Toronto Ice Storm 2013

Some of you out there may not know that Southern Ontario got hit with a pretty nasty ice storm the weekend before Christmas.  In the eyes of some in other parts, it wasn't that bad, just because they had seen worse...  like Quebec had in 1998 I believe where many people were without power for 3 weeks or more!  But for myself, family, friends and most people around here, we had never experienced anything like this.  The devastation to the city as trees froze and fell apart from the weight of the ice.  So much property damage everywhere.  And of course, the power lines that fell too and left many of us in the dark.

Angie and I lucked out here, having lost power on the first and second night, for only 4 hours at a time, from about 3am to 7am.  Some people went much longer, worst being 9 days!

But despite all the landscape carnage, life carried on, especially outside with our wildlife friends.  I've noticed this year, as in this winter season, which started really early and has given us more snow and cold weather than I can recall in the last 5 years or so, the backyard activity sure picked up a lot.

I do "project feeder watch" for Bird Studies Canada and one Sunday just a couple weeks ago, I had 128 birds counted with 14 species.  That's a new record if I am not mistaken.  And even the morning after the ice storm, the feeders were the meal place of choice for a lot of birds.

Here are some pics from the days just after the storm, which will help tell the story of the Toronto Ice Storm of 2013 from our backyard.

Next door's clothes lines.

One tree out back of the house lost a  lot of branches.  The cracking noise was so loud and when the branches let go, it was so sudden, and they all seemed to fall in the same spot.  Quite the brush pile out there now!

The Squirrels were liking the pile and many birds hid out in there too with the Hawk threats about.

Our clothes line.

Branches from the Lilac Tree.

A few yards over from us.  That tree in the centre of the photo, drooping to the left...  it's not there anymore.

Our cable line.

Male House Sparrow atop our bird feeder pole.

American Goldfinch feeding from the non-icy side of the feeder.

The bird bath opened up in the middle, despite the ice hanging from the sides.  Starlings took full advantage of the open water and splashed around in the afternoon after the storm.

This Mourning Dove's tail was frozen.  We could see the icy glaze over it, watched him drag it along, but it did not effect his flight abilities.

The Jays could not get the peanuts from the ring feeder as it was just one big frozen lump.  But the Downy Woodpeckers had no difficulty hammering through the ice and peanut shells to get to the goodness within.

Thanks to the storm, we are seeing more American Goldfinch than what we have in quite some time.  A few years back, we'd have 2 dozen easy.  The numbers dropped considerably and this year it was random sightings until that banded female showed up around my birthday in September.  This past week I've counted 10 in one visit!

I had to bring the feeders in over night, to thaw them out, and be able to refill them for the birds without fear of cracking the plastic tubing.

Seemingly peaceful moment here.

Light enough they is to not break the branches covered in ice.

I did notice a number of birds, like the Goldfinch, and more so with the Mourning Doves, having difficulty landing/stopping on the ice. 

The Northern Mockingbird continued to visit us through the storm and afterwards. So happy to see someone enjoying the Holly berries!

And as Christmas arrived.  Still lots of ice around.  We weren't able to get a "Critter Christmas Tree" which we decorate with edible goodies for the wildlife.  So we used the brush pile shown earlier in the blog.  The Squirrels were loving the apple slices hung from some branches.

Four Downy Woodpeckers still came daily, trying to get on the suet feeders covered in ice until I was able to thaw them out too.   It was a task getting them feeders off frozen feeder hooks and branches without damaging the feeders or the trees.

We had one American Tree Sparrow the other week, but now there's four of them.  It's been a delight to see and hear them out our back door.  They aren't shy either, quick to come in for shelled sunflower hearts and cracked corn with me out there delivering the goods.

Such a nice addition to the backyard this winter.  We've never had Tree Sparrows visit us before.

The European Starlings went through the bird seed bagels pretty quick.  Whole grain bagels smothered in peanut butter and dipped in sunflower, cracked corn and shelled peanuts.  Yummy yummy!

We've got the happiest Squirrels during the Christmas season and days after the ice storm.

Shirley the Sharp-shinned Hawk has been visiting more since the storm.  She caught herself a male House Sparrow.

Another day, another visit... I guess she was "getting rid" of the House Sparrow here.  Haha!

Cardinals, Jays, Juncos, House Finches are also visiting.  But my flock of Pigeons is not.  I'm seeing no more than 3 or 4 any given day.  Jesse is one of the regular visitors but my pal Pierre is not.  I've not seen Pierre since just before the ice storm.  I do hope he is okay and comes home soon.

I've ventured out to some of my favorite walking areas and the devastation is unreal.  One I found most upsetting is this Screech Owl cavity is no more.  The tree broke at the cavity point and I hope the little Owl was not home when this happened.  I had so many great views of the bird here.  In this shot, it was during the "golden hour" the other winter, and he was trilling as he rose to greet the evening.

Here we are 9 days after that storm, it seems everyone in Toronto has power restored in their homes, and have heat once again.  There is so much still to clean up though and I won't be tackling our mess until the Spring.  Mother Nature is beautiful but can be very dangerous too!  When she lets go like this, there is nothing we can do, but ride it out and hope we all make it through.

I hope you all who went through this with us have come out okay as well.

Backyard Terrors... but I love them

So as the cold weather moves in for another season, I definitely notice some changes in my bird feeder activity. You know, some species fly further south until next Spring and for other species this is their southern region. And another change I see is the increase in Hawk activity as it gets more difficult to find mice with the colder weather. And when the snow hits, it gets even worse for them. So, what's a Hawk to do? Check out some local bird feeders for another natural food source... smaller birds!

We get a pair of Coopers Hawks when the snow stays on the ground. And they enjoy a Pigeon feast under my feeders. And personally this doesn't bother me really. I don't hate the Pigeons but there's more than enough of them around and really their etiquette is quite rude.

But before the Coopers pair arrive, I normally see a Sharp-shinned Hawk. And he/she arrived almost on schedule a couple weeks back. And it's funny that with the smaller the Hawk, the bolder they seem to come. Look at him here, just giving me the stare down...

At this moment all I kept thinking was "please don't poop on me".

The above shots were quite a comical moment actually. I was outside filling some bird feeders and since it was a pleasant morning, my little side-kick Meadow joined me. She just loves to partake in anything her daddy does outside or anywhere else really. Ask Angie how Meadow is when we move furniture, set up the Christmas tree, etc.

So, I am filling the feeders and Meadow is looking off to the yard next door as some House Sparrows are bouncing about. Meadow is on a leash/harness set-up and has about 25 ft of length to go about where she chooses... and she's perfectly fine with that.

Suddenly from out of the pines right behind the house comes this Sharp-shin Hawk! And he's swooping right down at Meadow! It's happening so fast but it's like slow motion too. I am frozen as I watch this. Now Meadow is 15 lbs and this Hawk is maybe 3 lbs after a couple Sparrows for lunch. The Hawk really cannot do too much in way of trying to make Meadow his next meal with lots of leftovers. And as he gets close over Meadow, he veers up and over the fence to the yard next door. And my cat is completely oblivious to what had just happened until now as she notices him perched in front of her and staring her down. I can see the excitement in Meadow's face and it's like "oh boy, look at this big bird!" And seconds later the Hawk is coming at Meadow again. Only this time Meadow is ready and jumps up at the Hawk! I wish I was videoing this whole ordeal. Of course Meadow did not catch the Hawk and thankfully with the first strike, the Hawk did not connect his talons with Meadow's back. Sure he couldn't kill/eat Meadow but he could do a serious number on her back and a costly vet bill to me.

The shots above were right after that bit of action as he sat himself on a branch above me and was rather vocal. At first, I did have some idea that this Hawk was starving and desperate. But watching him for some time I realize this was more about a territorial thing and getting a cat out of his potential feeding grounds.

Another morning and another attitude stare at me.

Many backyard bird enthusiasts get pretty upset when a Hawk comes to visit. It creates havoc out there, the little birdies get upset, occasionally get caught and eaten, and for days after the backyard can become pretty quiet. This last bit happened with me after two weeks of this Sharpie hitting my yard for meals. I saw no birds for nearly a week. Was I upset? No. This is the natural way of things. And really, it's something most of us never get a chance to see.

I find Hawks to be beautiful birds. And they do contribute to some population control of certain bird species. See, I get a pair of Northern Cardinals, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, a pair of Blue Jays and 30 to 50 House Sparrows and European Starlings. I would bet on a Sparrow or Starling getting nabbed over the "special" birds.

On a cold winter morning, sitting in my kitchen with a nice hot coffee; why turn on the television when I have the best nature channel on in the neighbourhood right outside my back door.

This Red-tail Hawk has made a few appearances recently. And she sends everyone running and flying for their lives. She makes the Squirrels cry as they cling tightly to the tree trunks. And she is the one bird of prey that comes around that would have me putting Meadow inside.

I leave you with that thought... to never leave your pets unattended outside, and really no matter the season, because you never know who is watching.

Red-tail Hawks on my block!

So, the high humidity has kept me closer to home these days. And with the awful cat slaughter at one of my more frequent areas to visit (see blog). I've ventured into other areas with less people traffic I know of very close to home. No public pools here for the masses to cool themselves with. There is one small playground with some swings, jungle gym and a slide that goes quite un-noticed. A few trails go off towards the Humber River and occasionally I see dog walkers but not many.

I guess it's not a very desirable area to most with the hydro field and north travel is blocked by a rail line which is, of course, fenced off. And lucky for me as it's got a nice selection of birds in the area. An abundance of berry producing shrubs make it a good meal spot for a number of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins. Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, American Goldfinches and Eastern Kingbirds all reside in this area. I've even seen Grey Catbirds too! One can watch Chimney Swifts, Tree, Cliff and Barn Swallows constantly fly over as well.

A quite young Catbird I found 2 weeks ago

There are a wide variety of insects in the area like this 12 Spotted Skimmer Dragonfly

And this Bee Fly is pretty awesome too!

But the coolest thing to see and can't help but distinctly hear the screech of are a pair of Red-tail Hawks and their young'un. Big beautiful birds soaring the skies, overlooking the fields below and often sitting atop trees and hydro towers. I've seen them every visit now for a couple weeks. And most of the time they are out of reach of my camera lens but still a sight to see with my own eyes. Please enjoy a few cropped shots I am posting here of this beautiful pair before I return with some words...

I am always looking to the sky for my first sightings of these guys

And from this, I usually find a place or two they are landing in

Here is the second one. Quick looks leave me guessing who is the mother, father or baby.

They sure talk to each other a lot.

And not too often do I get to witness something like this...

And seconds later this which has me thinking I was quite excited to witness and probably shaking as I try to capture the best in flight shot ever and did not succeed (but it was still amazing to watch).

I know without a doubt that the adult pair were visiting my backyard last winter and enjoying the occasional Pigeon meal. I was fortunate to come home from work one afternoon to find them right after a fresh kill and watched them for over half an hour with their meal. Between my house and where I see this pair now is much to close to have a second pair.

One of them outside my kitchen window with a Pigeon wing he tore off and flew to the tree branch with. The other stayed on the ground with the rest of the carcass.

Watching this pair has me reassuring myself on my decision that if Canada were to have a national bird... the Red-tail Hawk must be it. I blogged about that last year. Do you agree?

I can spend lengthy amounts of time watching these birds just going about their day over this park. It's so easy to forget the outside world when in the presence of them despite the sounds of cars down the road and planes overhead. People just don't exist to me in this moment. I hope to have some more pics and maybe a Hawk adventure to share in the coming weeks.