Having a backyard (or in this case, front yard) suet feeder is great for easy, coffee drinking (shade grown/bird friendly of course), birdwatching. Since we’ve finally gotten around to putting our feeders up, we can settle in to enjoy the show. Over the course of a week a flock of bushtits make regular appearances, chestnut-backed chickadees stop in, and a …
Woodpeckers
Flicker Framed
With daylight savings time rolling back the clock and a cloudy day, I wasn’t expecting much this afternoon down at Oyster Bay Regional Park. The light was pretty poor and murky (Oyster Bay is better in the morning when you can sit on the beach with the sun behind you photographing ducks on the water in the bay) and most …
Knock, Knock. Who’s There?
Earlier this week I was enjoying some afternoon sun during my lunchtime walk when I heard the knocking of a woodpecker on a tree. The funny thing was that I couldn’t find the bird that was the source of the sound. I have to admit that I was perplexed. I could see plenty of signs that a woodpecker(s) had been …
Seeking a Sapsucker
One of the advantages of working where I do is that there are plenty of places to walk to during my lunch break. If the weather is good, I can get out for 30 to 45 minutes after a quick lunch (or eat lunch while I’m working to maximize my walk time). Sparrows are common in the thickets and blackberries …
Backyard Birds – January 11-17
The challenging to photograph Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) demonstrating how to place the shadow of a twig between camera and bird. Winter is a great time to enjoy the birds that drop into the feeder. As part of Project Feederwatch I’ve noted which species are using the bird feeder and how many are commonly stopping in. This week, bushtits returned as …
Backyard Birds – January 4-10
The action at the backyard feeders this week has been interesting. I’ve noticed a significant increase in the number of Pine Siskins visiting the feeders (at one point we had over 80 Siskins at the feeder, on the ground beneath the feeder, and in the trees around our patio). American Goldfinch continue to show up in good numbers with around …
Backyard Birds – November 23-29
We’ve added another feeder to the mix this week with bird seed and sunflower seed to replace our back alley row of sunflowers that have finally headed to the city’s yard waste composting facility. The feeder is proving popular with both the sparrows and one of our neighbour’s 8(!?!)+ cats. As a result, it looks like we may have to …