Snow Bunting (Bruant des neiges)

"The strong wind from the north blows the snow almost horizontally; and, beside freezing you, almost takes your breath away. The driving snow blinds you, and where you are protected, you can see but a little way, it is so thick. Yet in spite, or on account, of all, I see the first flock of arctic snowbirds near the depot, white and black, with a sharp whistle-like note. An hour after I discovered half a pint of snow in each pocket of my greatcoat....

These are the true winter birds for you, these winged snowballs. I could hardly see them, the air was so full of driving snow. What hardy creatures! Where do they spend the night?"

Henry David Thoreau, 29 December 1853

     Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) excite my imagination as much today as they did Thoreau more than a century and a half ago.

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!   

A Post on the Post and Other Tidbits

 Nature's repetitions are never boring.

Tim Dee  

     Of late we have been mainly confined to home by COVID lockdown, with only short excursions permitted, with a little birding here and there, so this blog entry is a combination of about a week and a half of odds and ends.

On the Post

     Three Bridges Road in St. Jacobs has been a favourite birding spot for many years, and the number of species seen there is quite remarkable for a very ordinary country road.

     One of the attractions is a post where people place bird seed and it has been a bit of a magnet for various species. 

     On 1 February we placed a little seed on the post ourselves and waited in the car for birds to take advantage of the handout. In mere minutes we were joined by a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus), always the most numerous species.

     White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) appears to travel with the chickadees, for as soon as one appears the other is not far behind.

     Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is fairly predictable too, although not as reliable as the previous two species.

     A gambling man would have a safe bet predicting that Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) would show up nine times out of ten.

     This female was collecting seeds from the top of the post and stashing them immediately below.

     This seemed a little counter-productive to us for the chickadees and the nuthatches were there to witness it, and sometimes as many as three downies were present in the immediate vicinity, and I doubt it escaped their attention either.

     But what do we know of the ways of a woodpecker?

     Several other species have used the post over the years and by digging into the archives I can show you some of them.

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) with House Sparrows (Passer domesticus)

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes caorlinus)

     The post is located about a hundred metres from the Conestogo River where a group of Mallards (Anas platyrynchos) was busily feeding.

     It was starting to get dark when we left and we experienced a beautiful sunset as the day came to a close.

The Mill Race Trail

     We have had our first cold snap of the winter recently, and even though it has not been unduly cold by normal late-January, early-February standards the temperature stayed low enough for a few days to freeze local ponds and streams.

     Some enterprising skater had turned the Mill Race into a kilometre-long rink. Perhaps he (she?) had friends to help clear the snow to expose the ice.

     A Dark-eyed Junco paid little heed to it all.

A Drive through the country

     White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have no doubt benefitted from a mild winter with less than usual snowfall, and this individual looked sleek and healthy in a field of corn stubble. 

     It was far enough away that it did not take flight when we stopped the car and Miriam stepped outside to take a picture.

     Winter snows lend a special charm to the landscape, and strangely, even though the farmhouse and outbuildings are there, a hint of desolation.

     For the second time in the past couple of weeks we saw two Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) side-by-side in a tree, uncharacteristically close at this time of the year it seems to me.

     Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) can appear like a swirling cloud in the snowy fields, and are constantly in motion, stopping to feed, but bursting into the air again at the slightest provocation, real or imagined. Despite our best entreaties this small flock was not inclined to approach us any closer.

     Perhaps we will see more on our next search for them and be able to share better images.

     An American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), relatively rare in recent years, had succeeded in capturing dinner.

Our backyard

     One might be forgiven for concluding that birds in the backyard have put on a special effort to keep us entertained during lockdown, for they have been numerous and, of course, are close at hand.

     One of the most pleasing of recent events is the presence of a male Red-bellied Woodpecker as a regular visitor.

     It is not the first time a red-belly has graced us with its presence, but this one seems to have found everything entirely to his liking and we see him quite often.

     A couple of Hairy Woodpeckers (Dryobates villosus) have similarly found that the Gascoigne/Bauman Café is a fine place to dine.

     As many of you will know, Hairy Woodpecker bears a strong resemblance to Downy Woodpecker, but is larger, with a longer, more robust bill. Some find it hard to differentiate the two species without seeing them together, but in the case of the male, the back of the head is diagnostic.

     The red cap is broken on a Hairy Woodpecker, on a Downy Woodpecker it is continuous.

     It is rare that we fail to see a Mourning Dove, almost from first light until the end of the day. Our highest count of late was twenty-one.

     White-breasted Nuthatch is equally common although not in the same abundance as Mourning Doves. We routinely see two and from time to time have noted a third.

     What would backyard bird feeding be without pesky squirrels to both distract and entertain, to give you fits, and moments of unalloyed delight?

     Let me leave you with a few more images of Red-bellied Woodpecker, a species named no doubt by a drunken taxonomist with a perverse sense of humour.

A red belly is hardly its most prominent feature!

     That little smudge you see is apparently what passes for a red belly.

     Ah well, the suet tastes good.

     And it helps a fellow get by on a cold winter's day.

     We will have to see what other pictures and bon mots we can bring you next time. I am beginning to think another drive through the hinterland is called for.

     So long for now.....