks, but the larger Cooper's Hawks can also capture bigger birds, such as Mourning Doves.

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BtheB 

A bird in the hand.....

      Photo of BarrytheBirder and eagle by Judy Craig

  .....is worth two in the bush.

This proverb exists in many languages:

Italian:     E meglio oggi L'uovo, che domani la gallina.

                 (Better the egg today than the hen tomorrow.)

French:   Un 'tiens' vaut mieux que deux 'to L'auras'.

                (One 'here you are' is worth more than two 'you'll get it'.)

German:  Ein Vogel  in der Hand ist besser als zehn uber Land.

                (One bird in the hand is better than ten flying over the land'.)

                 Besser ein spatzin der Hand, als eine Taube auf dem Dache.

                (Better a sparrow in the hand than a pigeon on the roof.)

Russian: Ne suli zhuravlya v nebe, a day sinitsu v ruki.

                (Don't promise the crane in the sky, but give the tit in your hand.)

Latin:      Certa anittimus dum incerta petimus (Plautus).

                (We lose what is certain while seeking that which is uncertain.)

-- Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable 

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BtheB

                

Moving north in a warmer world

Northern Cardinal photo by BarrytheBirder 

Chipping Sparrow photo by BarrytheBirder

Carolina Wren photo (at bottom) by Dan Pacano/Flickr

One of my sisters has lived in three of Canada's eastern maritime provinces for the past 40 years, but she has never seen a Northern Cardinal on Canada's eastern coast.   That is going to change.   She tells me that many friends and neighbours on Prince Edward Island are telling her they see cardinals regularly now.   She also tells me that for the same number of years Eastern Bluebirds were absent from the places she lived also, but that too has changed.   In just the last few years she has spotted bluebirds for the first time in a number of places nearby.   My sister's observations are on-the-ground confirmation of a newly released journal from the University of Wisconsin-Madison that states once rare wintering bird species are now commonplace in the American northeast and the Canadian southeast.   Authors Benjamin Zuckerberg and Karine Prince used more than two decades of data on 38 species of birds and found that birds more typically found in southerly regions are gradually pushing north.   

The list of species becoming more common includes readily familiar Northern Cardinals, Chipping Sparrows and Carolina Wrens. These birds and other warm-adapted species have greatly expanded their wintering range in a warmer world, a change that may have untold consequences for North American ecosystems.   Ecology Professor Zuckerberg says: "Fifty years ago cardinals were very rare in the northereastern United States...Carolina Wrens even more so".   Data indicates that environmental factors beyond the availability of food sources are at play.   The authors conclude that a shifting winter climate has provided an opportunity for smaller, southerly distributed species to colonize new regions of eastern Northern America.   The changes in the mix of over-wintering bird species is occurring against a backdrop of milder winters with less snow, more variable and intense precipitation events, and a shorter snow season, overall.   Climate models predict warmer temperatures over the next 100 years, with more pronounced seasonal effects in northern regions of the world.

  

 "These backyard birds are the canaries in the coal mine," says Zuckerberg.   "Birds have always been very good indicators of environmental change".   His co-author, Prince, notes that other environmental changes, such as the pervasive human impact on landscape, may also be influencing the changes in the composition of birds at feeding stations in eastern North America.   She adds that climate change should not be viewed as the sole driver of changes in winter bird communities, but this new signal is a pretty strong one concerning climate change.   While researching this blog entry, I looked in the seven field guides I normally use, to check the maps for winter and year-round ranges of the Chipping Sparrow.  I eventually realized that my guides spanned the years from 1988 to 2002.   My newest guide is therefore now 12 years old.   Every map showed the Chipping Sparrow winter and year-round ranges stretching from California to Florida and up the U.S. east coast to Maryland/Delaware.   Knowing that Chipping Sparrows are now over-wintering in southern Ontario, I realize my birding guides are dated and I will look forward with anticipation to start replacing the old ones with new ones.  

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BtheB  

                                              

Parrot disappears for 4 years - returns speaking Spanish

Photo: care2 website

African Grey Parrot
Psittacus erithacus 

Nigel, a grey African Parrot, who flew away from his home in Torrance, California, in 2010, has been discovered back in his hometown and returned to his British owner, Darren Chick. It is a mystery where he was during the past four years.   Chick says his bird's British accent is gone, replaced by fluent Spanish.   African Grey Parrots are reputed to be quite intelligent and Nigel has clearly picked up the sounds from his environment.   To learn more about the the incredible search for The lost parrot's owner, go to www.care2.com/causes/nigel-the-british-parrot.

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BtheB  

Juncos returned this week

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Dark-eyed (Slate-coloured) JUNCO

Junco hyemalis

My wife, Linda, spotted the first returning Junco in our backyard on Monday of this week.   It seemed early to me, but I don't keep these kinds of records.   I'm sure however that the Juncos know better than I when the time is right to move south.   Actually we live in a part of North America that hosts juncos year-round, but in our specific area (just north of Lake Ontario) the Juncos to migrate slightly further north in summer and return to us in King City for the winter.   There are several different versions of this 6" sparrow-type bird and they were once said to constitute several distinct species but my Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds says that the different forms are now considered one species: Junco hyemalis.   My Stokes Field Guide to Birds says "Flocks return to same areas each winter.   They are fixed in membership and have a hierarchy.   Aggression at feeders is expression of dominance".

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BtheB

HBW World Bird Photo Contest Winner

Photo by Nikos Fokas

Lynx Editions, publisher of the Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) and the Internet Bird Collection (IBC) announced earlier this year the winners of the 2nd Edition of the HBW World Bird Photo Contest.   First prize this year was won by Nikos Fokus of Greece for his photo of a Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus) entitled: "Fast moving swift capturing floating insects".   Second and third prize-winning photos, and 10 Honourable Mention prize photos, plus 5 Special Prize photos can be viewed by visiting www.hbwcontest.com.   Mr. Fokus (great name for a photographer) won an entire series of 17 Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) volumes and a complete set of digiscoping equipment from Swarovski Optik, worth 6,800 Euros.   The first nine volumes of HBW are available for perusal at my local King City branch library for any nearby readers of this blogsite.

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BtheB 

A well-named bird

 Photo by Myron Tay

Stork-billed Kingfisher

(Pelargopsis capensis)

Here's a bird photo that caught my eye this week.   I'd never heard of a Stork-billed Kingfisher before.   The photo, taken by Myron Tay, showed up on WildlifeExtra.com as its 'Reader Photo of the week 13-19 October'.   Myron Tay's photograph of this resplendent Kingfisher, with a crayfish in its huge bill, was taken in Singapore.

Wikipedia photo uploaded by Dibyendu Ash

Stork-billed Kingfishers are native to the Indian sub-continent, south-east Asia and the Phillipines.   This kingfisher, with the mammoth bill, is a large bird at 14-15" long.   It is quite close in size to the widespread Belted Kingfisher (13") in North America, and the Ringed Kingfisher (16") in the Rio Grande Valley and other parts of southern Texas.

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BtheB 

White egrets and White Rhino

                                                                               Photo by Heinrich Van Den / Berg/Barton Media

The back of a White Rhinoceros is seen being used as a landing and take-off spot by a flock of egrets in South Africa.   One can only wonder what the attraction is for the egrets and what the the thoughts are of the rhino.   Whatever the true impulses and reactions may be, this photograph by Heinrich Van Den seems surely to signal symbiosis.

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BtheB

Oh to live on Birdsong Street

                                                                                                    Photos by BarrytheBirder

Alas, I do not live on nearby Birdsong Street in Oak Ridges.   My nickname/moniker may be Barry the Birder, but I live on a crescent, five minutes away in the village with the big name: King City.   As I stopped to take a picture of the Birdsong street sign (at top), two nearby crows scolded me for interrupting their scavenging.   Crows are not songbirds so their scolding was raucous, not melodic.   If I were to live on Birdsong Street in Oak Ridges, I could walk along a trail, for no more than a few minutes, until I arrived at Bond Lake (pictured above).   My wife and I have visited this spot and walked around the lake many times. It is a delight.

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BtheB    

Sharing Shane Koyczan's video of hope

                                                                                                      Photo by BarrytheBirder

My wife and I were recently in the audience for one of the presentations of David Suzuki's Blue Dot Tour.   A wonderful highlight of the evening was a young Canadian poet named Shane Koyczan.   He recited one of his poems and it received a standing ovation.   You can hear the inspirational poem by clicking on the link immediately below.

share Shane Koyczan’s video 

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BtheB

Piping Plovers in peril

 Photo by Melissa Groo / Audubon Photo Awards

Yesterday, I responded to an appeal by the Audubon Society to forward a message to the US Army Corps of Engineers about protecting a rare nesting habitat for the threatened Piping Plover in New York.   Less than 3,600 Atlantic coast Piping Plovers exist today.   A temporary restraining order has been granted to protect the critical plover habitat.   There is apparently no good reason why the habitat, which is located in the same area as the Fire Island Lighthouse Beach and the Smith Point County Park stabilization project, can't be accommodated, preserved and protected.   If you share the concern for this charming little bird, go to the Audubon Society website to participate in the intervention: www.audubonaction.org or go to Google and type in audubon action fire island.

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BtheB 

WWF - Canon Pic of the Week

Photo by Fritz Polking / WWF

Emperor Penguins in Antarctica

A number of the photographs on the World Wildlife Fund/Canon Pic of the Week website feature birds or in some cases birds and animals together.   Go to Google and type in wwf- canon pic of the week 2014 to see them.

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BtheB

Slow-motion wildlife video

My wife Linda directed me to this charming and fascinating online video which a neighbour and friend sent to her.   It features several animals and interesting birds going about their normal routines.   The last part of the video however is in super-slow-motion.   I think anyone, not just birdwatchers and general animal-lovers will find this visual and musical presentation quite compelling and entertaining.   Highlight and click on the link immediately below to access the video. 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/fdSVp9GFeS4

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BtheB

White-throated Sparrows are passing through

Photos by Barry Wallace

Every day for a week now there has been at least a half dozen White-throated Sparrows below the Niger seed feeder in the backyard. They are expected to migrate through at this time of year and they are right on schedule.   What is a little different is that instead of seeing mostly the white-striped form or morph, we are getting mostly the tan-striped form or morph. This has not happened before - never.   In the photo at top, there is a tan-striped type of the White-throated Sparrow in the rear, while the bird in front is a White-crowned Sparrow.   Below that photo is a photo of a white-striped type of the White-throated Sparrow.   Year after year I'm sure we always see more of the white-striped type during migrations and it seems the white form is generally dominate over the tan form.   A breeding pair usually contains one bird from each morph, either a white male and a tan female, or a tan male and a white female.   It matters not however how many there are of each type, as all sparrows are more than welcome in our backyard.

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BtheB  

Feathered food fight in Norway

Photo by Roy Mangersnes

Hawks against Jays

A sparrowhawk (left above) is seen harassing a Eurasian Jay in Dalen, Norway.   Photographer Roy Mangersnes captured this very dramatic image.   He said the sparrowhawks descend on the grounds where jays are fed by a friend every year.   He went on to say that as many 8 to 10 hawks charge the jays who dodge them as if dodging bullets, and that they seem to be very good at it.

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BtheB

Pity the poor cormorants

Photo by William Hall/AP

It seems the cormorant is disliked wherever it goes in the world.   It is routinely accused of over-populating any nesting ground it establishes, polluting soil and killing off vegetative matter, decimating fish stocks, displacing other bird species from habitats, and on and on and on.   It is quite true of several sites in my neck of the woods in southern Ontario, as well as many other places around the Great Lakes.   The cormorant pictured above was photographed by William Hall.   The bird is nesting under the old eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Baby Bridge in San Francisco.   Transportation officials are attempting to displace hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants, as well as other bird species that nest in the massive, 10,000 ft. long steel structure.   I've never heard of one of these ill-conceived plans being successful in the long run.   These unique and striking-looking birds have to live somewhere, unless there is an ultimate and final solution, that is being kept a secret, to totally exterminate the species.   Then, what or who is next?

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BtheB  

Male goldfinches lose their glitter

 Photos by BarrytheBirder

Breeding male American Goldfinch

Winter Male American Goldfinch

Winter Female American Goldfinch

It is now October and the male American Goldfinches in the backyard have undergone another seasonal change. They are no longer the shocking yellow, as seen in the top photo. The males have assumed the appearance of the females and they are offer difficult to distinguish from each other, particularly if there are many of them together or if they are at a fair distance.   But in the middle photo above there is one identifying mark of the winter male that is noteworthy.   It is the yellow patch on his shoulder, which winter females do not have. The bottom photo is a winter female and although they do not show in this particular picture, her wing and tail feathers are also black and white, but appear somewhat paler.   Surely, one the joys of a Canadian winter is having these lovely birds present each day.

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BtheB 

Turkey time

                                                                                                                                                                               Photo by BarrytheBirder

Our Thanksgiving holiday is just under 2 weeks away and many people will have begun to think of their turkey dinner.   Most of the turkeys consumed at the dinner tables will be of the domestic type.   However wild turkeys have become so numerous in southern Ontario that some of them will have been hunted, frozen and five months later headed for the serving platters.   The wild turkeys pictured above, near Kettleby, are wary creatures however and the dramatic increase in their numbers isn't because they are foolhardy.   Wild turkey hunting season this year included a week last spring and now a week in October.   The start of the fall season is October 14, the day after Thanksgiving.

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BtheB