Great Backyard Bird Count 2019

16 February 2019

        One of my favourite days of the year is the annual Waterloo Region Nature Great Backyard Bird Count, organized by our good friend Mary Ann Vanden Elzen. 

     This is birding with ease on a scale scarcely to be imagined by birders who willingly bushwhack through thorn bushes, endure repressive heat and freezing rain, slog through swamps and bogs, suffer mosquito bites and bee stings, get wet feet, cold hands, pee in the bush. We visit people's houses, they give us food and drink, and we watch the birds through their windows! Who can pass up this kind of opportunity? On top of everything else it was a gorgeous winter's day with bright sunshine and the temperature a very pleasant minus 6.5 degrees, the kind of day when one might cherish winter forever.
     Our first stop was at the lovely home, on the lovely property, of Jim Cappelman and Irene Simpson, gracious and friendly as always, perfect hosts in every way. They have opened up their home and dispensed their huge dose of kindness in this way for years.
     Mojo, their friendly poodle, did the rounds and said hello to everyone, and following that exhausting activity, decided to take a rest. After all how could anyone be interested in birds when Mojo was there to snuggle with?

     Soon everyone fortified themselves with the beverage of their choice (tea, coffee or hot cider), got some snacks, and looked through the windows at the array of bird feeders, all topped up and primed for our visit.

     

     Many Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) were present; some feeding together.....

  ....... and this one preferring to dine alone.

     As might be expected enterprising squirrels were there to take advantage of every opportunity to get their share - or more than their share perhaps.

     Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) were perky as always, seeming to typify winter in Ontario, and there were many individuals in an array of plumage, both male and female, handling snow and cold with aplomb.

     What is very familiar in Ontario? What still causes our happiness hormones to surge a little? A Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) of course! 

     We saw both male and female, but the female, ever coquettish, never came into the open to be photographed. No doubt this handsome male will soon be singing lustily from a treetop perch and we will know that spring is on its way.
     What would a feeding station next to mixed forest be without a friendly Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)?

     A Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is always a favourite. 

     That's a bit of an oxymoron actually. They are all favourites!
     A Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) often surprises novice birders with its tiny size, and we had both male and female up close for everyone to observe.

      One always wishes to stay longer, but the lure (and the time commitment) to be at the next location beckons. As we were  putting on our coats at the front door, this male Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) lit on one of the feeders just outside the windows. Miriam made this fabulous picture from close to ten metres away, through the glass.

     It was a remarkable way to say goodbye, and along with a farewell lick from Mojo, we were out the door and on our way.
     Thank you again Jim and Irene. In the pantheon of special friends your name is inscribed in gold!

All species at the Casselman/Simpson palace: Mourning Dove, Hawk sp., Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal.

     Our second stop was at SpruceHaven, the first time that Dave Westfall, and Jamie and Sandy Hill had hosted the event.

     Their hospitality was first rate, as we knew it would be, and there were copious quantities of food and drink for everyone to enjoy. Most of our party had visited SpruceHaven before, but for some it was their first time.

     Jamie had all the feeders well stocked and the birds cooperated.
     It is a given, at this time of year, that many of the species will be the same as at the other venues, but all species are not present everywhere. Several Downy Woodpeckers visited the various feeders around the house, very familiar but always delightful.

     We were inside, toasty and warm, eating and drinking and bird watching. 

     Does it get any better? I don't think so!
     Cathi Stewart, who runs our club's Facebook page, had never seen an American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) and was especially happy to see one quite close, permitting its subtle beauty to be fully appreciated.

     Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) seem to be inordinately fond of peanuts in the shell and were attracted to a circular wire feeder filled with them. Perhaps this one was waiting its turn.

     Paul Bigelow was the only person who saw Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus) but before he could alert anyone to take a picture they had removed themselves from sight.
     American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) were quite common and several were already starting to develop extensive tracts of yellow breeding plumage.

     Mourning Doves were plentiful, as might be expected, and this one appears to be taking a drink at the open water in the centre of the pond behind the house.

     For one Mourning Dove, however, life was about to end. In a fearsome burst of speed and predatory efficiency, a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), nailed one of them on the ground.

     It was a stunning display, and provided some observers with a first time experience of this drama which is played out daily. The entire cycle of life is based on a predator/prey relationship. As one friend of mine once pointed out, robins are predators of worms.
     This incident was certainly the "major event" of the day, and was even being discussed on line this morning.
     Finally, I found this cartoon which Sandy had clipped from a newspaper very amusing. I hope you do too.

    The sincere thanks of everyone who enjoyed superb hospitality is rendered to Dave, Sandy and Jamie. We hope you will invite us back next year.

All species at the Sprucehaven mansion:  Mourning Dove, Cooper's Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.

     Our final stop, as in previous years, was at the home of Alan and Brenda Holvey in suburban Kitchener, where a wonderful level of hospitality and generosity of spirit was bestowed upon us all.

     Feeders had been set up at the front of the house so that we could observe the birds from the comfort of the living room.

     From the back, it seemed entirely appropriate, that we could watch youngsters skating on a rink in the park, about as quintessential a Canadian scene as one could imagine.

     Brenda and Alan provided pizza for lunch, as they do each year, and even though we had been munching all morning it seemed that we all looked forward to, and very much enjoyed the pizza. There was lots too, anyone who wanted to get more was free to refill his/her plate.
     I am sure that in terms of watching the birds (our stated mission) we were slacking off. It seems that Pat, Mary Ann and Betty were involved with each other and the pizza!

     I glanced outside once in a while and called out a bird to Paul, our official recorder, but I was certainly not diligent. And with good reason I think. We had the most interesting conversations one could imagine, discussing everything from the intelligence of corvids, to science versus faith, the threats to environmentalism in the U.S under Trump, books we have read, poetry, and a whole host of other topics. It was fun, convivial and I think that in the process we all learned a lot, and we got to know each other better. Alan and Brenda's contributions were especially appealing with anecdotes from their long and interesting life together, spent in several different countries.
     It was a wonderful end to a wonderful day.

All species at the Holvey Hospitality Haven: Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finch, House Sparrow.

     Thanks for organizing the event Mary Ann. I am already looking forward to next year.