Red-winged Blackbird / Starling cross?

Pictured below are photos of a Red-wing Blackbird (top).... a mystery bird (middle).... and a Starling (bottom).   I believe the mystery bird is a cross between a Red-winged Blackbird and a Starling.  Anyone have an opinion?

                                                                                        All photos by BarrytheBirder

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Dark-eyed ("Slate-coloured") Junco

Photo by BarrytheBirder

"Look me in the eye and tell me:

are you the guy who's supposed

to be keeping this feeder full?"

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Three of winter's regular small birds at the feeder...

Photo by Barry Wallace

House Finch ~  Redpoll ~ Junco

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Tundra Swans at Aylmer, Ontario...

Photos by Patrick O'Kelly

Tundra Swans
(Cygnus columbianus) 

My brother-in-law Patrick O'Kelly of London, Ontario, sent me two photos he recently took of approximately 2,000 Tundra Swans, at the Aylmer Wildlife Management Area, about 5 kms. north of Lake Erie.   These huge birds are migrating north to their breeding grounds around Hudson Bay and even farther north.   Their call is a loud, high-pitched whooping or yodeling.   Their presence in Ontario is only for a short time during a narrow migration passage but they are an impressive show when they are spotted.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

1,000 vultures poisoned in Africa...

Photo: Andre Botha / Vulture Conservation Foundation / The Guardian

Nearly 1,000 Hooded Vultures have died in a mass poisoning in Guinea-Bissau, pushing the endangered species towards the brink of extinction in Africa, according to conservationists.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Black Hornbill colouring is striking...

Photo by EPA / The Guardian

A Black Hornbill (Anthracoceros Malayanus) enjoys a banana near Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in the Morigaon district of Assam,  in north-east India.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

First White-throated Sparrow returns...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

The year's first returning White-throated Sparrow showed up on March 15th.   It shows itself as one of two  polymorphic versions of the species with brown and tan head stripes.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

"My, what big eyes you have"

Photo by BarrytheBirder

GREAT HORNED OWL

Bubo virginianus

I photographed this Great Horned Owl at the opening of a nearby Wild Birds Unlimited store in Newmarket recently and a few people commented on the size of its eyes.   I have since discovered that Great Horned Owls have the largest eyes of any North American bird, and among the largest of any terrestrial vertebrate.   If a Great Horned was as large as a human being, its eyes would be the size of oranges!
Please comment if you wish.
BarrytheBirder

Trumpeters Swans (Cygnus buccinator) ~ Dufferin Street

Photo by BarrytheBirder

        wintering swans

enduring all seasons

                         together

Haiku by Wendy l. MacDonald

Please comment if you wish.

Barrythebirder

Goldfinches galore...

 Photos by BarrytheBirder

A collective noun may be a fluke,

an inspiration,  

a happenstance, whatever...

but one of my favourites is 

'a charm of goldfinches'

Please comment 

if you wish.

Barry

theBirder

Grackles return to backyard feeders...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Big black grackles returned to the feeders in the backyard on Monday of this week,   much to the dismay of the Starlings.  The Grackle above was one of four which showed up looking for seed, after being missing in action for the last two months or so.   Spring is almost here.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder 

First Trumpeter Swans flew over on Sunday...

                                                                                                       Photo by BarrytheBirder

I was on the telephone on Sunday with my daughter who lives nearby and she interrupted our conversation to blurt out that Trumpeter Swans were flying over her house and honking loudly.   She counted five of them.   The Trumpeter photo above is not one of the swans that Allison saw and heard on Sunday, but one that I photographed two years ago.   The orange colouring of some of its feathers is from spending a great deal of time in water with a high iron content.    It is one of my favourite photos.   You may have seen it before in this space.   What magnificent creatures.   May you see one soon.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

   

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Photo and haiku by BarrytheBirder

my inspiration

for getting through the winter

 the spunky junco

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Do American Robins predict spring?

 Photo by BarrytheBirder

An old folk-tale (some say from Minnesota) states that: "Three snows must fall on the robin's tail before spring is here".   Well, I haven't seen the first robin yet, here in southern Ontario, but I will be keeping an eye peeled soon to see just how accurate this old wives' tale might be.   I'll do an update as events unfold. 

Please comment

if you wish.

Barry

the 

Birder

Ruddy Turnstones in Antigua...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Ruddy Turnstone

(Arenaria interpres)

This is another favourite bird of mine when I have been in the Caribbean islands.  I see them in Canada as they migrate through the Great Lakes, but they are not easy to get close to.   In the Caribbean island they are over-wintering and not so skittish at all.   You can get close to them and although they are not as distinctive as they are in breeding plumage in the far north, they are still very distinctive and attractive, especially those bright orange legs.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

   

Seeing no birds at Humber Trails...

                                                                                            Photos by BarrytheBirder 

I heard chickadees and crows and a Pileated Woodpecker but no sightings of birds on my Thursday afternoon visit to Humber Trails in southern King Topwnship.   It was quiet and peaceful otherwise, and I noticed the birdbox above with interest.   It is one of the newer style boxes with a second hole on the side, which allows a bird inside the box to escape if a creature is trying to breach the front opening.   The main hole has been enlarged to the point where the box may have lost its usefulness to most birds.

Quite close to the birdhouse above, were several cattails (right) from a year or two earlier that will continue to provide soft material to line bird nests and boxes in the coming season.

While the main pond (above) near the front entrance to Humber Trails is still frozen over, the nearby Humber River (see below) has thawed and is running wide open.

At right, is the main trail through Humber Trails, which many decades ago was a two-lane paved roadway, upon which I drove many times and even pushed a baby carriage along several times.   There were interior parking lots also.  New visitors here, unless told, would have idea of what once was in place here. Most oldtimers and naturalists say it is a better place with no automobiles.


Please comment if you wish.
Barry Wallace

Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)

Photo by BarrytheBirder

As described in 1906 by Chester A. Reed

I have published a few blogs recently about the the Northern Hawk Owl in the nearby community of Schomberg, Ontario.  As a change of pace, I'm reprinting the American Hawk Owl entry in a book I own, originally published 114 years ago, in Worcester, Massachusetts. 

   "Tail long and rounded; plumage mottled black, white and gray, with little, if any, brownish tinge; heavily barred with black.   These owls, curiously resembling a hawk in build, and more so in flight, are very active and hunt more during the daytime than after dark.   They feed largely upon small rodents and lemmings which are abundant in its summer home, and also kill a great many small birds.   They seem to be impartial to wooded districts, or open marshes and low lands, where they may be seen skimming about close to the ground.   Nest. Either of sticks in the tops of trees, or in hollow cavities.   The eggs are white, as are those of all owls, and nearly globular in shape (1.40 x 1.25).   Range. Breeds from Newfoundland and Manitoba northward, and possibly farther south on the mountains.   Winters south to Northern United States, rarely in New York and Illinois".
Not surprisingly, this seems fairly equivalent to field guide descriptions in the early 21st century.   I, for one, did not know that all owl eggs are typically white and spherical in shape.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

American State Birds...

Carving by D. Phillips (Green River, Ontario) Photo by BarrytheBirder

Northern Cardinal is most popular US. state bird

I recently featured Canada's official provincial birds (none of which are the same) in this space.   Now I am noting some items concerning American state birds which may be of interest.   The Northern Cardinal (pictured above) is the top choice of seven states as official bird.   The Western Meadowlark is the pick of six other states and the Northern Mockingbird is the official bird of five other American states.  There are 27 other common birds that are the choice of the 32 remaining states.   And yes, the Baltimore Oriole is the official bird of Maryland.  Some American territories also have official birds but are not included here.
Please comment if you wish.
BarrytheBirder 

Doleful dove at the feeder...

This Mourning Dove seems to tire of eating niger seeds, on the snowy ground, and perches up over the hanging feeders where the smaller birds, like the goldfinches feed.  The doves can't use the hanging feeders, but just sit and look forlorn.

Please comment 
if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Hawk Owl still drawing birders to Schomberg...

                                                                                                 Photo by BarrytheBirder

Birders are still being drawn from near and far to see the Hawk Owl at the small Dufferin Marsh, in the middle of the village of Schomberg.   The photo below shows a licence plate for a birder from Massachusetts: a distance of somewhere between 670 and 1,000 km., depending on the actual starting point in the state.

One of the birders in this group is clad in a complete camouflage set of clothes.  Even his camera lenses and tripod are fitted out with the same camouflage gear.

Please comment

if you wish.

Barry

theBirder

   

Wild Birds Unlimited - grand re-opening

Photos by BarrytheBirder 

 Birds of prey were special guests

Pictured above is Spencer Bailey of Aurora at the grand re-opening of the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop, near the Mandarin Restaurant on Yonge Street in Newmarket, last Saturday.   Highlights included the birds of prey from the Mountsberg Raptor Centre in Hamilton.   They included a Broad-winged Hawk (pictured above), and a Horned Owl (two photos immediately below).

Seen again, above, is the Broad-winged Hawk and behind it is a Merlin... (see close-up photo) below.   Note the size of the Merlin's talons.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

What a breathtakingly beautiful bird...

Photo by Duncan Wright

WWHITE TERNW

(Gygis alba)

I have just discovered, online, the White Tern (Gygis alba).  I'd no idea such a lovely creature existed until I inadvertently came across it a day or so ago.   I'd never heard of one before, never seen a picture of one before and never read about one before.   The White Tern is found across the world's tropical oceans, where I have never really been.   My most southerly destinations being places like Bonaire, Curacao, and Trinidad.   However the photo above was taken west of Hawaii, in the North Pacific, which I suppose could be broadly described as a tropical ocean.   Here is some of what I have quickly discovered.   The White Tern has a wingspan of 76-87 cm (30-34").   It is a long-living bird, having been recorded as living for 42 years.   They generally roam no more than 45 km from their home island, to which they always return at dusk, so skeptical navigators can often follow them to a landfall.   The White Tern was named Honolulu, Hawaii's official bird in 2007.   This lovely bird is not thought of as threatened as it is widespread with several large colonies around the world.

Please comment if you wish.    

BarrytheBirder

An intriguing older name...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Green Heron

(Butorides virescens)

I happened across a bit of historic birding nomenclature that caught my eye recently.   It was an old common name for the Green Heron:

'Fly up-the-creek heron'

It's a quirky name but simply refers to the birds habit of flying up and down shallow creeks looking for small crustaceous or fishy food.   And it's a successful hunter; which speaks to its fairly common presence in its southern Canadian and central US range.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Official bird of King Township?

Photos by Barry Wallace

EASTERN KINGBIRD

(Tyrannus tyrannus)

King Township does not have an official bird, as far as I know.   However it's time we did have one and I'd like to propose the Eastern Kingbird.   Apart from the extreme appropriateness of its official name 'Kingbird', this bird reminds me of the collective traits of many King Township residents.  Famed birder Roger Tory Peterson, in his acclaimed field guide of the Birds of Eastern and Central North America has the following to say about this tyrant flycatcher: "White band across tip of tail identifies this species.   Red crown mark is concealed and rarely seen.  Often seems to fly quiveringly on 'tips of wings'.   Harasses crows, hawks.  Voice; a rapid sputter of high bickering notes.   Habitat: Wood edges, river groves,  farms, shelterbelts, orchards, roadsides, wires and fence posts".  The general behaviour of this fiesty, tyrant flycatcher reminds me of many King residents who welcome a fight (above their weight in many cases) to protect their territory.

Please comment if you wish. 

BarrytheBirder

No wild birds at Lake Wilcox...

                                                                                              Photo by Barry Wallace

I was looking for birds to photograph at nearby Lake Wilcox this past Saturday, but couldn't find any flying birds of interest.   The fellow pictured above did however catch my eye.   Google says kiteboarding, also known as kite surfing, is an action sport combining aspects of wake boarding, snowboarding, wind surfing, surfing, paragliding and skateboarding into one extreme sport.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

Might we have an early spring?

 Photos by BarrytheBirder

These Muscovy Ducks at the nearby Pine Farms Apple Orchard are not wild birds but they certainly appreciate getting out of their pen for a taste of early spring weather. 

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder

10th anniversary of Varied Thrush sighting...

Photo by Barry Wallace

VARIED THRUSH

(Ixoreus naevius)

It's been ten years this month since I took the photo above of a Varied Thrush at Cold Creek Conservation Area, a few miles from my home.   I'd never seen one before and haven't seen another one since then.   I was very impressed with its markings and colours and even more so with its amazing friendliness.  Many people got to see and photograph this cooperative bird.   I've wondered a few times over the years if it ever made it all the way back to its native British Columbia shores.

Please comment if you wish.

BarrytheBirder  

More official provincial and territories birds...

Raven photo by Bob/Nancy Wallace

     Yukon Territory: Common Raven
     Ontario: Common Loon
     Saskatchewan: Sharp-tailed Grouse
     Northwest Territories: Gyrfalcon
     Nunavut: Rock Ptarmigan

As of yet, there is no official national bird of Canada, but a recent, unauthorized survey and subsequent selection process declared the Gray Jay as the bird that should be Canada's national bird.   The Gray Jay was not the top pick of participants in the survey portion of the process.   The Canadian government has not commented on the unauthorized selection.   Stay tuned.

Please comment if you wish.

Barry the Birder