Backyard Highlights

      Our backyard is always a source of activity, but at this time of year the pace picks up considerably.

     This robust and very handsome House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is a lucky fellow for he is often accompanied by three females. 

     They should be paired off and nesting by now, but this Lothario thinks perhaps that a seraglio is preferable to the demands of raising kids. And who can quarrel with that?

     We have had this kettle, fashioned as a nest box, for several years, and in the past a family of Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) was raised in it. So, when Miriam spotted a pair investigating it anew, we were elated to think that we might once again be hosts to a brood of delightful chickadees.

     Outside and inside they checked.

     All was cleaned and dusted, spick and span, with just a couple of wood chips in there to mimic a natural cavity, exactly as we had done previously.

     But for whatever reason, it seems not to meet with their approval, for there has not been a repeat visit. And to think that food is always close at hand, with water to splash in - what more could they ask for?

     There are even fresh maple buds to snack on.

     We have three nest boxes out there waiting for occupancy and so far they have all been spurned. House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon) should be returning to southern Ontario any day now, so we still hold out hope.

     A male Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is an exceedingly handsome bird, whose most urgent goal in the spring of the year is to inseminate as many females as possible, so that eggs can be laid in the nests of unwitting hosts. 

     None of the chores of child-rearing are in the cards for this species.

     It is interesting perhaps to contemplate the host/guest arrangement for brood parasitic species, and to ponder that hospitality and hostility, both exhibited by host species, have the same etymological root. 

     The important thing is not to be anthropomorphic about it, and to accept that this breeding system is as much a part of the natural cycle as any other. Rejoice in diversity. Don't condemn it.

     American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) are with us all year, and by now have achieved the complete splendour of their breeding attire. Witness this striking male.

     Who among us ever looked so good?

     The other day on television I saw images of shambling old celibates shuffling about their palace, wallowing in the gilded excesses of the Vatican; how they pale by comparison to a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) who lives a life without ever resorting to moral equivocation.

     Leucism is a term that seems to have fallen into disfavour of late, as not quite accurately describing the condition achieved when a genetic mutation prevents melanin from being deposited in tracts of plumage. I recently read a bit of a diatribe from a biologist who advocated abandoning the term altogether, but it seems to me that leucism is sufficiently well understood that it remains an adequate definition of the condition.

     An American Robin (Turdus migratorius) presenting this abnormality visits us daily.

     Pine Siskins (Spinus pinus) are still taking advantage of our feeders, but I suspect that they will soon leave us and we will not see them again until the winter.

     White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) is a very welcome visitor to our backyard.

     It is among the very handsomest of sparrows and is equipped with one of the most evocative songs in all the world of birds.

     Several individuals have seen fit to pay us a visit this spring.

     Infrequently, but regularly, White-throated Sparrows pair with Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis), resulting in Dark-eyed Junco x White-throated Sparrow hybrids.

     My good friend, Paul Bigelow, sent me some pictures taken by his wife, Pat, of this manifestation in their yard.

     You have the pure White-throated Sparrow above and the Dark-eyed Junco below, and you can clearly observe patterns of both in this bird.

     Kudos are due to Paul and Pat for spotting the bird and permitting me to use their pictures. 

     A female House Finch appears not to have paired up at all - and the season is moving on!

     Dark-eyed Juncos are lingering still, taking advantage of plentiful food no doubt, but any day now the last one will have left, and we will not see them again until the fall.

     We wish them well on their journey and hope that they send many youngsters south to visit us later in the year.

     This brief post serves to illustrate how fortunate we are to enjoy a backyard during COVID. I expect to bring you more delights soon. Until then, stay safe and get vaccinated as soon as you can!