Backyard Birds

A few Sundays, the weather was nice for an outing (unlike today's grey and rainy pattern) but I didn't have enough time.  So I wandered the backyard and the gardens in the church.  Although there wasn't a lot of activity, I still saw a few different visitors.

A Chipping Sparrow has nested for the last year in our neighbour's big spruce tree.  It is quite vocal, all through the day. I got a nice close photo of it on a budding tulip tree. Chipping Sparrows look a lot like an American Tree Sparrow, but one distinguishing feature is they have a solid black bill, top and bottom. The American Tree Sparrow's bottom is light yellow.

Chipping Sparrow.

 Up in a Lynden tree, a Baltimore Oriole was busily catching bugs which were drinking the nectar from the blossoms. It was making a pretty good catch and was too busy to notice me.

Baltimore Oriole in Lynden Tree blossoms.

In our Crab Apple tree, I notice some movement and got only one or two pictures of what at that time I thought was a Eastern Wood Pewee. But I'm pretty sure this is a Flycatcher.  In that case, it is either a Willow or Alder Flycatcher. They are very hard to tell apart, the clearest distinction being their call. Since I didn't hear anything, I don't know.  I'd lean to the the Alder given the eye ring: according to this site http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/TraillsFlycatcher.htm that is a feature that can help with IDing.  If you don't know, apparently you call it simply by Trail Flycatcher, which is what it was called before they knew there were two species.

Trail's Flycatcher (maybe Alder?)

Till next time....
Keep enjoying HIS handiwork!

Backyard Birds

A quick post to try and catch up a bit here on the new lens binge (?) :).

I took a few pictures around the backyard a Sunday or two ago. There wasn't a lot of bird activity despite the slightly warmer temperatures, but I got some nice pictures of some of the Robins hunting the lawn.  We can tend to ignore and forget the beauty of some of the common birds we see often.

male American Robin

It's a fun challenge to try and get more than just typical shots, with more reason when you have a common bird as a subject.  I was trying very hard to get a shot of a Robin pulling a freshly caught worm from the ground, but it seemed like every time, they'd be facing away from me when they got one!  This was the best I could do.

American Robin swallowing a worm.

American Robin profile.

An alarm went up from the Robins and looking up I saw this Cooper's Hawk circling.  It likely lives somewhere in the area.  Holly and the kids have seen one a number of times over the years as it has dropped in at the bird feeder, hoping to snack on one of the seed eating birds.  It must have been out for a joy ride on the thermals of the new heat of spring... Cooper's Hawks are known more for surprise tactics rather than the Red-tailed Hawk like soaring.  Cooper's Hawks will easily surprise and eat a Robin for supper, so their alarm and fast move for cover was understandable.

Cooper's Hawk soaring

A pair of Mourning Doves were having a romantic nap on our deck bench after preening and courting each other with beak touching and a shuffle around in a circle.

Puffed up Mourning Dove pair.

I have a few more posts to come... a trip to Bayfront Park (hadn't been there in ages) and a combined trip to Valley Inn Road and Woodland Cemetery.  We'll see when I have time to do the post. :)

I hope everyone is enjoying the warmer spring weather.  Today was a beauty and I got to enjoy it with my three boys who are now old enough to all really help Dad with cutting down and hauling away tree for next winter's heat!

Bird Feeder Highlights

It looks like Winter is in its last throes... we've had some relatively warm weather here in Southern Ontario, but sub-zero nights have returned with some pretty heavy snow squalls making Spring weather seem a distant notion, and not weeks away.  In fact one afternoon at work, a co-worker and I sat in my office looking out the window in awe as the snow flake clumps visibly grew to small saucers.  They were massive - I'm sure some were 10cm across and definitely the largest I've ever seen.  Although I wished I had had a camera, I'd have missed it anyway, the scene only lasted a few minutes.

This fall the bird feeders went up again, and I added a $10 finch feeder from Canadian Tire to the other little hopper feeder which hangs from the clothes line.  For the finch feeder, I mounted it on an old weathered post and "grafted" tree twigs so when they landed prior to feeding, a natural picture scene might be available.

Before the snow fell, a caught sight of a very shy Carolina Wren skittering through the shrubs under the bird feeder.  I've only seen one of these down south, so it was nice to actually have this bird visit our backyard!  Unfortunately, it's very hard to get a good picture as my experience is that they are extremely shy.  This picture is actually through the sliding door of our kitchen.

Carolina Wren

The biggest hit were some Common Redpolls which found the Nyjer seeds.  I had only seen cute these birds for the first time this year and was very pleasantly surprised to find them at our feeder!

Common Redpoll

The rest are the more common variety, of House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, House Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, and Mourning Doves.

male House Finch

Dark-eyed Junco

male House Sparrow in Pin Cherry treee

male American Goldfinch in winter plumage

Male House Sparrow huddling in the protection of the hedge.

We have a Crab Apple tree in the backyard which the House Finches love once the warm sun unfreezes them enough for them to eat some of the fruit.

female House Finch

male House Finch eating Crab Apple fruit

male Northern Cardinal

One feeder I never ended up putting up this year was a suet log made with the boys last year.  I put it off for some reason and never got around to making/getting suet and putting it up.  Thus the reason for the missing woodpeckers which we have seen years before.  Next winter.

Spring is on its way though.  The last week has seen sightings of hundreds of Tundra Swans flying north - a beautiful sight.  I never had my camera with me so have yet to catch the scene on camera.

I'm quite excited with the hope to be getting a new lens... I've been waiting, saving, and searching for a used lens for quite a while.  Right now I'm playing phone and email tag with a lady out in Ajax who has committed to save a used Sigma 150-500mm F5-6.3 DG APO OS HSM lens for me that she had up for sale on Kijiji.  We are doing a trip with the family out that way in two weeks and I hope she still has it for me and that it's in good shape.  I'll be sure to provide an update at that point if the deal is done. 

Nursery Tails

Fall is here, and the Mountain Ash in our front yard has become its usual attraction for Robins and Cedar Waxwings.  Though this year, there seem to be much fewer of the latter.  Then again, we've been outside less with all the rain we've had.

American Robin in  Mountain Ash

There were only about five Waxwings in our front yard, and they are much more skittish than the robins.  This was the only one that looked like an adult.  The others still had mottled looking juvenile feathers.

Cedar Waxwing in the neighbour's
Cedar tree.

But I was headed to the nursery for the morning to get some shrubs, replacing the ones from our recent garden renovation that didn't make it during the "drought" this summer.  As I headed over to the nursery, I saw a number of Red-tailed hawks.  This one was perched in a small tree on the opposite side of the road.  Birds are designed with so many features to allow them to achieve flight.  The large size of a hawk like this is deceiving in relation to weight, and seeing them on a small branch at the top of a tree would seem that it would end up breaking its perch.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

It flew to a Spruce tree nearby and displayed the red tail it is named for.

Red tail of a Red-tailed Hawk.

Red-tailed Hawk

At the nursery, I discovered a few birds enjoying the dense groupings of plant stock as cover to search for food.  A few Yellow-rumped Warblers were there, and after my first introduction to them in waning light, I was glad to be able to run back to the car and grab my camera and get some pictures at ISO 400 instead of 3200!  This one perched nicely on top of the greenhouse hoops.  Once down in the plants, it was impossible to get a picture with a more natural looking setting. The foliage was too dense and they were too quick.

Yellow-rumped Warbler.

When they fly, you can see why they are called what they are... the bright flash of yellow is more obvious from the rear as their wings move to take flight.

Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Not a bad day... got an errand done and saw a few birds along the way.

Four-Winged Beauties

As promised in my last post, I'm sharing some of the pictures I've taken this summer of the four-winged type.  My interest definitely increases as I move from insects, etc, on to birds, and then too wildlife, but there sure is a lot of diversity and beauty in the butterflies around us.  Before I started this hobby a little more seriously, I had never really noticed more than the typical butterfly or the odd other variety, but now that I'm out more, I see there is a greater variety around.

We went as a family to Pinehurst Conservation Area on the July Long Weekend, and they have a walk which passes through the Carlolinian Forests and then opens into a meadow walk which was full of butterflies.  It was at the end of the walk and with the whole family along, chasing them around was not to be.  I did get one decent shot before I had to run and catch up with the gang.

Painted Lady Butterfly

The boys had cared for a couple Monarch butterfly caterpillars this summer, but only one spun a chrysalis and that one had actually fallen down from the lid.  We didn't figure it would end up emerging, but thankfully we found it before it died in the garage by the garbage.  Their colours are stunningly brilliant when they just new like that.

Newly emerged Monarch Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

When I followed the Monarch to the church gardens behind our house to get the picture above, I noticed one bunch of flowers covered in Aphids.  A few Ladybugs were there feasting away.

Aphids and Ladybug

Aphids and Ladybugs

There is a relatively new (about 2 years I think) nature which we pass on the way to church every Sunday. The place has been named Amaolo Nature Sanctuary after the donour of the lands. I think I headed out there a little late in the season for butterflies as many of the flowers were already finishing, though I'm no butterfly expert by any stretch of the imagination.  I've added it to my location list and you can see the spot here.

The sign by the road.  Look carefully or you'll miss the spot.

The  Amaolo Nature Sanctuary

Justin - my butterfly hunting buddy.

Here are some of the butterflies I saw.  I could figure out the names of most, but I haven't found a very good website to identify them for here in Ontario. If you know what any of the ones I've missed naming (or incorrectly named), feel free to let me know.

Cabbage White Buttefly

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Clouded Sulpher Butterfly

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Black Spicebush Swallowtail Buttefly

Tawny-edged Skipper

Common Ringlet (thanks Dwayne)

Peck's Skipper (again, thanks Dwayne)

And another unknown -
A tiny white butterfly or moth, hardly a cm across.

Viceroy Buttefly

Here is a sampling of the wildflowers which were planted in the abandoned field to attract butterflies.  I don't know most of their names.  My mom might be able to inform me.

Sun glistening through the soft grasses.

On the way home, Justin and I stopped by the Fox den but didn't see anything more than the ground covered in fresh tracks.  We did see this very cool, big grasshopper though.  Although it doesn't have four wings, it is winged and so I thought I could legitimately insert it into this post.

unknown Grasshopper.

Well, the typical "summer" portion of summer is officially over, Labour Day (in Canada here) marking that point.  The kids schooling here at home is already begun, and even mentally, I think at work people buckle down a little more.  But there's still lots of God's good creation to enjoy, and I have some good shots of things to share which are still in the queue. Till then...

The Bees and the Birds

No worries, this is not a "birds and the bees" post.  I changed the order for a reason.

Neighbouring two sides of our place is church property. On one side is a parking lot on which our kids are all one by one learning to trust that two wheels will in fact hold them up. Behind us is a very beautiful garden full of flowering perennials and trees.  We get to enjoy the benefit of the view with someone else maintaining it. There is always lots of  bird activity, and although mostly of the common kind, it's still fun on a Sunday afternoon when the rain stops and the sun peeps out to see what is there to see. I had noticed lately a pair of Cardinals persistently perching and singing and frequently giving off their "tink" alarm calls. It seemed very likely that there was a nest in the area. Until a couple days ago, my search had not been successful. I found it in a standard of some sort in the middle of the garden with only one young one in the nest.  

View of the gardens from our backyard (quickly snapped on my new phone)

But, since the order of my post title was purposely switched, I have to show some bumblebee pictures first. This bumblebee is loaded with pollen.  In the first picture you can see the pollen flying off it in the air as it had just "settled" down on this location.

Bumblebee laden with pollen - you can see the pollen in the air above

Bumblebee on Greater Meadow Rue

When I got back out on Sunday to try and capture a picture or two of the Carndinal chicks in the nest, they were no longer there.  I followed the high pitched peeps, and finally located two fledglings in the near by trees and cedar hedge.  They were already flying quite well and seemed to be confident in their ability to wing away, letting me get pretty close before putting some distance between us.

Fledgling Cardinal in Linden Tree
"What YOU lookin' at?"

Cardinal Fledgling in Cedar Hedge

Fledgling Cardinal
(you can see the ear openings just behind and below the eye)

Here are the parents, who surprisingly, were not very agitated by my presence, allowing me to get some pictures without feeling too guilty about stressing the little family out very much.

female Cardinal in rose bush

male Cardinal in Redbud Tree