Welcome Home

For almost as long as we've been feeding the birds in the backyard, there has been birdhouses set about the grounds as well. And I figure it took about 3 long years before we finally had any activity with them.

To our surprise and delight, a pair of Black-capped Chickadees took over the funniest house of them all... a mock outhouse. See, Chickadees were a rarity for us over the first number of years. Sure we could go to the local parks and see them but none were found on our property until the Winter of 08/09. And come the Spring of 2009, a pair began excavating this birdhouse. It was an exciting number of weeks after once we knew they had settled in. So often we'd see Dad coming in with insects non-stop for hours at a time. Kinda weird really, seeing there are half a dozen feeders the adults normally pick from. But no, he was bringing his children natural food sources, the things they would feed upon in the wild with no bird feeders around.

In the final days of them here with us, we could hear the babies within the nest box. Angie would stress over them one minute and giggle like a school girl another when she heard the "peep peep peep". We left one day in June for an overnight to Niagara Falls. We were gone only 30 hours and in that time they fledged. I remember it drove us crazy the first couple days with not hearing or seeing any Chickadees. I believe it was one of the first things we did when we got back... walk in the door, drop the travel bags, I hugged Meadow and then we went outside to check on them. The silence drove us mad. About 4 days later I finally decided to open up the bird house and see what or if anything was inside. I was happy to only find a perfect looking nest and one that was very clean too. No egg shells remained, no feathers, just twig fragments and grass bits all firmly patted down into a perfect square (the shape of the box). So, yes, the family moved on with the young fledging successfully.

We began to see Chickadees more often after that, and more of them come the following winter.

2010 rolled around and nothing happened.

2011 a pair of House Sparrows took over the nest box, or so it seemed. We never heard much in the way of a new family inside. But those Sparrows were in and out of that box for weeks last Spring. Checking later in the year, it sure didn't look like they did anything in the box. Wood shavings remained but nothing looking like a nest.

Come 2012, early March and it seemed the House Sparrows had returned once again.

The male sat out front of the house, like he did last year, chirping away happily much of the days. Other Sparrows would come and check out the box too. Males and females. He wasn't defending the box like he did the Spring of 2011. It was almost like he was showing it off, to sell it. Well this is what it looked like to me, coming from the guy with the big imagination.

And at other times it appeared excavation had begun.

But I hadn't put any wood shavings in the box yet. And now with him going in and out of the box. I didn't want to disturb it.

After about a week and a half, he left. Did the lack of excavating material put him off? Perhaps the lack of a potential mate? I didn't see any pairing up with him and a female this season.

A couple weeks passed with nothing going on at the outhouse. And then last week Angie texted me to say she'd been noticing some Chickadees checking out the box. I watched the next day, didn't see any action, and decided to get out there and put a couple inches of wood shavings inside. Finally come yesterday, April 4th, I watched a pair of them really begin excavating. Both working at it, flying into the house, and removing the shavings. It was funny from where I stood, almost directly across the yard from the house, with a branch over my head and the Chickadees were landing above me and releasing the shavings. I watched them fall to ground as the birds would fly back into the house for another piece.

I, or rather we, are hoping that they do nest here. It's an exciting thing to have happen right in our own backyard. We will once again be full of excitement over the little family and often full of stress as we watch and worry with the neighbourhood cat population, visiting Hawks and other threats for a wild bird.

Could this be the same adult(s) from that first year? It is possible. But if not, we are both quite certain one of them is from the initial family line.

"Welcome Home!"

here is a shot from 2009... a sight we'd see often

Masters of Camouflage!

I think of all the Owls I have seen in my journeys the last couple years; I would have to say my favorite Owl to see, hear and yes, take a few photos of is the Eastern Screech Owl.

A tiny Owl compared to the likes of the many Snowy Owls I encountered this past winter.  Size is comparable to the American Robin.

I love the fact of how well they blend in with their surroundings.  Sure most Owls do but I swear the ESO can pick a tree that color matches it's own body.

Take this "red morph" Screech Owl.  Could it pick any better of a spot to hang out? 

How about this "grey morph"? If his eyes were closed, he'd surely disappear into the bark of the tree. But he is one of only a couple I have ever heard trill. And is the only one I have watched trill.

Seeing such a bird is amazing! And I love the one of a kind natural settings Mother Nature has to offer us in our travels. No two trees are truly alike. And with my more than respectable distance from the Owl, you see him above unstressed and undisturbed. He is well aware of my presence but continues his eerie song.

Take a look at this Screech Owl. I'd swear that cavity was made just for this Owl. A few of the other local birds (American Robins, Black-capped Chickadees) were on high alert and stopped me in my tracks to scope my surroundings and eventually spotted this guy.

And lastly, a photo I have shown a number of my friends. And it took some a bit of time to realize that they were looking at more than just a tree in the shot.

Yes, Eastern Screech Owls are the "Masters of Camouflage"!

I don't have a "regular", as in known resident Screech Owl in my area. I've seen them, some even more than once, but haven't actively pursued any to the point of discovering a nest. I pass some of these cavities again throughout the year and wonder if he/she is in there sleeping away?

Here are some cool facts about Eastern Screech Owls (borrowed from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology page). I've linked it as you can see. And if you have a moment, check out the sound bit on this Owl.

Like most raptors, male Eastern Screech-Owls are smaller than females, and are more agile fliers and hunters. The female doesn’t hunt while on the nest; she and the chicks depend on food brought them by the male. Though the male is smaller, his voice is deeper than the female’s.

Smaller birds can help you find screech-owls during the day. Listen for a commotion of Blue Jays, chickadees, and titmice—they may be mobbing a screech-owl (or other raptor), swooping around it with noisy calls. This can be enough of a nuisance to make the owl move on, and it alerts other birds to the predator’s presence and teaches younger members of the flock about the danger.

Screech-owls regurgitate the bones, fur, and feathers of their prey in an oval pellet, usually once or twice a day. The ground beneath habitual owl roosts can be littered with pellets, and you can learn a lot from them about the owl’s diet. However, data from pellets may underestimate the number of soft-bodied animals, like worms and insects, the owl has eaten.

Nestling Screech-owls fight fiercely among themselves for food, and sometimes even kill and eat their smallest sibling.

Eastern Screech-Owls of the suburbs may fledge more young than their rural counterparts, probably because their predators are scarcer in the suburbs.

Red and gray individuals occur across the range of the Eastern Screech-Owl, with about one-third of all individuals being red. Rufous owls are more common in the East, with fewer than 15% red at the western edge of the range. No red owls are known from southern Texas, although they occur further north in Texas and further south in Mexico. Intermediate brownish individuals also occur in most populations.

Eastern Screech-Owl pairs usually are monogamous and remain together for life. Some males, however, will mate with two different females. The second female may evict the first female, lay her own eggs in the nest, and incubate both clutches.

The Eastern Screech-Owl is known to eat a variety of songbirds, including the European Starling. Despite this fact, the starling regularly displaces the owl from nesting sites and takes over the hole to raise its own brood.

My first nature video...

I decided to try something new the other day, and instead of taking photos, I tried to make a video. Here it is... I do need to work on my narration skills, the whole idea of talking to myself is odd, even if it's something I am very passionate about.

I tried to load my video through the computer but I keep getting an error message.  Not sure what is up with that.  So here is a link to it. 

Snowy Owl 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13!

I asked myself the other day, and some others, where my number of Snowy Owls to be seen this winter would end at. I had no answer, and friends had guessed between 15 and 20. As you can see from the title, I did get close to 15... and hey, it's not quite over yet so we shall see. But 13 different Snowy Owls this winter is astounding to me.

Re-tracing my path a few days after the last adventure. I quickly found what I call numbers 8 and 9, as both of these Snowy Owls were in the same general area as just days earlier. The adult male (#2) was in the vicinity as well. And then as I turned a corner, I noticed yet another Snowy Owl in this 2 km radius, making for 4 Owls (the most I have ever seen in this stretch) and this Owl became #11 to me.

Snowy #8 roosting in the morning on a trailer out in a field.

Snowy #9 was REALLY far out in a farmer's field.

And here be Snowy #11. Female or young male?

Please note, I did stay inside my truck as I took these shots. All the Owls were out on farm fields so roadside is the best I could get with any of them.

Something caught it's attention, or it grew tired of my attention upon it and away it went deeper into the field.

And one day later, a report came in of two Snowy Owls in another area where I had seen only one previously. I took a chance the following day, right before work. It was quite a trip across the QEW and I was hoping to get 30 minutes in the area before I had to turn around and head back the other way to work. Traffic was heavy. And as I exited the QEW, I looked at the clock. If the last stretch of road was good, and the Owls could be found quickly, I had maybe 15 minutes now. A part of me wanted to turn around and head back to Mississauga. But another part, a louder part within said "You've come this far, continue!" And of course my rubber arm was twisted with ease. And I still am very happy to this day that I did.

I present to you, Snowy Owl #12! A real treat with this one because she was putting on quite a show for us in the marina, having caught herself a Ring-billed Gull for a meal. I still only had 15 minutes with her but I was A-OK with this. She, much like all the others, was some distance off; but the feasting show through my binoculars and the lens was just awesome! (I did see the other Snowy Owl, just a bit of it, at the far end of the marina, along the break wall).

She has the Gull in her talons. And she hopped with it across the dock until she got to a more comfortable spot. Four hops with the carcass... thump, thump, thump, thump.

Back to her meal.

And a short break just before I left for work.

I was buzzing all afternoon at work! 12 Snowy Owls now! And the "meal ordeal" played over and over in my head.

And then, that night, as I got on the 401 to head home after work... what do I see but yet another Snowy Owl! It was sitting on a lamp post at Hwy 401 and Hwy 410. There was nothing I could do other than slow down a little (making sure no traffic behind me), look up at it as long as I could until I passed it, and continue home. I was all smiles as the rush of the Snowy Owl sightings came back to me.

To some it appears I am bragging. But I am not really. It became my own personal bit to keep track of them for myself. Many miles have been driven, much gas has been burned, and a lot of time has been spent over the past 3 months. I think I am allowed to keep track and share it for those who are interested.

We are now into our first full week of March. I don't expect to see anymore. But you never know...

Snowy #8, 9 and 10!!!!

So, anybody who has been following my blog in the last while knows I have been enjoying the "Snowy Owl Invasion" this winter.

I had my seventh Snowy sighting just over a week ago and I believe I made mention how I had hoped to reach ten Snowy Owl sightings, as in ten different Snowy Owls, before the end of the winter. Well, lo and behold, I racked up 3 this past Saturday. Two of which were pretty far out in fields, so didn't even attempt to photograph either. Plus, we had driven up to Gravenhurst in one heck of a snow storm that morning for a 3 hour photo shoot at the Muskoka Wildlife Centre. It was a fun but exhausting number of hours. I don't enjoy long drives and especially in snow storms. I drain myself due to stress and heavy concentration with the drive.

The ride home was much better, and we decided to stop off and scope out an area we knew Snowy Owls had been reported seen at. I visited a day earlier and only found the male I have seen a few times this winter. I shouldn't say "only" because he is one beautiful Owl and a treat to see. And the Snowys won't be here past the winter months, so might as well enjoy them. And Saturday with a few extra sets of eyes looking for them, a couple more Snowy Owls were seen after the photo shoot. Much thanks to our friend Amanda for picking them out deep in some farm fields.

And then later that afternoon, Angie and I had a wonderful surprise of seeing yet another Snowy Owl fly south from the airport fields and land on a lamp post along highway 401. As much as I wanted to veer over to the shoulder, hammer on the brakes and get a good lengthy look at him... it just wasn't possible, and definitely a dangerous choice I could have made. Ah well. We know what we saw without any doubts, so he counts as well.

I am not raising the numbers in hopes of hitting 12, 15 or ??? Ten is a darn good number of actual Snowy Owls to see in a matter of 3 months.

But that don't mean I won't keep my eyes open for any more in the remaining weeks of winter or head out to another area when sightings may get reported.

Here are a couple photos of the most recent Snowy Owl that I was able to stop and photograph from a respectable distance. It is a male, and in the numbers of sightings, he is actually number two (second Snowy Owl I saw this winter). But they are all number one in my opinion!

Here he is giving himself a good wash (preening).

Any time I've ever seen him prior, he's just chilling out. Today was a nice show of something different.

Preening was done, I drove past him, had one last look and off I went.

Snowy #7...

Hey, hi how are yas?

This is a real quick bit, got a good one coming up soon with some nice shots.

Today though, I saw my 7th Snowy Owl for the winter. A heavily barred female. She was quite a distance away but nice to view and admire on a very sunny mild February morning along the shores of Lake Ontario.

I am hoping to hit double digits on Snowy sightings before they leave us. I gotta get moving though...

Here she be, heavily cropped.

One of the first Snowy Owls of the season has returned to the area where I saw him back in December (he seemingly disappeared for a few weeks). Got a nice view of him yesterday on our way home from Algonquin Park. He was a lifer for some friends of ours. I had to do some work to the photo to bring him out of the drab grey sky. Kinda cool looking, so I think...

Wish me luck on a few more in the coming weeks.

Cheers!

LIfer! White-winged Crossbills

On Monday January 30th, a short stroll in Lambton Woods, had me standing along a path for a moment trying to take a photo of a White-breasted Nuthatch... which I got as you can see below.

And moments later in flew a flock of 20+ birds very near me. They were incredibly noisy and very active (the ones on the ground anyways). And in a moment I knew they had to be Crossbills.

Angie and I have wanted to see these rare (to us), sporadic winter visitors for a few years now. And a week earlier we ventured to a spot where they were reported 18 hours earlier. Something we tried a few winters back as well but always seemed to be just behind these birds and missing them.

So, with so many "near sightings", I envisioned it in my head how it would be the day I finally see this species. And indeed it played out just like that...

The birds flew in to whatever area I was in and they would pretty much raid it for their food source of seeds within the cones of coniferous trees. Their beak is designed just for that cracking of the cones.

Unfortunately my first sighting had them fly into a spot where many people feed the winter residents of Lambton. Of the say 20 birds, about 12 stayed at the top of the trees (which weren't coniferous) while the other 8 scrounged about the ground kind of like scouts. I had maybe 2 minutes of viewing the birds before they all flew off together north/west in search of food.

If there had been something there for them, I recon all of them would have had at it, and I would have had a much longer viewing of them.

I had my camera with me but didn't even try to take a photo until the last few seconds. For a lifer, I need to see the bird with my own eyes and absorb this into my brain. Trying to get a shot right away would surely kill that "lifer" moment. I have to admit there was a voice in the back of my head saying this a few times "take a picture dumb-dumb". But I just couldn't. And in the final seconds with them, the brush was far too busy for the lens and the lighting was lacking. So no photos for me but the pictures in my head are pretty cool anyways.

Lifers are freaking awesome! I only wish Angie was there with me for this. Hopefully we have another sighting of them before the winter comes to an end, and they are in a spot with a good food supply so we have more than a couple minutes with the birds.

I borrowed the Crossbill image from the internet in a Google search...