Category Archives: birds

  The Blue Jay is an eastern bird. One range map marks it as here, but sparsely, another range map doesn’t show it here at all. I have seen one here only once before, some six years ago. The Blue … Continue reading →

  The Long-billed Dowitcher has now been here for at least three days. I posted some pictures a few days ago: Long-billed Dowitcher, but went back with Cynthia to see it again. Recall, it is mid-migration; it came from the … Continue reading →

  We have four local species of chickadee: Black-capped, Chestnut-backed, Mountain, and Boreal. These are listed in order from common to rare. Nearly four years ago, I saw the Mountain Chickadee for the first time and posted. I encourage opening … Continue reading →

  When I wandered our beaches since this last July, I have watched for migrant shorebirds. I do not mean the Spotted Sandpiper, the Solitary Sandpiper, or the Killdeer. Those are shorebirds that, while they migrate, do so by coming … Continue reading →

  Ospreys are vanishing. They have started migrating to central and south America. But, there are still a few adults around and one flew by yesterday with a headless fish. The bird had stopped by a rest stop and eaten … Continue reading →

  The Northern Rough-winged Swallow is a winter resident of extreme southern U.S., Mexico, and Central America. But in the summer months, this insectivore is here. It is a plain bird that often goes unnoticed while its brighter-coloured companion swallows … Continue reading →

  On a walk yesterday, I saw two large birds that acted differently to my presence. Both flew off as I walked by on the beach, but the juvenile Bald Eagle quickly came back for a closer look at the … Continue reading →

  While watching birds, it is not uncommon to see one poop. It takes the form of a whitish fluid which is a mixture of solid and liquid waste. It is not urine. Although, I have long watched local hummingbirds, … Continue reading →