Great Blue Heron still around in early November...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

This Great Blue Heron is seen in the Holland River, in King Township, at the end of the first week of November.  Still water had started to freeze over on a couple nights recently but thawed the following mornings, and now almost a week of warm weather is forecast, so the few remaining herons will be around for a while yet.

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BarrytheBirder 

Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in Holland Marsh

                                                                                                     Photos by BarrytheBirder

Pictured above is a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk gliding over the Holland Marsh in search of prey.   Below it spots something in long grasses on the ground and prepares to dive on the creature.   In the third picture it is in its dive which takes it into the long grasses where it has spotted a rodent.   The bottom photo shows the hawk with the rodent in its talons as it lifts off to find a suitable perch for consuming the little creature.

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BarrytheBirder

Keele Street & 18th Sideroad...

                                                                                           Photos by BarrytheBirder 

Canada Goose Bath Time

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BarrytheBirder

Range-free peacock at Lloydtown...

 

                                                                                              Photos by BarrytheBirder

I was out looking for fall migrants last weekend, but instead of spotting the last few warblers, I came across this big blue beauty on the 19th Sideroad of King, at the west end of Lloydtown.   It posed quite nicely for me at the side of the road.   I decided this was the highlight of my outing and headed back to The Roost in King City for a cappuccino.

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BarrytheBirder

British Columbia birds by Dave Kemp...

 

Photos by Dave Kemp

My British Columbia birding friend, Dave Kemp, has sent me more of his photos from the Terra Nova area of lower B.C.  His photo above shows a Great Blue Heron with a large flounder in its beak.   Dave says the flounder was so large that it took the heron 45 minutes to swallow the fish!   The Heron then captured another fish (photo below).   No wonder this heron looks to be somewhat chunky. 

Two more of Dave's neat photos show the wonderful wings of a male Northern Harrier (above), while below is a neat shot of the sometimes secretive Sora in a favourite marshy habitat.

Above Dave has photographed Snow Geese, while below is a cloud-shrouded Vancouver Island.

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BarrytheBirder

Interesting behaviour on King's 12th Concession ...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

These very attractive geese on the edge of a 12th concession farm pond in King Township were very patient about posing for me, but eventually they all slipped into the pond and followed a small jet-black duck along the edge of the pond.    I was frustrated in that the dark duck kept camouflaging itself amongst the dark, pond-side plants and I never did get a photo of it.

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BarrytheBirder

Just so you know...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

The Schomberg sewage lagoon is now known as the:

York Region

  Schomberg Water Resource 

Recovery Facility

...or 'YRSWRRF ' for short

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Barry Wallace

There must be an explanation for eating upside-down...

 

Photos by Barry Wallace

I've never decided why the American Goldfinches at the feeders choose to hang upside-down when eating seeds, when they could just as easily, even more so, perch upright to eat seeds (see photos).   The feeder was designed to accommodate both eating methods, but even so...???   

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BarrytheBirder

Oak Ridges wetlands...almost remote

Photo by BarrytheBirder

In addition to many Canada Geese and some Mallard Ducks, I spotted a pair of Great Egrets foraging.

There were many signs of beaver also, including large dens, trees chewed down, and wet foraging trails between different ponds and marshes (see below).

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Barry

theBirder

Dufferin Marsh ~ Schomberg

 

Photos by BarrytheBirder

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BarrytheBirder

No real bird today...but an attractive facsimile...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

King Road and Patton Street ~ King City

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BarrytheBirder

One Great Egret still at McKenzie Marsh in Aurora

Photos by BarrytheBirder

Great Egret

This lingering Great Eagle was in Aurora's McKenzie Marsh, on the south side of the St. John's Sideroad, east of Yonge Street on this past Wednesday.   A few Canada Geese were keeping it company and a duck or two were passing under the sideroad visiting the north and south sections of the Marsh.

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Barry

the

Birder

Slim pickin's for birdwatchings at local lake...

 

                                                                                                        Photos by BarrytheBirder

I went birdwatching today at nearby Lake Wilcox and was rewarded with one gull sitting on a post.   It was cold and windy but sunny and I should have done better.   I decided to shoot a couple of pictures of lakeside features (see below).

Above: Glass and metal tree sculpture

Below: Along the water promenade

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BarrytheBirder

There is more than one kind of Junco...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

DARK-EYED JUNCO

(Junco hyemalis)

Pictured above is what I think of when I hear the name Dark-eyed Junco, an easily recognized bird which I thought looked the same all over North America.   I have now learned that there are perhaps three to twelve species and subspecies of Junco (and maybe even a thirteenth) in Canada, the USA and Mexico.  One of those species even has yellow eyes - not dark eyes.  The Junco is one of my favourites but I seem to have taken it for granted for many years.   I have since learned much more about these lovely little creatures and am glad of it.

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BarrytheBirder

Juvenile Hairy Woodpecker can't solve feeder...

Photos by BarrytheBirder

A first-year Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) tries to figure out how the feeder works, but is reduced to hanging upside down to find a solution.  Even advice from a nearby Chickadee wasn't helpful.   

It eventually gave up and moved to other feeders in the backyard.

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BarrytheBirder

October slips away...

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Birdbath to hibernate

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BarrytheBirder

Dave Kemp's British Columbia Birds...

Photos by Dave Kemp

SNOW GEESE 

(Above)

Here are some photos from my west-coast friend Dave Kemp.   Dave captured these shots at Garry Point Park, a large waterfront park located at the tip of Richmond, B.C., close to historic Steveston Village, looking out over grand vistas of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

(Zonotrichia atricapilla)

Found along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico

Juvenile Cedar Waxwings

Pine Siskins

B.C. birds or boats ~ take your pick

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BarrytheBirder