tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3543963834767584462024-03-14T00:52:10.583-04:00Jen the Bird NerdBirds. Photography. Bird photography.Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-56501607359602314302014-05-06T20:55:00.000-04:002014-05-06T20:55:12.670-04:00First hummer and orioleWe had two new arrivals today - a gorgeous male Baltimore Oriole and a female hummingbird. I guess that means summer's really on its way! :)Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-35588972119054014212014-04-25T20:13:00.000-04:002014-04-25T20:13:06.002-04:00Yard Bird species #67 & 68Two more yard birds for our list this week! An Eastern Meadowlark singing at the top of one of the trees out in our field, and a field sparrow. Our list is growing! :)Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-21078732585104699302014-04-18T14:41:00.000-04:002014-04-18T14:41:32.627-04:00Yard Bird species #65 & 66I know, I know, I've been really bad about updating. I'll try to do better, I promise. :)<br />
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Anyway, we had two new yard birds over the past month - a Northern Shrike and a small flock of Tundra Swans. Our list is slowly growing!Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-27572480752748370232013-12-11T20:01:00.003-05:002013-12-11T20:01:54.561-05:00Yard Bird Species #64I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I've updated this blog, but this - THIS - sighting called for it. Because tonight we got the coolest yard bird yet: a Snowy Owl. The hubby saw it on his way home tonight, then I saw it when I got home two-some-odd hours later. Hopefully it'll stick around for a while and I'll have a chance to get some pictures of it. :)Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-53070366391847038782013-05-08T09:45:00.001-04:002013-05-08T09:46:36.795-04:00First hummingbird of 2013Finally - FINALLY - had our first hummer of the year show up at the feeders this morning. It was a gorgeous little male, and he visited the Oriole feeder for a while before finding one of the feeders actually meant for him. This is 5 days later than last year, so I was starting to get a little worried.<br />
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In 2012, our first Baltimore Oriole showed up on May 2, and the hummers on May 3. We had our first Oriole on May 5 this year. So yeah, they all seem a bit delayed, but they're finally here! :)Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-13455731045809013542013-04-17T09:20:00.001-04:002013-04-17T09:21:33.734-04:00Yard Bird Species #63I know I've been really slacking at keeping this blog going lately, but I really haven't had a whole lot to report. That changed this morning with the arrival of Yard Bird Species #63 - a Brown Thrasher. Hopefully this is just the beginning of new birds stopping by our yard as they migrate through the area. :)Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-53177531760801050982013-01-07T15:23:00.000-05:002013-01-07T15:23:02.773-05:00Summer visitor in JanuaryI'm home sick with the flu, which really sucks. I'm feeling quite sorry for myself, actually, since this is Day 5 of feeling like crud. The good thing, though, is that I was sitting on the couch and I heard a strange bird call outside, so I decided to check it out. There, in our hopper feeder, sat a male Northern Flicker.<br />
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It's so strange. We've got winter birds everywhere - Redpolls (yes, still), Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, as well as year-round visitors like Goldfinches, Blue Jays, a Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpeckers, and far too many Mourning Doves (seriously, they're pretty birds, but they're horrible feeder hogs). And all of a sudden this Flicker shows up. I know it's not completely out of the ordinary for them to stick around for some of the winter, but this is the first I've seen outside of April - September.Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-3516636697153485312012-12-24T08:52:00.000-05:002012-12-24T08:52:10.289-05:00Winter finchesJust a quick post with a couple of pictures of our latest winter visitors.<br />
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Redpolls were one of my favorites birds when I was a kid, and I've only seen them a handful of times since then. We had one lonely little Redpoll show up in our yard last winter, but then this weekend we had a flock of 40-50 thoroughly enjoying our sunflower chip feeder. And they're back today, so hopefully they'll stick around for a little bit!<br />
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Anyway, I was able to take a break from Christmas prep yesterday to set up my blind and try to get a few pictures of these pretty little festive visitors. Hope you enjoy. :)<br />
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And Happy Holidays to everyone!<br />
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<br />Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-34508916158645430502012-10-10T08:45:00.001-04:002012-10-10T08:45:14.671-04:00Fall is hereThe last of our sweet little hummingbirds disappeared from our yard on September 24. I miss them already. *sigh* <br />
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We had our first Dark-eyed Juncos of the season at the feeder last night. I love those little birds - so pretty! I actually thought I saw one flitting around the pine trees out back about a week and a half ago (the white side tail feathers are pretty telling), but couldn't confirm it. But now they seem to be here to stay, since they were bopping around on the driveway this morning.<br />
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Haven't seen that many migrants passing through, really. We had our annual October Eastern Phoebe stop by briefly, and there was some kind of mystery warbler in the yard on Monday, but we didn't get a good enough look at it for an ID.<br />
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So yes, the season change is definitely upon us. Come ooooooon, snowy owls! :D <br />
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<br />Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-42116062163796927552012-09-17T18:49:00.001-04:002012-09-17T18:49:58.047-04:00Yardbird species #60, #61, and #62It's been a productive migration so far, in terms of visitors to our yard.<br />
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First we had a House Wren. Next, a juvenile Common Yellowthroat. And tonight, a Red-breasted Nuthatch was fighting the Goldfinches for sunflower seeds at one of our feeders.<br />
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Also, some exciting news for me. One of my hummingbird photos was published in Photo News Magazine. My first credited magazine publication! :)<br />
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On another note, we've got somewhere in the range of... oh, a billion Goldfinches in our yard right now. If anyone wants any, you're welcome to them. I love those little birds, but they're eating us out of house and home in the numbers they're in!Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-69279911894959769612012-08-20T11:06:00.001-04:002012-08-20T11:06:13.934-04:00Biiiiiig yawn!<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jen_stlouis_photography/7822680756/" title="Biiiiiig yawn!"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7822680756_7f25fc4816.jpg" alt="Biiiiiig yawn! by Jen St. Louis" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jen_stlouis_photography/7822680756/">Biiiiiig yawn!</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jen_stlouis_photography/">Jen St. Louis</a> on Flickr.</span></div><p>This little guy was far too cute to watch. He kept getting puffier and puffier as he settled onto the stick, and his blinking was getting slower... and then yawning. I've never seen a hummingbird yawn before, and was really lucky to get this shot. :)</p>Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-72659441891707942462012-07-03T10:03:00.000-04:002012-07-03T10:03:21.654-04:00Killdeer babies - found!I finally managed to track down the little fluff balls of cuteness known as baby Killdeer. They - and their parents - are pretty skittish, so I wasn't able to get very close. But I was able to work with the lighting conditions and distance as best as I could to get a few shots of them.<br />
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<br />Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-17053974401340556912012-06-26T16:14:00.000-04:002012-06-26T16:14:36.474-04:00Crippled hummingbirdDiscovered something very sad yesterday - our male hummingbird has a broken leg/foot. He seems to be doing okay - flies and feeds no problem, and still does the courtship dive for the females - but when he perches, he straddles the branch and his bad leg just dangles. It breaks my little heart to see him like this. :(<br />
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<br />Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-14206299174226290412012-06-24T10:14:00.001-04:002012-06-24T10:15:50.391-04:00Yard bird species #58 and #59Two new yard birds in the span of 24 hours. Not bad!<br />
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#58 - Cedar Waxwing. I know, it's a very common garden bird for a lot of people, but it's a first in ours.<br />
#59 - Pine Siskin. This guy has been hanging out with the Goldfinches and House Finches, and I thought it was a female House Finch. But then I got a better look at it, and I realized the beak was completely wrong and it had a yellow tint to its wings.<br />
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Yesterday morning I was outside trying to get some more pictures of my tree swallows, and I got to witness the babies fledge! It was pretty special to be able to see these little guys take flight for the first time ever. I felt a bit like a proud mom. They spent about half an hour working up their courage - first squeezing their shoulders out of the hole, then perching there with their little feet grasping the ledge, and then - jump and lift off! Now they're gone, and the nesting box will be empty until next spring. Maybe one of those babies will come back and start a family of its own. :)<br />
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I also reached new levels of bird nerdiness yesterday. I bought a small photography blind to set up in the backyard to allow me to photograph our birds more closely without disturbing them. Tried it out yesterday afternoon, and from a preliminary review of my pictures, I'd say it was a success! (That's actually how I realized the Pine Siskin wasn't a House Finch - I was able to get some pretty close-up pictures of it in our pond.) So we'll see how this works out. Hopefully I'll be able to get some pictures of yard birds who have eluded me so far - like the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and House Finches. I also really, really want to get some good Oriole pictures - NOT with them sitting on the feeder. Wish me luck!Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-87657216383328379682012-06-21T21:15:00.001-04:002012-06-21T21:15:47.807-04:00Killdeer babies!We have killdeer babies in our field! Dave spotted them and I actually saw one of the cute little critters as its parent was checking out the large puddle left by the rain we got today. My new mission is to stalk them and get pictures, because OMG I don't know if there are cuter baby birds out there than Killdeer babies.Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-15152685287588943402012-06-21T07:39:00.000-04:002012-06-21T07:39:56.701-04:00Tree swallow familyWe were finally able to get a peek at the babies in the nesting house in our backyard. There are at least two, but you can only see one in this shot.<br />
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<br />Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-60016011915570922842012-06-18T11:31:00.001-04:002012-06-18T11:32:47.109-04:00Finally, some pictures!Friday night I was able to spend half an hour shooting out my living room window (which is where I take a lot of my yard bird photos). Two female hummingbirds were semi-cooperative, and a male Baltimore Oriole posed all pretty-like just long enough for me to snap a couple of shots. Here are the results:<br />
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<br />Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-33953780270287648112012-06-11T12:50:00.001-04:002012-06-11T12:51:33.112-04:00Fledglings everywhereWork has been keeping me beyond busy the past month and a bit, so I haven't had much - or any - time to focus on taking pictures. Any spare time I have been spent trying to finish up the garden, and that's about it. That said, we've had <i>a lot </i>of bird activity lately.<br />
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<li>Lots of fledglings being fed in our yard: robins, starlings, grackles, sparrows, and house finches.</li>
<li>Our tree swallows must have hatched their eggs, because the activity level has been crazy. One is always inside the nesting box, and the other goes off and comes back a few minutes later with food. Then they'll switch off. Lather, rinse, repeat, from dawn 'til dusk.</li>
<li>We suspect there's a Killdeer nest not far off our driveway in the wheat field. We have a lot of them in the fields adjacent to our property, but they're usually pretty far out. (Except the last two weeks, when they've actually been bathing in our pond.) Anyway, there's an adult Killdeer in the same spot every time we come or go, and we figure it can't be coincidence. That has to be its designated guarding-the-nest spot. I want to try to find the little cuties (seriously, baby Killdeer are so freakin' cute it should be illegal), but I don't want to stress out the parents. </li>
<li>Baltimore Orioles are our new summer bird of plenty. Yesterday there were three adult males frolicking in our pond. Yes, at the same time. It was really odd, since they're usually so territorial towards each other. </li>
<li>Hummingbird activity is depressingly bad. We've got maybe two males and two females, and they don't stick around for long. They also don't seem to have developed any kind of behavioral pattern that would let me get any decent shots. Very frustrating. Hopefully activity will pick up in August again. *fingers crossed*</li>
</ul>Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-79879249469455497622012-05-07T18:00:00.001-04:002012-05-07T18:01:19.745-04:00Yard Bird Species #57We looked out our living room window this afternoon and saw a dark shape
in the tree where we regularly see a variety of hawks and falcons. Too
big to be a Merlin or Kestrel, I dismissed it as a small RTH. But then
my hubby asked, "Do red-tails have dark cheek patches?" So out came the
camera for an ID shot (and crappy ID shots, at that), and this was the
result:<br />
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Well, hello there, Mr. Peregrine Falcon! Wasn't expecting this guy at all. Quite a nice addition to our yard bird list. :)Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-56911724611251463842012-05-07T15:38:00.002-04:002012-05-07T15:40:54.149-04:00Bird boomIt seems like the spring & summer birds have arrived in droves as of last Wednesday. Now we've got our Orioles, hummers, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks back. And the White-crowned Sparrows have taken over the yard. From a single bird on Wednesday, we've now got more than a dozen at any given time.<br />
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I haven't seen the little female hummer that showed up Thursday morning, but we've had a couple of males posturing with each other the past couple of days. They were even sitting about a foot away from each other in the lilac tree yesterday, without putting up a fuss. Very odd behavior, if you ask me. Haven't been able to get a decent shot of them yet, though.
In the meantime, here are a few of my non-hummingbird yard bird photos from the weekend:<br />
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White-crowned Sparrow
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American Goldfinch
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Chipping Sparrow
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7006013762_cc7a644497.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="396" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7006013762_cc7a644497.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-13187945309771578462012-05-03T08:43:00.003-04:002012-05-03T08:43:48.137-04:00I win!Our first hummingbird of the year made an appearance this morning! A little female was working the two feeders in the backyard around 7:00 AM. Yay! :)Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-78832635557895824312012-05-02T19:43:00.002-04:002012-05-03T08:44:42.980-04:00Colours of SpringMan, our yard was a colourful - and busy - place tonight. At one point, we had a Cardinal, Baltimore Oriole, Tree Swallows, a Barn Swallow, Bluebirds, Goldfinches, and House Finches, plus the usual suspects, like Downy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, and five species of sparrows. This collection included three first-of-the-season arrivals: Oriole (soooo happy to see this guy), White-crowned Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrow. Now all we're missing is Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Hummingbirds.
Today was Dave's day in the "When will we see our first hummer?" pool. It's getting dark, now, so I think it's safe to say he didn't win. My guess is tomorrow, so we'll see what happens. ;-)
Anybody else have any Spring migrants moving through?Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-59216920380079425452012-04-19T19:06:00.001-04:002012-04-19T19:06:51.470-04:00Blue is one of my favourite coloursOur first Eastern Bluebird of the year made an appearance tonight - a beautiful, bright male. He spent a very leisurely 10 or 15 minutes checking out our backyard, including the nesting boxes, clothesline, pond, and feeder holders. Hopefully he'll stick around - and bring a lady with him. :) Things could get interesting if they decide they want the same house the Tree Swallows seem to be thinking about claiming.<br />
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Last night at the dog park I got my first really good look at a Pileated Woodpecker. The ones I'd seen before were always in shadow or silhouette, but this one kept sticking his head around the tree into the sunlight. So pretty!<br />
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I need to start taking my camera to the dog park. An Osprey flew over a few times on Tuesday night, we've had a Meadowlark, some very loud cardinals... At the very least, we need to take binoculars, so we have a better chance of IDing some of the birds that don't come quite close enough to ID without help.<br />
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No hummingbirds yet, though we've got two feeders out for them. We do, however, have a ton of butterflies. Apparently there's a mass migration of Red Admirals going on, and yeah - they're everywhere. And they're so fast they keep fooling us into thinking it could be a hummer. Bah.Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-79243917464087546962012-04-05T10:24:00.002-04:002012-04-05T10:24:23.975-04:00NOW it feels like SpringLast night at the dog park, there was an Eastern Meadowlark up in a tree singing its little heart out for all to hear. Literally - it was LOUD. But so, so pretty.<br />
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This morning, I knew Spring was really here. Our Tree Swallows are back! A pair of them were hanging out on the clothesline this morning, which made me soooo happy. <br />
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Meadowlarks and Swallows are on my "To get GOOD pictures of this year" list. Here's hoping! :)Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-354396383476758446.post-15015042471169857602012-04-03T10:26:00.000-04:002012-04-03T10:26:19.767-04:00More spring arrivalsWe had a brutal cold snap last week that I thought was going to kill all my plants - not so! They're still growing like crazy, and I think we're still going to have a really early spring blooming.<br />
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Our first Northern Flicker of the year showed up in our yard on Sunday, foraging for bugs where our yard meets the unplowed farm field. <br />
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I actually ended up putting out our oriole and hummingbird feeders last week, because the migration maps are showing them much farther North than they usually are this time of year. Since it's too early for most of the nectar-rich flowers to be out yet, feeders are essential to help early migrants survive. And just a few minutes ago I received a report of a hummingbird spotted in Guelph (which is about 20 - 25 minutes from us). I'll be putting out a second hummer feeder tonight, I think.Jen the Bird Nerdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14500177023339917960noreply@blogger.com0