Project Feeder Watch

We missed last week due to some travel. Here are this week's totals. We did see all three hawks again. Red-Bellied Woodpecker was missing, but we saw him today.

Checklist for FeederWatch Ontario Birds

Sharp-shinned Hawk	1
Cooper's Hawk	1
Red-tailed Hawk	1
Mourning Dove	35
Downy Woodpecker	4
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	6
American Crow	3
Black-capped Chickadee	7
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Northern Mockingbird	1
European Starling	4
Dark-eyed Junco	2
Brown-headed Cowbird	30
House Finch	4
American Goldfinch	15
House Sparrow	23

Peanut Feeder

So the peanut feeder I bought with the blue jays in mind has not been visited by a single jay. Instead, we see chickadees (a surprise to us), downy, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers at it! I wasn't expecting that at all. Maybe it's too much work for the jays compared to just flying in, grabbing a peanut off the well and then leaving. Dave said he watched one jay take a peanut, hide it in the garden and then a minute later saw another jay come in, grab that same peanut and steal it away :)

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

We spent some time over the holidays at my parents' house. Usually their yard is filled with all kinds of bird activity. My mom has noticed that she has had an usually quiet fall and winter at her feeders. In fact, other neighbours have reported a similar experience. On Saturday we were watching out the window and saw a few Mourning Doves, Gold Finch and even a Red-Breasted Nuthatch (a rare visitor for her). Suddenly all the birds flew away, except the nuthatch who froze in place. Nuthatches are usually always on the move, so this was our first clue something was up. Just then a Cooper's Hawk flew into the tree, stopped for a moment and then moved on to a neighbour's yard. So now we are wondering if this hawk has taken up residence in the neighbourhood and this would explain the low turn-out at the feeders. While the nuthatch was frozen to evade the hawk, I took some pictures. We think this is such a nice little bird.

Gender Gap at the Feeders?

Project Feeder Watch is introducing a supplemental study looking at the possibility of a gender gap at the feeders. We have decided to participate in this as well. Just thinking about it, we see more male cardinals than females, and we see the male red-bellied and haven't see the female in ages. Generally, we also see more male cowbirds, red-winged blackbirds, house finches, and house sparrows. However, I would say we see equal numbers of male and female downy and hairy woodpeckers.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/Gender/gender_gap_landing.html

Is there a gender gap at feeders?

In Project FeederWatch, we only report the largest flock size for each species seen at one time. But what could we learn if we counted males and females separately? Let's find out!

We are inviting FeederWatchers to help with an optional study in which the numbers of males and females visiting feeders are counted separately.

Why? In some species, females move farther south in winter; in other species there are differences in feeder visitation between males and females over the course of the winter. To examine these differences, we are asking FeederWatchers to send us counts of males and females for select species in which gender is easily determined.

Quick instructions

Count from your usual FeederWatch count site on one day every week or two, between your normal FeederWatch counts. Keep a tally of the maximum number of males seen at any one time, a separate tally of the maximum number of females seen at once, and a tally of the maximum number of each species (regardless of gender) seen at one time.

It's not too late to participate! Even if you aren't getting any birds, that's significant too. Help them out!!!

Presents for the birds.

On Sunday I went to the Burlington Wild Birds Unlimited Store. I love that place! It has so many great products for bird-lovers. It's a small and cozy space, filled with colourful delights. I was doing some Christmas shopping and, of course, ended up buying something for our feathered friends. I decided to get a new, sturdier niger seed feeder. We have been using two bags, which work fine until the finches get a bit too aggressive with their feeding and tear holes into the bags. Niger seed is quite fine, so it spills out the smallest hole onto the ground. It's also a more expensive seed, so we hate to see it go to waste (although the Mourning Doves will eat it). I have sewn up the holes a few times, but the repairs never last for too long. So I bought a tube finch feeder. The finches quickly discovered it and have been busy at that now.



I also bought a peanut feeder for the jays. We typically put the peanuts on the well for them. I was thinking that this area is pretty open in the winter and exposes the jays to hawks. I thought it might be better to put the peanut feeder in the tree so that they have some coverage while they eat. So far no one seems to have noticed it. Maybe it's too hidden? Or maybe it's more work than just swooping in, grabbing the peanut and flying off? I'll give it a few more days and then maybe I'll try moving it.

Allen's heading to Ontario???

We are going to put the hummingbird feeders back out (and bring them in at night to avoid frozen sugar water) JUST IN CASE!! Dave sent this along to me and I'm sharing it here. Keep watch and have some hummingbird food on hand!

Subject: * TODAY * [Ontbirds] selasphorus hummingbirds
Date: Mon, Dec 14, 2009, 2:26 PM

The first state records for Allen's Hummingbird have been documented by banders in Pennsylvania and Ohio in the past three days. Another Allen's was also banded in one of the New England states in the past month.

I would appreciate it if Ontbirders would ask friends, family, acquaintances, etc. to watch for hummingbirds and report them to the Ontario Hummingbird Project immediately if there is any doubt about the species identification. Maybe with all the CBCs in the next three weeks someone will find one.

We can only hope that Ontario will be next.

Project Feeder Watch: Week 5 totals

We had an unusually high number of Mourning Doves again. In fact, last week we had an email from Project Feeder watch asking us to confirm an earlier submission of 90+ Mourning Doves as that number is 2x the provincial average for the area. We can indeed confirm this. We used binoculars to make sure it wasn't anything else and since the birds were relatively stationary, we didn't get confused by alot of movement. They love to roost in the trees just above the feeders and the rest tend to eat spilt seed on the ground.

We did not see any hawks all weekend long, but just this morning Dave called me over to watch Cooper's perched on the back fence. He then flew down to the ground, watched behind the shed intently and then walked (waddled) his way over behind the shed and out of sight.

Here's this week's totals:

Mourning Dove	79 Confirmed
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	4
Hairy Woodpecker	3
Northern Flicker	0
Pileated Woodpecker	0
Northern Shrike	0
Gray Jay	0
Blue Jay	8
American Crow	2
Common Raven	0
Black-capped Chickadee	6
Boreal Chickadee	0
Tufted Titmouse	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Brown Creeper	0
Carolina Wren	0
American Robin	1
Northern Mockingbird	1
European Starling	6
Bohemian Waxwing	0
Cedar Waxwing	0
American Tree Sparrow	2
Chipping Sparrow	0
Fox Sparrow	0
Song Sparrow	0
White-throated Sparrow	0
White-crowned Sparrow	0
Dark-eyed Junco	10
Snow Bunting	0
Northern Cardinal	7
Red-winged Blackbird	3
Common Grackle	0
Brown-headed Cowbird	29
Pine Grosbeak	0
Purple Finch	0
House Finch	5 (0 with eye disease)
Common Redpoll	0
Hoary Redpoll	0
Pine Siskin	0
American Goldfinch	39 (0 with eye disease)
Evening Grosbeak	0
House Sparrow	45

Phainopepla Update

We did not get to see the Phainopepla in Brampton. I guess our timing was just off, the weather was not cooperating and the change in daylight hours worked against us. And reading this posting from ONTBIRDS, it seems he may no longer be with us. Sad news. Please visit this link to read an elegantly written account that sums up the experience and emotions associated with this rare and lovely bird:

http://www.virtualbirder.com/bmail/ontbirds/200912/11/index.html#5

The snow brings the birds out to the feeders

We finally have snow on the ground. With that, we are seeing many birds out at the feeders. I had forgotten how early the Juncos come out to the feeders in the morning. They are out there and busy while it's still dark outside. We have also been observing them being quite busy in the vegetable garden and on the wood pile. We do leave most of the flowers etc alone so that they provide another winter food source. The bok choy still has beautiful yellow flowers out there.

We also saw three male Cardinals this morning- the most we've seen at once in almost a year. There was one male we saw almost every day of the winter last year and he had a bit of a different colouring than the rest, so we nicknamed him "Rudy". I wonder if he's still around and if he'll look the same?

Aside from that, there are still many Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, Chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, White and Red Breasted Nuthatches and the male Red-Bellied Woodpecker. We have yet to see the female in months and months. I hope this guy is able to find a partner. I don't think there are too many around (based on our own observations and Project Feeder Watch and the Backyard Bird Count findings). I know I've said it before, but the RB is one of my favourites and I worry about them!

Video of the Cooper's Hawks calling

Note that the single peeping is a Downy Woodpecker. You can see the Cooper moving when it makes it's call.

Exciting Cooper's Hawk Activity!

This morning we heard two Cooper's Hawks calling to each other. One was perched in a tree in the front yard and the other was down the street a little ways. This went on for quite some time and then the Cooper in our tree flew off. A few minutes later, we saw the two of them fly back through our yard and then off across the street, over the neighbour's barn. We know there has been a juvenile Cooper around for awhile now, so I'm wondering if he (she?) has met up with a partner? I've been doing some research and it seems like they don't start mating until March, but I'm not sure at what stage they partner up? I've also read that they may pair up for life. Here's some information I've found:


http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/watchable-wildlife/what/Birds/ospreys/ch.cfm:

LIFE HISTORY AND ECOLOGY: Males try to attract females by soaring in broad circles over treetops. The tail is closed and the wings are held high above its back. Pairs of Cooper’s hawks can be seen soaring on thermals together. Cooper’s hawks are monogamous and many pairs mate for life. They breed once a year, as early as March, and have one brood per season. The male selects the nest site but the nest-building is done primarily by the female. Nests are located in a fork or on a limb next to the trunk of a tree. The nest is usually constructed of sticks and twigs in the shape of a cup lined with pieces of bark and down. Many times the nest may be built on top of an old squirrel’s nest. The female lays three to six bluish to greenish-white eggs. These eggs become stained soon after being in the nest. Hatching occurs after a 32-36 day incubation period provided primarily by the female. The male provides food for the female. Young are tended to by both parents until they leave the nest at about 27-34 days after hatching. Parents continue to provide food for about eight weeks.


http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/lifehistory:

Life is tricky for male Cooper’s Hawks. As in most hawks, males are significantly smaller than their mates. The danger is that female Cooper’s Hawks specialize in eating medium-sized birds. Males tend to be submissive to females and to listen out for reassuring call notes the females make when they’re willing to be approached. Males build the nest, then provide nearly all the food to females and young over the next 90 days before the young fledge.

And just because I always find this information so interesting from whatbird.com:

The Cooper’s Hawk was first described in 1828 by Charles Bonaparte, a French naturalist and ornithologist who was the nephew of Napoleon. It was named after William Cooper, who collected the first specimen.

and

A group of hawks has many collective nouns, including a "boil", "knot", "spiraling", "stream", and
"tower" of hawks

Project Feeder Watch: Week 4 totals

We are into December and still no snow. We have yet to see a Pine Siskin or Redpoll. We did see a Robin. We went awhile without seeing any Robins, but we now see one every few days. We did not see the Shrike or the Mockingbird during the count days. At the end of the day on Saturday, the feeders were very busy with Downy Woodpeckers, Chickadees and Nuthatches and we had our highest counts of those birds in quite awhile. The Blue Jays are still out in full force and make quick work of all the peanuts. We also saw our first pair of Cardinals in quite awhile. The male has been around a few times, but we saw the male and female together this weekend. Another note is the high number of American Gold Finches- 22!! They were very busy at the niger seed bags. Other than that, there are still many Cowbirds and House Sparrows and very noisy Starlings.

Here's this week's numbers:

Checklist for FeederWatch Ontario Birds

Ruffed Grouse	0
Wild Turkey	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0
Cooper's Hawk	0
Red-tailed Hawk	1
Rock Pigeon	0
Mourning Dove	21
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	4
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Northern Flicker	0
Pileated Woodpecker	0
Northern Shrike	0
Gray Jay	0
Blue Jay	12
American Crow	1
Common Raven	0
Black-capped Chickadee	7
Boreal Chickadee	0
Tufted Titmouse	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Brown Creeper	0
Carolina Wren	0
American Robin	1
Northern Mockingbird	0
European Starling	8
Bohemian Waxwing	0
Cedar Waxwing	0
American Tree Sparrow	0
Chipping Sparrow	0
Fox Sparrow	0
Song Sparrow	0
White-throated Sparrow	0
White-crowned Sparrow	0
Dark-eyed Junco	8
Snow Bunting	0
Northern Cardinal	2
Red-winged Blackbird	0
Common Grackle	0
Brown-headed Cowbird	12
Pine Grosbeak	0
Purple Finch	0
House Finch	9 (0 with eye disease)
Common Redpoll	0
Hoary Redpoll	0
Pine Siskin	0
American Goldfinch	22 (0 with eye disease)
Evening Grosbeak	0
House Sparrow	19

Glenorchy Conservation Area

Please visit this link to read up on important issues could have a detrimental impact on a what is currently a beautiful conservation area.

http://www.anothervoice.ca/glenorchy.html

If you would like to have a role in helping to protect the area, please send me a message. Dave and I are looking forward to meeting with a new group, "Friends of Glenorchy" on Thursday to find out how we can get more involved to help protect the land, the air, the creek and the homes of many animals and our beloved birds. Perhaps our birding records from the area will be of service. I'm looking forward to learning more about what we can do to help.

Links to articles

http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20091201/LIFESTYLE/912010301
Winter woodland walk offers interesting discoveries


http://www.youralmonte.com/CarletonPlaceCanadian/article/18707
Community bird sightings abound


http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2009/30/c6224.html
More Species Closer to Extinction


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/8386121.stm
Starlings' pier show on display


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8381673.stm
Birdsong helps scientists to count bird populations

Phainopepla and Project Feeder Watch: Week 3 totals

We had alot going on this weekend, so we weren't able to spend as much time as we'd usually like to watching the feeders. The biggest groups were cowbirds and house sparrows (boo!). The number of juncos continues to rise. We're still waiting for Redpolls and Pine Siskins to show up. The Northern Shrike is still hanging around. We watched it hover over the suet feeder. We weren't sure if it was waiting for the starling that was feeding there to leave or if it was interested in the starling itself.

When we were driving home from Toronto on Sunday afternoon, we decided to take a detour to Brampton in search of the Phainopepla. Unfortunately it was pouring rain and quite dark out by the time we got there (around 4 p.m.). We did hear some peeping, but that could have been anything. I spoke to some of the neighbours and they shared their sightings and pictures. There is a big "Welcome Birders" sign and a table with free coffee. It seems like a very friendly neighbourhood. We know the bird was seen as recently as Sunday morning. We hope to try again early next Sunday if he's still in the area.

Here's our tally for Week 3 of Project Feeder Watch:

Weather and Effort: November 28, 2009
When did you watch your feeders?	Day 1: morning Day 2: morning
Estimated cumulative time:	4+ to 8 hours
Daylight temperature:	-9 to 0° C (15 to 32° F) low 1 to 10° C (33 to 50° F) high
Daylight precipitation:	None - -
Total depth of ice/snow cover:	None

Checklist for FeederWatch Ontario Birds

Ruffed Grouse	0
Wild Turkey	0
Sharp-shinned Hawk	0
Cooper's Hawk	0
Red-tailed Hawk	1
Rock Pigeon	0
Mourning Dove	12
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Northern Flicker	0
Pileated Woodpecker	0
Northern Shrike	1
Gray Jay	0
Blue Jay	8
American Crow	1
Common Raven	0
Black-capped Chickadee	4
Boreal Chickadee	0
Tufted Titmouse	0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Brown Creeper	0
Carolina Wren	0
American Robin	1
Northern Mockingbird	1
European Starling	9
Bohemian Waxwing	0
Cedar Waxwing	0
American Tree Sparrow	0
Chipping Sparrow	0
Fox Sparrow	0
Song Sparrow	0
White-throated Sparrow	0
White-crowned Sparrow	0
Dark-eyed Junco	7
Snow Bunting	0
Northern Cardinal	1
Red-winged Blackbird	0
Common Grackle	0
Brown-headed Cowbird	17
Pine Grosbeak	0
Purple Finch	0
House Finch	8 (0 with eye disease)
Common Redpoll	0
Hoary Redpoll	0
Pine Siskin	0
American Goldfinch	8 (0 with eye disease)
Evening Grosbeak	0
House Sparrow	21

RARE: Phainopepla in Ontario

In the month of November, there have been repeated sightings of a Phainopepla. This beautiful bird has been seen in Brampton, Ontario. Assuming it's a wild bird, he (it's a juvenile male) is a long, long way from it's American southwest home.

It's also possible that this particular bird was being held illegally as someone's pet and has escaped. It is worrisome as to what will happen once the snow and freezing temperatures inevitably arrive. This November has been quite mild, but we all know those below zero days are around the corner. I found one write-up online that discusses how this particular bird has been part of the illegal pet trade (why are people so selfish??)


"It might be noted that unfortunately this southwestern species, with a home range deep into Mexico, has been among those captured illegally for the pet trade."
http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/msg00697.html


Here's another article from a local paper that discusses the find and what it's eating to survive at this time of year (it's a flycatcher and we know flying insects are getting harder to find at this time of year): www.northpeel.com/brampton/news/article/80407

Dave and I going to try to make a trip out there on Sunday afternoon. It could certainly be the only opportunity we have in our lifetime to see this bird in the "wild" so close to home.
Ontbirds reports it has been observed as recent as yesterday, so it's still around.
http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Mail/Ontario_Birds/614525

Here's a more detailed description from www.bird-friends.com:



Description:

The Phainopepla, whose name means "silky robe", is part of the silky flycatcher group, a tropical group of birds named because of the silky appearance of their feathers. This bird is the northernmost (and the only in North America) of the group.

Appearance:

General: 6.25 inches in length.

Male: Entirely (shiny) black plumage. Dark red eye. Long tail. Small, thin bill. White wing patches visible in flight. Spicky crest feathers. Female: Smaller with all dark gray plumage. Juvenile: Similar to female.

Habitat: Desert landscape, hot areas with single tall trees containing mistletoe, and open woodlands.

Nesting: 2-4 speckled pale green eggs with a 14 day incubation period. Fledging occurs 19-20 days after hatching. A simple and shallow nest is usually built in a mistletoe-bearing desert tree.












Photo Credits: http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2006/05/08/phainopepla-male/ (top)
http://www.bird-friends.com/BirdPage.php?name=Phainopepla (bottom two photos)

A picture revisited

I was just organizing some old pictures on the computer and came across this from August of this year. The juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk perched in a tree in our front yard. I didn't realize there was a squirrel in the frame as well. There's definitely a face off going on here, but I can report that the squirrel lived to see another day. This photo was taken by my brother Jon.

IDing a Sparrow

This little sparrow showed up in the yard last week. We think it's a Chipping Sparrow, but we only see those in the summer, so it seems a bit late in the year for it. It has been quite a mild fall, so perhaps that explains it. I'm going to post it to whatbird.com to get confirmation.

Key points of identifying a Chipping Sparrow-
the brown cap
the black eyeline
the long tail
the smaller size relative to other sparrows

They look quite similar to the American Tree Sparrow too, so that can cause some confusion. Cornell (of course) has a great comparison chart to help with IDs between the two.

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/learning/trickyIDs/sparrows/

Apparently they will eat spilt seed on the ground, which this guy was doing too. In the spring/summer we get groups of them and they have a lovely song. The males sing while perched up in the high tree branches.

I'll post the confirmation once we get it.


UPDATE: http://www.whatbird.com/forums/forums/thread/127053.aspx
The comments confirm it's a Chipping, but it's also noted that it seems quite late to be seeing this bird in this location in mid/late November. I hope he/she gets going to a nice warm place for the winter. The snow can't be too far off.

Where were you on the weekend?

The Sharp-shinned Hawk just made an appearance in the field behind our house this morning. I wish he had been here on the weekend to add to the count (alas!). It's a juvenile (not sure if it's male or female based on appearance). He hung out on a post, near the apple trees (the same trees the unknown waxwings were in). Dave walked out to get some pictures. Here they are:

Project Feeder Watch: Week 2 totals

It was a bit boring this weekend- just the usuals showing up at the feeders until Dave pointed out some waxwings. Unfortunately due to the way the light was shining, we couldn't tell if they were Cedar or Bohemian Waxwings (and it could be either this time of year). Dave went for a closer look, but since that entailed hiking through the little forest area, he thinks he might have scared them off. We can't add them to the count since we're not 100% sure which one it was.

Here's our numbers for this week. There are still a ton of Mourning Doves around (Dave said there must have been a hundred in the woods), but we didn't see more than this number at one given time this weekend.

Species	Nov 21
Alphabetic | Taxonomic
Mourning Dove	32
Brown-headed Cowbird	22
American Goldfinch	16
House Sparrow	13
Blue Jay	13
European Starling	12
House Finch	12
Black-capped Chickadee	5
Red-winged Blackbird	5
Downy Woodpecker	3
Northern Cardinal	2
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
Dark-eyed Junco	2
American Crow	2
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Red-tailed Hawk	1
Northern Mockingbird	1
Northern Shrike	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
American Robin	1
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
Common Grackle	0
Cooper's Hawk	0
Total species observed	21
Total individuals observed	149

Project Feeder Watch

We received our package from Project Feeder Watch yesterday. It contains more instructions, a calendar and a lovely poster of common backyard birds. I love how organized this event is. Again, I encourage you to spend even 1 hour twice a week watching a feeder and participating. If you live in an area where further development is a possibility, then this information could be valuable to help protect undeveloped land.

Here's another link to the information: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/learnmore.html

and another interesting link is: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/DataRetrieval/trendgraphs/index.html
which allows you to enter a species of bird and see where they are showing up and in what numbers throughout N. Am.

This is the link to rare birds showing up at feeders (2008/09):
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/DataRetrieval/RareBird/2009/rare-birds2009-1.html


and finally the most common birds at feeders in the Great Lakes Region (08/09):
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/DataRetrieval/Top25/2008-2009/Region/GreatLakesTop25.htm

Common Name	Percentage of feeders visited	Mean group size (when seen)	FeederWatch Abundance Index
Black-capped Chickadee	96.18	3.42	2.59
American Goldfinch	91.45	7.07	3.85
Mourning Dove	89.72	4.59	2.38
Blue Jay	89.16	3.05	1.45
Dark-eyed Junco	88.53	4.99	2.37
Downy Woodpecker	88.05	1.67	0.95
Northern Cardinal	78.32	2.73	1.20
White-breasted Nuthatch	72.34	1.50	0.61
Pine Siskin	67.06	7.44	1.08
Hairy Woodpecker	66.99	1.50	0.51
House Finch	64.28	3.94	0.89
Common Redpoll	63.24	9.59	0.86
House Sparrow	59.42	7.29	1.49
European Starling	59.42	4.20	0.52
American Robin	59.14	2.02	0.14
American Crow	51.84	2.35	0.27
American Tree Sparrow	49.69	3.34	0.45
Common Grackle	48.51	4.03	0.15
Red-breasted Nuthatch	48.37	1.42	0.27
Red-winged Blackbird	44.89	3.42	0.14
Red-bellied Woodpecker	41.49	1.21	0.24
Purple Finch	40.72	2.69	0.17
Song Sparrow	31.55	1.48	0.07
Cooper's Hawk	30.30	1.02	0.05
Brown-headed Cowbird	25.50	3.47	0.08

The only one that stands out to me as something we don't see often is the Purple Finch. I saw them once a few weeks ago, but Dave didn't see them at all. We only see them once or twice a year at our feeders. I'm not sure why that is. They are quite pretty, so we're happy to see them and would love to have them come out more often.

The other one of note is the cardinal. We see them quite often in the winter, but come spring until late fall, we don't see much of them at all. In fact, we saw our first pair in months and months just the other day. I think the feeders are so busy in the summer with other birds, that the year-round birds tend to go elsewhere. With the valley and the creek nearby, I think other food sources come available and the cardinals, woodpeckers etc are off on their own.

Happy Monday: Links to Good News about birds!

Whale Branch Middle makes habitat that's for the birds

http://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/story/1036429.html

Wyoming group on the lookout for hawks

http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_fca11554-d259-11de-8166-001cc4c002e0.html

Sandhill cranes by the thousands attract fans

http://www.post-trib.com/news/1885964,sandhill-cranes1116.article

Bird on a wire

http://www.mnn.com/food/wine/stories/bird-on-a-wire

Family stunned as 96-year-old leaves £9m to charities

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/family-stunned-as-96yearold-leaves-pound9m-to-charities-1818036.html

Restoration of brown pelicans is encouraging

http://www.caller.com/news/2009/nov/15/restoration-brown-pelicans-encouraging/

Milikin prof heads bird feeding group

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-feedingbirds,0,2753786.story

Birds rescued after oil spill freed in Berkeley

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/14/BAQV1AK5CH.DTL

Project Feeder Watch: Week 1 totals

Here's our weekend tally. There were so many mourning doves at the feeders, in the trees and in the neighbour's trees. A crazy amount!!

Other exciting sights- a Red-Tailed hawk and Cooper's hawk together- chastising each other. We also saw an adult and juvenile Red-Tailed hawks at the same time, which we've never seen before. We're happy to be able to get a picture of them!




We also saw robins, the mockingbird (pictured below) and the shrike.


It's not too late to sign-up to participate in feeder watch. Help science! Help the birds!!

Personal Count Summary for 2009-2010 : Oakville, ON L6M 4E8

Species	Maximum number observed during count period	Average group size when seen	Average group size per count period
Alphabetic | Taxonomic	Nov
	14
Cooper's Hawk	2	2.0	2.0
Red-tailed Hawk	2	2.0	2.0
Mourning Dove	97	97.0	97.0
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1	1.0	1.0
Downy Woodpecker	3	3.0	3.0
Hairy Woodpecker	2	2.0	2.0
Northern Shrike	1	1.0	1.0
Blue Jay	8	8.0	8.0
American Crow	3	3.0	3.0
Black-capped Chickadee	5	5.0	5.0
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1	1.0	1.0
White-breasted Nuthatch	2	2.0	2.0
American Robin	1	1.0	1.0
Northern Mockingbird	1	1.0	1.0
European Starling	6	6.0	6.0
Dark-eyed Junco	3	3.0	3.0
Red-winged Blackbird	2	2.0	2.0
Common Grackle	1	1.0	1.0
Brown-headed Cowbird	18	18.0	18.0
House Finch	9	9.0	9.0
American Goldfinch	10	10.0	10.0
House Sparrow	9	9.0	9.0
Total species observed	22
Total individuals observed	187

Steps in the right direction....

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/725980--this-law-is-for-the-birds

This law is for the birds
Kyle G. Brown Special to the Star
Published On Sun Nov 15 2009


"Commonly found deceased at the bottom of buildings," the macabre "Field Guide to Common Birds of Toronto" says of the ruby-throated hummingbird.FLAP.ORG

Michael Mesure has lobbied property owners, rallied activists, and teamed up with the City to find ways to stop birds from crashing into Toronto's buildings. Now, in the latest in a series of campaigns that have spanned 20 years, the executive director of Fatal Light Awareness Program has released the Field Guide to Common Birds of Toronto.

Far from being a pastoral picture of birds perched on tree branches, the 10 species depicted are dead, on their backs, beak-up.

The macabre, almost satirical spin on traditional guides is driven home with a caption for each bird: "The American Woodcock is seldom seen until flushed out or killed by high-speed impacts with buildings. Brain haemorrhaging is usually the cause of death. Of all species of birds that die this way, its high-speed flight style makes its mortality rate the highest."

On the heels of this unorthodox information campaign has emerged the City of Toronto's new regulations requiring buildings be made safer for birds – the first such rules in North America. "This will be huge," says Mesure. "I thought it was something we were only able to dream about."

From January, those seeking permission to build in Toronto will have to "mute the reflections of windows," or "treat glass with a density pattern which makes it easier for birds to see it is a solid object."

The rules are part of a wide-ranging City of Toronto Green Standard, which will require residential, commercial and industrial buildings to increase energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect wildlife habitat.

Birds are often disoriented by glass and mistake the sky and trees they see in reflections for the real thing. Migratory birds, unaccustomed to the urban environment, are the most vulnerable.
To prepare property owners, developers and architects, council first made Toronto's guidelines voluntary in 2007.

Leona Savoie, a manager at developer The Rockport Group, said "our architects are trying to get their minds around it."

For conservationists, it can't come a moment too soon. Every year, it is estimated that between one and 10 birds collide with each building — domestic, commercial and industrial. With just under one million structures in Toronto, this means up to 10 million bird collisions occur in the GTA alone, every year.

Daniel Klem, an ornithologist and professor of biology at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania, believes this figure is a conservative one, as the dead and injured are often hidden from view.
This Thursday and Friday, Toronto will host a symposium for conservationists, academics, and planners from the National Audubon Society and cities including New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C, who want to know more about Toronto's law. "Toronto has become almost unintentionally a leader in this area," said Kelly Snow, a policy planner at the City of Toronto.

What kind of problems are faced by builders and architects, seeking to ward off birds? Window netting, reflective tape, stickers and decals are familiar but are not always effective.

A window film developed for glass firm Convenience Group Inc., with the help of Toronto's Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), is showing promise. It cuts reflection.

"We've found that the treated windows are very successful in deterring birds," says Victoria McGrath, director of the sustainability office at the Town of Markham, where the film was installed on solarium glass.

Daniel Klem has developed a film consisting of alternating stripes that absorb and reflect Ultraviolet light. They are visible to birds, and invisible to the human eye.
This may be a coup, since many people would be put off by window coatings for homes and businesses if they interfere with the view.

For Klem, invisible film is a short-term solution until manufacturers are able to prepare a permanent effect in glass, as they do now to reduce solar heat or improve security.
That could save buyers from having to repair or replace the film every 5 or 10 years. But it's a long way off; Klem's own film has yet to be mass-produced or sold in stores.

Feeding Frenzy

Every morning we put out peanuts for the blue jays. As soon as they see us outside, the calls go out and there is a chain reaction of blue jays calling to each other. The word goes out that breakfast is ready. We are still getting anywhere between 6-10 jays on a regular basis. Here's some shots of them flying in, grabbing peanuts and then flying off.

Cooper's Hawk

He's (or she's) been very busy hanging around our yard. We've watched some failed attempts to make a grab. We've seen him standing around on our front steps. Arthur let Dave know the hawk was there- not by barking or really making any noise, but just by alerting Dave to the fact something new was out there. That gave Dave the opportunity to take some pics of it up close. He's very beautiful!