Hola!

Buenas dias.   Just returned from a family vacation in Cozumel.   I saw over 50 different birds...about half were life birds for me.   Pictures to follow shortly.   BtheB

The seasons are meant to change

BarrytheBirder photo

Winter groans ~ Spring murmurs ~ yet the continuum is

Please comment if you wish.
BtheB

200,000,000 starlings take over

The 2011 Cornell/Aububon/Bird Studies Canada Great Backyard Bird Count has just announced that the most numerous bird counted this year was the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) - a species that was entirely absent from North American before the late 19th century.   100 birds were introduced in New York's Central Park in 1890 and 1891.   The GBBC says that according to The Birds of North America Online, the descendents of these few birds now total more than 200 million are are distributed across the entire North American continent.   If the picture above is a good example of Starling behaviour, then boldness has a lot to do with their will to survive.   I  recorded only one starling on my GBBC checklist, but I suspect many more will show up soon, as winter lets go.   Below is a photo I took last spring of a Starling at one of our suet feeders.

                                                                       Photo by BarrytheBirder

This phase of the starling plumage is between winter and spring and is quite iridescent and attractive.   Starlings are described as gregarious and garrulous, and have had a substantial impact on several native species, especially for nesting habitat.   Please comment if you wish.

BtheB   

Redpolls love Ontario

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Common Redpoll (Acanthus flammea)

Results are being released for the 2011 Great Backyard Bird Count.   The American-Canadian survey, a joint project of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada, has received 92,000 bird checklists with more than 11 million bird observations reported.   My own results, for my own little backyard, are consistent with the big picture in Ontario.   I refer to Common Redpolls, in particular.   I have been inundated with redpolls this winter.   The most repolls I saw at one time, at the feeders and on the ground below, was 224.   The next nearest species, at one time, was American  Goldfinches at 61.   According to the 2011 GBBC stats I received today by email, Ontario led all other provinces/states with 27,186 Common Redpolls.   The province of Ontario has reported the most Common Redpolls in five of the last eight years.   The Acanthus flammea showed up on 982 Ontario checklists ( a record) and the total number of birds (27,186) was also a record.   The survey has taken place for the past 14 years.  Please comment if you wish.
BtheB   

Over 215 Commom Redpolls at once!

There are about 190 Common Redpolls in this photo, plus another 26 on the four tube feeders above this spot (pictured left), plus another 20 or so out of the picture frame (click on photos to enlarge and count).   Redpolls do love their Niger Seed and today, as an experiment, after I filled the four tube feeders and re-hung them on the pole, I also broadcast a large scoop of seeds on the ground below the feeders.   Within minutes, there were over 200 enjoying the feast.   Please comment if you wish.
BtheB

                                                         Photos by BarrytheBirder

Coyotes trail White-tailed Deer

Photos by BarrytheBirder

I was watching a flock of about 100 crows near Kettleby this morning, when three coyotes trotted past them.   They were about 300 metres away from me so the photo, at top, is not very good.   You can make out, however, coyotes on each side of the picture.   The coyotes were in single file, not interested in crows, but on the trail of something.   I have been trying to get a good photo of a coyote all winter, without luck.   Here were three of them headed due west  and it occured to me that if I drove over one concession road and looked back, in the direction of where I had been, these coyotes might head right towards me.   Five minutes later, I was in position, but what appeared were 14 White-tailed Deer, seven of which are pictured above.   Once again, the photo subjects are 300 to 400 metres away.   My guess was that the coyotes were on the trail of, and headed right for, the deer, about 600 metres away.   Coyotes (Canis latrans) have a great sense of smell and are the best runners among the canids.   They can run normally at 25-30 mph and up to 40 mph for short distances, but they are also marathoners and have been known to covers great distances - up to 400 miles, non-stop.   Meanwhile, White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can run at 35 mph, though in flight they do not run great distances but flee to the nearest cover.   If these three coyotes managed to separate one of the straggling deer from a group of 14, it would just a matter of time before the deer was pulled down.   I did not wait around to see any such encounter.  As I have quoted before: 'Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof'.   Please comment if you wish.

BtheB  

Backyard bird count update

A Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus), a female, finally showed up at the birdfeeders today, with just 18 days left in winter.   She brings the number of winter species seen to 16.   The large numbers, on the right, show the total individuals of a species, seen at one time.   Species in red is the most recent species added to the list. 

Common Redpolls   ~ 101

American Goldfinches   ~   61

Dark-eyed Juncos   ~   34

American Tree Sparrows   ~   34

Mourning Doves   ~   19

Houses Finches   ~     8

House Sparrows   ~     6

Northern Cardinals   ~     5

Blue Jays   ~     4

Chickadees   ~     4

Red-breasted Nuthatches   ~     2

White-breasted Nuthatches   ~     2

Downy Woodpeckers   ~     2

Hairy Woodpecker   ~     1

Starling   ~     1

Cooper's Hawk   ~     1

Total species    ~      16

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB                                                                                                                   Hairy Woodpecker photo by BarrytheBirder 

Solar panels at new curling rink a first

I haven't been a supporter of the multi-million dollar curling rink and fitness centre at Schomberg, despite the large grant monies from federal and provincial coffers.   I think it's too costly to build, too costly to maintain, is not served by public transportation, and is in the smallest of the township's three villages.   However, I've have finally discovered something that I like about it: solar panels!   Catherine Purcell, King Township's Director of Parks/Recreation/Culture confirmed to me that the solar panels, pictured above, will be the first operational ones on any King Township facility, ever.   On top of that, there is a rainwater collection system that will support sanitation requirements in the building, such as the toilets.   Catherine says the building will be state-of-the-art in terms of environmental considerations and features.   Well, it's an ill wind that blows no one some good, and seeing how it's almost ready to open anyway, I will rant no more.   It's time to move on and start ranting about a new administrative complex with a community centre, indoor swimming pool, and central library in King City.

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB  

Red / Grey / Black ~ a first this winter

It's taken almost the whole winter but here are a Red Squirrel, a Grey Squirrel and Black Squirrel (actually a black phase of the Grey) altogether, beneath the same bird feeder, and no blood is being spilled.   In our backyard we have 5 Greys, 5 Blacks and 2 Reds.   Normally the Grey Squirrels rule the roost, followed by the Blacks, with the manic Reds bringing up the rear.   Although, I did see a Red become so outraged yesterday, that it chased a Black into the neighbour's yard, before returning to his apparent rightful spot.   Now with less than three weeks of winter left, a fragile ceasefire is in place.   As an unofficial international peacekeeper, I guess my job is to not let the birdfeeders get too low.   Please comment if you wish.  BarrytheBirder photo

BtheB

Winter into spring

On the dirt sideroads

the snowploughs begrudgingly
give way to graders

Please comment if you wish.                                       Photo & haiku by BarrytheBirder

   BtheB

Birding for beginners at Jokers Hill

ooBarry the Birderoo

Well, the date has been set: Saturday, May 7, 2011, 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., at Jokers Hill in King Township.   I have been asked to host the second Beginner Birding Workshop at the Koffler Scientific Reserve, on the Oak Ridges Moraine.   With forecasts of a late spring, there should be light leaf cover and great views of the spring migration.   I can't think of a prettier of more pastoral place to look for warblers, or any other birds for the matter, than Jokers Hill.   Cost is $60 per person and includes lunch.   Registration opens April 15th .   More info is available at http://www.ksr.utoronto.ca/.   Further details to follow here.  

(KSR Photos below by BarrytheBirder)

Please comment if you wish.  

BtheB

Winter loosens its grip

McEwan's Bridge ~ Vaughan

The Humber River was busy today showing winter that spring was just three weeks away.   Beneath McEwan's Bridge, broad sections of the river were running free from icy bank to bank.   The City of Vaughan is considering restoring McEwan's bridge to its former grace and functionality.   It's hard to imagine anyone opposing such an initiative.   It was built in 1923, which means it has been around for 88 years.   88 is considered a special number to many people.   In Chinese culture, 88 symbolizes fortune and good luck, so maybe this augers well for McEwan's Bridge.   The bridge is described as a bowstring arch type and, in 2011, is the Humber River crossing point for the Humber Valley Heritage Trail.   It is located a few steps east of the Kirby and Huntington Roads intersection, north of Nashville and south of Nobleton.   The City of Vaughan welcomes comments from interested citizens and you can do so online.   For myself this bridge has spanned more than just a river for 88 years.   It has spanned generations and history.   It is part of a people's heritage.

                                                                  Photos by BarrytheBirder

Please comment if your wish.
BtheB  

Wyndsong Farm



Not a pleasant day today: right on the freezing mark, rain and wind.   At least there was lots of food for the horse and cow, two sheep, three ponies and three cats in front of the barn at Wyndsong Farm, just north of Eversley in King Township (click on the photo to enlarge - the cats are each side of the barn doors).   The old barn was once a Presbyterian church, located two sideroads down and one concession east, at Temperanceville.   Before Temperanceville took on its anti-alcohol name (1877), it was known as Love's Corner.   Love's Corner was named for an early settler, Jimmy Love, who was a shoemaker, weaver, charcoal-maker, and total abstainer.   He and his wife and three children settled in King in 1804.   Please comment if you wish.

BtheB 

I'll just have to buy a bigger lens



   Finding critters and birds to photograph is not much of a problem, but getting close to get a great picture often is.   Today there was a coyote, Red-tailed Hawk, Wild Turkeys and Canada Geese, but they all took off or moved on, as I approached...very frustrating.   Oh well, I could have struck out altogether and seen none of these wonderful creatures.   Please comment if you wish.

BtheB                                           

fast forward to spring...

Oh to be a bee

sniffing flowers day-a-day

honey the reward

                         Late February has made me wistful
                         for warm days, willows and warblers.  
                         I shall stare at this picture for a moment or so,
                         until I hear the buzz of the bee.  
                         Then I will dream of the days
                         when spring shall embrace you and me.

Please comment in you wish.
BtheB                                                                       Haiku, photo and free verse by BarrytheBirder

Life bird # 398 ~ Bohemian Waxwing

It only took me 20 years to do it but I have finally added Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) to my life list - # 398.   It wasn't just one bird that I saw.   There were over two dozen of them, silently watching me pass them by at Cold Creek Conservation Area.   I am in the habit of stopping often to listen, turn about, and scan the treetops.   There they were.   Note the cinammon-coloured, under-tail coverts in the photo.   It was the icing on the cake of a pleasant morning of wandering about several spots.  Prior to the Bohemians, I had seen Wild Turkeys at Hammertown, a Red-tailed Hawk at Strange, and Horned Larks on Woodchopper's Lane and Strawberry Lane in the Holland Marsh.

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB                                                                                  Photo by BarrytheBirder

A weatherman's art

"Great Grey" painting by Phil Chadwick

As mentioned in a few early posts, I have been on the look-out this winter for Great Grey Owls and Snowy Owls.   It's looking more and more unlikely that I will not see either one, so I'll have to content myself , every once in a while, with a peek at this fine painting of a Great Grey, by old acquaintance, Phil Chadwick.   On his website, former Environment Canada weatherman, Phil, notes that the Great Grey Owl is one of the world's largest owl, and is often referred to as the 'Great Grey Ghost' or 'Phantom of the North', neither of which I had heard before.   Phil goes on to say that it is one of the most reclusive owls in North America and because of its secretive habits is rarely seen and little-known.   From my own up-close experience, they are not particularily timid around humans, and birdwatchers and photographers can get good looks and pictures once they have been spotted.   Phil Chadwick is a 'plein air' painter and quite prolific.   Admirers of the French impressionists or the Group of the 7 will stirred by Phil's bold but thoughtful brush strokes.   You can check out his talent by visiting him at www.philtheforecaster.blogspot.com/.

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB

Collapse of an old barn

                        The collapse of an old barn is doubly sad now.

                        Its enduring presence - sight, sound, smell, feel,

                        will exist only in images and our memories.

                        And that which shall replace it

                        will not be made of wood and stone and sweat,

                        but rather concrete and metal and plastic,

                        which will bear no resemblance to the holy materials

                        used to erect a childhood's sanctuary.

                                                                    
                                  Photo (south of Schomberg) and free verse by BarrytheBirder

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB

Signs of community

My morning search for birds in the countryside today was interrupted by this sign on a sideroad, lined with country estates.   I try not to judge people, sight unseen, but am willing to make an exception in this case.   The posting of this sign makes its author knowingly complicit in the grisly death, by KILLER GUARD DOGS, of some poor fool who might unwittingly set foot here.   To give some ligitimacy to such a bloody end-of-life is the warning that the killer dogs would only be doing what police have trained them to do, ie. tear you from limb to to limb.   My wife, Linda, is of the opinion that people like this have placed themselves in prison camps of their own making.

Further along on my return from birdwatching, I drove past this King Township sign which appears in several locations around the township.   On its website, King Township states " ...King is known throughout North America and the world for its many horse farms.   Horses of all statures and breeds are a common sight on grassy slopes and along our country roads.   King's unique geography provides the required environment to raise horses that have gained distinction all over the world."    Well, that's certainly positive, and inspiring of civic pride.

Moving on, I noticed the Puck's Farm sign and really started to feel good as I remembered all the nice times there with my children and grandchildren.   Then I turned a corner on the King-Caledon Townline and spied a sign which, at the very bottom, declared Caledon to be the "GREENEST TOWN IN ONTARIO".   We are adjoining municipalities, so maybe some of that green Caledon Karma rubs off on us.

Finally, I passed this sign of disappointment and regret.   It meant that the locals would have to hike into Schomberg for their eggs, but it reminded me of the good ol' days when signs about local produce were numerous and promising...of good food and a chat.   Today, I let some roadside signs get to me, for better and worse.   The good definitely out-weighed the bad, I'm happy to say.   Please comment if you wish.

BtheB                                                                                Photos by BarrytheBirder



Backyard bird count update & GBBC

 BarrytheBirder photo

The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is taking place this weekend in Canada and the USA.   For the first time I am entering some data in this important research project.   This afternoon I kept an eye on the feeders and recorded nine species.   Leading the way were Common Redpolls at 101 birds at one time!   I was shocked.   The most I've had previously this winter was 44.   Next were American Tree Sparrows at 26 and Dark-eyed Juncos at 22.   There were pairs of House Finches and Northern Cardinals plus singletons of White-breasted Nuthatches and Mourning Dove.   I took some pictures of the redpolls, just in case the folks at Cornell, Audubon, and Bird Studies Canada need some corroboration.

Meanwhile, here's how the numbers look for my own winter backyard bird count, as of Feb. 20, 2011.   Once again the numbers you see are for the most numbers of a single species, seen at one time.   Common Redpolls have pulled into a big lead.

Common Redpolls ~ 101

American Goldfinches ~   61

Dark-eyed Juncos ~   34

American Tree Sparrows ~   34

Mourning Doves ~   19

House Finches ~     8

House Sparrows ~     6

Northern Cardinals ~     5

Blue Jays ~     4

Chickadees ~     4

Red-breasted Nuthatches ~     2

White-breasted Nuthatches ~     2

Downey Woodpeckers ~     2

Starling ~     1

Cooper's Hawk ~     1

Total species   ~       15
(Species in red indicate new numbers)

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB