For the Birds

I've always had a shady corner in the back yard that the birds love - they have water, food and shelter and we're lucky to have a pretty full back yard.  This year I decided to extend it to roughly 25 ft by 12 feet, so that on those days that I couldn't go out shooting I could sit on the back deck and bring the birds to me.

I included lots of driftwood and rocks for perching (most birds prefer to land on a perch before landing on the ground) and a new multi-level fountain that looks like it is made of rock was a huge hit, especially with the fledglings!

Next summer I will make some changes but overall I was very happy with it and for the first year had an oriole family spent time with us!  Here are a few of the visitors so far this summer:

This Cardinal fledge must have discovered splashing water for the first time - he played in the fountain for over an hour while dad waited on the fence, calling him repeatedly to come and have dinner.

Young Oriole who insisted dad feed him.  When dad said no, he proceeded to feed himself just fine.  It doesn't hurt to ask!



Oriole Dad



Oriole Mom

Freshly-fledged Grackle - Priceless!

This blog entry wouldn't be complete without an honourable mention.   Meet Rocky Raccoon.   I finally had to bring my feeders in at night because he would drain the fountain and the feeders.  He also took two of my neighbour's feeders down off their hooks and brought them into my back yard!  I think he was asking for a refill.  He hasn't been around for a few weeks and I miss him.

Rocky Raccoon - Caught in the Act!

Another non-feathered friend is this Red Squirrel

Even the dogs keep their distance when a Red Squirrel starts nattering at them.  There were four this year - a mom and dad with two babies.  Not sure which one this is because they grow up so fast!

This is one section of the bird garden.  Oddly enough, I haven't taken photos of the garden in its entirety - too busy focusing on the critters!  Speaking of getting caught in the act, Osgrrr is in the background here peeping through a hole in the fence at my neighbours - his favourite summer past-time!

Port Perry's Osprey Family

One of the Osprey chicks

Until a few years ago I hadn’t had many encounters with Osprey, and the first time I saw a nesting pair was in Port Perry, Ontario.

Since then I’ve gone back each year to visit them.

You might imagine an Osprey pair might build their nest at the top of a large tree near water, but this pair seems to like baseball, and nests smack-dab in the middle of four diamonds at the sports complex in Port Perry.  I had read somewhere that the first Osprey nesting attempt at this location didn’t exactly go well - the birds were not too impressed with all the ballplayers and spectators but eventaully everyone learned to get along.  There is a marsh nearby, and Lake Scugog is a short flight away.

Dad spends his days fishing for the family and refurbishing the nest.  He made three trips to the marsh and the forest to find suitable twigs and other material.  I was surprised by this because the chicks are very large and are ready to leave the nest.  But on this particular day the wind was gusty and a second nest was losing some twigs.  Maybe he was just providing a bit of insurance from the gusts.

Dad's day was made trickier because of the Eastern Kingbirds, who were not impressed with him flying back and forth over their fledgling.  I found this photo interesting because you can see the Kingbird's red patch on the top of his head (click on the photos to enlarge).  I had no idea they even had this patch, but the sun was hitting him just right (thanks for confirming ID, Janice!). 

Mom spends her days taking care of the young - she rarely leaves the nest or a nearby light fixture.  She also calls for dad to come back, and if you have never heard an Osprey vocalize before, it is surprising because it is a very soft call.  Click here to listen:  http://soundbible.com/1241-Osprey-Call.html

Mom is on top here, she had been in the nest and was taking off.  Looks like baby helped her get some height!  The adult's eyes are yellow and the chicks' eyes are an orangy colour.

My favourite moment was the quieter chick suddenly started to hover above the nest!  He had waited for a strong wind gust and jumped up into the air and flapped for ten seconds.   The wind held him in position above the nest and he had a risk-free opportunity to exercise his wings.  As the gust died down he slowed his flapping and safely landed back in the nest.  He did this several times and the second chick started as well.  You can see the chick doing this in the photo below.

If they haven't fledged yet, they will be doing so any day.  Let's hope they wait until after the 9th inning!

Up in the sky

Nope, not a bird this time. 

We live near the waterfront and periodically kite clubs meet up for the day to fly their kites.  These aren't the little diamond-shaped kites from yesteryear, these are kites that are half a football field long.  Okay, not quite but not too far off!

I'm not much of a kite person but have to admit these are pretty cool.  But what's not cool is having these flying directly over our house with two panicked dogs wondering if we're being attacked!

And there are 15-20 flying at once. 

Kite day is never quiet at our house.

A Wild World

Almost everyone who sees my photos for the first time says “Where on earth do you find these creatures?”. They think I live in some enchanted Disney-like place where animals nicely pose, just hoping a photographer will appear to take their picture.. The truth is that wildlife is absolutely everywhere in the city and suburbs - you just have to look.

There isn’t a park in the city that doesn’t have at least one raccoon (and likely several) peering down at joggers and picnickers from a tree as they have a mid-day rest.

Ashbridges Bay

Rosetta McClain Gardens

Owls are also common city residents, particularly Eastern Screech Owls, but they are tricky to spot because of their great camouflage.



Both Red and Grey Morph Eastern Screech Owls blend in with tree bark and are difficult to see.



Fox, Deer and Coyotes are also abundant throughout the city’s parks and ravines, and even in industrial areas where fields have been left to go natural. Sadly these mammals are losing more and more habitat as each day goes by.

Red Fox, Ajax Waterfront

White-Tailed Deer, South Whitby

Of course, waterfowl can be found at any marina or pond but there was a time when I used to think we only had a single species of duck (called "ducks"!) on Lake Ontario.  In recent years I've learned just how many unique and amazing duck species we have around us every day.

Long-Tailed Duck, Ashbridges Bay

On most Autumn days when you look up you will see migrating raptors - Hawks, Falcons and even the occasional Eagle - drifting through, especially along the waterfront. On a good day you can see hundreds or even thousands of these magnificent birds.  Learn more about hawk watching hot spots in Ontario:  http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/hawkwatching.php.

Most of my wildlife friends and I spend more time looking in the clouds and scanning tree lines than we do looking straight ahead (we try not to do this while driving!). Click on a few of the links on my Blog Roll to see some of their great wildlife sightings and photos, most of which aren’t taken too far from home.

Marsh Madness

I love marshes. As long as I pack the insect repellent and my patience I'm never disappointed because just when I decide it’s time to pack it in, something wonderful and unexpected makes an appearance.

Earlier this summer I was at Rouge Park Beach watching a mom Red-Winged Blackbird who had successfully rounded up some grub (literally, grub). I figured she had a fledgling nearby so I waited to see if I could catch a glimpse. She was very vocal and I figured she was calling her baby but afterwards realized that she was trying to lure me to follow her (similar to a mama Killdeer when babies are in the area).

I let her lure me and when I got far enough away she flew around me, over a bridge and landed in the marsh! What I hadn’t seen was that she had a nest in the reeds...the smallest Red-Winged Blackbirds I’d ever seen were waiting for their lunch.

Dad feeding hungry nestlings

Very young baby Blackbird

Mom Red-Winged Blackbird with food for her babies. 

Second Marsh in Oshawa is one of my favourite places because it is always teeming with life. My favourite summer bird, the Belted Kingfisher, is a summer resident, in fact there are often 3 or 4 present and often they are engaging in mid-air acrobatics. Night Herons (adult and juvenile), Hummingbirds, Orioles, Beaver, Wood Ducks, Sandpipers, and of course numerous Great Blue Herons are everywhere (to name a few). I’ve never been to a marsh that has more life - expected and unexpected. Last year a juvenile bald eagle flew past me out of nowhere and that was such a thrill. Perhaps the most unexpected visitor is the White Pelican who stops by the marsh every year (I guess that makes him an expected visitor now!).

Belted Kingfisher

Juvenile Night Heron with Wood Ducks

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Pelican who thinks he's a Cormorant!

Unfortunately, water levels this summer are low to non-existent at most marshes. A mom wood duck and her little ones in Kinsale Marsh were half running, half swimming across the marsh bottom, which is typically several inches deep. Turtles are no longer basking and the usually noisy frogs have gone quiet.

We need rain!

Painted Turtles basking at Kinsale Marsh (2010 Summer)

The Owl Foundation

When a sick or orphaned Owl is found in Ontario, there's a good chance it will end up being cared for at The Owl Foundation.  This rehab facility has returned countless owls back to the wild, and I have had the privilege of doing some releases for them. 

Today I released a Grey-Morph Eastern Screech Owl in Toronto, and a Red-Morph Eastern Screech Owl in Durham Region.

What you see in the photo of the Grey-Morph is a typical "I don't know what's going on but I like it" expression.

In the Red-Morph photo you will see an owl who seems to have a few choice words for me - I named him "Stink Eye" (I think the reason is obvious)  Evidently it takes some owls a little more time to leave the release site than others!

Grey-Morph Eastern Screech Owl

Red-Morph Eastern Screech Owl

Here are a couple of others I've released for The Owl Foundation that I've been able to photograph (most of the time they are gone in an instant).

Great-Horned Owl released in Toronto

Eastern Screech Owl released in Durham Region

A huge thanks to Kay and the great staff at TOF for doing what they do!  To donate, click on the Sponsorship link at http://www.theowlfoundation.com/.

The Adventures of "Nest Head"

Every year we have at least one clutch of beautiful baby robins that nest close to our front door.  This year's babies were as adorable as ever.  June 11 was fledge day - lots of excitement from the parents and the little birds! 
The first two fledged earlier that morning.  The last robin, who we nicknamed "nest head" (you'll see why in a minute), was last to go.


Back when I was in the cradle with my siblings.

My last room service meal

It only took about 20 minutes to get my courage...and off I went!.  First flight ever!

What a landing!



Let me in the house - it's scary out here! (Still wearing a piece of his nest)



Where's that son of mine?



Two hours later, "Nest Head" still hasn't completely shaken the nest out of his feathers.



Whew!  Mom and Dad still love me!



"Nest Head's" sibling.
  

No matter where I was in the garden I was greeted by one of the fledglings.

It is such a treat to be able to watch nature unfold like that.  And Robin parents are the best!












Scarlet Tanager

This bird deserves a post all its own.  I've never seen a Scarlet Tanager and today was my lucky day.  I was driving along one of my usual haunts hoping to see a deer and saw a flash of red out of the corner of my eye.

Gorgeous bird, and he came out to pose a little too.