These little guys are always in my cedar trees
Red-breasted Nuthatch
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Showing posts with label outdoorwednesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outdoorwednesday. Show all posts
Monday, February 10, 2014
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Bad News At The Feeders
One day last week, I heard the Blue Jays screaming like crazy outside.
I though gee, did they eat all those peanuts already!
Then I realized it was their alarm call!
I looked out the window and saw this perched on the fence!
I thought gosh that's big, I grabbed my camera in case it was something "good",
then it turned around...
Well, it was something good alright, but not so good at the same time.
A Blue Jay was taken early in the autumn, just a few feathers left on the ground.
I suspected a hawk, but I didn't see the predator.
On this day, I saw it.
Bad news at the feeders.
But what a magnificent bird, bold and beautiful...
and it's a lifer for me.
and it's a lifer for me.
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
The hawk has taken two birds (that I know of), from our yard in a week.
The hawk has taken two birds (that I know of), from our yard in a week.
I have pondered over taking the feeders down for a while (as suggested by Cornell) to discourage the hawk from using them as it's own personal smorgasbord. But, I'm not sure if that would solve the problem. Although we live in the suburbs, within 2-4 blocks in all directions, we are surrounded by a conservation forested area, a river, and 6 "kettle lake" ponds in an Environmentally Significant Area with forests, wetlands and marshes... so, I expect that more than one hawk will be cruising the area.
For now, Hubber's and I are busy constructing some new brush piles, and a roosting box or two for the songbirds to take cover in.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Leftovers
Some leftover bird photos from October.
Male and female Downy Woodpeckers.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Blue Jay
Chickadee
Goldfinch
Tree Sparrow
Peanut Gatherer
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Monday, November 18, 2013
Two Weeks Of Weather
I'm still down with a respiratory infection. The majority of my days are spent sleeping. I don't have energy to do much. I still manage to snap a photo or two of what is happening outside my window.
This post documents the weird weather we have experienced in my part of Canada, over the past two weeks.
Two weeks ago, our trees were still mainly green.
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| Male Cardinal |
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| Female Cardinal |
A sudden drop in temperature turned the leaves to beautiful golden hues.
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
A further drop in temperature brought snow.
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| Goldfinch |
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| Male Downy Woodpecker |
It's mild again, and we are experiencing severe thunderstorms, and high winds.
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| Black Squirrel (Bandit) |
This little guy seems as confused as the rest of us, but he poses nicely for peanuts!
I'm only posting once this week, and sharing with a variety of memes...
I hope to get around to visit the blogs participating in the above memes,
but please forgive me if I don't.
Cheers!
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Monday, November 11, 2013
Better Than Televsion
I'm laid up with some icky respiratory infection. I'm not one for staying in bed when I am ill, but today I couldn't do much else. This bug has me grounded.
Luckily, I have a huge cedar tree outside my window that is full of activity.
Very entertaining, and much more enjoyable than watching daytime TV.
Chickadee
Male House Finch
House Sparrow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Juvenile House Finch
Stoney Braveheart dropped by with well wishes,
or maybe he was just looking for the peanuts!
or maybe he was just looking for the peanuts!
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Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Black-Capped Chickadee
There are seven species of chickadee in the world.
Chickadees, along with titmice, belong to the family Paridae.
A group of chickadees can be called a banditry of chickadees.
This collective noun probably refers to the mask-like appearance of chickadee species.
The range of Black-capped Chickadees overlaps with that of Carolina Chickadees.
They look so much alike that even the birds themselves
may have a hard time telling each other apart – they hybridize!
The Black-Capped Chickadee hides seeds and other food items to eat later.
Each item is placed in a different spot and the chickadee
can remember thousands of hiding places.
Every autumn Black-capped Chickadees allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their social flocks and environment even with their tiny brains.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2013
The Peanut Brigade
At the feeders this week...
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| Red-Breasted Nuthatch |
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| Chickadee |
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| Blue Jay |
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| And, for Tuesday Muse...(because I think he is gazing thoughtfully)...guess who? (Stoney Braveheart) |
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Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Testing The Water
Thanksgiving Monday (Canada), was unseasonably warm,
but made for a great day at the beach!
Beep (our granddaughter) tests the water at Port Stanley, Lake Erie, Ontario.
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Monday, October 7, 2013
Monday, September 30, 2013
A New Feeder
I haven't had a Blue Jay in my yard since last winter!
Today, I had a couple (as in male and female).
Obviously they like the new feeder!
The female, almost identical to the male in appearance, but smaller in size.
Feed them and they will come!
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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Finch On The Feeder(s)
This guy seems to think he is a Baltimore Oriole!
But, he's House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus), a bird in the finch family Fringillidae.
After sampling the grape jelly, he returns to the more familiar fare.
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