Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus)

                                                                                                    Photos by BarrytheBirder

Pine Siskins have quite noticeable streaking and the yellow at at the base of their tails and in flight feathers is conspicuous in flight.   Their bills are thinner than in other finches.   They are fond of company and may flock with goldfinches in the winter.  They are found in mixed and coniferous woods in summer; shrubs, fields and forests in winter, and their winter range can be inconsistently variable.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Peacocks...

                                                                                               Photos by BarrytheBirder

Peacocks are not native to Canada but can be found in various locations due often to escaped or released birds from private collections or hobby farms.  They are not usually found in the wild in southern Ontario, Canada, where I live, but some peacock populations have established themselves in specific areas, such as the 'Toronto Islands'.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry theBirder

Snowy Owl (Nyctia scandiaca)

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Snowy Owl is circumpolar breeding in Canada, Alaska and the Aleutians.  It practically is never seen perched in a tree, preferring instead to sit on the ground, rooftops or other exposed perching places.   In the far north, its main food supply is lemmings.   Lemming populations fluctuate and when they decrease 'Snowies' must migrate south to avoid starvation.   In lower latitudes, Snowy Owls prey on rabbits and other small game.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

GREAT HORNED OWL

The Great Horned Owl is the biggest of North American 'eared' owls, exceeded in size only by the uncommon Great Grey Owl.   It preys on many creatures including rabbits and grouse, plus lizards, frogs and beetles.   An early nester, it lays its eggs as early as late January.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

                                                  

Barred Owl (Strix varia)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Barred Owl is a large, stocky, gray-brown owl with cross-barring on its neck and chest and streaks on its belly.   Its normal habitat is low, dark wet woods and swampy forests, where it rests during the day and comes out at night to feed on rodents, birds, frogs and crayfish.

The Barred Owl seen in these photos had become entangled in the branches of the low shrubby trees seen in these photos.   It spent two or three minutes struggling to free itself before getting a stable perch. 

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder 

Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)

 
                                                                                                  Photos by BarrytheBirder

I took these Northern Hawk Owl photos, above, several years ago in the village of Schomberg, about 50 kms. north of Toronto, Ontario.   The 'Hawk Owl' had been seen in this spot for a few days and it wasn't long before dozens of birders, most with cameras and big lenses (see below), gathered around this uncommon bird and much time was spent get shots of it.

The Northern Hawk Owl is a unique medium-sized owl of boreal forests, in Canada, Alaska and north-western Europe.   It has a noticeably long tail for an owl and sometimes looks like a small hawk, with quicks wing-beats.

They regularly feed on small rodents by sound and sight.   They often perch on top of fir trees or snags or posts, surveying nearby landscapes for prey.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

As a dedicated birdwatcher...

                                                                                                Photo by BarrytheBirder

...even door-hangers catch my eye.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Birds going CRAZY over new sunflower chips on balcony feeding station!

The folks at WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED in Newmarket, Ontario, where I buy all my bird seed, introduced me to a new product recently.   It is sunflower chips.   I bought a bag and tried it out on my partner Pat's 3rd floor apartment balcony, where she also a couple of hummingbird feeders.   The sunflower chips were quickly discovered by Goldfinchs, Mourning Doves and Song Sparrows.   These birds can't get enough of this new feed.   We have a dozen Goldfinches at a time feeding in a not-very-large spot on the balcony.   It's now a constant stream of birds feeding here.

I bought a 5 lb. bag at the beginning and it only lasted a little over 2 weeks.  I'm now into a second bag and thinking about buying larger bags in the future.   This product comes in several sizes up to 50 lb. bags, but at almost 84 years of age, I try not to lift anything over 50 lbs, anymore.   The Wild Birds Unlimited Store in Newmarket has devoted a huge amount of space to this new product, with the various-sized bags stacked high in the centre of the store.   It's selling like crazy.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus)

                                                                                                   Photos by BarrytheBirder

This wonderful species was once threatened but conservation programs have been successful, and the species is now fairly common.

Nicknames for the Osprey include fish hawk, sea hawk, river hawk and eagle hawk.   These nicknames reflect the Osprey's fish diet and habitats near water.

Ospreys are found throughout Canada, in Alaska and the western United States, plus Florida, and coastal Mexico.   Osprey are also unusual in that they are the sole living species that occurs nearly worldwide.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Yellow Warbler survives window hit...

                                                                            Photo by Sharon H.

The Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia) pictured above was photographed right after it hit a window near Brechin, on Lake Simcoe, Ontario.   The look on its face indicates how it is trying to shake off the impact.   The event did have a happy ending however.   Thanks for the photo Sharon.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Some more recent Swainson's Hawk photos...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Herewith are two more photos of the Swainson's Hawk that has been recently circling Delmanor Retirement Residence in Aurora, Ontario.

Photo by Lisa P.

The photo above shows very well just how white the undersides of this raptor are.   The white feathers go from just under its chin down to its talons and down the tip of its tail.   Thanks for sharing the photo Lisa.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

A nest can be made anywhere...

Photo by Shauuna Sanders Nakogee

The nest these two young Robins are in was made

in a hanging basket by an opportunistic  parent.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

How often do domestic chickens lay eggs?

                                                                                                Photos by BarrytheBirder

Domestic chickens lay up to 250 eggs in their first year,

 and almost everyday thereafter.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry Wallace

Do male or female Red-winged Humminbirds visit feeders more often?

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Males may visit feeders briefly and often perch higher than females to survey for rivals, while females spend more time at feeders, especially when raising young.

My experience this year, was just two visits by males to the feeders (pictured above) on the first day of the season, but since then it has been only females, numbering 100 to 150 times day (6-9 times per hour), between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)

                                                                                                Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Baltimore Oriole is a common summer bird of gardens, parks and open woodlands.   As seen in these photos, it feeds on the juice of oranges which have been cut in half (above), on nectar in hanging feeders (below) and even at hummingbird feeders (bottom).

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Swainson's Hawks start building nest...

 

                                                                      Photos by Barry the Birder

The Swainson's Hawks recently written about in three previous blogs have taken to gathering materials for a nest, presumably.   One of the hawks is pictured below with nesting materials in its beak.   The photo was taken at quite a distance away and it somewhat out of focus. 

Swainson's Hawks are normally found in the central United States.   In this case one 'Swainsons' appeared in the Aurora/King area, north of Toronto, Ontario in the summer of 2024.   It returned this year, (probably from Florida in the winter) remarkably with a mate in tow and and they seem to be preparing a nest.  We shall see what we shall see.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

I love photographing nuthatches!

BarrytheBirder photos

    Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

   White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

  Nuthatches are often seen creeping headfirst typically down tree trunks a poles. Their diet switches from insects and spiders in summer to sunflower seeds and suet in winter.   They can stay in their roost cavities for up to 40 hours without feeding, enabling them to survive winter storms.  White-breasted Nuthatches are found the U.S.A. and northern Mexico, while Red-breasted Nuthatches are found in the U.S.A. and southern Canada, and    there are 28 Nuthatch species in the world.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Baltimore Oriole uses hummingbird feeder...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

The Baltimore Oriole pictured above has visited our balcony hummingbird feeder a couple of times lately.   It perches on the side of the feeder and the nectar inside runs to the side of the feeder.   The nectar seeps out between the feeder bowl and the perch cover and the 'Baltimore' sucks up the drips.  Clever bird.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry the Birder

Rare Swainson's Hawk appears to have a mate!

Photo by BarrytheBirder

A fellow resident at Delmanor Retirement Residence in Aurora, Ontario,  where I live, showed me a photo he took of the Swainson's Hawk I have written about and published several photos of, in my last two blogs.   But his photo shows that the hawk has returned from Florida (probably) WITH A MATE!

I hope to get photos of the pair in the next few days, which I shall also post in Barry the Birder blog in the very near future.

This Swainson's Hawk should normally be languishing about 2,600 kilometres from here, in the central United States.   That it is currently flying about Aurora, just north of Toronto, Ontario, is extraordinary.   That it seems to have picked up a mate while in Florida this past winter and has returned to Ontario, instead of the midwest USA, is almost beyond belief.

Stay tuned...more to come hopefully.

Barry the Birder

More "Far-from-home" Swainson's Hawk photos...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Swainson's Hawk reappears in Aurora...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Swainson's Hawk (Buteo Swainsoni) that was to be found here in Aurora, Ontario, north of Toronto, for most of last summer , before disappearing and presumably heading south to Florida for the winter, has returned to the same spot in Aurora early in June of this year.

This bird normally resides in Canada'a lower western provinces, the American western states and northern Mexico.   They do rarely find their way east to Ontario.   I presume I will see this raptor around and about for the rest of the summer and fall.

More

Swainson's 

Hawk

photos

tomorrow...

Please comment if you wish.