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 …
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus I love the quote above from Camus as I wholeheartedly agree with him. Having grown up in Australia, I find the autumns here so much more vibrant with colour – thanks to the many native North American …
By Sharon McInnes Gabriola Island, BC Since you’re reading this on BirdCanada, you’re probably already interested in birds. You might, like me, not only watch them but also go to some lengths to create a bird-friendly habitat in your back yard, complete with native flowers and fresh water and protection …
Living in Calgary in the south of Alberta, I have the great fortune to be able to spend the summer camping season in a number of very enjoyable, and very different, regions only a few short hours way: from the mountains to the west, the parkland to the north and the grasslands …
How are your raptor identification skills? These photos were taken in Calgary, AB in late August and those are all the clues you get. Can you identify this beautiful bird? Leave your best guess and reasons for it in the comments. Bonus points if you can identify what this bird …
Recently a young Turkey Vulture (cathartes aura) has become a frequent visitor in the yard of a Gabriola Island couple. Not knowing the sex, they call it Vic the Vulture – for either Victor or Victoria. Vic usually comes around every other day and spends up to an hour in …
Apologies for 2 months in a row of very short posts, but I’m camping most weekends which has not left a lot of time to sift through all my images. The good news is I’ve taken quite a lot of new shots, including several of personal ‘life’ birds :). The shorebird fall …
Welcome new Bird Canada author Ron Arvidson from Prince Edward Island who will be posting the 5th of each month. It’s wonderful to have the Atlantic birds now represented on the blog! Ron was born and raised in Manitoba, and growing up had ranged freely through the wood and eastern …
I was on vacation in Mexico years many ago when I noticed the tall black seabirds standing on the rocks, their wings held out from their sleek bodies like ballerinas. At the time, I wondered if the pose was unique to some crazy Mexican birds. Years later, waiting in Nanaimo …
It’s been a busy couple of months in my house since my last post in April. A new job, a new apartment, and plenty of changes for the better in my life have really kept me hopping. Part of my job is doing surveys for breeding birds, and most of …