Category Archives: birds

Hunting styles

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Alistair

  Predators have various hunting styles: some wait in ambush, others search. I watched each style yesterday. In these cases, the prey were insects. One predator was a bird; the other, a spider. The Western Tanager (this is a female) … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, bugs | 1 Comment

Owl, toad, rainbow

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Alistair

  Seen yesterday: a Great Horned Owl chick, a Western Toad, a double rainbow. A recent posting showed a Great Horned Owl parent and one of its chicks. Here is the other. Lest one be called a speciesist, we must … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, herptiles, weather | 5 Comments

Worm for lunch

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Alistair

  One does not have to spend much time in the company of robins to realize that earthworms have an uneasy friendship with them. Each time a robin invited one to lunch, the worm demurred. This worm clung to its … Continue reading →

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Chicks’ water behaviour

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Alistair

  Who can resist the sight of mommy duck parading her ducklings across the water? It is especially cute when the chicks hitch a ride on mommy’s back, as merganser chicks do. However, this is not the only neat behaviour … Continue reading →

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Great horned chick

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Alistair

  A birding guidebook says that the Great Horned Owl is a common resident of almost all habitats in our region. Fair enough, but just try to find one. So, it was a delight to encounter one, and its chick, … Continue reading →

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A few birds

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Alistair

  Four species seen during a walk. Usually found flitting about bushes, the Grey Catbird is named for its cat-like call. This is a robin. The speckled breast reveals it to be a juvenile. Two male Barrow’s Goldeneye Ducks seem … Continue reading →

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Dimorphic parenting

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Alistair

  This is the season to see chicks. This is also the season to notice a rather odd behavioural difference between birds that show sexual dimorphism and those that don’t. A species with sexual dimorphism exhibits different characteristics beyond the differences … Continue reading →

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Black chin

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Alistair

  Canada gets only four hummingbirds. Around the Lake, we get three, and occasionally all four. Earlier, I posted images of the Calliope and Rufous. Today’s picture shows the third: a Black-chinned Hummingbird. It has been hanging around for a few days, but … Continue reading →

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May goulash

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Alistair

  This is the twentieth posting made this month. What could possibly be left over for the end-of-the-month goulash? Many things, it turns out, but I will show only a few of them. The Chipping Sparrow is a common and … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, mammals, weather | 1 Comment

Heron on one leg

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Alistair

  A standing person who faints, falls over. Maintaining one’s balance requires constant muscular adjustments. Maintaining one’s balance while standing on one leg is even more difficult. Consequently, many people have marvelled at the sight of a heron napping as it … Continue reading →

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