The Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 

This tiny bird was a great delight for me this spring.  I saw them everyday for at least three weeks and although they are very fast and flighty, I was able to capture them better than any other time in the past.

Here is some information from Cornell University: 

"A tiny bird seemingly overflowing with energy, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet forages almost frantically through lower branches of shrubs and trees. Its habit of constantly flicking its wings is a key identification clue. Smaller than a warbler or chickadee, this plain green-gray bird has a white eye-ring and a white bar on the wing. Alas, the male’s brilliant ruby crown patch usually stays hidden—your best chance to see it is to find an excited male singing in spring or summer."

Here are some of the photos I managed to get between the end of April and the end of May:

Various Birds In The Area

Aside from the Cardinal and the Warblers (see previous posts), various other birds have graced the area where I bird-watch.  Here are many that I was happy to see during these last two months.

Chipping Sparrow, spizella passerina

Hermit Thrush, catharus guttatus

Brown Creeper, certhia americana

Eastern Phoebe, sayornis phoebe 

Brown Thrasher, toxostoma rufum 

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, sphyrapicus varius

White-throated Sparrow, zonotrichia albicollis

White-crowned Sparrow, zonotrichia leucophrys

Canada Goose, Branta canadensis

Downy Woodpecker, dryobates pubescens

Least Flycatcher, empidonax minimus

Blue-headed Vireo, vireo solitarius

Rose-breasted Grosbeak, pheucticus ludovicianus

Red-eyed Vireo, vireo olivaceus

Baltimore Oriole, icterus galbula

Treetop Tryst

A pair of Cooper's Hawks has taken up residence in a local cemetery and I have been checking in on them each day I go out.  Unfortunately the gates of the cemetery are locked so my images are from quite a distance and therefore not of the greatest quality but I was able to capture a sequence of shots of a rather intimate moment between them. 

And finally, here is one of the pair on their nest which is high in a conifer.  I will be curious to see if baby hawks will be around later in the spring!

Another Owl - And A Rare One

After having wonderful owl sightings recently (see previous blog post), these last few days have been just as exciting.  

First of all, the Snowy Owl was seen again at the same location (but a different lamp standard) and then a rare owl was found on a nearby golf course!  This particular owl, a Short-eared Owl, has been frequenting it since December.  

I receive email alerts for rare bird sightings and finally I managed to get out there to actively search for this owl.  Although it involved climbing a snow bank to get over a fence, slog through nearly knee deep snow and edge along treacherous icy patches, it was certainly worth it!  I even managed to have some "alone time" with the owl (sans other photographers) just as the sun came out to show off the beauty of this bird.  And look at those incredible eyes!

Interestingly, the Short-eared Owl seems to like to perch on the outer parts of branches (which is wonderful for photographers), whereas the Long-eared Owl (see below) tends to roost among dense foliage and close to the tree's trunk.  I was very lucky to get this shot several years ago and only found the owl by being tipped off by a lone crow which was circling the tree and calling loudly.

Downy Woodpeckers

This past spring I found a Downy Woodpecker's nest and monitored it from the excavation to the young ones' departure.

On the evening before the little ones (there were at least two - one male and one female) left I managed to get this short video.

The poor parents, already run ragged by demanding babies were now being bullied by the hungry little ones. The parent leaps backwards when the baby lunges forward. I can't help but laugh.

The parents were fastidious in cleaning the nest after every feeding (which is what you will see at the end).

I hope you enjoy it.

It is posted at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0sKtOu2oyw

One sleepy little Grebe

Last week-end I visited the Montreal Botanical Gardens and came upon a sleepy Pied-billed Grebe. It went through an elaborate yawning and stretching routine (actually three times!) and later on did another "ballerina" type display. I will put that in a separate blog. I hope you enjoy this sequence of photos.