Bird Canada

Black-billed magpies survive because they are clever, and quick to take advantage of any food source.

Driving down the highway the other day, I burst out laughing when I saw this bird chowing down on an enormous pile of feed grain.  Prairie farmers often leave piles of grain like this sitting in their winter fields when their graineries are full.  These piles are generally a great place to see ducks and geese, but on this day our clever corvid had the pile all to himself.

He should be good for a day or two…

Bird watchers thrive on challenge. Every time we go out to look for birds, we face a monumental challenge, and we love every minute of it.

We bird in all weather conditions, and generally glory in tales of getting stuck in mud or snow, being drenched from pouring rain, or sweltering in the excessive heat. About the only thing that slows us down is a high wind – not because we don’t want to be out there looking for birds, but because the birds very sensibly don’t fly in a high wind.

Birdwatching is challenging no matter where you are, but think for a minute about birding in Canada in the winter. Justifiably famous for our winter climate, Canadian birders don’t just sit on their hands during our chilly months. No, we actively embrace the challenge of stomping through the snow in heavy boots, wearing ten pounds of clothes and focusing binoculars while wearing thick gloves.

A new page on this blog, Winter Birding in Canada 2009-2010, features a coast-to-coast summary of the birding highlights for the past winter.  As well as listing the total number of birds seen in each province, it also lists the rarities and unusual sightings.

Who would have thought you could see a Phainopepla in Ontario, a Rustic Bunting in Saskatchewan, a Green-tailed towhee in Alberta, or an Oriental Turtle Dove in BC? In the winter.

These are the sightings that keep us mushing through the miserable weather, weighted down by parkas and boots, and loving every minute of it.

The winter birding summary was written by Blake Maybank, Editor, Nova Scotia Birds  Birding Sites of Nova Scotia. It has been distributed to various birding Listservs across the country, and is an excellent read for any Canadian interested in birds.

Winter birding in Canada can best be summed up by the following statements included in the summary:

In Canada, perhaps because of (or in spite of) experiencing a bit of weather during the winter, winter birding has become a very popular activity. The origins of this slightly insane behaviour apparently date from southern Ontario in the 50′s and 60′s, but the sport’s appeal really took off with the promotion afforded it by Gerry Bennett in the 1980′s, through his “Birdfinding in Canada” newsletter. Winter Birding remains popular today. The winter birding period comprises the three months of December through February, matching the reporting period of “North American Birds” journal. -Blake Maybank

For those who may be unfamiliar with the concept, it basically involves a frenzied search during the first couple of weeks to squeeze in as many late migrants as possible before the onslaught of usually more severe weather conditions. Christmas Bird Counts often jack up our total, as do normal winter activities. Plus, it gives us birders something to do for the three slowest birding months of the year other than sitting idle on our hands until March. To me, at least, a winter list is great for maintaining birding enthusiasm, and gets a person active and out of the house to ward off the winter doldrums that tend to creep up mid season. – Ryan Dudragne, Saskatchewan

Today is one of those days Canada is famous for.

During the ‘warmest’ part of the day, the temperature here in Calgary was -28C, which equates to -18F. There is not the tiniest breath of wind, and a light snow has been coming down intermittently throughout the day.

Yesterday evening when it was time to walk the dog, the temperature with the wind chill was -37C (-35F). Needless to say, no walk was taken – she had a very quick visit to the back yard instead.

With numerous bird feeders in the yard, we have been refilling twice a day. We have two large feeders that hold 6 pounds of seed, which the house sparrows and house finches are emptying in a day.

Somehow our hardy winter residents manage to survive our climate. We have a resident flicker in the front yard who spends a great deal of time ‘flicking’ the seeds out of the feeder and on to the ground. Our fluffed-up downy woodpeckers, red-breasted nuthatches and black-capped chickadees are always at the feeders.

This year however, we have an added complication. Three mourning doves decided not to migrate south in September, and they are turning my day inside out. I’m sweeping the ground where they like to feed several times a day, to get rid of all the snow. I’m putting out a huge variety of seeds and grains twice a day – there is no doubt enough food out there for 100 doves, but I still keep putting more out.

We hung up a brood lamp bulb to give them some heat over their feeding station. Yesterday evening they sat near it until almost full darkness, before flying away to roost somewhere.

These birds are controlling my day. If I’m not sweeping snow from their feeding area, I’m mixing food or putting more food outside. I have to keep popping over to the window to see if the doves are still feeding, which does not make for the most productive of work days.

At this point I’m torn between wanting to see them, and not wanting to see them so I can get my life back.

Because we have an equal opportunity yard, we also feed the squirrels. You would think the fact that they have fur instead of feathers would be to their advantage, but I can see them shiver from inside the house.

When I saw this little guy, I seriously considered closing the drapes so I could work on the out of site out of mind option. But then I wouldn’t be able to see those damn doves…

How many days until spring again?