Monday 25 February 2013

Hancock Wildlife Cams Update - 25 February 2013

Hancock Wildlife Cams

Hancock Wildlife now has 3 cams monitoring a Great Horned Owl Nest.
Starting the video seems to have changed since last year, once the ad video has played you have to click on the pause button, then click on the play button.

http://www.hancockwildlife.org/index.php?topic=VictoriaGHOwl#camera-ptz

Saturday 16 February 2013

Bird Photos - February 2013

February 2013

Had a Eurasian Collared Dove show up near our feeder around the 7th of February, a very late or early visitor. We don't usually see them until late July. 
I went to take a picture of it but my camera battery was dead, which wasn't a huge surprise as I haven't used it since October. It was to large to land on our feeder and it had snowed so any seed on the ground was covered. It left and I haven't seen it since. It was a plump healthy looking dove. 
Charged up my camera batteries and took a few shots of some of our winter birds and have posted them below.
All photos taken through a dirty triple pane window.
Thought I had gotten photos of a Red Breasted Nuthatch but apparently I did not. It was around for several days but has since disappeared.
In winter we put out cracked corn, peanuts and suet. Cracked corn is very cheap, bought 100 pounds for $24 and have only gone through about 40 pounds since October. The remaining 60 pounds of cracked corn will be gone by mid June. 
In summer we fill all the seed feeders every day, the Oriole feeder every 2-3 days and the peanut feeder every 3 weeks. 
Spring through fall we also put out black oil seed, mixed bird seed and an Oriole feeder. The few Hummingbirds we get feed from the Oriole feeder as well as the Orioles.
Wasps swarm to the Oriole feeder. It is supposed to be Wasp proof but as the Orioles feed they tend to cause the feeder to spill small amounts of nectar which seems to be enough for the Wasps to feed on. 

Taken with 500 mm mirror lens


These Blue Jays showed up, one sat in the tree while the other got corn from the feeder, returned to the tree and fed the waiting Blue Jay. Have seen this during the summer when young birds are being fed but never in the winter. 

 Chick-a-dee

 Downy Woodpecker, from Oct 2012

 Downy Woodpecker February 2013
 Hairy Woodpecker 
White Breasted Nuthatch