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