July 31 / the garden hose

I hosed down the curbside compost bin today.  Checked on the garden, but focused my efforts on tidying indoors.

Common birds: house sparrow, mourning dove, cardinal (pair), house finch (male)

the ground ivy / July 30

A little yard work - weeding, and feeding the roses, hydrangeas, etc. Some of this was pulling ground ivy from the lawn. 

Common birds: house sparrow, house finch (male), cardinal (pair), starling, mourning dove, robin

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

July 29 / the caterpillars

I found the first one a day or two ago, and two more this morning.  They are tobacco hornworms, on my tomato plants.  I had one last summer, and it got quite big and ate a lot of leaves and bits of fruit from the tomato I was growing.  So, I took the ones I found recently off the plant, and put them in a bucket with some pruned tomato leaves. I also fed the tomatoes and other veggies again today.

Common birds: house sparrow, cardinal (pair), starling, house finch (male), mourning dove

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

Heard: blue jay, chickadee

the party / July 28

I had a party to go to, so I was out for the afternoon.  I wasn't really taking notes, but I did see/hear a robin, blue jay, and something large, which I thought may have been a turkey vulture, during the party.  There was also a dark swallowtail butterfly. 

Common birds: house sparrow

July 27 / the rain barrel

We have had rain this afternoon, heavy for a while, and will probably get rain overnight.  This is good for the garden of course, and the rain barrel, which I have used a few times this month. 

Common birds: house sparrow, cardinal (pair), chickadee, starling

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (pair)

the fruit / July 26

Some of the tomatoes are ripening, I have picked the first few (and eaten some of them) - it's the cherry tomatoes, the large ones take longer.  I heard, and am reasonably sure I saw, a chickadee this morning, and walking back up my street this afternoon, I saw a goldfinch singing in a tree. From the bus, I saw a bunch of Canada geese on a bit of closed road. 

Common birds: house sparrow, house finch (male), robin, starling, goldfinch (male), chickadee

July 25 / the red squirrel

Today I did a little weeding, removing beetles from the roses, and cutting some lavender to dry.  A little red squirrel watched me for a moment. 

Common birds: house sparrow, goldfinch (male), house finch (male), grackle, starling, cardinal (pair)

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

Overhead: red-tailed hawk

the crickets / July 24

I finished weeding the path today, and saw several little black/dark crickets while I was doing it.

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, starling, cardinal (pair)

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

Overhead: gull

July 23 / the moth

More garden work today, including pulling weeds from between stones of the path.  There was a little brown moth hiding in the weeds. 

Common birds: house sparrow, cardinal (pair)

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

the dirt / July 22

I started doing some of the gardening that needs attending to, I was outside most of the day.  I put a support around the lemon balm, which had been on top of various other things.  Then, I added more ties and sticks to support the tomatoes, cut back a couple of things, moved a couple of things.

Common birds: house sparrow, cardinal (pair)

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (female)

Overhead: red-tailed hawk

July 21 / sunday

I didn't do much yard work, but did spend some time outside. The bunny was around while I was preparing my dinner. 

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, cardinal (pair), grackle, mourning dove, blue jay, starling

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (pair)

Overhead: gull

the chickadee / July 20

The storms reduced the heat and humidity we had seen this week.  I was walking down the street and saw a chickadee in a neighbour's tree.  There were gulls at the bus station. 

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, cardinal (female), chickadee

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male), brown headed cowbird (male)

July 19 / the lightning

Another day of significant weather.  Heat and humidity were replaced by thunderstorms in the evening.  My power was out an hour +, but other areas had longer outages.

Common birds: house sparrow

the cicadas / July 18

Heard cicadas today, not for the first time this summer.  Stayed inside mostly, but saw a few birds.

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, grackle, cardinal (male), downy woodpecker

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

Overhead: red-tailed hawk

July 17 / wednesday

Watered the vegetables, otherwise kept in the cool. 

Common birds: house sparrow

the daylilies / July 16

The daylilies continue being pretty. 

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, starling, downy woodpecker

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (female)

July 15 / the lunch

Did not spend much time in the garden today, very hot again.  Went out to lunch with my mum.

Common birds: house sparrow, robin

the veggies / July 14

The beets have been growing, the leaves have a few insects.  I brought in a handful of peas, and a couple of small tomatoes.  Heard some birds I am not really sure about, maybe hawk, maybe red-wing blackbird, and maybe mourning dove - also heard the blue jay.  Saw birds in the big evergreen, cedar waxwings, and what was probably a house finch. 

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, cardinal (pair), starling, goldfinch (male)

Summer visitors: cedar waxwing

July 13 / saturday

I didn't see much bird activity.  The garden looks good. 

Common birds: house sparrow, robin

the daisies / July 12

The daisies are in bloom.  They have been for a bit already, actually.  The first of my tomatoes are ripening, too.

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, cardinal (male)

July 11 / the rose

I found a little skipper (butterfly) in a rose today.  The bunny was in the garden this afternoon. 

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, grackle, cardinal (female)

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

the sunflowers / July 10

Hot and humid weather today.  My tomato plants are growing tall so I have tied them to some more supports.  The probable sunflowers growing thanks to the bird seed are also getting tall. 

Common birds: house sparrow, house finch (male), cardinal (pair), robin

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (female)

July 9 / the yard work

We got together for a visit and yard work at my sister's today. 

Common birds: house sparrow, mourning dove

the power cut / July 8

Greater Toronto has had a lot of rain.  My area is not bad, but it did mean our power was out for a few hours. 

Common birds: house sparrow, downy woodpecker, cardinal (pair), robin

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (male)

July 7 / the tomatoes

Although I spent some time outside today, it was very humid, so I wasn't out there long.  I did manage to prune the tomatoes a little, a couple of them are getting a bit big. 

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, cardinal (pair), mourning dove, starling

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (pair)

the art show / July 6

I was out for the afternoon, and spent less time looking at birds, which explains why I didn't see many.  It was a sunny, hot and humid day.  I did also see a hawk while I waited for a bus, red-wing blackbirds at the train station, and pigeons in the city.  My outing was to an art show downtown, which both the friend I went with and I have been in in previous years.  I noticed several artists using birds in their subject matter.

Common birds: house sparrow, house finch, robin

July 5 / the chase

I've seen squirrels chase each other, but this morning I saw a red squirrel get chased by a robin.  It has rained, sometimes poured, several times today.  Everything looks so green. 

Common birds: house sparrow, cardinal (pair), robin, downy woodpecker (female)

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (pair)

the cabbage white / July 4

I spent some time outside today, and briefly watched a little cabbage white butterfly when it landed near my vegetables.  It rained quite a bit overnight, and was sunny most of the day.  We had some shopping to do this afternoon, and from the car we saw a hawk sitting on a hydro pole, with a grackle (?) just a few feet away. 

Common birds: house sparrow, grackle, starling, robin, downy woodpecker (female), cardinal (pair)

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (pair)

July 3 / the rain shower

My little bunny friend was back today.  I also saw a mourning cloak butterfly, and something I think could have been a dark swallowtail - a dark morph of the eastern tiger swallowtail, or a black swallowtail possibly.  The pair of hawks were flying around, too.  We got a very fine rain shower this afternoon. 

Common birds: cardinal (pair), house sparrow, robin, house finch (pair), goldfinch (pair), mourning dove

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (pair)

Overhead: red-tailed hawk

Heard: blue jay

Previous Year's Birds / May 2011 & May 2012

May 2011

blackburnian warbler (male)
chestnut sided warbler
black throated green warbler (male)
rose breasted grosbeak (male)
flicker
woodpecker
goldfinch
robin
starling
cardinals
sparrows
chickadee
mourning dove
juncos
white throated sparrow

May 15/2011 - blackburnian warbler (male), chestnut sided warbler (pair), black throated green warbler, yellow rumped (myrtle) warbler, northern parula warbler, red tailed hawk, blue jay, house finch, rose breasted grosbeak (pair), nashville warbler, nuthatch

May 16/2011 - magnolia warbler, nashville warbler, black and white warbler, chestnut sided warbler, yellow rumped warbler, yellow warbler, blackburnian warbler, parula warbler, black throated blue warbler, goldfinch (pair), grosbeak (pair), red tailed hawk, white crowned sparrow, hummingbird, veery, baltimore oriole, nuthatch, housefinch, sparrow, chickadee, crows, blue jay, red-wing blackbird, cowbird (pair), robin, cardinal (pair), mourning dove

May 17/2011 - nashville warbler, magnolia warbler, yellow rumped warbler, chestnut sided warbler, northern parula warbler, yellow warbler (male), grosbeaks, starling, grackle, chickadee, cardinals, robin, sparrows, white crowned sparrow, cowbirds, oriole(?)

May 18/2011 - magnolia warbler, nashville warbler, chestnut sided warbler, yellow rumped warbler (male), tenessee warbler (?*), sparrow, blue jay, grackle, chickadee, woodpecker, grosbeaks, red tailed hawk, nuthatch, cardinals, robin, goldfinch (pair)

Note: tenessee warbler may instead be philadelphia vireo.  

May 19/2011 - orioles, yellow rumped warbler, parula warbler, nashville warbler, magnolia warbler, chestnut sided warbler, black throated green warbler (?), cowbirds, grosbeaks, blue jay, cardinals, sparrow, white crowned sparrow, grackle, robin, starling, mourning dove, goldfinch, chickadees, nuthatch

May 20/2011 - chestnut sided warbler, nashville warbler, northern parula warbler, sparrow, cowbird (male), mourning dove, cardinals, goldfinch (male), robin, blue jay, chickadee, grackle, gull, crow

May 21/2011 - robin, grackle, cardinals, sparrows, red-wing blackbird, goldfinch (male), cowbird (male)

May 22/2011 - robin, grackle, sparrow, cardinals, cowbird (male)

May 23/2011 - yellow warbler, nashville warbler, robin, grackle, sparrow, cardinals, cowbirds, crow, blue jay, red-wing blackbird, oriole, goldfinch (female), housefinch, mourning dove, starling, hawk

May 24/2011 - robin, grackle, sparrow, cardinals, cowbird (male), red-wing blackbird, starling, mourning dove

May 25/2011 - robin, starling, sparrow, woodpecker, cardinal (male), orioles, chickadee, goldfinch (male), blue jay, grackle

May 26/2011 - starling, chickadee, red-wing blackbird, oriole, grackle

May 27/2011 - starling, grackle, sparrow, cardinal

May 2012

palm warbler
yellow rumped warbler
black throated green warbler
nashville warbler
grosbeak
cedar waxwing
western kingbird/great crested flycatcher
ruby crowned kinglet (?)
oriole
hawk (ID?*)
hawk
woodpecker
white crowned sparrow
goldfinch
house finch

Note: the usual hawk is the red-tailed hawk, also saw one which may have been a juvenile, or something else. 

the bunnies / July 2

I have been seeing some digging in my vegetable patch, and a couple of grassy spots, in our yard.  I am sure some of it is birds (based on the droppings), likely starlings.  It may also be something else, and seeing the bunny in the yard in the early evening today, I wonder if it's him (or, her).  I went out for a bit, and there was a second, smaller bunny down the street. 

Common birds: house sparrow, cardinal (pair), robin, grackle, starling, house finch (pair), goldfinch (male), mourning dove

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (pair)

Overhead: gull, red-tailed hawk

July 1 / Canada day

Happy Canada day!  Went into Oakville and spent a few hours at the Canada day events this afternoon.  There were at least four or five house finches this morning, and later, two female red-wing blackbirds on the feeder today. 

Common birds: grackle, house sparrow, robin, house finch (pair), cardinal (pair), starling

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (pair)

the fox / June 30

I spent half the morning outside, and we watched the robin in its nest for a bit this afternoon, while we had tea.  The hawk was also flying around further away, I only spotted it with the binoculars.  This evening while I was over in Oakville, we saw a fox crossing the bridge, into the bushes, then back again a while later.  As we were near the water, we also saw ducks, geese, possibly swallows, red-wings, a cardinal, and could hear a blue jay. 

Common birds: house sparrow, starling, grackle, cardinal (pair), robin, house finch (male, + female?)

Summer visitors: red-wing blackbird (female), brown headed cowbird (male)

Overhead: red-tailed hawk