Marcia
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Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
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Activity #1: We often go walking in the nearby woods, which is a small forest in the middle of a big town near Toronto. Lately we've seen a lot of woodpeckers -- Red-bellied, Downy and Pileated. We also go to a large conservation area near us, which is mostly open meadows and fields, with some trees and a small lake. We often see Red-tailed Hawks and Song Sparrows there, and last time we saw an Orchard Oriole and an Osprey. Activity #2: Sevenoaks has a lot more species of water birds than Down House, so I assume there are more lakes and ponds.
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Activity #1: We have two nests on our house at the moment, each full of baby American robins. We have a particularly good view of the one above our front porch light. The babies keep their mouths open all the time, often even when they're sleeping. The mother and father robins take turns bringing worms and removing the fecal sacs. The mother, who of course does the brooding, is used to me by now and doesn't move when I go in and out of my house. But the father is much more defensive, making a lot of noise and flapping around whenever I'm near.
Activity #2: At our seed feeder, the little Black-capped Chickadees take out seed quite carefully. The Common Grackles, who are really too big to perch, have learned to swing the feeder so a little seed spills out, then they fly to the ground and eat it. What's left is cleaned up by the Mourning Doves, who walk around under the feeder.
Activity #3: I'm terrible at identifying bird vocalizations! I might be getting a tiny bit better now. I can recognize the Red-winged Blackbird by hearing it before seeing it. And I can tell the dawn chorus of the American Robin from the Northern Cardinal's sharp chirp. Still learning to identify the Black-capped Chickadee regular song (chick-a-dee-dee-dee) from its mating call (hey, sweetie!) -
Activity #1. I have great respect now for the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Yellow-Bellied Flycatchers and so many others who fly such massive distances twice a year. Activity #2. In my Toronto area I often see Black-capped Chickadees, White-Breasted Nuthatches and Downy Woodpeckers year-round. But this year was the first time I became aware of migration patterns. In May, for one lovely week, I watched Orchard Orioles, Baltimore Orioles, Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Looking forward to seeing them again in the autumn! Activity #3. I would never have recognized the Common Loon in its winter colours. I just recently became aware that the pale birds around our house in the dead of winter are the same American Goldfinches that are brilliant yellow all summer.
Activity #4. At this time of year a few of our likely birds are Trumpeter Swans, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Indigo Buntings. I've seen the first two and am still looking for the third! In six months I'll be on the lookout for Hooded Mergansers, Pine Siskins and Merlins.
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Activity 1: I went out in my backyard (I live just north of Toronto) and just sat there. At first I didn't see any birds, although I heard lots. Eventually I started seeing some birds, picking them out against the trees. I was amazed that after an hour, I had seen 11 species: Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Northern Flicker, Mourning Dove, American Robin, Common Grackle, House Sparrow, American Goldfinch, European Starling -- and then a Ruby-throated Hummingbird came to our feeder. Activity 2: All the birds I saw are on the "Most Likely" list. Nothing rare here -- but still, I was amazed at the diversity! Activity 3: Apparently the Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, Blue-winged Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo and Black-billed Cuckoo are all in my area. I've only managed to see the last one -- I'm still on the lookout for the other four!
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Activity #1: I'm not very good identifying birds by shape, but even I can tell a Northern Cardinal from a Robin based on shape! Activity #2: For the colour activity, I chose three birds that we see in our backyard that each have some red on them. Male Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers have red on their forehead and throat. Female Northern Cardinals have red on their beak, crest, wings and tail. And male Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks have red on their throat and neck.
Activity #3: Today I watched a Nuthatch feed by going headfirst down a trunk. A Goldfinch ate seed from our feeder. And a Robin pulled a worm from the ground.
Activity #4: I took a walk this morning through a large town-owned field that has nesting boxes for Tree Swallows. These beautiful birds are about the size of a sparrow. They have stunning iridescent blue backs, while their underparts are white and their wings look black. They are very fast and agile flyers, swooping to feed on flying insects. To me, their song is a very high-pitched chirp that reminds of a piccolo.
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Hello from just outside of Toronto! I'm discovering that I'm fascinated by all birds (except Canada geese -- we have way too many of them!) In our neighbourhood I was recently excited to see a Northern Hawk Owl. They usually don't come this far south. Once I finally spotted him, it was quite easy to photography him -- he sat very still on the branch, surveying his territory. He was giving me a bit of an eye, though.
Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where my interest in birds really came alive. We didn't see a Resplendent Quetzal, which is my favourite bird from the Wall of Birds. But I was very happy to see a Great Green Macaw thrashing around high above me in the rainforest. It was also a delight to find a Yellow-Throated Toucan. I'm thoroughly enjoying everyone's pics and stories!
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Hello from just outside of Toronto! I'm discovering that I'm fascinated by all birds (except Canada geese -- we have way too many of them!) In our neighbourhood I was recently excited to see a Northern Hawk Owl. They usually don't come this far south. Once I finally spotted him, it was quite easy to photography him -- he sat very still on the branch, surveying his territory. He was giving me a bit of an eye, though.
Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where I really discovered an interest in birds. We didn't see a Resplendent Quetzal, which is my favourite bird from the Wall of Birds. But I was very happy to see a Great Green Macaw thrashing around high above me in the rainforest. It was also a delight to find a Yellow-Throated Toucan. I'm thoroughly enjoying everyone's pics and stories!
Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where my interest in birds really started to come alive. We didn't see the
Activity #2: At our seed feeder, the little Black-capped Chickadees take out seed quite carefully. The Common Grackles, who are really too big to perch, have learned to swing the feeder so a little seed spills out, then they fly to the ground and eat it. What's left is cleaned up by the Mourning Doves, who walk around under the feeder.
Activity #3: I'm terrible at identifying bird vocalizations! I might be getting a tiny bit better now. I can recognize the Red-winged Blackbird by hearing it before seeing it. And I can tell the dawn chorus of the American Robin from the Northern Cardinal's sharp chirp. Still learning to identify the Black-capped Chickadee regular song (chick-a-dee-dee-dee) from its mating call (hey, sweetie!) 
Activity #4. At this time of year a few of our likely birds are Trumpeter Swans, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Indigo Buntings. I've seen the first two and am still looking for the third! In six months I'll be on the lookout for Hooded Mergansers, Pine Siskins and Merlins. 
Activity #3: Today I watched a Nuthatch feed by going headfirst down a trunk. A Goldfinch ate seed from our feeder. And a Robin pulled a worm from the ground.
Activity #4: I took a walk this morning through a large town-owned field that has nesting boxes for Tree Swallows. These beautiful birds are about the size of a sparrow. They have stunning iridescent blue backs, while their underparts are white and their wings look black. They are very fast and agile flyers, swooping to feed on flying insects. To me, their song is a very high-pitched chirp that reminds of a piccolo. 
Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where my interest in birds really came alive. We didn't see a Resplendent Quetzal, which is my favourite bird from the Wall of Birds. But I was very happy to see a Great Green Macaw thrashing around high above me in the rainforest. It was also a delight to find a Yellow-Throated Toucan. I'm thoroughly enjoying everyone's pics and stories!
Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where I really discovered an interest in birds. We didn't see a Resplendent Quetzal, which is my favourite bird from the Wall of Birds. But I was very happy to see a Great Green Macaw thrashing around high above me in the rainforest. It was also a delight to find a Yellow-Throated Toucan. I'm thoroughly enjoying everyone's pics and stories!
Just before the lockdown I was in Costa Rica, and that's where my interest in birds really started to come alive. We didn't see the Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)