May 15th - Wild Turkey at Birds Hill Park

A Merlin Grabs dinner...5 feet in front of me...from the middle of a tree I was standing beside.

So this evening I set out with my husband and our dog for our nightly stroll...not a new occurence. We barely reached the end of our driveway (it's a city lot) when I see something streaking in between our house and the neighbours. I couldn't believe what I would witness next...

A merlin streaked towards our tree at the curb and plucked from the _middle_ of the tree, where it was hiding, a poor house sparrow and without missing a beat kept going with it's dinner firmly clenched in it's talons.

The squealing of the sparrow is a sound that I will never ever be able to erase from my mind. From the second it was snatched it let out this ear-piercing cry and it kept squealing until the Merlin flew out of hearing range.

I think it was the continued crying that got to me. I get the whole nature thing...and seeing a Bird of prey grab a sparrow is nothing new to me (I have a sharp shinned hawk hunting daily here). I don't know...Maybe it was actually seeing the whole thing unfold as if in slow motion that's got me freaked out...I just hope I never have to hear that sound again.

Rose Breasted Grosbeak

I can't even begin to explain the pure joy I had when I saw this guy, but let me start from the beginning.

I had just finished watching the return of the first Hairy woodpecker. After the day that I had, had I felt it couldn't get any better than that. The poor woodpecker was out of suet do to the inundation of blackbirds and house sparrows I hadn't even been bothering to fill them. I watched Hairy go from feeder to feeder in search of something tasty...he eventually settled for the peanut feeder.

So I decided once he seemed to be done to go out and fill the various feeders...after all this had to mean that there was going to be a steady stream of visitors now. Well I got up and got the suet and headed to the door. I went "oh he's in the maple" and then almost had a heart attack. I realized that I had a rose breasted grosbeak in MY YARD!!! I had no idea how long he'd been sitting there...the tree is out of range from where I was sitting.

I quickly grabbed the camera and started snapping away, shaking so bad that the majority of the pictures were blurry. I didn't care. I had a grosbeak in my yard.

To understand why this was so life shattering you have to understand that this was a lifetime goal of mine. Attract some sort of grosbeak to my yard...it's in my blog in fall somewhere. I'd already had the best birding day of the year and to top it off I had achieved one of my LIFETIME goals...I was over the moon and in tears I was so happy!

I just listened to him sing...it was beautiful. A female red winged blackbird came over to try and chase him away and he stood his ground!! It was wonderful.

I do think though that I might need to add another feeder...or at least put one higher up...maybe on a pole or pully system...something that would allow birds who prefer to feed higher up come to my yard...

I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Female Yellow Rumped Warbler

The Palm Warbler

Harris's Sparrow round two!

Well this morning has proved ot be yet anither one rich in birds! As I sat responding to various birds questions from my fellow birders I happened to notice that there was a fresh batch of Harris sparrows mixed in with my jumbled assortment of sparrows!

The first batch arrived back May 1st...along with every other sparrow known and unknown to my yard. They of course stayed 24 hours and then were gone. I hope that this batch stays a little longer...I count 6 that I can see right now...which usually means there anohter 2 ot 3 in the underbrush.

I adore the Harris sparrow. I usually get them for about a day in the spring and a week in the fall. Tehy are some of the most skittish birds, usually sticking to the underbrush, venturing out only when there are at least 24 other potential meals between them and any BOP.

This trait makes it really hard to get decent pictures of them but I'm pleased with what I got. I don't like to shoot them nonstop as I feel that it alters their natural behaviour...and eventually will spook them.

I truly love migration!

The American Goldfinch Returns!

This morning while sitting and having my morning coffee and watching the normal battle for the remaining seed (I've been running a little low), I was surprised to see the sparrows on the finch feeders.

Usually they stick to the sunflower feeders, but I guess because the nyger seed has crushed sunflower seed in it they were all for it.

Well after a few minutes this bright yellow fella flew in and tried to get a spot on the feeder. I was so beyond excited that the goldfinches had returned until the evil house sparrows chased her away.

I'm actually not sure that it is a she...it seemed far to brilliant to be female...maybe it's a male coming into his summer plumage? We'll see I guess!

Anyhoo! Immediately after they chased the finch off I went out and moved around my feeders. The station closest to the house and my kitchen table is usually one reserved for Hummingbirds, orioles and finches...you know...the pretty and non aggressive birds. As most of them have yet to arrive I had a regular seed feeder there...not anymore!

I hope that this encouraged the finch to return...I know they'll get here eventually, I'm just hoping for sooner rather than later.

The yard has a pretty diverse crowd right now. I still have a handful of White throated sparrows hanging around & the chipping sparrows are increasing in numbers everyday. Song and house sparrows are mixed in together, followed by grackles, red winged black birds, starlings and magpies.

The mourning doves drop in every now and again but seemed to be getting chased off by the grackles. I spread seed out all over the grass this morning to give them a chance but I really think I need to find a regular seed that doesn't have peanuts in it.

That's about it for now...maybe I'll get lucky and be able to fill in some of my previous posts... but I think for now I'm going to head out for a run while the rain has stopped~

Franklin's Gull

I can't even keep up with the posts! Yesterday brought Franklin's Gull to the roof of my house. With the windows closed I could hear quite the ruckus happening behind my fence in my backyard. We back out onto a gravel road and a empty field so It's quite usual to hear ducks and geese and maybe the odd gull, but NEVER like this!

There were about 30 of them all fighting over 1 piece of bread and it was simply amazing! I've never seen these guys before and they're not typically city gulls so I guess they were on their way north and just needed a pit stop.

They only stayed for about 1 hour and when I looked again they were gone. I can't believe that
I actually managed to catch them! A Great New Bird to add to my list!

Fun Fact: Did you know that there's no such thing as a seagull?

Song Sparrow

Lets face it...these guys are amazing and beautiful. There song used to be the one that I would wake up to via a clock that was my grandmothers that would chime a different bird every hour. Sadly that feature of the clock burnt itself out over christmas, but at least now I get to hear them in person.

I want to take a step away from my bird posts today to add something personal...almost a year ago I lost someone very important to me rather suddenly...this was something that I wrote whenever that feeling got to strong...






IT COMES IN WAVES

I never thought it would be like this, to know that you are gone.
I thought it would be easier at this point in time.
I never thought it was possible, to feel so much, yet feel nothing at all.
I never imagined it would come back, over and over again,
Making me wish with all my soul that you could be whole again.

I know I should be stronger, I know I should be fine,
But all I keep on thinking is that I wish we'd had more time.
It creeps up and when you least expect it,
It suffocates the happiness & joy.
Leaving in it's wake, sadness and the question WHY?

I pick up the phone to call you and realize you won't be there
No more answers to my questions, so many left unasked.
The flashes are the hardest, it's like I'm there again
A simple smell, taste or touch can make it far to real
I wish with all my heart and soul I didn't have to feel.

It's almost been a year since you were stolen from our midst
I find these days the hardest, so fresh, so raw, so real
I would give almost anything not to have to feel.
People say in time, it really will get better.
To those I say 'screw you' you haven't got a clue.

I'm tired of the pain, tired of the sadness
I'm tired of the sleeplessness & tired of the dreams.
I'm tired of feeling raw & exposed,
Please help me daddy, please.

The days have passed more quickly now
It can't have been a year.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, Birthdays
you simply were not here.

I think back to a year ago, you fought so hard to stay
But life had other plans for you, no matter how hard we prayed.
I can't explain how much you're missed each and every day
You'd fought so hard and beat the odds
But still you couldn't stay.

You added oh so much to all the lives you touched
You've left behind a legacy that will never die.
For every tree that drops it's seed and starts a new...


UNFINISHED

Savannah Sparrow

A Sharp Shinned Hawk

Saturday proved to have a dramtic ending to the start of a wonderful day. It was almost as if the birds could read a calendar...May 1st brought bird after bird to my yard. It was a clear start to migration.

Later in the afternoon I happened to walk into my kitchen and I noticed that there was not a single bird in my yard. Even the grackles had disappeared. This usually can only mean one thing. Bird of prey in the area.

Imagine my surprise when I looked outside and saw this sharp shinned hawk sitting on my fence post plucking all of the feathers off of his dinner. I immediatly grabbed my camera and started shooting before it even really registered what he was doing.

I kept saying over and over, "oh my god, oh my god" while I watched...I even threw up in my mouth a little bit (but still kept taking pictures).

The ironic part of the circle of life is pictured above. It took very little time before all of the feathers from their fallen comrade were gathered up to soften their nests. As a fellow birder of mine commented. "waste not want not".

The Clay-Coloured Sparrow

The clay coloured sparrow had fast become one of the most recognizable calls to me. I first thought these fellas to be juvenille White throated sparrows. After a while it started to bug me that it seemed too early to have babies that size and that clearly marked. So I headed back to my bird books convinced that there was another name to attach to these cuties.

While trying to ID these guys I happened to be watching when he opened his mouth and that all but cinched the ID. It sounded very un bird like...as a matter of fact it sounded very much like a bug! A grasshopper to be specific!

They are the one of if not the tiniest sparrow...smaller than the chipping and they LOVE sitting on the tree's and screech away. I thought that this was another first but when I went back through my pictures I realized that they had been here before I had just Misfiled them!

I feel blessed to be alive!

The Chipping Sparrow

The White Crowned Sparrow

The white throated sparrow returns

Another birdtastic Morning

The birds have decided to let me know that being May 1st spring migration has officially begun.

A flock of White throated sparrows showed up in full force yesterday and have now grown to at least a dozen strong! This is the first time I've had sooooo many in my yard at one time. They're actually bullying the house sparrows!! It's about time someone put them in place.

The greatest thing for me with their arrival though has to be the constant singing. Their song totally reminds me of camping and with the 5 days of rain we're due to have it really does feel like camping to me (we ALWAYS have rain when we camp).

Then this morning I noticed that the White capped sparrow was mixed in with the brood of sparrows pecking away. There only a couple of them but there should be more to follow over the next few days.

At one point I noticed a chipping sparrow, Savannah sparrows & Harris sparrows all mixed in with the house and white throated!

Then the magpie arrived and scared many into the underbrush (I'm so thankful that I don't clean out my gardens until the new growth is well established).

Then the mourning doves joined in the chaos...I just don't know who's going to show up next! I LOVE the rain!