Northern Flickers, which are common all across North America, occur in two subspecies, Yellow-shafted in the north and east, and Red-shafted in the west. In flight Red-shafted flickers show a salmon-red colour under the wings and tail, whereas the Yellow-shafted show a golden-yellow colour. That seems straightforward enough: red=Red-shafted, yellow=Yellow-shafted. …
At the back of our yard, we have a cluster of four fully mature white spruce trees – my own little boreal forest. These trees are about 50 feet high, and not surprisingly, a favorite perch of many birds. I know I’ve got a ruby-crowned kinglet in the back yard …
A friend of mine recently decided she wanted to take up bird watching a little more actively. She can identify the common species, but wants to know what is visiting her yard and campsight. Naturally, I’ve jumped all over this. Spring migration is well underway, and more returning species are …
I am beginning to think my yard is emitting some kind of weird force field, resulting in some very strange bird encounters – daily owl visits, eastern birds, hundreds of waxwings… And that’s just the last few weeks. On one supremely frigid day last week, I noticed one of my …
I rarely apply human emotions to wildlife, but I simply couldn’t resist for this sequence. Buster spent a half an hour watching the squirrel activity, and really gave the famous owl-swivel neck a workout!
Whooee, do we have Bohemian waxwings! Our mountain ash and all the trees for three yards around are full of them every day. They like to perch at the top of the poplar trees in the morning sun. Eat the snow on the neighbors roof… And they do love the …
Apparently we have a new lodger. He’s been here daily for about three weeks, so I decided if he’s going to live here, he better have a name. Meet Buster. Buster is a great-horned owl with a unique plumage, so I always know its him. (assuming male because he’s not …
