Year of the Owl (#235-236)

I've been holding off on this post for a while, but I think it's finally time to post. I hit the trails (I'm intentionally being a little vague here...) a few weeks ago on my birthday, hoping for another birthday lifer (remember last year?) This was probably a little optimistic but it was still a beautiful walk. The woods were feeling particularly magical with beautiful snow falling (and there ended up being a pretty major snowstorm that night). 

There were lots of deer and even a not-so-wild turkey that approached. I seriously thought I was going to have to run....

Someone has created a sweet little memorial with bird and deer feeders and beautiful little handmade wind catchers and a sign. I don't know if Deer George was a dude or a deer, but I thought that that is a very nice way to be remembered. 

Very keen nuthatch--normally they are a little more shy than this, but this one kept coming back again and again!

I did go back on the weekend as I was on a mission. While walking the trail, this white mass passed right overhead--I swear, I wouldn't have seen or heard it if I hadn't been looking in the right direction.  Some people farther down the trail spotted it where it had landed. We continued on for a 1-2 hour hike and when we came back, it was still sitting in the exact same spot, not giving a hoot (ha) about its onlookers (including several ankle biters located directly underneath it). 

#235: Barred Owl

heart-shaped face---love

orange feeders on the trail

There has been quite a bit of hubbub around here about even more owls. I finally spotted this one with some tips from a few birders. It was best the first time I saw it--when there was nobody else there. Now the area is getting pretty ridiculous in the same way Green's Creek is.

I adore this owl--it is quite tiny but very intense looking. He cocks his head to try and figure you out and rolls his head around on his neck and it's quite hilarious to watch.

#236: Northern Hawk Owl

It looks pretty aggressive in this next shot but it was actually just stretching its wings...slowly one wing came all the way down and then they both went up and it settled back down...moving in much the way a hobbit does.

need to fix the colour on these..I don't know what the heck happened

And finally, another wildlife sighting, something a little different, not too far from home. Spotted this coywolf/coydog (the jury is still out) in a farm field beside Eagleson and very close to home. Looks healthy anyway...

Foiled by GWFG x 4

Oh, hey there.

Well, I really wish I had some greater white-fronted geese to report. But I don't. Not that I didn't try. I tried plenty. But these geese are against me. Nemesis bird? One of many it seems.

Anyways, saw another hooded merganser pair while looking for the GWFGs. It was getting dark but I managed to this blurry shot from the window of the moving vehicle in fading light. 

I do have a few other things to share. First of all, I'm trying to organize my files and remembered a few shots I took on AI at end of February.
Saw a bunch of mallards hanging out on the ice at the ferry dock. Liked the way I caught this mallard with his wings spread out:

I remember seeing these two in a skirmish along Front Road. I should try harder with hawks because I just realized in retrospect that, while it's not a very good shot, it's diagnostic of a northern harrier. The rump was clearly white, and in a few other pics, you can really see the circle around the eyes. It's a facial disk similar to those of owls, which helps them to hear better as they rely on their hearing, as well as their sight to hunt. Oh hey, #125!

Can't quite tell if that's a crow or a raven with it...but it does look bigger than the harrier so maybe a raven?
#125: Northern Harrier; Amherst Island, Ontario; February 27, 2011

My friend Kardi came to visit on the weekend and we went to Sarsaparilla to feed the chickadees.  I thought this would be a fun activity for her boys, but I underestimated the patience/ability to stand still of 3 year olds. Anyways, this bird wasn't shy at all. The birds are so tame there that not only will the chickadees eat out of your hand, but so too will RB nuthatches, WB nuthatches and, go figure, the deer.

So? Let's get started! IDs 1-11

So, this all started on March 3, and here is what I have seen since then. I figure the first birds are easy, as I get the common ones under my belt.

ID#1: Wild Turkeys; March 7, 2010; near Carp

ID#2: White-breasted nuthatch; Mar 6, 2010; Sarsaparilla Trail, Ottawa

ID#3: Red-breasted nuthatch; March 6, 2010; Sarsaparilla trail, Ottawa

ID#4: Two Northern Cardinals; March 10, 2010; my backyard (Kanata)

Female:

Male:

ID#5: Pileated woodpecker; March 6, 2010; Kanata

ID#6: Hairy Woodpecker; March 6, 2010; Sarsaparilla Trail, Ottawa

ID#7: Downy Woodpecker; March 7, 2010; Kanata

ID#8: Mourning Dove; March 3, 2010; my backyard (Kanata)

ID#9: Dark-eyed Junco (I think?); March 3, 2010; my backyard (Kanata)

ID#10: Blue Jay; March 7, 2010; Jack Pine Trail, Ottawa

ID#11: Black-capped Chickadee; March 6, 2010; Sarsaparilla Trail, Ottawa

The last few days I've been wandering around my neighbourhood looking for more birds. So far, I've only seen more of the ones I've seen so far, and ones that are too far away to ID (for example, a reddish one that I don't think was a cardinal, what could have been 2 robins). Then there's the crows...and some birds I think are sparrow. I've also heard an owl 2 days in a row but he is very good at hiding! Also today, a few red-winged blackbirds on Moodie Drive from the bus, some Canada geese migrating and some ducks. Guess they'll have to wait tough until I can get my shots!