This merganser is a rare visitor to Alaska during winter and migration and is a very rare visitor everywhere else in North America. It is however widespread in Eurasia. As seen in the photo above, it has very distinctive black and white markings.
Females look very different and subdued compared to the males. Females also have shorter bills compared to other mergansers.
Please comment if you wish.
BarrytheBirder
Photos by BarrytheBirder
According to Kenn Kaufman, a pair of Mourning Doves may, in warm climates, raise up to six broods per year. They are common everywhere except in deep woods and the far north. They are often seen perched on roadside wires, rooftop edges or walking on the ground, in flocks or alone. When the Mourning Dove takes flight, its wings make a whistling noise.
They are commonly found coast to coast in lower Canada, throughout the United States and most of Mexico. They are also a popular game bird in Mexico.
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Photo: Evan Lipton / Macauley Library
Today - Red-breasted Merganser
(Mergus serrator)
The Red-breasted Merganser is found in Alaska and across Canada from the Yukon to Newfoundland, and offshore along the coast lines of North America. It is the only of the mergansers commonly found on salt water. This duck flies low and fast over the water. The male is not quite as white as the Common Merganser, with gray sides and dark reddish breast.
The habitat of the Red-breasted Merganser is normally northern lakes and tundra ponds but in winter its habitat is principally on the ocean and in salt bays. Its voice is usually silent.
Please comment if you wish.
BarrytheBirder
Dave Kemp photos
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The Belted Kingfisher is a large-headed bird with a bushy crest and dagger-like bill that inhabits stream, rivers, lakes and shorelines throughout Canada and the U.S.A., south of the Arctic. It winters south to Panama and the West Indies.
It often perches on riverside tree branches, snags, pilings, ets.
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Photo by BarrytheBirder
Eastern Kingbirds are common and easily spotted in woodland clearings, farm fence-lines, orchards and roadsides and near lake and river shores. Their black and white tuxedo appearance is easily recognized. They are also easily recognized by their harsh and strident call notes.
They are noisy and conspicuous birds. They have been named for their aggressive behaviour, especially near their nests. They frequently drive away much larger birds than themselves, such as hawks and crows.
They often flock in large numbers in late summer and early fall, often pursuing flying insects. Late summer is a time they are often seen feeding on wild berries, which the Audubon Society says they can "deftly pluck while on the wing".
I lived in King Township, north of Toronto, Ontario, for several decades and was quite used to Kingbirds being my regular neighbours. I always thought that King Township's official bird should have been the Kingbird.
Please comment if you wish.
Barry the Birder
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The Caspian Tern is the largest of approximately 14 tern species found in the Great Lakes, central Canada, the maritime provinces and some America states. It is bulky and almost the size of the Herring Gull, wide-ranging but usually seen in small numbers.
It has a spear-shaped stout bill and a shallow fork tail. It is found in a variety of freshwater and marine habitats. They nest in small colonies on gravel banks, wetlands and sandbars or in larger gull and and other tern colonies.
They dive for fish like other terns. Their call is a raspy harsh 'kowk' , 'kaaar' or 'kahhrrrr', deeper than other tern calls.
Normally, the Caspian Tern is the only large tern seen in inland waters.
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Photos by BarrytheBirder
The Trumpeter Swan is huge and weighs more than any other North American native bird. Once endangered, it is now doing well in the northwest. It is also doing well after being introduced in northern plains and the Great Lakes region.
Similar to the Tundra Swan, the Trumpeter is larger (8" longer) with a massive all-black bill. In summer, the Trumpeter is mostly further south than the Tundra, but the two overlap in migration and winter. The size difference in noticeable when the two species are side-by-side.
National Geographic's Field Guide says the the Trumpeter's range is in the Great Lakes and upper mid-west regions, and adds that a few individuals wander south in winter to the mid-south and mid-Atlantic regions, and sometimes even farther.
Trumpeter Swans are especially noticeable for their loud, deep voices.
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Swainson's Hawks now a family of SIX!
Just when I thought I had finished with Swainson's Hawks for this year, I was surprised yesterday to see a sixth Swainson's Hawk flying overhead with the five Swainson's Hawks I have been writing about for the past few months. I have no idea if it is related the the original five, but the skies overhead are getting a bit crowded with this species far from its normal range in the American midwest.
Please comment if you wish.
BarrytheBirder
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Photos by BarrytheBirder
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
(Archilochus alexandri)
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Photos by BarrytheBirder
I have written nine or ten blogs for over a year about Swainson's Hawks appearing here in Aurora, just north of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
Swainson's Hawks normally reside in the central U.S., but one arrived here in 2024, returned here with a mate in 2025 and then produced three fledglings here.
Will any of them return next year? We shall see. After all, the three new fledglings (now Canadians) have helped to extend the Swainson's normal range even further east. In fact, truth be told, this is probably not the first time this has happened here.
More to come 2016 hopefully.Please comment if you wish.
BarrytheBirder
