June 1 - 7

Seeing a good number of butterflies - especially the yellow (Eastern Tiger) Swallowtail.  Have also heard the chickadees, the song sparrow, and what I think is a chipping sparrow. 

Common birds: house sparrow (7 days), cardinal (pair 5 days), red-wing blackbird (pair 3 days, female +1 day, male + 2 days), robin (5 days), starling (6 days), mallard duck (2 days), Canada goose, grackle (2 days), goldfinch (2 days), turkey vulture (2 days), blue jay, mourning dove, great blue heron

Spring visitors: hairy woodpecker, brown-headed cowbird (female, 2 days), baltimore oriole

May 18 - 24

See last week re. thrushes.  Also, there was a warbler in the big evergreen one day, it was too far and too small to get a really good look at, but it was also singing, and with that in mind, it was possibly a cape may warbler.

Common birds: chickadee (2 days), red-wing blackbird (male 2 days, female 3 days), grackle (3 days), starling (3 days), house sparrow (3 days), mourning dove (4 days), cardinal (pair 5 days), downy woodpecker (2 days), blue jay (2 days), goldfinch (2 days), robin (3 days), turkey vulture (2 days), crow

Spring visitors: song sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow, brown-headed cowbird (female 2 days), baltimore oriole (3 days), Swainson's* thrush, magnolia warbler, warbler (ID? cape may?), parula warbler

Heard: song sparrow, red-breasted nuthatch

May 11 - 17

Some bird migration still - not seeing as many warblers as the last couple of springs, but seeing a few different things.  I saw a mourning warbler this week, a new one for our garden, as well as the gray catbird, which although I've heard/seen it elsewhere I don't think I've seen it in the garden before.  Another new one for the garden is the Lincoln's sparrow I've been seeing. Then, there's a warbler-like noise I heard as well.

The thrushes are tricky, the veery and hermit thrush I can ID, the Swainson's and gray-cheeked look very similar, but their song is a bit different.  Based on seeing and hearing it, I've decided to call this week's thrush the Swainson's, but I might be incorrect.

The great-crested flycatcher wasn't in the garden, it was in a local public garden/park, but still counts! I saw a warbler there, in trees, not brightly coloured.  Based on appearance and sound, I think Tenessee warbler, but not certain. 

I've also been hearing what I think is the chipping sparrow.

Common birds: chickadee (1-2, 4 days), red-wing blackbird (male, 7 days, female, 1-2, 2 days), house sparrow (7 days), swan (2 days), Canada goose (2 days), robin (7 days), blue jay (1-2, 4 days), grackle (6 days), cardinal (pair 5 days, male +1), turkey vulture (2 days), starling (5 days), mourning dove ( 1-2, 5 days), goldfinch (5 days), red-breasted nuthatch (2 days), red-tailed hawk (3 days, flying), cormorant, house finch, mallard duck, downy woodpecker

Spring visitors: hairy woodpecker, song sparrow (3 days), Lincoln's sparrow, veery (2 days), yellow-rumped warbler (ID?), palm warbler (ID?), brown-headed cowbird (pair), great crested flycatcher, gray catbird, mourning warbler, magnolia warbler, Swainson's thrush*, baltimore oriole

May 4 - 10

Common birds: grackle (6 days), cardinal (pair 5 days, male +2 days), house sparrow (7 days), robin (1-2, 6 days), mallard duck (2-3 days), cormorant (2-4 days), goldfinch (several, 4 days), mourning dove (1-2, 6 days), Canada goose, swan (1-2 days), red-wing blackbird (male 5 days, female 1 day), house finch (4 days), chickadee (1-2, 5 days), crow (2), blue jay (several, 3 days), starling (4 days), turkey vulture (2-3)

Spring visitors: yellow warbler (ID likely), brown-headed cowbird (2 males, 1 female), ruby-crowned kinglet, baltimore oriole, common flicker, veery, Lincoln's sparrow, ruby-throated hummingbird, gray catbird, rose-breasted grosbeak (2 males, 1 female), white throated sparrow

Not sure: red-tailed hawk, purple finch?? (probably house finch), wren/kinglet (something small, too quick to ID)

Heard: chipping (?) sparrow, song sparrow

 Other critters: butterflies (cabbage white, orange/painted lady,dark/black swallowtail?), chipmunk

April 27 - May 3

Common birds: red-wing blackbird, cardinal, junco, robin, crow, house finch, cormorant, goldfinch, grackle, starling, mourning dove, swan, Canada goose, house sparrow, chickadee, blue jay, Turkey vulture, mallard duck, tern

Spring visitors: song sparrow, ruby-crowned kinglet, white-throated sparrow, chipping sparrow, brown headed cowbird

pt. 2

Adding tags for March 30 to April 5.  On one or two days, it was hard to tell whether the blackbird shaped bird I was seeing was the redwing or the cowbird, because of the light conditions.  Other days it was clear. 

May 24

Another new warbler for me!  I wasn't sure at first, but I saw a Wilson's warbler - it's yellow, with a black cap. 

Common birds: starling, house sparrow, grackle, cardinal (pair), robin, goldfinch, downy woodpecker (male, female?), blue jay?, house finch (male)

Spring visitors: brown headed cowbird, blackburnian warbler, chestnut sided warbler, wilson's warbler, baltimore oriole

May 22 pt. 2

Additional tags.

May 19 pt. 2

Tagging.

May 5

Well, other things take over, but I am going to finish this year's worth of birds!  I've also seen some interesting ones more recently in the current fall migration, so I'll note those too, but let's do the rest of the spring ones first?!

Common birds:  house sparrow, cardinal (pair), robin, mallard duck, swan

Spring visitors: brown-headed cowbird (male), ruby-crowned kinglet, black-throated green warbler

Heard: redwing blackbird

April 11

Common birds: robin, goldfinch, starling, cardinal (male), swan, Canada goose, mallard duck

Spring visitors: junco, kinglet (?), phoebe/flycatcher, cowbird (male?)

Heard: blue jay, chickadee

April 6

Common birds: cardinal (pair), chickadee, robin, house finch (pair), starling, grackle, downy woodpecker (male) blue jay, house sparrow, goldfinch

Spring visitors: junco, brown-headed cowbird (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)

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

the skipper / June 28

I found a little skipper butterfly in the lawn today, and at one point the robin perched on the top of our patio umbrella.  It's been overcast and rainy, which is good for the garden. 

Common birds: house sparrow, robin, grackle, goldfinch (female), starling, downy woodpecker, mourning dove

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

Overhead: gull

June 21 / the summer

It's the first day of summer, and the first day I've skipped writing.  I was off doing other things, but I did spend a little time in my backyard.

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

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

the birds & the bees / June 20

It was a busy day in the garden!  I saw two hawks overhead earlier, and thought I saw one again this afternoon, but when I took the binoculars outside, I realized that it was a heron.  I fed & watered my vegetables, and checked out what the carpenter bees are up to.  They are  in our roof overhang - they don't eat the wood, but they make holes and create 'sawdust'. 

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

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

Overhead: red-tailed hawk, great blue heron

Heard: gull

June 19 / the tree trimming

This morning included trimming overgrown and dead branches from some of the trees.  The viburnum pieces smelled awful!  After the noise had stopped, the birds went about their day. The cowbird flew from the neighbour's spruce to our feeder again, and a grackle on the grass fed its young one.  I watched a great TV program about Point Pelee National Park last night.  The park is known for its spring and fall bird migrations, which I knew, but it reminded me about it. 

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

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

Heard: mourning dove

June 15 / the perch

Another gorgeous day outside.  I sat with my coffee and binoculars, looking at a spruce tree, or, more particularly, the bird at the top of it, a couple of gardens over.  It turned out to be a male cowbird, and he was joined by a bright goldfinch.  The cowbird flew over and landed on our feeder. 

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

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

the photos / June 12

The other day, I spent a little time going back through various photos on my computer, and came across some fun backyard wildlife and bird ones, so I'll look for complimentary future posts in which to share some of them. Today, I briefly saw the hawk flying, as well as the swallowtail butterfly. 

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

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

Heard: gull

Overhead: red-tailed hawk

Probable: mourning dove, goldfinch (male)