In praise of the Canada Goose

Photos by BarrytheBirder

CANADA GOOSE (Branta canadensis)

Canadian Geographic Magazine's 'National Bird Project' has reported that an overwhelming number of its readers have said The Common Loon is their number one choice as the bird that should be named Canada's national bird.   The loon captured just shy of 14,000 votes.   The Snowy Owl was second, the Grey Jay was third and the Canada Goose was fourth.   A expert panel will make the final choice after which the selection will be presented to the Canadian government for consideration and possible official designation.   The Canada Goose was my second choice.   As a tribute to this grand and ubiquitous bird I have included in this space some of my favourite photos that I have taken of this bird. 

Always alert

Protecting eggs from the rain

Facing the elements and foraging

Goslings after the rain

 Up and away

Ever vigilant

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Some positive news about 'Hummers' and for their admirers

Photo by Barry Wallace

John McCracken has written a revealing article in the fall 2016 edition of BIRD WATCH Canada, part of which I thought I would pass along in this space.

"Breeding Bird Survey results show that Ruby-throated Hummingbird populations across North America have increased by about 2.3% per year since 1966.   Long Point Bird Observatory's migration montitoringprogram shows a similar pattern, with average annual increases coming in a 5.7% in spring migration and 7.4% in fall.   Second-generation breeding bird atlas projects in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes show noteworthy expansions in hummingbird distributions.   Population increase are thought to be in response to the ever-growing popularity of hummingbird feeders and backyard flower gardens, perhaps combined with the warming effects of climate change".

Thanks John.   It's nice to have positive and encouraging news.   The last hummingbird in my garden this fall left during the second week of October.   For a few years now, they seem to leave a day later each fall.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Bohemian Waxwing in Russia

                                                                                          Photo by TASS / Barcroft Images

A Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) is perfectly pictured eating rowan-berries in Pylos, Russia.   Pylos is a small town on the right bank of the Volga River, 300 kilometres north-east of Moscow.   Bohemian Waxwings are found in coniferous forests across North America (coast-to-coast in Canada) and Eurasia.   They are prolific and have very large breeding areas, and their status is classified as being of 'Least Concern' by the IUCN.   To me their appearance is always striking and immaculate.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

   

Monitor Lizard's tail too long for its own good

                                                                                                 Photo by Ganesh H. Shankar

2016 Wildlife Photographer of the Year

India winner ~ birds category

Indian Rose-ringed Parakeets returned to find a Bengal Monitor Lizard had taken up residence in their nesting hole, in India's Keoladeo National Park.   They immediately set about trying to evict the squatter.   They bit the lizard's tail and hung on for a few seconds at a time, until it withdrew into the hole.   It was then harassed whenever it came out to bask.   The encounters went on for two days.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder 

Autumn's migrating sparrows

Photo by Barry Wallace

White-crowned & White throated Sparrows

share same spot under the feeders

Pictured above are a White-crowned Sparrow (left) and a White-throated Sparrow (right) coming together under our feeders in the backyard, before continuing their migration south to escape winter which begins on December 21st.   The white-throats always appear first, followed by the white-crowns, but they usually share a same window of time for a couple of weeks.   They will make a similar type of passage in the spring.   In the case of the White-throated Sparrow, some adults have a black-and-white head stripes  while others have brown-and-tan head stripes.   My Peterson Field Guide notes that white-throats have been known to hybridize with Dark-eyed Juncos, although this is the only mention I have ever heard of this.
Please comment if you wish. 
BarrytheBirder

The first bird called a 'Jay' is today's Eurasian Jay

Eurasian Jay photo by Luc Viatour

The first bird called a 'Jay' was named in Britain, in the 18th century.   Today it is still called just a Jay, in Britain, but it is also known elsewhere as the Eurasian Jay.   It's scientific name is Garralus glandarius.   All the other 50-or-so jays, around the world, were given two-word or three-word names, such as the Blue Jay (pictured below). There are three species of jays found in Canada: the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), Stellar's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) and the Grey Jay (Perisoreus canadensis).   Jays are spread across parts of North and South America, Europe and Asia, but most are found in Central and South America (almost 30 species).   There are many subspecies also.

Photo by BarrytheBirder

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BarrytheBirder

Birds with no heads

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Trumpeter Swans

Chickadee

Canada Geese

Great Blue Heron

BarrytheBirder checking for the Bald Eagle's head

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BarrytheBirder

Lady Mallard attends her ablutions

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Preening and primping

Posing for her portrait

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BarrytheBirder

Mesmerizing photos of bird flight-paths by Xavi Bou

    Photos by Xavi Bou / Rex / Shutterstock

European Herring Gulls at Llobregat Delta

Spanish photographer's amazing photos

The Spanish photographer Xavi Bou digitally combines sequential pictures of birds to create a single image, or chronophotograph, that reveals the shapes of their flight paths against Spanish skies.   His work shows the scope and beauty found in the daily activities of local birds, including spiraling storks, swooping starlings and speedy swifts, among others.

Greater Flamingos at Ebro Delta, Catalonia

Audouin's Gull at Ebro Delta

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Egrets converge in Jingning She

Photos by Xinhua / Zhou Haijun

Egrets resting on a tree 

in Zhejiang Province, East China

Please comment if you wish.

Barry the Birder

Little Blue Heron (Juvenile) ~ Cozumel, Mexico ~ 2011

                                                                                                            Photos by BarrytheBirder

Egretta caerulea

(Juvenile)

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BarrytheBirder

Tricolored Heron ~ Cozumel, Mexico ~ 2011

Photos by BarrytheBirder 

 Egretta tricolor

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BarrytheBirder

Black-necked Stilt ~ Cozumel, Mexico ~ 2011

 Photos by BarrytheBirder

Himantopus mexicanus

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BarrytheBirder

Great Blue Heron ~ Cozumel, Mexico ~2011

                                                                                                    Photos by BarrytheBirder

Balletic beauty

Wonderful wingspan

Headless heron

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BarrytheBirder

Seven Sisters in Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Photo: Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards / Barcroft Media

This photo is one of the finalists in the 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.   The birds are Jungle Babblers and are found in the Indian subcontinent.   These gregarious birds forage in groups of six to 10, a habit that has given them the popular name of the 'Seven Sisters'.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Mourning Doves fill up at the feeder

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Zenaida macroura

A wee bit of snow sent these Mourning Doves to the feeders where they loaded up on seed, in earnest.   Now that cold nights are here again, my bedroom window is not open at night, which means that just before dawn I do not hear the soft, mournful calls of this lovely bird, in the apple tree outside my window.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

2015 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

                                                                             Photo by Ross Couper / Barcroft Images

Heroic pose or bad hair day?

Pictured above is a photograph of a Bateleur, taken in Singita National Park, South Africa, by Ross Couper, which has been selected as one of the 40 finalists in the 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.   Final winners will be announced later this year.
Please comment if you wish.
BarrytheBirder  

Losing their minds?

Photo by Charles Kinsey / Barcroft Images

Photographer Charles Kinsey captures a pair of headless penguins as they stretch to preen themselves simultaneously in South Georgia.

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BarrytheBirder

Birds at Marylake

 Photos by BarrytheBirder

Hundreds of Canada Geese are currently spending the early fall on the lake at Marylake Shrine and Augustinian Monastery near King City.   Among the geese is the occasional migrating Trumpeter Swan (bottom photo).

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Juncos return to the backyard feeders for the winter

 Photos by BarrytheBirder

This year, the first Dark-eyed Junco of the autumn season arrived the day after Thanksgiving.   It joined the White-throated Sparrows that have been passing through for the past two weeks, on their southward migration.   The juncos, plus the Chickadees, always make the winter a little more bearable. 

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Meru National Park ~ Kenya

Photo by Tom Stables / Barcroft Media

Some days it's just not worth

getting out of bed.

This picture is one of the 'Funniest Wildlife Photographs' published recently on-line by The Guardian Newspaper in Britain.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder