"birding" fun

[birder]

You may want to wear a hat..

[Ashrunner]

May has been a good month for birds in my yard. Earlier in the month, I saw my first Spotted Towhee yard bird, first Cassin's Finch at the feeder, my first ever Black-headed Grosbeak and yesterday, a pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves (see photo below).

There was another bird in the Apple Tree I didn't get a good look at, but it appeared to be a Nashville Warbler...another first for my yard.

[Gharbad]

Oh right, I also saw a rufous sided towhee and rose-breasted grosbeak.

Glen, we really do. My brother has counted over 100 species in the park our house sits on top of, I'll need to ask him for the real number. Going around to places like Point Pelee or north to Algonquin really add to that, though they are about 4 hours away.
We get some empids too, but I'm not hardcore enough to bother. I used to just tag along with my brother and picked up the habit... but I'm only good with obviously different looking birds

Going out west was really exiciting though. Western tanagers are amazing, especially when you're not used to them. I miss the magpies too.

[Don Boose]

On Memorial Day, we had a brown thrasher and a gray catbird in the back yard together. We often see catbirds, but brown thrashers are unusual for our garden.

Don

[birder]

Nice Don! Even though Brown thrashers are usually hiding, they flash the reddish brown boldly when they dash under a hedge. I thought they were pretty to see when we were in Orlando 20 years ago. Catbirds are a favorite, saw one yesterday as well, mewing in the shrubs. Not really a common bird, though. Black-Headed grosbeaks are back, but I don't think they are nesting in our immediate area this year. My son had his hand on a painted turtle yesterday, but both canoe occupants leaned the same side...his buddy was dumped out of the canoe into the marsh muck, allowing the turtle to escape.:p

[shrike]

We've had a Menage a trois of Cactus Wrens settle in. Best way I can think of to describe it. There are three of them, they forage together and share their pickings.

Their right to the mesquite tree is constantly disputed by the clutch of feral Canaries that live there, with much argument and aerial dogfighting.

The canaries harass the wrens, and the hummingbirds, which are at least as big as the canaries, display the ultimate in air-superiority.

Only the canaries are pleasant to listen to<g>

[birder]

That is an interesting avian collection, Mark! Canaries are cousins of the goldfinches and siskins anyway, you don't like the "singing" of the Cactus wrens? In the evening the hummers at our feeder pile in like crazy, and little chasings and posturing ongoing as 10 hummers try to eat from 4 openings. Hummingbird flight is one of the wonders of the natural world I think.

[Gharbad]

A few days back I ran into some ruddy turnstones in what is almost downtown Toronto. I thought they were killdeer when I took the photo, but it's pretty clear what they are.

Also some goslings along the way.
It was a rather large group of geese on the water who approached me as I came to the shore. I tried to trick them into coming closer by throwing some random grass, but they weren't fooled. The goslings however, fell for it and came for a perfect close up.

[birder]

Nice Turnstones, no doubt! Goslings about the lake here, too. Nice sharp focus on the turnstones, Kuba. It is interesting how widespread one can see a species like them, Spotted sandpipers for example, also nesting here presently.

[Don Boose]

Yesterday, I was at the Gettysburg Battlefield, rehearsing for next month's staff ride when a distinctive-looking bird flew in and landed atop the 110th Pennsylvania monument on Crawford Road near Plum Run (between the Wheatfield and Little Round Top). I had the binoculars in the car with me, so could confirm that it was a red-headed woodpecker. They are not unusual at Gettysburg, but it was the first one I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me.

Don