Bird Photos - May 22 2012

Harder to see the birds now that the trees and brush are in full leaf, we can hear lots of birds but don't see to many, and most sightings are to brief to identify the birds.
Camera lens started to act up when I was trying to get pictures of a number of different birds flying in and out of a dead tree in the river. The lens started to make a very disturbing grinding noise and all the pictures taken while it was doing this were very blurry. Only did it for a few minutes and it has been fine since. Thankfully it has about 4 years left of the 6 year warranty.

 Bobolink near Morden Manitoba

 Grey Catbird - one of two that visit our feeders

 Grey Catbird - second of two that visit our feeders

 Oriole

 Oriole

 American Redstart Female - This was about the time my lens started acting up, male was present but photos didn't turn out

 American Redstart Female

 Deer at about 30 feet 

 Magnolia Warbler -  Immature I think

 Moth on bridge rail

 Rose Breasted Grosbeak

 Song Sparrow

 Eerie Tree - Looked a lot more eerie in the bush

Wilson's Warbler - Was quite blurry but fixed up a bit in PS elements -  This was the best photo I took when my lens was acting up

Bird Photos - Fort Whyte Alive - May 18 2012

Pretty good week so far, but, birds seem to be arriving in fewer numbers than the last few years. They used to come through in fairly large flocks. It is still pretty early in the spring migration though, our mild winter and really early spring might be affecting the migration.
Orioles are at our feeder regularly now, we have at least 4 stopping by. They are so funny, they signal their arrival with their loud raucous call as they sit on the feeder post, then make a chattering sound as they jump from the pole to the feeder.  If two of them show up at the feeder at the same time they make the chattering sound as they strike at each other in between sips of nectar. Last year they were emptying the 12 oz feeder every two days. Most I've counted at the feeder at one time, a few years ago, was 7.
Have seen two sets of Canada Geese gosling's this week, one set at Fort Whyte Center the other at the lagoons near town.
We are going through a kilo of dried corn and 1/2 a block of suet every day now.  The black oil seed and mixed bird seed is lasting 3 or 4 days now since we move them into tube feeders, last year the birds were emptying all feeders in less than a day.

 Blue Wing Teals -  Fort Whyte

 Gosling's - Fort Whyte

 Cedar Waxwing 

 Coopers Hawk - Fort Whyte - We saw a Coopers Hawk 3 times at Fort Whyte on this outing, this was the first sighting, flew past us at about 20 feet, these pictures are at about 40 and 60 feet as we didn't see the hawk until it was right in front of us. I later saw a Coopers Hawk briefly as it glided over a bush in front of me and then again later as it came out of the bush, crossed the trail about 20 feet in front of me and disappeared into the bush on the opposite side of the trail.

 Coopers Hawk - Fort Whyte

 Gold Finch - Fort Whyte

 Hairy Woodpecker - Fort Whyte

 Hooded Merganser - Fort Whyte

 Mallard -Fort Whyte

 Swamp Sparrow - Fort Whyte

 Painted Turtle - Fort Whyte

 Painted Turtle - Fort Whyte

 White Crowned Sparrow bathing - Fort Whyte

Yellow Warbler - Fort Whyte

Bird & Deer Photos - May 11 2012

Slow week for birding, cool to cold, windy, with a few days of rain.
Water fowl at the lagoons has dropped from several hundred at the beginning of the week to about 40 today, mostly Canada Geese and a couple of Snow Geese today. Early in the week we saw several hundred geese fly over and a few hundred more circled and landed at the lagoons.
Today I happened on several flocks of small birds, couldn't see them until they flew up from the long grass and disappeared into the bush. I was able to identify one flock of 15-20 as White Throated Sparrows and another flock of over 30 as Chipping Sparrows.
A few pictures from today

 Black and White Warbler

Blue Headed Vireo

 Chipping Sparrow

 Chipping Sparrow

 Clay Coloured Sparrow

 Common Yellow Throat  (Male)

 Common Yellow Throat  (Male)

 Deer

 Deer

Lincoln's Sparrow

 

 White Throated Sparrow

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Bird Photos - May 6 2012

A few new birds arrived over the last few days, water fowl at lagoons thinned out quite a bit. I think I saw a few Warblers but couldn't see them well enough to identify.

 Black and White Warbler

  Black and White Warbler

 Red Winged Blackbird

 Robin

 Swamp Sparrow

 White Crowned Sparrow

 White Crowned Sparrow - As soon as I lowered the camera it attacked the Pince Siskin

 White Crowned Sparrow

 White Throated Sparrow

 Yellow Rumped Warbler take off 

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Bird Photos - May 02 2012

Yesterday was a good day for birding, went out between thunder storms and visited the lagoons and walked the bush.
Got a few decent pictures of Kildeers and saw a Yellow Headed Blackbird for the first time. Thought I saw some warblers but wasn't able to identify them or get any photos.
Water fowl at the lagoons is thinning out, fewer Canada Geese and Tundra Swans but Snow Geese are still there in numbers.
Two Harris Sparrows showed up yesterday, they usually stick around for a few days before continuing their trek to the North to breed. When we were out yesterday we could hear them singing all around town.
We have had Pine Siskins dropping by for a few days as well.
This morning we have our windows open and are listening to the birds, it is very peaceful. Looks like another day of thunderstorms so not certain if we will get out for a walk today.

 Kildeer putting on its injured bird display, continued doing this for about 20 feet before flying off

 Kildeer

 Kildeer

 Tree Sparrow

 Tree Swallows -  There are several nesting boxes set up for the width of the lagoons

 Yellow Headed Blackbird -  60 feet

 Harris's Sparrow - Taken through a dirty window

 Harris's Sparrow

 Pine Siskin

Pine Siskin