Northern Pintail Ducks

Great Horned Owl

Cheryl spotted this fellow perched on the ladder of a combine this afternoon. I went out to see him, catching him during his afternoon siesta.

His activity was confined to turning his head two or three times.

Just before sunset I went out again and found his eyes a bit more visible. He watched me.

And then he flew away.

Yes, Shrikes eat House Sparrows

Sometimes I search for birds. Sometimes they come to me.
These photos were taken this afternoon while the Northern Shrike ate a sparrow in the leafless lilacs some fifteen feet from my office window.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

It might have been too cool, or perhaps the hummingbirds didn't care for my new feeder, but we only had brief glimpses of these favourites this year. Last year... Ah last year they came and stayed for days. Here's one from August 23, 2009.

September Birding

We haven't done much birding in weeks, so today we took advantage of a free day, mostly sunny skies, and moderate temperatures to check out a few local bird sites.

This juvenile Black Crowned Night Heron led us down the trail across the Luck Lake dyke. Other birds there included a lot of generic ducks that didn't stand around long enough to be IDed and some shorebirds in their nonbreeding plumage, notably American Avocets and some Phalaropes, just not absolutely certain which Phalarope. I don't recall seeing these little guys in their nonbreeding plumage before, and was amazed at how grey they look!

The pavilion at the dam was temporary home to a swarm of Yellow Rumped Warblers. I got several photos, many showing their yellow rump, but this one was my favourite.

This slightly faded male Mountain Bluebird greeted us as we parked at Coldwell Park. Other notable birds there were several Northern Flickers, a few late staying American Robins, a couple of Grey Catbirds, and our first Spotted Towhees of the year.

Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park

July 1 we quit work early and drove to SLPP for the sole purpose of seeing an Eastern Bluebird.

What makes it particularly satisfying is that we actually saw it.

At the same time, we saw at least five Common Nighthawks. Only this one took a rest on a branch. The others were flying around saying Beep! like a roadrunner.

We also heard from half a dozen Common Yellowthroats, aka The Weeta Weeta Bird. This one sat still long enough for me to see it.

There has been some speculation about whether cacti would be happy with the rain we've had this year. Well, I feel I can end that speculation. They love it. I do not recall ever seeing so many cactus blooms.

These photos, by the way, serve as encouragement to me to buy a camera with more zoom than the 12x I have now. As you can see, it does better with close ups of stationary flowers than far distance birds.

Yard Birds

I've long had a desire to live in a park. When I first had this dream, all I wanted were tall trees casting long afternoon shadows across lush, green lawns. Now that I've discovered this obsession with winged wildlife, I love the concept of park living because of the birds.

This is the third or fourth year we've had catbirds. They are cheerful little fellows with complicated songs. When they aren't singing, their call sounds a bit like a cat's meow, hence their name.

Hiding in this tree is a male Baltimore Oriole. He sings a lot, but rarely poses for photos. Other years, our orioles have hung out in the poplars, but this guy prefers the birch.

There are drawbacks, however. These are the cedar waxwings who only come because they want to eat the fruit from my bushes. Having no patience, they are willing to eat the fruit while it is green. It is difficult to compete with that, since I'm fussy about waiting till the fruit is ripe. (Notice the masks. One of the many birds that try to keep their identities a secret.)