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Outdoor Ontario

Recent Posts

41
Ontario Birds / WREN
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 08, 2025, 08:10:25 AM »
 When is a late spring tiny wren not a Sedge wren?  That only happens when it is a Marsh wren.  The two species look very similar but work in a different habitat, although both habitats can be in close proximity.  A Sedge wren has a thicker mandible and a speckled shoulder and a striped crown, while a Marsh wren has a dark shoulder and solid brown crown.  They also have different calls but let’s not get too definitive. Both wrens are shy.  They are most often hidden within grass, reeds, or a shrub. 
 
 Their call is loud and makes the wren seem closer than it actually is.  I watched a Marsh wren return to the same stunted shrub again and again.  Not only the same shrub, but the same spot within that annoyingly dense shrub.  It’s murder to focus on a small bird in a dense shrub, or is it ... a dense bird in a small shrub?
 
 Either way, it wrangles when the wren keeps returning to the same spot, never exposing itself like an uninhibited pervert.  It somehow mysteriously seems to know that its behaviour drives me nuts.  I even put on tele-converters onto my lens, thus losing sight of the lens hood because I’m shortsighted. I thought that I could manually focus onto that tiny wren’s head.  It worked, but it’s not much of a shot.  I removed my tele-converters to everyone’s relief because birders don’t like it when you make a spectacle of yourself.
 
 Fortunately, other Marsh wrens came to the rescue and popped out of the wet grass to take a look.  They also kept on calling, repetitively, over and over again.  I’m glad that I didn’t know what they were saying.  Probably pointing out my tautology.



Marsh wren @ 600mm





Hidden Marsh wren @ 1200mm





Sympathetic wren revealing itself





I think that this is my best side



42
Ontario Birds / The Ospreys
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 07, 2025, 07:20:45 AM »
Ah, ... listen ... I swear, ... it's not what it looks like.

43
Backyard Birding / Birding from the deck/driveway @ the beach Red Bellied.
« Last post by Napper on June 06, 2025, 07:13:00 PM »
Technically we were on the deck when my wife said to me there is something making a banging noise right there.
I realized it was a Red Bellied and cautiously went for the camera knowing it was far too dark.I am using my vehicle as a brace. The tree is a Catalpa. Narrow laneway in front of house.
Grabbed a couple of shots.


Napper18:30 hrs ish
44
Ontario Birds / Bluebirds
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 06, 2025, 05:31:23 PM »
 Even Cowgirls get the Blues. That is the title of a book from 1976, written by Tom Robbins. It was also made into a film, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Uma Thurman.  I can still feel the book in my hands from almost 50 years ago. I categorically deny feeling Uma Thurman in my hands.  Is that even possible with muscle memory.  Surely, those muscles have long since atrophied.  I’ve looked in the mirror with a wince and I can’t seem to find any muscle.  Muscle memory is a strange phenomenon.  Even those afflicted with Parkinson’s disease and therefore have trouble walking may have less difficulty riding a bike due to muscle memory.
 
 
 Anyway,  in celebration of contrived segues, I wonder if bluebirds ever get the blues?  Yes, quite right, it is a stupid question.  I’ve always had a thing for bluebirds and stupid questions.  A dearth of one and an over-abundance of the other.  It must be the colour blue, painted on a bird, because a blue sky, while very nice indeed, doesn’t quite enchant.  Blue butterflies are also a special treat and seldom seen.  Then there are blue beetles, blue flowers, Blue Meanies, whatever they are ... mushrooms I think.  It took years before I saw my first bluebird and that sad history made me blue. I wore out my Miles Davis album during that interval.  Now, I get to see a bluebird, or two, most every year, since I’ve divined where to look. The female and male (below) are best photographed during overcast weather with diffused light.  All the rest of the bluebirds are probably fine in Full Sun.  I’ve been reading too many plant tabs at my local gardener.  A sort of ocular – psycho – conditioning, I guess.












45
Backyard Birding / Re: Birding from the Deck
« Last post by Napper on June 06, 2025, 04:43:55 PM »
Yep GCFC it was in the garden then along the edge.
I am thinking they have a nest very close by as they are vocal all day long around the yard.

What you are seeing is the railing of the deck, was trying to sneak up on the bird.



46
Backyard Birding / Re: Birding from the Deck
« Last post by Shortsighted on June 05, 2025, 02:47:08 PM »
Hanging around the yard, eh.  Then you put them to work in the garden.  Well done!  Now on the internet cable ... that one must be the cable guy.  Thought experiment:  Put some syrup on your nose, don a bright red plastic rain coat and a matching red rain hat and then stand absolutely still for a half hour.  See what the hummer does.  As an added incentive ... maybe even hang a sign around your neck ... "FREE".   I guess that it would never work out.  You would need to have validation by way of a picture and who is going to serve that role.  One thing is certain, it's never been done before.
47
Backyard Birding / Re: Birding from the Deck
« Last post by Napper on June 05, 2025, 02:18:32 PM »
The Great Creasted Flycatchers are still hanging around the yard. One was in the garden yesterday.Two today in Lilac and then on Internet cable.Unexpected Yard bird (s).
Male hummingbird is still attracted to my red black oil seed feeder.
Napper :)
48
I headed east on the #401 this morning at about 6:45 in order to visit McLaughlin Bay Reserve in Oshawa in hopes of maybe seeing some shorebirds, even though it is a little late for that.  A couple of turnoffs before mine the highway just stopped.  Big accident (apparently) and all the lanes were closed.  I got off as soon as I could.  I didn't mean that the way it sounded.  Once free of the lock-down I managed to get to the wildlife reserve.
Not much to report.  There were Yellow warblers in numbers, as well as a few Common yellowthroat warblers (males), Eastern kingbirds, House wrens and the usual species.  Greg's Pond had swans and two cignets that stayed very close to their parents.  Also, two Common coots and a Morhen.  Once on the beach I heard nothing, not even killdeer.  By the time I reached Beaton Point there were indeed three killdeer and one Piping plover, although its mate was around somewhere.  A small flock flew around but didn't land.  I thought that they were Ruddy turnstone but now I think that they were too small, probably White-rumped sandpipers.
Cranberry Marsh in Whitby was also quite dead.  Geese and gulls, none of which were unusual species.  An osprey did fly by while being harassed by blackbirds.















49
Non-Ontario Birds / Re: California Central Coast and Santa Cruz Island
« Last post by Dr. John on June 04, 2025, 10:30:23 AM »
The island foxes are quite small - when I first saw it, I had assumed it was someone's puppy that they had illegally brought to the island.  It was about the size of a cat.  So a mini-foxote then.
50
Backyard Birding / Re: Birding from the Deck
« Last post by Napper on June 03, 2025, 06:51:26 PM »
Too smokey to see anything last evening, Moon was orange
re: yesterday
Was trying get an image of the Cardinal and the Goldfinch together, it was too dark
Then the Hummingbird started buzzing around
Napper:)