A Potpourri

     This post is a bit of a potpourri, with pictures drawn from those taken over the past week or so. There is no real theme here, but I hope you will enjoy them anyway.

13 March 2021

     A while ago we noticed a little clump of Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) in the backyard - and we didn't plant them, so we can only assume that a squirrel buried bulbs for later consumption and forgot about them.

     They are delightful and we are grateful to the squirrel. I won't even swear at it again when it is swinging from one of my bird feeders!

     I wonder if this Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) shared our enthusiasm?

     Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are daily visitors to our feeders and this male was packing on some calories.

   

     It's hard work after all when you have to fly all the way to the top of a tree and sing your heart out to a fickle female!

     As the lakes and streams of our area become ice free, Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) are found throughout the region. On an afternoon drive through the countryside we spotted this handsome male.

     He seemed keen to hook up with the first girl that came his way, and they swam off together, the very model of a happy couple.

14 March 2021

     Miriam needed to visit a fabric store, so we combined that errand with a stop in Cambridge along the Grand River.

     A Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) had found a tasty morsel in the water, and gobbled it down quickly as others made a bee line for it with piracy on their minds.

16 March 2021

     American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis) are gradually acquiring their nuptial plumage after spending the winter in drab olive attire.

     For a good part of the winter Common Redpolls (Acanthis flammea) have been a fixture in our yard, taking full advantage of the Gascoigne/Bauman food bank. Sometimes as many as twenty-five of these charming visitors would arrive together, always well-mannered, never (well almost never) displaying the truculence of other species. They seem to have departed for their breeding grounds, but one individual remains and can be relied upon to visit several times a day to sample what's on offer.

17 March 2021

     Over several years we have had sporadic visits from a Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinensis) but this year a male (we assume it is always the same bird) has found our quarters exactly to his liking and can be relied upon to keep us company.

     What a handsome fellow he is!

20 March 2021

     Miriam went for a stroll around the neighbourhood and saw this American Crow (Corvus brachyrynchus) with a very large bone, trying to winkle out the marrow.

     On the same day I spent the afternoon at SpruceHaven with a crew of volunteers as we installed some new nest boxes, replaced others that had been damaged, and generally prepared for the upcoming breeding season.

Linda, Marg, Peter. Michelle, Bryan, Natalie, Jamie, Jim

     We were as busy as proverbial beavers.

     The tall fellow at the left of the picture is Jim Huffman. How we would do all of this without Jim is something I don't even wish to contemplate! To his right are Jason and Steph who arrive just a little after we had taken the group picture above.

     As you can see Jim is about to ascend the ladder, drill in hand. Brian is holding the ladder and Linda is doing a fine job of gazing aloft. We are a willing and dedicated supporting cast!

     Natalie looks pensive, no doubt enjoying her first visit to Sprucehaven and enjoying the scintillating company of our eclectic cast of characters!

     And Michelle looks the very image of the suaveness of youth, with her sunglasses reflecting my image as I took her picture.

     There will be much work to be done as our season gets underway, and I appreciate the support these volunteers provide so unstintingly. 

     What a pleasure it is to know them all.

Another Great Day!

 21 February 2021

     A good friend of ours invited us up to her farm to see the large flocks of Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) that have been visiting her of late, and we were happy to accept.  A chance to see the birds and catch up with our friend was not to be missed.

     Actually, several flocks seem to coalesce into one concentrated mass, the corn laid out for them doubtless a factor in this behaviour.

     First let me give you an idea of the number of birds (and none of these pictures captures all of them).

      It is impossible to count them, but there are certainly several hundred. They are quite skittish and swirl into the air at the hint of any threat, real or imagined.

      They are to say the least delightful little birds; on the snow.....

     ..... and in the air,

     ..... or on a wire.

     Common Redpolls (Acanthis flammea) too have invaded southern Ontario this winter, and they were not at all reluctant to approach us at close quarters.

     But for us, in a star-studded cast I might add, the Snow Buntings were the marquee attraction.

     There was corn set out on a table too, and that attracted birds away from the main feeding frenzy taking place on the ground.

     A few Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) joined up with the flocks of Snow Buntings, as they often do. I am sure you will have no difficulty picking them out in the next couple of shots.

     Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) is quite rare in southern Ontario, and we were happy to spot a couple.

     Sometimes, the birds on the wire seemed to chatter to each other and at other times they remained aloof.

     I can't resist one more picture.

     And as we left a Common Redpoll came to wish us safe journey, and we are confident that it echoed our friend's cheery "Come back soon". 

     Rest assured that we will!

     It was barely mid afternoon and there was glorious sunshine, so we decided to go on a quest for Snowy Owls (Bubo scandiacus). It should be noted that once the owls move south from the tundra, they tend to remain in a given area as long as there is abundant food. This does not always make it easy to find them, but it narrows down the search.

     Knowing where to look proved invaluable and we soon found a majestic male.

     It matters not how often I see one of these birds, my heart still pounds at first sight.

     How could you ever become blasé about such a wondrous creature?

        We are always very cognizant of the fact that the birds are resting, and everything should be done to avoid disturbance. So we were mildly perturbed when this bird suddenly took to the air.

     And then we saw the reason. 

     A large, immature female cruised in and claimed the perch.

     Both birds appeared to be the picture of good health, and we assume that the rodent biomass is more than adequate to ensure that they have no difficulty securing food. And of late we have been going through a prolonged cold snap so conditions have been ideal for a northern-adapted species.

     On their breeding grounds on the tundra the owls operate in a treeless environment, but their feet are well adapted to perching.

     When we left the male was nowhere to be seen but the female was still firmly ensconced on her perch.

     If you needed affirmation that it is great to live in a northern land, a day such as this would clinch it in an instant. We were a supremely happy couple driving home!   

An Assortment of Delights

     Daytime temperatures are now consistently above freezing, and even overnight slightly above freezing, or barely below, and birds are arriving here one species after another on a daily basis.
    I have agreed to become a bird monitor for rare, a local land trust in Cambridge, ON and this Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe was photographed while reconnoitering one of the two routes I will be covering.

     This hardy little bird is always the first of the flycatchers to arrive in spring and a species I always look forward to seeing.
     A few Song Sparrows Melospiza melodia overwinter here but the main surge of migratory birds is now well underway and males seem to be singing from every elevated perch. This individual was observed at Laurel Creek Conservation Area in Waterloo, ON.

     Eastern Bluebirds Sialia sialis are favourites with birders and non-birders alike and we have already been observing several pairs for over a week. This male was staking out a nest box with a female along Bricker School Line near Wallenstein, ON.

     Birds are not the only signs of spring, of course, and during our walk at rare Bill Wilson was able to point out this rare Rock Polypody Polypodium virginianium fern.

     Maidenhair Spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes was also present but not in a location amenable to photography.
     Both of these species of fern are provincially significant.
     Having now emerged from winter hibernation American Red Squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus are seen scampering everywhere searching for food. They are not averse to raiding a bird feeder as can be seen from this individual in Laurel Creek C.A.

     Returning to birds, Brown Creepers Certhia americana have returned en masse and this bird was observed on Martin Creek Road in Waterloo County.

     The landscape would not be complete without great numbers of American Robin Turdus migratorius; they really do seem to be everywhere.

     The same could be said of Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscala, although they are not as abundant as American Robin.

     Common Redpolls Carduelis flammea that have wintered farther south start showing up in this area as they make feeding stops on their way north. On several occasions recently small numbers have shown up in our yard.

     The battle for my newest nest box seem to have been won by House Sparrows Passer domesticus and here is a male carrying nest material and then emerging from the nest box having stuffed it in there.

     I'll keep you posted on the progress of the family!