House Sparrow

House Sparrow Passer Domesticus

     In recent years a decline in House Sparrow population was widely reported, but judging from the healthy numbers in our area the species seems to be recovering again. The male and female shown below were photographed in our back yard this morning.

Song Sparrow

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

3 May 2013

    The Song Sparrow is an early migrant to our latitude in the spring and is one of the most familiar and frequently encountered species on a walk through almost any kind of habitat except for deep forest. It is usually heard before being seen; its characteristic song consists of two to four loud, clear whistles on the same pitch, followed by a buzzy trill, and is recognized by birders everywhere. Plumage is highly variable from one region to another; these pictures show the form normally found in southern Ontario.

Blue Jay

Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata

3 May 2013

    Blue Jays undertake a kind of leap-frog migration with birds from farther north migrating south in the fall, over-flying the resident individuals in this area. Recently we have noticed several large flocks of returning migrants and today five of these birds paused to rest and feed in our back yard.

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata

2 May 2013

    This handsome male Northern Shoveler was photographed this evening at Columbia Lake. A spring and fall migrant in this area, this bird is fairly late to still be found here, and was a pleasant surprise. The pictures show very clearly the large, spatulate bill, whence the species gets its name.

Interaction between two male Hairy Woodpeckers

Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus

    Tonight my wife and I observed a suite of behaviour in two male Hairy Woodpeckers I don't recall ever having witnessed before, and I am at a loss to know whether the interaction was social or aggressive. When we first saw the two birds they were on the ground facing each other with beaks pointed obliquely, and they engaged in spasmodic displays. One of them broke away and flew to the trunk of a nearby tree. The second bird promptly followed him and they resumed their face-to-face "standoff." This whole sequence continued for several minutes, but at no time did we note any overt aggression.
    We are unsure as to the purpose of this behaviour but it was certainly interesting to watch.                         

    

Downy Woodpecker - Hormonal Male

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens

    Tonight, on our street, we observed a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, clearly engaged in courtship activity. They seemed to be jousting with each other and the following pictures clearly show the state of the male's agitation. The red patch on the back of his head, normally flat, is is visibly raised. The female's reaction seemed to swing between mild interest to flying to the trunk of the next tree and ignoring him!

Hermit Thrush

Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

    At this time of the year I always look forward to the return of the catharus thrushes. The first to arrive is usually the robust and hardy Hermit Thrush which winters farther north than the other catharus species. On our walk this evening we were delighted to see two of them. The two pictures below show the salient features of their plumage - grey-brown upperparts with a warm rufous on the tail, heavily spotted whitish breast and prominent eye ring. This species moves unobtrusively along the ground or through branches, all the while flicking its wings and pumping its tail. Its song, not heard tonight unfortunately, is rich and melodic with a flutelike quality.