Pine Siskin

Today in our feeder area on this rainy, stormy day: three Pine Siskins. Also: one Song Sparrow, many American Goldfinch, several Mourning Doves, a couple of Starlings, one Hairy Woodpecker, and some Tree Sparrows.

Grackles - They're Back!

If there was ever a sure sign of spring for me; it is looking out my window and seeing Common Grackles feeding on the ground in my feeder area. Today there were six! I have been watching for them as March is the month of their return and they are usually the first sighting of returning migrants that I see. Checking back in my records I see that the earliest March sighting in our feeder area was on March 2nd in 2002. First sightings in 2001 and 2003 were towards the end of the month; not until the 22nd and 21 respectively. This year they are somewhat in the middle of the month, as they were in 2004 when they returned to our feeders on the 11th. The second photo on this post was taken on March 18th, 2006 and represents my first Grackle sighting last year. Welcome Grackles! Welcome spring!

For a previous posting on Grackles go to:
http://naturetales.blogspot.com/2006_06_01_archive.html

Purple Finch With Yellow Neck Ring

My two previous postings have focused on Purple Finch that have displayed partially albino features. The male Purple Finch in this photo has a different colouring variation; it has a yellow ring around its neck. This photo taken with my first digital camera, a Sony Mavica, in the early 2000's, is one of my favourite Purple Finch pictures.

Partially Albino Female Purple Finch

A partially albino female Purple Finch visited our feeder area on March 15, 2005.

To view another posting on a female Purple Finch go to:

http://naturetales.blogspot.com/2007/02/female-purple-finch.html

Great Horned Owl

I don't see owls often so its always a special sighting when I do see one. This Great Horned Owl seemed to be quite curious when I spied it high up in a tree one day in March, 2002.

male Red Crossbill

Yesterday, while enroute to the city, I noticed a few small birds on the road ahead of me and as my car got closer they all flew away except this one. Upon using my binoculars I was both surprised and pleased to see that the one remaining bird was a male Red Crossbill. I don't see this species too often as they are nomadic by nature; so this was a bit of a sighting treat. What was immediately noticable to me was the positioning of the head of the Crossbill when it was picking up gravel. It would lay its head sideways and seemed to be using its tongue to help pick up the particles from the road. Crossbills are specialist eaters of seeds of conifer cones and the unusual positioning of their crossed bills at their tips makes it easier for them to extract seeds from the cones.
To view other postings on Red Crossbills please go to:
http://naturetales.blogspot.com/2007/03/adult-female-red-crossbill.html
http://naturetales.blogspot.com/2006/11/red-crossbills.html

Red Fox

Having recently purchased an external hard drive I have been sorting and re-filing old photos and I came upon some that I had taken of a Red Fox. The first photo was taken in March, 2001. I had been driving along the road on the opposite side of the river when I spotted a fox crossing to the other side. This is my first picture ever taken of a fox.

The second photo is a much better view and this was taken last April, in 2006. In this photo the fox was trotting along the edge of the woods carrying something in its mouth. As the fox's young are born in April; I wonder if this fox was possibly carrying a young kit in it's mouth?

Female Purple Finch

Although not a frequent visitor this winter, we did have a few visits from a female Purple Finch last week.

Brrr.. Will Spring Be Here Soon?

To view other postings on a Gray Squirrel go to:

http://naturetales.blogspot.com/2006/12/gray-squirrel-visitor.html

http://naturetales.blogspot.com/2006/10/gray-squirrel.html

American Robin in February

While driving along Rothesay Ave this afternoon, near Renforth, I saw a bird fly across the highway in front of my car and it looked like it might have been an American Robin! We decided to turn around and see if we could relocate the bird to confirm our id for we have not often seen Robins at this time of year. After turning, but not having driven back as far as the location of our original sighting , we saw another red-breasted bird fly across the road. Was this the same bird or maybe there were two Robins? We had seen where the second bird had landed and so I got out of our car, crossed the highway, and captured a few pictures; thus confirming our sighting of an American Robin in February.

Song Sparrow

This over- wintering Song Sparrow surveys its snowy world in our feeder area.

Another Eagle More Crows

While driving along highway #105 near Sheffield we noticed what may have been two clumps of snow high up in the trees bordering the fields along the highway; or perhaps it was the white head and tail of a Bald Eagle? We stopped to get a better look, and confirmed with our binoculars that it was a Bald Eagle.The smaller circle in the photo above indicates where we saw the eagle. The larger circle with the arrow shows an enlarged view.

Just as we stopped a murder of Crows arose from the remnants of a corn field beside the highway and headed off in the direction of the eagle perched in the tree. A murder (or group) of noisy Crows can sometimes draw your attention to an Eagle or Owl in the area; so if might be worth your while to follow through and check out the focus of their activity.

Young Bald Eagle

Yesterday, while driving east, along highway #1 at Saint John we saw a very large bird feeding nearby the sewage lagoon in that area. We did not identify it immediately; but as the huge bird lifted its wings in flight we could easily see the white mottling on its belly and under- wings and we could see that it was a second or third year Bald Eagle.

Accipiter

This yellow-eyed, juvenile accipiter is either a Sharp-shinned or Cooper's Hawk. And it probably would have an interesting tale to tell for the bottom feathers on its tail were rather crumpled and frayed! The condition of its tail feathers make identification of this accipiter a bit more difficult. The Sharp-shinned Hawk has a shorter, squared off tail while a Cooper's Hawk has a slightly rounded tail. Another difference between a Cooper's Hawk and Sharp-shinned is size. This hawk was quite large; larger than the usual Sharp-shins that I see occasionally in our feeder area. As well as its size, and dubiously rounded tail; its head, when seen in profile, seemed rather flat. A flat, rather than a rounded head, is also a sometimes mentioned characteristic of a Cooper's Hawk.

A Deer Along the Roadside

Having decided to take a seldom used old road through the woods to connect to the highway, we were rewarded with a beautiful sighting of a lone White -tailed Deer along the roadside. At first we did not immediately see it as its dark colouring blended in with the darkness of the tall evergreens bordering the road. This woodland creature stood and watched the slow approach of our car before disappearing into the surrounding woods.

European Starling

This European Starling has found the suet feeder in our bird feeder area and although it is difficult for it to maintain a stationary position to feed from; it still manages to get some food. Here the Starling is keeping its wings in motion for balance and positioning as it feeds on the homemade bird suet.

Portrait of a Sharp-shinned Hawk

My first sighting of a Sharp-shinned Hawk in our feeder area occured this week. This red-eyed, hooked beak, handsome plumaged accipiter perched in our High Bush Cranberry tree and surveyed its surround -ings. Not having located any small birds to pursue in the area; after a few moments it left.

Eight White-tailed Deer

After having driven over a few back country roads hoping to see some White-tailed Deer, and having found none, I decided to return home. However enroute home, much to my surprise and amuse -ment, I found eight White- tailed Deer standing in a driveway in the center of a neighbour- ing village; looking at me as I cruised by.

Mallards in Open Water

There wasn't a whole lot of open water at Lily Lake today for these Mallards to swim in; but they all crowded together making use of what there was, creating a colourful sight.

A Deer in the Winter Woods