Honestly, what is with my life? Am I giving off weird, strangeness vibes to the universe? The other night about 10:00 pm, my husband and I were watching a movie when something flew up from the basement and down the hallway. Yes, I said flew. We looked at each other, …
As regular readers of my Marsh Diaries posts will know, I’ve been having a very moth-y summer. I’ve not had much luck taking pictures of my visitors, as they all show up at night. Or most of them, at any rate. The last visit to the lake, I awoke to …
Apparently, some things are so ingrained you don’t even realize they’ve taken up residence in your brain. Earlier this month we took a vacation to Florida. In contrast to what we left at home, it was very green, very hot and very wet. Coming from a western Canadian winter, the …
Birds of many different families mimic the sounds they hear around them. Blue jays give a perfect rendition of the call of a hawk, which as sent me running to the window with my binoculars more than once. Crows have been heard to imitate the whine of a dog, the …
Hearing ranks next to sight in its importance to birds and their survival. The ear openings of birds are hidden under feathers, called auriculars, on the sides of the head. There is no cartilaginous outer ear as found in humans and other mammals. Birds are highly social animals, and depend …
The most important act that a bird performs in the preening of its feathers. They begin by grasping with their bill, one feather at the base and nibbling towards the tip to remove oil, dirt and parasites. Or they may just simply draw the feather through the partially clamped bill …
Birds have the best colour vision of all vertebrates. Some species even see ultra-violet light, which means they are able to pick up highlights and tones in plumage unseen by the human eye. Raptors, whose survival depends on hunting, have eyesight two to three times better than humans. Each image …
Who says pictures don’t lie? This bug looks like he’s sitting on a fence post, and is big enough to eat Saskatchewan. I’m sure he’s actually a bitty little bug, but I do love this shot. I have quite a history with grasshoppers. When I was a little girl, my …
Yes, I know this supposed to be a blog about birds, but if you feed them, you no doubt have these fluffy tailed thieves around as well. I put up a new bird feeder today. A BIG feeder that holds 6 pounds of food, so I don’t have to refill …
I am definitely a fan of sit birding. You find a nice birdy location – say the edge of a marsh or along a riverbank – and then (here’s where it gets technical) you sit. As in down. Get comfy. Sit in your carefully chosen perfect location and wait for …