Female White-winged scoter

 Female happy with her zebra mussels

Last Tuesday I showed you photos of a male white-winged scoter that I saw swimming in the canal between Hamilton and Burlington. On Wednesday I spotted this femal in Whitby Harbour. They look quite different from each other, don't they?

Washing zebra mussels

I'm not sure why she kept dipping the mussels in water. Perhaps she was washing off some sand that came up with the mussels

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Field Sparrow

 Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)

This elusive little guy finally showed up yesterday where I could get a good photo of him/her. I had to stand very quiet for a long time but eventually he came back to this feeder to check out the goodies there

Chowing down

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Junco

Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

One of my favourite visitors! Truly they are sweet birds to have visit feeders, especially since they clean up after so many of their avian relatives - eating the seeds rejected by their cousins.

Dark-eyed juncos live in southern Ontario year-round, but I see them mostly in winter hopping about underneath feeders or flying up to a feeder perch to join various other sparrows - yes, they are sparrows.

Swallowing a mouthful

During the breeding season, they live in coniferous or  mixed coniferous woods.  I think a few are spending the winter in several of our spruce trees.


I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Goldfinch

 Goldfinch fluffed up in the cold

Goldfinches are frequent visitors to our yard and also to the feeders behind the visitors centre in Algonquin Provincial Park where these photos were taken.

Posing for a profile view

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Cooper's Hawk

 Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii)

I was out looking for snow buntings and snowy owls when I spotted this hawk sitting atop...

Giving me the evil eye

storage crates in front of barns in the Holland Marsh, an area north of Toronto famous for growing vegetables such as onions and carrots. I suspect this hawk was searching for pigeons, not that hard to find but maybe hard to sneak up on if you're a hungry Cooper's hawk.

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Mandarin Duck

 Sleeping Mandarin Duck

On New Years Day, my husband and I were out looking for as many different species of birds we could find to start our 2014 birding list - a game we enjoy playing together - when we happened upon this odd sleeping fellow amongst a group of  Mallards.

Awake!

An escapee, so not counted on our list. But isn't he handsome? He ignored us - not at all interested in a photo op - so we continued on our walk. On our way back, though, several other photographers had discovered him and had walked out onto the ice a little to close for his comfort, so that

"Escaping" via water

he had decided to go for a chilly swim in an opening in the ice.  It just so happened that he swam close to me as I stood on the bridge over the creek.

FYI: In spite of it being a chilly, overcast day, my husband and I found 30 different bird species in the Whitby (on Lake Ontario) area.

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
Camera Critters HERE  and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

White-breasted Nuthatch

 White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

I love these agile little birds!  This one was making fast trips to and from the feeder, which made me suspect he was not eating all the seeds but perhaps  hiding some of them.

 Upside-down

I wasn't the only one watching. So was a sweet little hairy woodpecker. And guess what! As soon as the nuthatch hid his seeds and left, the woodpecker sneaked in and took the hidden seeds.

Looking away, perhaps suspecting something

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
Camera Critters HERE  and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.



Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.” 

Long-tailed Ducks

 Male (front) and female long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemelis)

It was finger-numbing cold, overcast and very windy the day I took these photos, but this is the time of year when I see flocks of long-tailed ducks swimming in the icy waters of Lake Ontario.

 Sitting up tall in water

Early in winter, these diving ducks can be quite shy of humans, just having arrived here from the Arctic. Later in the season they sometimes move a little closer to humans carrying cameras. (I sure hope so!)

 Female long-tailed duck

I love the odd sounds they make when they talk to each other, but these ducks were silent. However, one male was wagging his tail feathers and  the whole flock moved further out into the bay. I suspect the tail wagging was a warning signal.

Taking off

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Note City Daily Photo bloggers: The CDP theme for January is “Photo of the Year.”

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

It's not often I see a bald eagle so even though the light wasn't good - the sky looks bluish here but behind me to the south, thick clouds were nearly obscuring the sun - I was tempted to try to capture this regal bird hunting over Lake Simcoe.

I kept hoping it would fly a lot, LOT closer...and it almost did, but instead decided to land in a tree far, far away from where I was standing.  This photo is severely cropped which makes it appear even more out of focus, but it is PROOF that I did indeed see a bald eagle last Monday.

The hunting ground (water) below

The eagle was hunting for water fowl. It flew low but many of the birds scattered. While I was there the hunter didn't catch anything.

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.
and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Red-breasted Merganser 2

 Red-breasted merganser

Also known as fish ducks as that's their main food, this red-breasted merganser was with a small flock swimming in the harbour at Olcott, New York last week.

Longtail and merganser taking off

One female longtail duck was with the fishing mergansers  and it even took of for the far end of the harbour when the mergansers did.

I am linking with Saturday Critters HERE.

and
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Northern Shrike

Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)

This predatory songbird spends the summer months on the tundra and taiga and winters in southern Canada and northern U.S.

Lanius excubitor means "butcher bird"

It eats small mammals, birds and insects. It gets its Latin name from its habit of killing more victims than it can eat at one time and then impaling them on barbed wire or tree spines.
I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

 Yellow-rumped warbler  (Setophaga coronata)

Of all the warblers that live in Ontario during the warmer months, Yellow-rumped Warblers are the hardiest: the first to arrive in spring and the last to leave in fall.

 Can you guess how this warbler got it's name?

Still, I was surprised to see this one was still here a couple of weeks ago, foraging on a beach on the northern side of Lake Ontario.

Insect eaters during the warmer months, they readily change over to eating berries in the fall.

I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Coming In For A Landing

 Great Blue Heron, landing gear down

GBHs are still here providing entertainment! The heron doesn't appear graceful in this photo but it did land quietly.

 Landed

Settling in

 Fishing

I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Birding Luck

 Birder with 600mm lens

I'm thinking this birder's photos must be spectacular as he had a great camera, a large zoom lens AND he was fairly close to the birds he was photographing.  But birding isn't all about expensive gear - though it helps for sure. Luck is involved too.

The photos taken by the birder above may look a lot like the ones I took below...

 Yellowlegs running after another yellowlegs

except his are views of the birds' backsides.  Luckily for me and my smaller lens, I was on the other side of the small pond and the birds headed in my direction.

Temper, temper!

I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Egret Taking Off

 Up,

This egret was quietly foraging for food when it heard a loud truck not too far away.

Up,

And away!

It took off so suddenly that my focus is a little off...but you get the idea.

I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Hawk Watch/Birding

 Hawk watcher #1, Cranberry Marsh

Hawk watch is the term fondly used to describe what is actually a raptor watch. Many migrating raptors (eagles, hawks, falcons and vultures) are heading southward to avoid Canada's winter.

  Hawk watcher #2, Cranberry Marsh

Many raptors fly through southern Ontario to the northern shores of Lake Ontario then head westerly  to cross into the U.S. between Lakes Ontario and Erie. Cranberry Marsh is one spot on Lake Ontario where the raptors  turn westerly.

 Spotting scope

To conserve energy on their long journey, raptors take advantage of strong updrafts to help them glide towards their destination. Since most raptors flying south are very high up, hawk watchers use binoculars and spotting scopes to help them identify which raptors are passing through. 

 Bald eagle flying over Cranberry Marsh

A few raptors did fly low enough for me to capture with my lens, but this bald eagle was likely not part of the official count as it was one of the "locals." In fact it was in the middle of a scuffle with another local bald eagle over the prize (whatever that is I don't know) this eagle was carrying in its claws.

Record keeping

I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Savannah Sparrow/Birding

Savannah Sparrow (Passercilus sandwichensis)

I find many sparrows difficult to identify, but not this one.  When I see a yellow patch by a sparrow's eye, I am pretty sure I am looking at a Savannah Sparrow. (FYI: A birder friend has just told me that White-throated Sparrows also have a yellow patch.  Thanks, Paul!) But these two are Savannah Sparrows.

Savannah Sparrows are are one of the most common sparrows across North America.

Hopping about in some grass

This sparrow is likely foraging for seeds. However during breeding season Savanah Sparrows also eat insects.

I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

Hummer/Birding

 Ruby-throated hummingbird

Hummingbirds have been hanging around my garden lately but every time I try to capture them with my camera, they disappear.  I took these photos on the first of September and have been waiting ever since to get better ones. Ha! Soon they'll be gone, headed for the Deep South and beyond.

 Heading towards Physotegia in a side garden

There are still plenty of blossoms full of nectar, but two acted as if there was only enough for one. I suspect they were squabbling siblings.

Hiding?

I am linking to I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.

What a Catch!/Birding

 Great Blue Heron scratching an itch

Last Wednesday, this young heron was fishing in a small local marsh.  It didn't seem to mind that I was there with my camera as it was focused on catching some lunch. But then it appeared to be tired of waiting and took time to scratch an itch.

Soon it decided to change it's fishing spot.  And there it discovered a small fish and swallowed it in one gulp.

Another small fish was downed quickly.

And still another small fish served as an appetizer.

 Swallowing

Delish!

 Catfish

And then it caught a really BIG fish! Doesn't the heron looked pleased with its catch?

I am linking with I'd Rather B Birdin'  HERE.