Welcome to the World! On July 1, Canada Day, the gull eggs hatched and we welcomed three mottled-brown nestlings into the world. They blended in so well with the nest, however, that it was hard to see them at first! (If you missed last month’s article, where I introduced the …
I’ve been feeding the birds in my backyard ever since that morning eight years ago when I noticed several black-hooded birds hopping around the overgrown garden of our new home on Gabriola Island. They made an odd, metallic chip, chip, chip noise that forced me to sit up and pay …
By Sharon McInnes, Gabriola Island, BC I know the Spotted Towhee squawking in the back yard isn’t actually talking to me. Still, I feel like he is, and can’t help but talk back. “Hello. What’s up?” Maybe it’s a character flaw, I don’t know. Same with the Steller’s Jays who …
Last summer I watched an exhausted-looking Chestnut-backed Chickadee valiantly feed a demanding Brown-headed Cowbird chick about four times its size. Here’s the cowbird, waiting (impatiently) while the harrowed chickadee gathers food to bring back to him. The year before I’d watched a female Song Sparrow in our back yard feeding …
A few weeks ago a fellow Gabriola birder confided that some days he wished he didn’t have a nest cam. At first I assumed he was referring to the amount of time he spends watching the screen. (I could relate to that.) But it turned out he wasn’t at all …
Outstanding video from the Alberta Conservation Association! The sharp-tailed grouse is a native game bird that makes its home in the prairies, parklands and forest openings of Alberta. For much of the year the sharp-tailed grouse is a quiet, well-camouflaged bird; however, its spring shenanigans are undoubtedly one of the …
Yes, I had every intention of throwing out this old weather beaten, shredding lawn chair cushion. Early May wasn’t exactly warm enough to sit on the deck, so the chair was waiting for the spring yard work urge to strike. Apparently procrastination can pay off, as these American Robins now have …
We have all seen American Robins build their nests very close to houses, or even on them. Usually these nests are in well-protected spots, for example under the eaves of a house. Even if the nest is right by a doorway where people enter and exit, the young robins usually …
This is a preview of a new show coming to PBS Nature in October, and I just had to share it. I have never seen owl behaviour like this, and frankly my mouth was hanging open as I watched it. Twice.
