Bird Canada

Wednesday Wings: A Blue Day

Pat — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:55:25 +0000

Camera? What Camera?

Pat — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:00:13 +0000

I have clouds of house sparrows in my yard this time of year.

When they converge on the feeders, they empty them in a matter of minutes. I’m tryng to walk the thin line of putting food out for the mourning doves and other (real) birds, while trying not to feed house sparrows. It’s not working particularly well so far.

I put up a niger feeder for the finches, and a peanut feader for the nuthatches. Both had sparrows on them shortly after I put them up. While talking to a birding friend yesterday, I jokingly wondered where my friendly neighborhood merlin was when I needed him.

Monday was a sunny fall morning for a brief period before the rain clouds moved in again, so I was having coffee on the deck. My camera was on my lap, and I was keeping a close watch on the black oil sunflower feeder near the back of the yard. It’s a busy little spot these days.

Because of my presence on the deck, the house sparrows were all off pouting in the saskatoons and lilacs.

Suddenly, as I was looking towards the back of the yard, I heard a great comotion in the lilacs 10 feet to my right. With his back to me, a merlin had flown in and captured one of the sparrows. With his morning meal secured, he flew right past my head so close I ducked, and away.

And I, great photographer that I am, sat there and watched the whole thing in frozen awe.

After he flew away, I thought oh, yeah, camera…

Nature 1 – Photographer 0

Vulture Awareness Day

Pat — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 14:00:07 +0000

This is the second International Vulture Awareness Day. Although most people are unaware of it, Canada does have a resident vulture species, highly deserving of a feature on this blog.

Turkey vultures Cathartes aura have been expanding their range northward in the last few years, and can now be seen across the southern prairies, as well as parts of BC and Ontario. Their numbers are increasing in Alberta and Saskatchewan, likely because of the exploding white-tailed deer population. Their huge natural range extends from central Canada down to the tip of South America.

These massive birds can be found soaring over open country, pastures, grasslands, and wetlands. Their range northward in Canada will likely be restricted to areas south of the heavily treed boreal forest.

At first glance, these vultures may be misidentified as a very large bird of prey. Closer inspection, however, will reveal a purplish-red, featherless head and neck. Dark brown to black plumage and a short, hooked, ivory coloured beak complete the identification. Covering large areas, these graceful birds seldom flap their wings, but float across the sky on thermal air currents.

With a wingspan up to six feet, a height of 3 feet and a weight up to 5 pounds, turkey vultures are impressive birds. They are certainly not cute little songbirds, but act as a natural cleaning service, consuming carrion from road kills and animals that have died a natural death. Our guide in Florida referred to animals killed on the highway as TV dinners, which certainly put their worth into perspective.

Turkey vultures use their keen vision and excellent sense of smell to locate food, flying low enough to detect the gasses produced by decaying animals. The part of their brain responsible for processing smells is particularly large, compared to other birds. This heightened ability to detect odours allows them to find dead animals from a vast distance.

Vultures are among the most sadly misunderstood birds in the world. In a society based on acceptance by appearance, vultures are labeled ugly birds, and receive no recognition for their vital role in the ecosystem.

While the turkey vulture population is thought to number 4,500,000 individuals, other vulture species in the world are not so lucky. Populations of some Old World Vultures in India, Nepal and Pakistan have declined up to a horrifying 99% over the past few years, and many are now critically endangered.

Sighting one of these birds floating over the Canadian prairies is a wonderful experience. Salute them for their work on our behalf when you see one!

International Vulture Awareness Day 2010

The International Vulture Awareness Day has grown from Vulture Awareness Days run by the Birds of Prey Working Group in South Africa and the Hawk Conservancy Trust in England, who decided to work together and expand the initiative into an international event.

It is now recognized that a coordinated international day will publicize the conservation of vultures to a wider audience and highlight the important work being carried out by the world’s vulture conservationists.

This article is a reprint from this blog on September 5, 2009

Nature News #23

Pat — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:06:27 +0000

Bird News

Sea bird experts from around the world are meeting in Victoria, BC next week for the first World Sea Bird Conference, focusing on science, conservation and information sharing.

The first-ever active sandhill crane nest discovered in New Brunswick this spring may indicate a northeastern expansion of the population.

Disoriented puffin chicks are being rescued and returned to the sea by volunteers on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Another dive-bombing Swainson’s hawk is disrupting postal delivery in Alberta, this time in the city of Calgary.

Conservation groups in Alberta are alarmed that a federal government proposal would limit habitat protection for the endangered burrowing owl.

Mammal News

As hibernation time approaches, experts are concerned about the survival abilities of the black bears accustomed to being fed at a BC grow-op.

A skunk in search of a tasty snack that got his head stuck in a dumpster drain in Vancouver was the fifth one to be rescued from the same predicament this year.

Many BC municipalities are asking the province for help with growing urban deer herds and other wildlife invading towns and cities.

A new paper published in the scientific journal Animal Welfare suggests wildlife researchers focus more on the welfare of animals than on gathering information on their ecology.

A young polar bear in Manitoba has wandered 400 kilometres south of the tundra where they are usually found.

A University of Regina researcher looking into the migration patterns of the big brown bat spent a week catching and tagging animals in a Prince Albert church.

Herptile News

A researcher for the Nature Conservancy of Canada is hoping to educate the public on how harmless the Eastern hognosed snake is, and asking people to contact him with sightings.

Fish News

Fisheries officers have broken up a major salmon poaching ring near Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Department of Fisheries scientists say the Labrador salmon decline this year is not a major concern, as the fish have a six year life cycle with rising and falling populations.

Pacific white-sided dolphins are being seen more frequently in water closer to shore near Nanaimo, BC.

Insect News

The emerald ash borer is spreading faster and farther than expected in Ontario.

A doctoral student from York University has identified 19 new species of bees, including one on his way to work in downtown Toronto.

Ecosystem News

Jellyfish found in a Manitoba Lake may indicate how disrupted the fresh water ecosystems are.

A new report by a University of Alberta ecologist says the province’s oilsands are releasing more pollutants into the Athabasca River than previously reported by government data.

Coastal First Nations say the ban on oil tankers along the BC coast must remain in place.

Grassland biodiversity (Grasslands National Park) is featured in a new Canadian Wildlife Service video as part of the Hinterland Who’s Who series.

A poll has shown almost half of British Columbia residents oppose the construction of two pipelines across the province.

First Nations in central BC have issued an ultimatum regarding an open pit mine that will turn a lake into a toxic tailings pond.

Wednesday Wings: Mr. Swivel Neck

Pat — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:15:11 +0000

Western Grebe ripple...

If you’re new to this blog and wondering why I posted a bird-less picture, read my Bird (?) Watching post from earlier this year!

Marsh Diaries Part 15

Pat — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:57:37 +0000

I’ve never been overly fond of yellow. After spending an inordinate amount of time looking through pictures trying to identify little yellow birds, I am even less fond of it now.

The last time we were at the lake, the trees and bushes were full of bright flashes of yellow. One of the most common little LYJ’s turned out to be yellow warblers. I’m quite proud of this shot – it’s not often the frigging little things sit still long enough for a picture.

It’s really too bad I wasn’t closer for this photo, but I had to include it anyway. This is a yellow warbler photographed on a smoky evening. Note the bug about to meet its end.

After going cross eyed looking at pictures of little yellow birds, I discovered a large number of my shots were of busy little American goldfinch.

Unfortunately none of my shots of the common yellowthroats turned out, but they were certainly flitting around, adding to the yellowness of the day. Yellow-rumped warblers also made more than one fuzzy appearance in my pictures.

The yellow-headed blackbirds were around too, nicely sitting still for more than a nano-second.

And speaking of yellowness..

I was enjoying myself wandering around taking pictures of the flowers in bloom, blissfully ignoring the fact that I’m allergic to the pollen in most yellow flowers. By the end of the day, my eyes felt like they had been sandpapered. I guess it’s not that surprising I don’t like yellow…

Nature News #22

Pat — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:05:36 +0000

Bird News

Syncrude sentencing in the deaths of 1,800 ducks has been delayed until October so they can proceed with “creative sentencing discussions.”

Mammal News

A melanistic (all black) chipmunk has been found in Ontario. Photo here.

An online petition is being circulated to save the black bears found guarding a BC marijuana growing operation.

A Swedish grizzly bear research project unites an Alberta biologist with NHL superstar Mats Sundin

Prince George, BC is reporting double the normal number of black bear sightings, as it’s too dry in the woods for berries to ripen, and the bears are looking for food.

The federal government has announced the establishment of an 1,800 sq kilometre marine protected area for beluga whales in the Arctic.

A biologist has found the local grizzly population in an area proposed for a $45 million ski resort development is vital to the survival of the bears in the province.

Fish News

BC is seeing the strongest sockeye run on the Fraser River in almost a century, just as an inquiry into last year’s collapse gets under way.

Atlantic salmon returns this year are down by as much as 75 percent in some areas.

Scientists are working to bring back lake sturgeon, a threatened species in Alberta, to the North Saskatchewan River.

Ecosystem News

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is restoring an old sawmill site in Campbell River to a creek and riparian zone.

A report from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has raised hopes for a new park in the Flathead Valley of British Columbia.

An auditor-general’s report has found the Environment Ministry is failing to protect parks in British Columbia.

Wednesday Wings: A True Prairie Hawk

Pat — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:00:41 +0000

A New Season of BC Coastal Waterbird Surveys

Pat — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:11:55 +0000

As fall approaches, ducks, loons, grebes, and other waterbirds begin to return to British Columbia’s coastal areas to spend the winter months. The 12th season of the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey from Bird Studies Canada (BSC) will soon be underway. This program is one of the only long-term coastal monitoring programs in BC that helps identify population and distributional changes in overwintering waterbirds. The new survey season starts on September 12, and monthly counts continue throughout the winter and during the summer at many sites.

The Waterbird Survey aims to coordinate the efforts of people who care about waterbirds in British Columbia. Anyone who can identify coastal waterbird species in their area can participate in the survey. The goal of such coordinated collective efforts is the conservation of coastal waterbird populations in British Columbia.

The coastlines of British Columbia are of international importance for waterbirds, especially during winter when vast numbers can be found feeding and roosting in bays, estuaries and along the rocky inter-tidal beaches of the coast. Thousands of individual birds of many different species use the sheltered near-shore waters, the expansive wetland areas and estuarine habitats to roost, to feed, to over-winter and to stop and restore their fuel supplies during long migratory journeys.

With the coastlines of BC under increasing pressure from development and human population expansion, long-term data on the abundance and distribution of waterbird species will enable BSC to monitor and track changes in waterbird populations and habitat use.

Bird Studies Canada is always looking for new volunteers to participate in this program. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact them at bcprograms@birdscanada.org or 1-877-349-2473. Visit the BSC website for more information about this program, including detailed instructions and a downloadable data form.

Marsh Diaries Part 14

Pat — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:04:29 +0000

I’m pretty sure I broke a new personal record for the number of pictures taken last weekend.

After record high temperatures, a cool front pushed the smoke from forest fires in British Columbia across the Rocky Mountains. A haze covered the entire province for a few days, and the sun rarely managed to poke through.

Friday evening, as I was walking along the lake wondering what on earth we were doing there in the smoke, I realized the willows, cattails and shrubs were just full of little bitty birds flitting in and out. There were LBJ’s everywhere, with a good handful of LYJ’s thrown in as well.

I immediately commenced the binocular/camera/binocular/camera shuffle, trying to a) find them in the first place and b) manage to take a picture while they were still (relatively) in one place.

The campground has grass planted next to it, but they’ve left a natural area closer to the lake shore which borders the cattails. A mass of natural plants going to seed and thick willows provide a mecca for the smaller birds in the fall. Attempting to get pictures of these busy little birds in the vegetation reminded me of those 3D puzzles you were supposed to stare at until you saw the picture. Once I got my photos up on the computer, looking at image after image of willows, shrubs and plants trying to locate the bird in the shot made my eyes water. A case in point..

One of the busy little brown jobs turned out to be a marsh wren. Finally! I knew they were out there, but hadn’t managed to actually see one this year.

After waiting the entire summer, one of the residents of Empidonax Woods finally came out and let me get a good look at him. Yep, that’s a flycatcher all right…

As I was frantically chasing all the little birds, I noticed the eastern kingbird kept putting himself in front of me. He was posing so nicely I felt duty bound to take (another) picture of him.

The sun finally came out on Saturday, and I spent some time watching four prairie falcons lazily floating overhead in the clear blue sky. One of them went into a spectacular dive over the lake, pulled up at the last minute and rejoined the others. Falcon playtime. That was a binocular not a camera moment, and it was glorious to see.

There was a new visitor on the lake last weekend. A lone western grebe spent a few hours fishing in the shallows, and looking photogenic against the cattails. I was so happy to see a bird that actually sat still I took far too many pictures before I realized what I was doing.

And of all things, a bird I never expected to see out there was a red-breasted nuthatch. I took way too many pictures of these birds too before I saw what they were.

By Saturday evening I was determined not to take any more pictures, but was keeping my binoculars handy. I saw a couple of birds going up and down the trunk of the poplar tree right by the trailer and thought the red-breasted nuthatches were at it again, but I’d just have a quick look. And saw a black and white warbler. Not the best time to give up on the camera – and that was a life bird!

Shorebirds are on the move now, and small flocks of them kept circling the lake and calling, usually when I was inside the trailer. For the first time this year, we didn’t see any white pelicans, but the barn swallows, bank swallows, robins, orioles and blackbirds are still there.

I haven’t forgotten about the LYJ’s, but at this point, I have absolutely no idea what they were. I’ll have to spend some time going fuzzy eyed looking at vegetation pictures. Next week I’ll do a little yellow jobs post, after I’ve had some time to mutter over the bird books a bit.

Perhaps the best indication that the seasons are changing though, was fact I only had to put out three moths.

New Birds Added to the List This Trip:

Red-breasted nuthatch
Marsh wren
Black and white warbler
Western grebe