Bird Watching Guide

Blue Jay

editor — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:09:40 +0000

The Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a very saucy, noisy bird but very much beloved. He has a pointed crest, black necklace and bright blue above with white on the wings and tail. The Blue Jay prefers to live in woodlands, farmlands and in parklands or on top of a birdfeeder. It is known for its raucous voice and the wide variety of its calls, cries and screams. Blue Jays are omnivorous, feeding on fruits, seeds, nuts, insects, other birds’ eggs, smaller birds, mice, tree frogs, snails and fish. During migration, the Blue Jay travels in flocks numbering in the hundreds. Their habitat ranges from the eastern States to the lower edge of the provinces of Canada. They range in size from 12-15cm.

Canada Goose

editor — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:47:27 +0000

The Canada Goose (Branta Canadensis), Canada’s national bird is best known for its great numbers across Canada, its wonderful V-shaped flight pattern and honking during migration. The Canada Goose can be readily recognized by its white area on the cheek, long dark head and neck and brown feathered body throughout. The smallest Canada Goose, called the cackling, weighs as little as 1.5 kg, up to the giant specie which is as heavy as 14 kg. The Canada Goose nests anywhere and feeds anywhere such as the water’s edge, ponds and lakes. People have been feeding these birds, which abound in cities and towns, and this habit has disturbed their migration patterns. Many of these majestic geese fail to migrate and become destitute in the cold Canadian winters.

American Goldfinch

editor — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:14:57 +0000

The American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) is located mainly in the United States with a population also found in the lowlands of Ontario and Quebec. The male is bright yellow with a black forehead, wings and tail. The female is olive-green and lighter in colour. Goldfinches can be found in farmlands, weedy fields with scattered trees, river groves, parks and feeders.

An American Goldfinch sings

The American Goldfinches breed late in the summer when thistledown is available for their tightly woven nests. Feeding flocks can be located by their song or chirps interspersed with swe-si-iees or per-chick-o-rees, which they also sing during flight. The American Goldfinch loves to search for seeds in the thistledown. The size of the Goldfinch ranges up to 8-9 cm.

American Redstart

editor — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:14:35 +0000

The American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) is one of the most common of the warbler family and it is one of the most attractive in colour. The male is pure black except for bright orange patches over the wings and tail feathers.

American Redstart sports colorful orange feathers

While in flight, the American Redstart resembles the Monarch butterfly not only in colouring but also in the fact that it catches insects on the wing. The American Redstart may be found throughout most of North America to the south of the tundra region. The birds range in size up to 9 cm and they prefer to live in second-growth deciduous forests, thickets, suburbs and parks.

Red-winged Blackbird

editor — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:27:13 +0000

The Red-winged Blackbird’s (Agelaius phoeniceus) song is known as the herald of spring. ‘Con-ka-ree’ he proclaims as in victory over the long harsh winter. The male is distinguished by black with yellow-bordered red shoulder patch.

Red and Yellow Shoulder Caps on Redwing Blackbird

The Red-winged Blackbird is common throughout North America and Mexico. They reside in swamps, marshes, farmlands and ponds but they travel and live in flocks.

Redwing Blackbird takes flight

During the late summer, the Red-winged Blackbirds vanish to a marsh where they hide in the vegetation, molt their flight feathers and grow new ones. When they re-appear, they are ready to migrate to the south for the winter. They range in size to 13 cm.

Redwing blackbird in the marsh

Killdeer

editor — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:30:42 +0000

The Killdeer or Kildeer (Charadrius vociferous) is a familiar plover which nests on open ground but not necessarily near water. It prefers to nest in a depression in the ground where it is defended valiantly by the owner.

Killdeer Protects its Eggs

The Killdeer will put on a demonstration of being hurt if a predator comes too close to the nest, by putting one wing held up over its back, and the other wing flaps on the ground. When the predator gets too close to look at this display, then the Killdeer will suddenly runs and repeats the display until the intruder is far enough from the nest.

Killdeer Protects its Nest

The Killdeer is known throughout the United States and in the prairie provinces of Canada. The size of the Killdeer ranges from 12-14 cm.

Killdeer with Sharp Markings and Red Eyes

Yellow-rumped Warbler

editor — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:37:50 +0000

The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata) is one of the most abundant of the warblers in North America. Its territory reaches from the lower United States to the upper tundra areas of Canada and the Arctic. The male has a yellow crown, rump and shoulder patch while the female is paler and browner. The preferred habitat is coniferous and mixed forests, woodlands and thickets. During migration it seems to outnumber all of the other species altogether.

Yellow-rumped Warbler on a Bullrush

The Yellow-rumped Warbler has a bright, loud chip call that is easily learned. The Warblers are a large subfamily of perchers that are known as gnat- catchers. They are small birds with straight conical bills that are slightly notched towards the tip. Warblers are mainly insectivores though they eat some fruits especially in the winter. The Yellow-rumped Warbler ranges in size up to 9 cm.

Yellow-rumped Warbler Camouflaged within Leaves

Prairie Warbler

editor — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:33:23 +0000

The Prairie Warbler (Dendroica discolour) is a small warbler with the upper parts of its body covered in yellowish olive green, the back with chestnut spots and two yellowish wing bars, to name a few distinguishing details.

Magnolia Warbler

The Prairie Warbler does not live in the prairies at all which one would think but rather in a treed are in bushes and saplings and in the central and lower Ontario Great Lakes Area. It winters in the United States as far south as the Florida Keys. The Prairie Warbler prefers to live in areas which have bushes and saplings in which to build their nests which are made of plant down, grass and leaves and lined with rootlets, hair, feathers and cottony plant materials. The size of the Prairie Warbler ranges up to 8-9 cm.

A Magnolia Warbler Sings

Wood Duck

editor — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:41:41 +0000

The Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) is found mostly in the lowlands of Canada and in the forest-edged lakes, ponds, marshes and swamps of the United States. They are known for their white throat and the spectacled pattern on the females head. The drake has a brightly covered body with a crest which is not always noticeable. The hen lays her eggs, up to 15 of them, in a downy nest inside a hollow of a tree or in man-made nest boxes. The incubation period takes up to six weeks and when hatched the ducklings follow the call of their mother. The Wood Duck is best known for its cry, ‘weep, weep, weep’, as it flies off quickly into the woods for protection. The Wood Duck nests in trees which makes it quite unusual and its size ranges from 43-51 cm.

Bald Eagle

editor — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:38:58 +0000

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a magnificent creature with habitat almost anywhere in North America and mostly near open areas, forests and near water. They have a white head, neck and tail and the rest of the body is enveloped in dark brown plumage. It is called bald because the head of the adult is white, an old meaning of the word.

Bald Eagle in Flight

The Bald Eagles mate for life and they build nests in a tree, on a cliff or on the ground. Every year they continue to add to the nest and by the time they are done, the nest weighs a few thousand pounds. Bald Eagles eat carrion, waterfowl and fish. The beak of the Bald Eagle is hooked which aids their talons when killing and devouring their prey. The Bald Eagle has a length of 78 cm and a wing span of about 2.1 meters.

Bald Eagle Soaring