The photos reprinted here are meant only to take a bit of the cold edge off the first day of February, 2005. They were taken a few years ago on a trip to Mexico. I hope you enjoy them and they warm you a bit.
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Photo above shows carvings of Ruddy Duck by Jim Harkness, shorebird by F. Smith, Loon by Ron Sadler, Puffin by Dale Davies, Western Grebe by Liza Chin.
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BarrytheBirder
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This small (17 cm.) but favourite backyard bird is widespread and abundant across Canada and the U.S.A. Most northern of the species move south in the winter. It is found in most woodland habitats, suburban areas, parklands and orchards. It readily visits feeders non-stop and often joins mixed winter flocks of Chickadees and Nuthatches. The male of the species has a small read patch on its nape which is lacking on the female.
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Photos - Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
The Boreal Chickadee pales in comparison, literally, to its well-known cousin, the Black-capped Chickadee.
Adults, pictured here, are brownish or dusky brown, with a dark cap, rufous sides and flanks, black bib, dirty white breast and central belly. They are brown-backed, with a grayish area around the ears and small whitish cheek patches.
The Boreal Chickadee is found in the great spruce forests of Canada,, stretching from Alaska to Newfoundland.
Its call is a wheezy, husky chipping sound, very unlike the clear whistled sound of a Black-capped Chickadee.
I do not have a large life species list of birds, but I'm surprised after watching birds in many places in Canada, I have never this sweet little bird to me list.
Photo by BarrytheBirder
I took this photo of a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor), also known as a Great Grey Shrike, in late December, 30 years ago, northwest of Toronto at Mount Wolfe, Ontario. It is 10" long (larger by 1" than the Loggerhead Shrike). It has a pale head and back, underparts lightly barred and a whitish rump. Its mask is narrower than on the Loggerhead but its bill is longer, with a more distinct hook. It has an uncommon range and numbers on the wintering grounds are unpredictable from year to year.
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BarrytheBirder
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The DARK-EYED JUNCO
The Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) is my most favourite small bird in North America, especially at the feeders in winter.
It is immediately recognizable with its pink bill, white belly, dark eyes, and white outer tail feathers in flight.
In my part of Canada, just north of Toronto, on the north shore of Lake Ontario, it is the "Slate-coloured" Junco that I see all the time.
It's not just its appearance and behaviour that gets to me, but its personality always wins me over. It's what I like to call a 'winter warrior' (see photos immediately below).
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Oh to be one that flies above all the rest
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Birds found dead in Toronto Park in December
Two Snowy Owls were found dead at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto, Ontario, last month, have tested positive for avian influenza, also known as bird flu. Avian influenza can spread between animals and humans and vice versa and presents a huge risk. Dead and injured birds found near Toronto should be reported to the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority, or the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative or the Toronto Wildlife Centre. No one other than members of these agencies mentioned above should touch, feed or handle birds to avoid potential exposure to avian flu. Rodenticide, a common rat poison used to kill rodents that sometimes ends up in larger animals that eat them, is often under-reported in wildlife deaths because of the precautions around handling birds with avian influenza. More details can be found in a Toronto Star story of January 18th, on page A2.
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BarrytheBirder
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The only reason I'm showing this photo of a Grackle, which I took some time ago, is because I didn't notice before, just how long its bill was. All three types of Grackles in North America also have long keel-shaped tails. This one above, with its long bill and tail is a neat specimen. Love that upward glance also.
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BarrytheBirder
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I've always found Snowy Owls, in winter, at the western end of the Ravenshoe Sideroad, between Queensville and Keswick, north of Newmarket. My friend, Doreen Hiltz, of Holland Landing, wrote last week to say she and her son spotted some last week and got photos of one. I have several photos of these wonderful creatures in this reliable location that stretches across the most northern reaches of the Holland Marsh, just south of Lake Simcoe's southern end.
My National Geographic Society Field Guide to the Birds of North America states the Snowy Owl is "A large white owl, with rounded head, yellow eyes. Dark bars and spots are heavier on females, heaviest on young birds; old males may be pure white."
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BarrytheBirder
