Notes From a Northwestern Ontario Backyard – August 2022

Hello again!

Wow, it’s been a really quiet season here up until just recently. I had my feeders put away in late spring, after FeederWatch season ended and for about half of the summer due to worries of Avian Flu. I put one or two feeders out in late July and have 3 hanging feeders out now plus the platform. I also have 3 hummingbird feeders out around the yard. Birds have been quite slow in returning to the yard but activity is picking up a bit. I now have Purple Finches, Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows (EVERYwhere!), Downy Woodpeckers, White Throated Sparrows, Chickadees, Red Breasted Nuthatches, Crows and Pine Siskins coming around regularly with sporadic visits from Grackles, Red Winged Blackbirds & Starlings here and there.

Since there isn’t much to talk about right now, this post will be mostly a photo essay. Hope you enjoy!

Starting earlier in spring, I had a good number of Tree Swallows coming around to check out the bird house. Unfortunately, they decided NOT to nest in my yard this year. Very disappointing.

 

In June, I had this stunning pair of Eastern Bluebirds visit and hunt in my backyard. I was soooo hopeful that they would pick a birdhouse & nest in the yard but again, no luck. They came through the backyard hunting insects & caterpillars & such but chose to nest somewhere else. Hoping for next year again.

 

 

 

I was very pleased to see a Savannah Sparrow in my backyard this summer. One of my favourite types of Sparrow, I don’t get to see them every year. So pretty!!

 

We usually get a pair of Sharp-Shinned Hawks and a pair of Merlins hunting the backyard all summer long. The Merlins were around in spring & early summer but haven’t come to the yard since nesting season began. This Sharp-Shinned hawk visited only this one time that I know of, in late June.

 

If you were watching the webcam in late winter, I’m sure you remember the Crows that were on the feeders daily! They hung around the yard & area in numbers of about 15 to 20 until well into the summer. They were another reason why I put my feeders away and stopped putting seed out. I like Crows but they were taking over and their noise was insane. Now that it’s late August, many have moved on but the resident family is still coming around once in a while.

 

Hummingbird season has been quite entertaining this year. 🙂 It started out quiet but once nesting season was over, they took over the backyard! Juvenile males are battling it out almost constantly for either the feeders or the flowers. I’ve had to duck from them a few times! Good thing they are as tiny as they are!

 

 

Purple Finches are back at the feeders in pretty good numbers right now, about 20 in the yard at a time. Juveniles are constantly begging out there at this time.

 

Goldfinches have been around since spring and they are the latest ‘nesters’ in this area that I know of. I believe they just have nestlings now.

 

Black Capped Chickadees have been around all year long, of course. No day in the backyard is complete without hearing the Chickadees calling. 🙂 I’m happy that I have a pair of Red Breasted Nuthatches back again too.

 

It’s baby bird season now and the backyard has been a veritable Birdie Nursery this past month. Here are some immature birds I’ve been watching in the backyard lately.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this, I think, is my favourite photo of the whole summer: a juvenile Red Eyed Vireo about to grab breakfast! After some research, it turned out that ‘breakfast’ was a Clearwing Moth caterpillar! I didn’t see the caterpillar when I first took the photo … not until I brought it up on the computer screen. This took place in my Highbush Cranberry Shrub right outside of my livingroom window.

 

I was very happy to see a good sized flock of Common Nighthawks this summer, just last week in fact. I would estimate about 200 in the flock and I was able to watch them 3 evenings in a row.

 

 

I’ll end with a photo of one of my all-time favourite Warblers: the adorable little Wilson’s Warbler. Every time I see one, I keep thinking that if they could speak, they would have a French accent to go along with their little beret! We are just getting into Warbler season in the backyard as fall migration kicks into high gear so hopefully, I’ll have some interesting sightings in the next couple of months.

 

That’s it for this month …. and this summer. Thanks for reading/looking! I hope you are all having an enjoyable season.

Until next time! 🙂