Zebra Finch in King City?!?!

I was awakened from my afternoon nap by Linda hollering at me to come to the backdoor to "..see this bird!" Lo and behold, the lady of the house had spotted A Zebra Finch in the cedar hedge. Now if Linda and I lived in Australia, this sighting would be no big deal. But in Canada? 15,000 kilometres is a long way to stray. I rushed for my camera, took a dozen quick shots, while babbling like an idiot about Linda's unbelievable sighting. To which she replied: "It must be an escapee." "Oh, well of course", I said, crestfallen. It was the only realistic explanation. Nevertheless, this tiny little bird is spectacular to see. No wonder it is one the most popular cage birds in the entire world. It joined us on the back porch and looked at the Goldfinches and Chickadees at the feeders. It seemed intrigued by their activity. Then it flew into the cedar hedge again and then down to our back steps before moving on. I refuse to speculate on its fate, and will be content with the knowledge that this tiny, fragile and free-flying creature made my heart sing for part of this day. Thank you Linda. I owe you one.

Please comment if you like.

BtheB

Late summer ~ Marylake

I've been wandering around the grounds of Marylake Shrine & Augustinian Monastery Farm for about 50 years now. I had never, in those 50 years, circumnavigated the lake on foot, until today. There are footpaths the length of the lake, along the east side, but the west side is mature forest and tangled wetlands, and as I discovered, generally passable only to the young and fit. Moreover, it has little to offer compared to the other natural physical areas of this former Sir Henry Pellat estate. But at least I can say I have walked right around Mary Lake. I also took the opportunity to have a look inside (the doors were wide open) of the massive brick barn that always amazes visitors with its size and style. The picture above shows the unusual criss-crossed rafters under the main roof. Sadly the barn is no longer in use and is deteriorating. What was once a thriving dairy farm, operated by numerous monks, is now mainly a religious retreat centre. Marklake is just north of King City, on Keele Street, and the Oak Ridges Moraine hiking trail provides access and great views of the lake and the surrounding fields and forest. Go far enough and you'll wind up at the Pine Farms Orchard on the 16th Sideroad and its charmingly cozy cafe.

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB

Grampa's 99-year-old corn

My grandfather, Sid Thomas, brought this cob of corn from Wimborne, Dorset, England in 1911. As you can see, some of the kernals are missing. Did Sid nibble on some while crossing the Atlantic? Did mice expropriate their share? Or did Sid plant some of the kernals in the soil of his new homeland, Canada? After 99 years, it seems the right time to plant some of these kernals should be next year, marking the 100th anniversary of the cob in Canada. My sister, Denise, suggests if the planting is successful that she and I, along with our sister, Diane, and brother, Bob, could get together for a corn roast. That would be great, but we do live apart from each other, by a combined distance of 3,700 kilometres. A simpler solution might be to send them some kernals, from King City, for planting in Parry Sound (Ontario), Wemindji (Quebec side of James Bay) and Vernon River (Prince Edward Island). How will this turn out? We'll all have to wait a year to see an outcome. Stay tuned.

BtheB

Back in the saddle

Some people have noticed that I've been absent from this space for a couple of months. It was some health issues but I'm back at my post, motivated in part by the little guy above. He is one of many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds who have taken over the backyard, in the late summer. Their presence is causing a lot of air-traffic-control problems for the Goldfinches, Chickadees, Cardinals, and Blue Jays, etc., not to mention migrating fall warblers. Did you know that hummingbirds have a top speed of almost 100 kms. per hour! It probably explains why I am constantly ducking these fascinating speed-demons, for fear of them impaling themselves in my forehead with their tiny perfect beaks.
Please comment if you wish.
BtheB

Summer Solstice Eve

Marylake ~ King City ~ Ontario

Marylake Shrine

A great grassland trail

Two or three times recently, I've walked the western half of the Oak Ridges Corrider Park Trail, in north Richmond Hill, Ontario, and found dozens of Bobolinks. It's great to see so many, given that they are a threatened species, due to habitat loss. The western part of trail that I have been walking runs between Yonge Street and Bathurst Street, about a kilometre south of the King Road, or a kilometre north of the Jefferson Sideroad. The east entrance is at the pedestrian traffic lights, on Yonge Street, at Bond Lake, while the west entrance is on the south side of the Bathurst Glen Golf Club clubhouse, about a hundred metres in off Bathurst Steet. In addition to Bobolinks, I've found Savannah and Song Sparrows, Brown Thrasher, House Wren, Tree Swallow, Baltimore Oriole, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Kingbird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Great Blue Heron. This is an easy-walking trail and very satisfying for people looking for the birds. You don't even need binoculars to get a good look at the Bobolinks. You can also easily hear their unique burbling, gurgling, trilling song. BtheB

Bobolink

Savannah Sparrow

Midland Painted Turtle

Western trailhead of the Oak Ridges Corrider Park

Madame La Pew has given birth

I took this picture of Madame La Pew (as my wife has named her) this morning as she headed back to the safety of her den, under our garden shed. She usually makes her appearances between dusk and dawn, thus our paths don't often cross. Today she was lingering well after sunrise and was eating everything in sight. The reason for her increased hunger is the presence, we think, of a half dozen or so new baby skunks in her den. We had watched her getting bigger and bigger or the last several weeks and suddenly one night, a week or so ago, around midnight, there was an unmistakable gas attack outside the open bedroom windows.
We shut the windows immediately and decided the moment had arrived and the smell was a by-product of giving birth. We've been through this in other years and in a month or so, mum will appear one evening with the whole clan, in tow, and lead the juveniles on a jaunt around the neighbourhood. She will give them all the slip along the way and come home alone. Her children will have been given the heave-ho and they will have to find their own way in the world, henceforth. Linda and I were thrilled to watch one of these departures, a few years ago, when seven skunks, in a tight pack undulated across the backyard like a black and white patchwork quilt. There was no sound ... just a rippling, mirage-like huddle of skunks floating across the grass, in dusk's half-light.
Please comment if you wish. BtheB

You know you're in the country when...

One of my sisters has just made the move from the oil boomtown of Calgary to a small rural setting in Prince Edward Island. She is surrounded by boxes in a lovely old house near Vernon River and has the following to say, in her first email from the red isle:"You know you're back in the country when you are up to your knees in red mud and actually wearing the Wellies you bought in Ireland because you thought you were cool. You know you are back in the country when the man in front of you in line at the Tim's window is on a tractor, and you are definitely in the country when you open your old-fashioned mailbox and a bird flies out and you discover mail is crammed against two large birds' nests. Sounds very bucolic, to me, and I would switch for it immediately, to keep from being anywhere near the insanity of the G20 in Toronto. Best wishes, sis'.
BtheB

Photographic Reminders

One of my daughters is moving soon, to another part of the country. She wanted to have some photos of the place where she has been teaching for the last few years, as reminders of the wonderful natural setting in which she had so many pleasant walks. The place is the King Campus of Seneca College. Here are a few of many pictures I have passed on to her. They include, Eaton Hall Conference Centre, one of two Ospreys nesting at Seneca, a spawning carp, another unidentified fish in the dragonfly pond, an Eastern Kingbird, and the bones and firepit of a replica sweat lodge. I'm sure she'll miss this place.

BtheB

Wine recommendation of the week

This is yours truly tasting some wine in my vineyard (LOL). Actually I'm on the back porch and it's a KWV Chenin Blanc 2009 from South Africa. It describes itself as : "...an off-dry white wine, fresh and fruity with tropical and apple flavours." It tastes very nice, I must say. The best part? It's $7.95 for 750 ml. at the liquor store - an incredible value. This is my new, summer, white house wine. This is one to keep well-chilled. If your glass sits too long, you'll need to refill it often, to keep it at the perfectly cool temperature. Just don't tell anyone it was me who encouraged you to keep topping it up. Thanks to my friend, Pieter, for putting me on to this delightful sipper.
Cheers, BtheB

Bears in the Mulmur Triangle

My friend, Pieter Thoenes, reports that his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter came across a Black Bear and her cub, in the middle of the intersection of 15th Sideroad and 4th Line E., in Mulmer Township this past Saturday. The two healthy-looking critters ran off behind someone's house nearby. I was greatly surprised by this. I knew that Black Bears were now reaching further south into southern Ontario each year, but hadn't realized they had made a right turn at Barrie and were now to be seen in the beautiful Mulmur Hills. Mulmer Township lies pretty much inside a triangle of land delineated by the towns of Alliston, Shelburne and Creemore. The sighting was about 5 kms. from the Bruce Trail, at Horning's Mills, so heads up and keep yours wits about you if you're hiking up that way.

Chimney Swifts & Bobolink

It was good to see a few Chimney Swifts flittering over the house on several evenings this past week. I also spotted my first Bobolink of the year, in an abandoned cow pasture, a couple of days ago. Both sightings were heartening because: 1. Chimney Swifts are a threatened species in Ontario, due to reduced food supply (pesticides) and reduced nesting spots (chimneys); and 2. Bobolinks are in rapid decline in both South and North American due primarily to habitat loss (upland grass fields). Both of these birds are special to see and hear. The Chimney Swift, because of its shape, is nicknamed the Flying Cigar. The Bobolink's burbling song reminds me of being a kid and spinning the station-selector dial on old radios which created a musical mish-mash of sounds that resembled the Bobolink, in full voice. Here's hoping these birds don't become extirpated in Ontario - in my lifetime, anyway.
BtheB

10,027 bird species - 1240 facing extinction

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has just published its 2010 Red List update which shows that 1,240 of the world's 10,027 species are on the brink of extinction. That's 1/8 of the world's bird species that are now facing the imminent extinction possibility. The IUCN Red List is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. The most recent bird species to be declared extinct is the Alaotra Grebe from Madagascar. It's hard enough bringing these dire facts to the attention of the world, but it's especially so with disasters like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. And which is more important? They are equally important, of course, optics notwithstanding. Instead of embracing biodiversity, perhaps we need to take a holistic approach and embrace bio-unity. A good start, if you're interested (and you should be), is the IUCN website: http://www.iucn.org/.

BP - O' the woes

Here's a 1999 advertisement from British Petroleum, the irony of which speaks for itself. Thanks to my friend, Susan Beharriell, for passing along this omen from the past.

BtheB

If not a bird, a dragonfly

"Deep in the sun-searched growths the dragonfly

Hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky..."

--Dante Gabriel Rossetti

I went out this afternoon to take some photographs of birds, but it was in the heat of the day and none wanted to pose for me. I took this dragonfly's picture instead. My Oxford dictionary describes the dragonfly as: "...having a long slender body, two large transparent wings that are spread while resting...". This seems an understatement for such a strikingly, exotic-looking creature, don't you think? The Common Whitetail dragonfly is a common North American species and the one above is an adult male. He loves to eat mosquitos. Bless him.

BtheB

Bathtime in the backyard

Now the summer came to pass

And flowers through the grass

Joyously sprang,

While all the tribes of birds sang.

~~Walther von der Vogelweide

First hummingbird picture with new camera

Here it is: my first picture of a hummingbird, with my new camera. Come to think of it, it's probably my first picture of a hummingbird with any camera. It's a male, although I didn't get it at the right angle to show his iridescent red throat (next time). It's not a very interesting picture. About all I can say is that this little guy is showing perfect posture. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.
BtheB

Cygnets take to the water

Don Flucker of Ladner, B.C. has been keeping me supplied with pictures of the swans at his place on the Fraser River. This photo shows mom with her six cygnets getting their feet wet. Great photo, eh?
BtheB

May 15 ~ hummingbirds return

It was exactly one month and one day ago, in this space, that I announced I had put up, and filled up, my eight hummingbird feeders. I suggested that what with global warming, several lovely days in early April, and some flowers already blooming, that the hummers might come back early this year. Last year they returned on May 9. This year I saw my first hummingbird at 2.45 p.m. on May 15. So much for my witless speculation. The birds obviously know better than me. They must have heard the reports of snow in King City, on Mother's Day. Anway, it's great to have them back. Now, to get some great pictures.
BtheB

No story - just a photo

I was checking out a local abandoned heronry yesterday (hope springs eternal) and shot this photo of the hardwood swamp that once held as many as 40 Great Blue Heron nests. I thought it made a nice picture. Imagine floating in a canoe...listening to spring bird songs...soaking up a few rays...
BtheB

More Don Flucker photos

Here are two more swan photos from Don Flucker, in Ladner, B.C. Don's resident Mute Swan pair has laid eight eggs and six have hatched so far. The bottom photo shows two of the cygnets fresh from shell.

BtheB

Blue Heron from B.C.

My friend, Don Flucker, from Ladner, British Columbia, photographed this Great Blue Heron near his floating home recently, in the Fraser River delta. It's a remarkable picture in that it shows almost every primary, sercondary and tertial feather in its spectacular wingspan. Some people describe the Great Blue Heron as having a prehistoric look and there's certainly a hint of that here. I suspect Don caught this GBH at the moment of lift-off, but there's also a suggestion that milady has been caught at her bath or during a fan dance: presuming of course that this lovely creature is a female. It's as if Don had asked this bird to "Show us your feathers" and it responded with a perfectly-posed plumage portrait. Thanks for passing this shot along, Don, and well done.
BtheB

Super sturgeon not an hoax

I posted this fish photo and blogged about it on April 28. It was supposed to have been caught in Lake of the Woods, Ontario, but I wondered if it was an hoax, because of it huge size. My friend Don Flucker, of Ladner, B.C., in the Fraser River Delta, has emailed me to say this 11' sturgeon is the real deal, but it's not from Ontario. It was hooked upstream from Don, in the Fraser River, by a guy, named Cyril Paquin, who was fishing for sturgeon for the very first time! Talk about beginner's luck. This is the 2nd biggest fish on record for the Fraser. Thanks, Don.
BtheB

Usual suspects showing up

Last week it was White-throated Sparrows. This week it's White-crowned Sparrows in the backyard (see photo above). I also have Chipping Sparrows and a tan-coloured version of the White-throated sparrow. A few streets away, in the centre of the village, my friend Gerry Binsfeld has a Carolina Wren in his backyard. That bird is not one of the usual suspects. It is a rare, year-round resident in Ontario, just barely making it to the north shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario during the spring migration.
BtheB

Is this sturgeon for real?

Not being a fisherman, I don't usually mention fish and fishing here, but this picture is an exception. It was passed on to me via three old newspaper colleagues of mine, Pat Pappas, Tim Whittaker and Peter Marsh. This sturgeon was caught and released in Lake of the Woods, near Kenora, a couple of weeks ago. It weighed in at over 1,000 lbs., measured 11'1" long, 56" in girth, and took 4 guys (taking turns) 6.5 hrs. to reel in. Apparently any sturgeon over 5' in length has to be released unharmed and cannot be removed from the water. Sturgeon over 5' are regarded as good brooding/breeding stock. The story goes that this great specimen was worn out from the fight to catch it, but was released shortly after the photo was taken.
In the Caspian Sea, sturgeons grow to 18' and 4400 lbs., but in Ontario,the record for Lake Sturgeon is just over 5.5' and 168 lbs, while the record in adjacent Minnesota is also 5.5' but only 94 lbs. So either this is the catch of the century or an hoax.
Comments?
BtheB

The last couple of mornings I've had to chip ice off the birdbaths, so regulars like this cardinal and house finch can get a drink. The spring migration has stalled a bit it seems. So much for my witless speculation that the hummingbirds might come back early this year. I've had none so far. They'll probably make their appearance around May 10, much like always. Meanwhile there are eight nectar feeders waiting for them, as well as me and my camera.
BtheB

Birding for beginners on June 5

Yellow-rumped Warbler ~ Jokers Hill ~ photo by BarrytheBirder, September 2009

I will be leading a one-day workshop entitled 'Birding for Beginners' on Saturday, June 5, 2010, between 9.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m., at the University of Toronto's Koffler Scientific Reserve in King Township, at Jokers Hill, on Dufferin Street just south of Hwy. 9. The cost is $60 per person, including lunch from Dorio's Bakery in Kettleby, as well as the use of binoculars supplied by the university. My intention is make the day both informative and entertaining. Jokers Hill is a 348-hectare ecological observatory situated on the top of the Oak Ridges Moraine and a perfect setting for a day of learning about and enjoying eastern North-American birds (see photo below). For more details and registration info go to http://ksr.utoronto.ca/

Photo by BarrytheBirder, Jokers Hill, 2009

Good birding, BtheB

Today's new spring arrivals

White-throated Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Here are a couple of perky spring migrants that will probably stay in the backyard for a couple of days. As far as I'm concerned, they can hang around for as long as they want.

BtheB

Sandhill Cranes and lots of ducks

I stumbled across a new wetlands area, north of the Queensville Flats, in upper York Region this week. I made a mental note to go back with my spotting scope and did so today. Here's an incomplete list of the birds I spotted in the water-covered fields and marshes, on the north side of the Ravenshoe Road, 2.5 kms. east of Leslie Street.
~ 3 Sandhill Cranes
~ 500 Canada Geese
~ 8 pairs of Northern Pintails
~ A pair of American Black Ducks
~ 2 pairs of Northern Shovellers
~ A pair of American Wigeons
~ 2 pairs of Blue-winged Teals
~ 1 pair of Green-winged Teal
~ 1 Canvasback
~ 1 Willet
~ 1 Lesser Yellowlegs
Even with my telephoto camera lens, I couldn't get get close enough for any good pictures. But later in the day, at the Cold Creek Conservation area, my luck was better. Below are shots of a Turkey Vulture, nesting Tree Swallows, and a basking Midland Painted turtle.

A pretty good day, all things considered. Here's hoping yours was also.

BtheB

Goldfinches in breeding plumage

It's that time of year (mid-April) when you can once again tell the difference between the male and female goldfinches. I took this picture a few minutes ago, in the backyard. The males have almost completed their change to bright yellow breeding plumage. They are a welcome sight, indeed.


"Time for your close-up, Mr. G".


BtheB

The "upside-down bird"

Kenn Kaufman, in his Lives of North American Birds book, calls nuthatches the "upside-down birds". The photo, at left, which I took recently, neatly illustrates that description. Nuthatches have extremely strong toes and claws, with which to grip bark and other uneven surfaces. It also helps if you only weigh 10.5 to 13 grams, as is the case with the Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) pictured here. This captivating little bird is found in every continental U.S. state and every Canadian province.

Mid-April to early May marks the start of the breeding season for many birds in this neck of the woods. The male Red-breasted Nuthatch, having caught the eye of a female, performs as follows: he turns his back on the lady (seems non-productive), points his head in the air, droops his wings, and sways from side to side. This doesn't sound very alluring but maybe it helps him to 'shake his booty' in a sexy way. Appearances notwithstanding, it seems to work quite well, as there are always plenty of Red-breasted Nuthatches about. The male feeds the female, both on and off the nest, and both parents feed the nestlings. They seem content to raise just one brood a year. Sounds all very dutiful and practical to me, which is good because we all need lots of nuthatches around and about, to entertain us.

BtheB

I shot these two pictures this afternoon, at the new wetlands area of Seneca College's King Campus. It's now mid-April and Tree Swallows are to be found everywhere in southern Ontario. What good-lookers they are. And their beauty is exceeded only by their flying prowess. My birder-friend, Gerry Binsfeld, advised a group of us one day, that he had taught his kids to use binoculars by telling them to: "...follow the swallow...". It's good advice. If you can follow a swallow with your binoculars, then you can follow just about any bird.
As for honey bees, their populations are dying off at alarming rates in many places around the world. Great efforts are be made to comprehend this calamity and so far, as I understand it, it is referred to as a syndrome, as opposed to an identified disease. But the healthy-looking bee pictured above was very busy trying to put a huge dent into a crop of emerging Coltsfoot along the Oak Ridges Trail. Its success can be measured by the sacks of pollen attached to its hind legs. Please comment if you wish.
BtheB

Margaret Atwood fires us up

Linda and I went to the Granite Club last week, to listen to the husband-and-wife team of Grahame Gibson and Margaret Atwood reflect on wildlife and wildife habitat at ON Nature's fund-raising Green Tea Party. The authors/naturalists were very interesting and inspiring as they updated the status of many biodiversity projects around the world, some of which they are personally involved in. Among many other things, they are currently Joint Honourary Presidents of Birdlife International's Rare Bird Club. And while their conservation efforts are not flagging, there was a detectable aura of foreboding and gloom about prospects for world-wide biodiversity. At one point, Ms Atwood mused that civil disobedience might be the next necessary step to make politicians, and the people who elect them, wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to wildlife species declines, habitat destruction, and degraded and poisoned environments. Linda and I have decided that we are not too old for civil disobedience and will join such insurrections as they present themselves. In fact, we are on the look-out for legitimate protests that involve animals and the environment. Meanwhile, I highly recommend an essay that Margaret Atwood published recently, in England, on birds and the greening of the world. Her insight and arguments are compelling. Click on http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/09/margaret-atwood-birds-review .
BtheB

Will hummingbirds arrive early?

I just filled-up my eight hummingbird feeders in the backyard. This is 3 weeks earlier than last year. What with global warming, several lovely days of sunshine, and certain flowers already up, I decided to anticipate the early arrival of one of my favourite birds. Last year my first 'hummer' showed up on May 9, the day after one showed up, at my neighbour, Shirley Ormsby's, place. For a few years now, Shirley has beaten me to the punch, by being the first to call and say: "They're baaa-aack". Have a safe journey, my little friends.
BtheB

Scenes from Seneca

A few metres east of Keele Street on the Oak Ridges Trail, north of King City, is a rivulet that passes under a narrow boardwalk and spills into a small pool. It is a perfect little scene, accompanied by the sweet sound of gurgling water. The picture below doesn't do it justice, so keep an eye out for it if you pass by that way. Beyond this spot today, I saw many Canada Geese on Lake Jonda, or as it's known now: Lake Seneca. Among the geese, I counted 25 Common Mergansers and a few Mallard Ducks. Away from the lake, I spotted three Killdeers and three Tree Swallows: firsts of the season. I also saw and heard numerous Song Sparrows. That's one of them, pictured above. I still haven't seen any bluebirds, but they'll be along. I certainly recommend the King Campus of Seneca College for birdwatching.
BtheB

Migrants at Cold Creek

I went looking for bluebirds at Cold Creek Conservation Area today, but they have not returned yet. I had to settle for my first Turkey Vulture of the season. The ice is off the ponds at Cold Creek and Canada Geese have returned to claim their favourite spots. The pair which I photographed, above, seem to have taken a liking to the island in the main pond. They were one of eight pairs, which is a lot for such a small pond. I imagine things will get quite confrontational in short order, but I also know that eventually everyone will find a spot they can work with. It's forecasted to be a beautiful, sunny, warm week. I hope to post a picture here of the first bluebirds of the season, some time very soon.
BtheB

The Grackle

The GRACKLE

He loudly intrudes hither and thither

Causing some to quake and others to quiver

A black and blue fellow

With eyes sickly yellow

Yet confronted the coward's all a-dither

I don't know why I have this love-hate relationship with grackles, but I do. One moment I'm shooing them away from the feeders, so smaller birds have a chance at the seeds, and the next moment I'm thinking this strikingly good-looking bird is one of my favourites. As it happens, I was in the backyard last week with my camera and one of the visiting grackles commented to me that he had seen me taking pictures of starlings. He claimed he was a much better example of avian resplendency, than the starling. So, I took his picture also. You see it above. I tweaked the sharpness a bit to make him look even more menacingly edgy than he normally appears. I was so impressed with my own efforts, that I blew up the image and had it framed, which you see below. It has now taken a place on a wall in the BarrytheBirder den, which you can see even further below. Ah, Quiscalus quiscula, it seems people either love you or hate you. And while the grackle has only one latin name, he has many nicknames, such as Cling-cling, Chango, Mozambique, Bequia-sweet and Tinkling. He's known as Ting-Ting in Jamaica, Ching-ching in the Caymen Islands, and Pichon Prieto in Puerto Rico. In Haiti, he's known as just plain Merle. I'm not fond of grackles because they are greedy, shrieking bullies. But I like them because they are bold and handsome (in a Darth Vader kind of way) and because they are harbingers of spring. Please comment if you wish. BtheB