Common Mergansers

And the beauty just keeps on coming.  I hadn't seen anything very remarkable and spring like today except for a large flighty flock of CCommon Grackles.  So this evening I decided to check out an old Fox location where I had found young Fox kits last summer.  There was no sign of foxes but as I gazed at the river flowing  I saw a beautiful white shape floating by followed by a darker shape, so I took several pictures .( when in doubt, just keep on clicking.) Although it was at quite a distance  I was hoping I might be able to identify something when I downloaded my pictures.  And yes I could!  I saw a pair of Common Mergansers in the river just below the railroad bridge.

 The white male with its red bill and dark green head was easily identifiable and the female followed behind the male with her outstanding flamboyant hair do!

Even at quite a distance the male Common Merganser was identifiable.

 

 

Canada Geese

This is the most amazing and wonderful time of year; each day this week I have found a different species that I haven't seen all winter long, including: Common Goldeneye, Hooded Mergansers, Common Grackles, Evening Grosbeaks and today, I saw three Canada Geese

 

. It just keeps on getting better!  One week from today is the official beginning of spring!  I am loving it!

I am hoping and planning on finding American Robins in my camera's view next week!

Evening Grosbeaks for Saturday Critters

I wasn't sure what I would post this morning, Common Grackles or Bluejays, that is until I looked out my window and saw Evening Grosbeaks in our Plum tree.  There were just a few and one male that I saw.  the male was rather elusive and it was difficult to get a full bodied picture of him.   They never left the tree to land on the ground and they didn't stay long;  but their sighting was wonderful. It must be over a year since I have seen Evening Grosbeaks in our yard.

above the male is to the left and the female is to the right

above, the female Evening Grosbeak

above, the male Evening Grosbeak

 

I do hope they return and I am hopeful that they will.

I am linking this morning to Eileen's Saturday critters meme which can be found at:http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca/

Downy Woodpecker

A frequent little visitor to our feeder area is this Downy Woodpecker and the main attraction is our peanut feeder. the Downy is present almost daily. The red area on the back of this woodpecker's head indicates that  it is the male of this species.

In the picture above you can see a few black notch markings on the white of its under tail.  These little markings are an identifier for a Downy Woodpecker.  The  larger look alike Hairy Woodpecker does not have these small black notches on its under tail.

 the black markings on the white under tail are not always easily seen but by its smallness alone you can pretty well identify this woodpecker by its size.

 

Have a nice day everyone.  we had snow overnight so our ground is still snowcovered.  Hopefully it will absorb into the ground before the end of the day.

I found some Returned Ducks this Morning!

"OhHappy Day."  waking this morning to a mild temperature of +08 degrees Celsius I thought, "Yes , this is the day I find a returned duck"!
And I did!, Not one, but two! 

I found a Male Hooded Merganser(left) and a male Goldeneye(right)

I saw the Goldeneye first and I was quite surprised as I don't often find Goldeneyes this early .  I had assumed my first duck sighting would be a male Hooded Merganser and as I scanned the river below the bridge I was standing on, I saw that there was a male Hooded Merganser in the water beside the Goldeneye.  This was a very uplifting experience!

male Hooded Merganser(above)

 

The male goldeneye( see above) is a handsome duck. It has a yellow(golden) eye, thus its name and on each side of its black head is a white polka dot

 

Its still 10 days until the official beginning of spring but today has been very spring like and enriching.  Today I have spread cracked corn on the ground beside my duck decoys, but it is still perhaps a bit early for Mallards flying overhead, as it is Mallards that I expect to see landing among my decoys if any ducks stop by there to feed.

Returning Ducks!

I love finding returning ducks during March.  My first sighting ever in my own local area was of a Hooded Merganser on March 7th., 2007.  Today is March 7th and as soon as I post this I shall go out looking in my favourite open water pond location.  I have a special duck project this year.  I often hear about people who have ducks appear in their yards and I would love to experience that, so during the past year I had been on the lookout for duck decoys at flea markets and yard sales.  I was lucky last fall when I found a laundry basket full of decoys for just $10 and of course I bought them.  They have overwintered in our basement and yesterday I put them outdoors on my side lawn.  I had also bought two ceramic ducks in August at a flea market. The ceramic ducks are outside now also.  The decoys are placed where I can see them easily from my kitchen window.  Also yesterday I bought a package of cracked corn to scatter about the decoys. I have my fingers crossed that some

returning ducks might be enticed to drop in as they see my decoys from above in passing flight.

  I have also placed a duck decoy beside the still frozen runoff brook to see if it garners any interest.

This beautiful colourful , ceramic decoy looks a bit different from the others, hopefully it
 might  attract a cruising Mallard.
Other than returning ducks my interest recently is focused upon finding White-tailed deer feeding in open fields and meadows adjacent to woods.  I saw a group of deer in a different location yesterday so I will check out that location this morning.  Maybe I will be lucky and find deer there again today. 

It is a grand day out today so have a good one everyone.

Pine Siskins

We hadn't seen Pine Siskins in Bird Alley in over a year so I was delighted

 to see one feeding at our Niger seed feeder on February 22nd.   What I enjoy about viewing a Pine Siskin is the delicate touch of yellow within their wings  I was not seeing much yellow at first on many of the birds, but then I found definite yellow, which confirmed to me that"Yes", these birds were Siskins when this little bird showed me its wing spread from the back.

 The Pine siskin also has a sharp, pointed little beak which allows it to feed easily from the Niger seed feeder which we have.

The Siskins add a rather decorative touch to Bird Alley as they flit about and balance and swing on small branches and vines.

 

American Goldfinch for Camera Critters

We haven't seen a large variety at our feeders this winter but we have seen numbers. Daily our nyger seed feeder has been attended by  manyAmerican Goldfinch.  A Goldfinch is still pretty and attractive even during the winter months.  The males still retain a bit of their gold and the females in their winter drab are pleasant to look at in their muted browns. I am expecting to see more colour as spring approaches and my first photo, below, taken just last week I call Golden Goldfinch and the sunlight upon the rafters of the pergola adds to the background colour..

 Above , colourful red American Bittersweet berries  create a colourful background for the feeding Goldfinch.

 

 

Above, a whole bunch of Goldfinch on the feeder, nine in all!

I am linking this post to Eileen's Camera Critters which can be found at  http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca/

A Grey White-tailed Deer

It has been a good winter although a slow one in Bird Alley.  No Cardinals, no Redpolls, no Juncos , or Grosbeaks. We have had  a few Tree Sparrows and  one Waxwing.  Recently we have welcomed Pine Siskins and we have lots of American Goldfinch. I have turned my interest to finding White-tailed Deer as they are now coming out of the woods into the open fields.  I have found one location where I am quite likely to find White-tailed Deer and yesterday I saw five there!  Included in the group was one grey . I have never seen a grey-coated deer before that I recall.  A bit of research told me that some deer will have their coats turn grey during the winter, but the grey colouring will be replaced by their regular brown colouring as spring and summer advance.

In the picture above you can see the grey coated deer in the lead and behind the grey deer is a deer with the expected brown colouring.

In the photo below the grey coated deer has just stepped out of the woods. The dark markings on the deer has been created by the shadows of the bushes and trees nearby.

 

I am eagerly waiting for the sighting of my first duck as I have been checking my favourite open pools of water daily now.  My first spring sighting of a Hooded Merganser was on March 07, 2007.,So that early date is a precedent for me giving me hope for optimism.

Late Pansy blossom in November.

A check in my flower bed this morning revealed this beautiful Pansy blossom in bloom! Yesterday morning it had been rimmed with frost! I had bought cold resistant Pansy seeds in the spring and started them indoors as bedding plants sometime in March or April and then transplanted them as seedlings into my flower bed sometime in May; hoping that I might have some late fall blooms and I am rewarded for this project with this beautiful late Pansy blossom on this cold day of November 26th, 2015.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Its that time of year again, late fall and Bird Alley is welcoming its usual fall visitors.  Yesterday I got out my bird list journal and started recording the different species visiting.  I only recorded 8 species yesterday  and my numbers are down.  I usually have about 9 species on a daily average at this time of year.  Juncos are missing and I didn't see our treasured Cardinal.  And although I saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch it has been a long time since a White-breasted Nuthatch has appeared.  Surprisingly yesterday we had a male Red-winged Blackbird visiting, and our first very welcome bird visitor was a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Other bird species visiting were Bluejays, Chickadees, a Downy Woodpecker, one female Goldfinch, one Mourning Dove  and several Crows. 

   A sunflower seed seems to be the seed  of choice in both pictures.  We still have a few leaves remaining in Bird Alley and in the top picture a bokeh effect creates a blurred yellow background.  I love this effect created with a low f-stop on an aperture setting.
I'm waiting for daylight and the arrival of the early birds in Bird Alley.  I wonder what or who today will bring?
Happy Birding everyone. Have a great day!!

American Dagger Moth Caterpillar for Saturday Critters

I haven't seen many caterpillars this past spring or summer so I was delighted yesterday to see this yellow fuzzy caterpillar near by my doorstep, however I am glad that I didn't pick it up!  Apparently this American Dagger Moth Caterpillar  has toxins in those black spikes rising out of its back, so beware and wary!! Don't touch!!! Look at the picture below and you can see its black spikes!

As well as being toxic it is also very attractive and picturesque lying among the  colourful leaves that have  already fallen from the trees in our yard, so you can just enjoy its beauty without touching it.

I am linking today to Viewing nature with Eileen who hosts the weekly meme, Saturday Critters which can be found at:

http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca/

Thank you Eileen for your weekly hosting.  It is much appreciated.

Canada Geese Flocking Together

Hopefully soon I shall be able to look up and see a flock of geese flying across the sky in a V formation, but for now this small flocking together of Canada Geese in a farmer's field will have to suffice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deer along riverside drive

I had not seen any deer for a long time so I was pleasantly surprised to see one on the road in front of my car on Wednesday, but then it moved and crossed the road and disappeared onto the underbrush there.  However looking for a second deer I spied one along the roadside to my right.  It was so calm and so beautiful I was able to take a few pictures of it.

 

 

 

It did not appear to be frightened of my presence in my car while taking its picture!

 

I am linking today to  Saturday Critters at Viewing nature with Irene  at http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca/

 

Hopefully it is not as hot  and humid everywhere else as it is here.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

A Chipmunk in my Cage Feeder

I have a cage bird feeder and it is designed so that only the little son birds can enter the cage through the holes created by the wire network which composes the cage.  Every now and then I get a surprise when I see something different in the cage feeder , such as yesterday when I saw this Chipmunk the
 cage
                             

I am connecting today with Viewing Nature with Eileen  found at:http://viewingnaturewitheileen.blogspot.ca/

Lady Butterfly in my Garden

I have had no luck this summer of seeing a Monarch butterfly or a Viceroy.  all I seem to see everywhere are Great-spangled Fritillaries in abundance!

I even hang out in two Milkweed patches almost daily!
Here's a sad story.  One day in July I was in a milkweed patch looking for butterflies and caterpillars. and then I heard a train coming. While hurrying too see the train and take pictures, I brushed against a few milkweed plants.  Later that day ,while in my bedroom in my bare feet I stepped on something soft and squish, and I wondered what my cat may have left behind?  I wiped it up with a tissue and saw to my incredulous surprise, it was a monarch butterfly caterpillar!!!!. It must have attached itself to my clothing while I was in the milkweed patch!That was my only glimpse of a monarch caterpillar this year! The caterpillar didn't survive my stepping on it! I haven't seen a monarch caterpillar since, and  to think that one had been in my own bedroom even!!!

But this post is not about Monarchs, rather it is about the beautiful American Lady butterfly I found feeding on yellow cone flowers in my back yard garden yesterday! This was the first Lady species I have seen this summer.  I think they are very attractive butterflies!

 

The two eyespots on the lower hind wing identify this Lady as an American Lady and these eye spotsaren't real eyes, only camoflague to frighten away predators from attacking and destroying this lady