Winter Warblers Is this Possible??
Outdoor Ontario

Winter Warblers Is this Possible??

humewood

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Hello to all. I just joined your Birding site yesterday because I need someone's help. We have about 12 little birds at our feeder on the upper back balcony in downtown Toronto and they look like Warblers! I am not an ornithologist or a professional birder. We just love birds is all. We are very surprised to see these little creatures here in such bitter weather. I want these little ones to survive.

Years ago, we rescued a chestnut sided warbler from a cat. It had a broken leg so we took it to our Vet who fashioned a tiny, adhesive splint on the leg joint. (Leg was litteraly dangling!) We took the bird up to Quebec for the summer as the leg healed. We caught flies etc for it and  fed it freeze dried turtle food and mynah food which I made into a kind of porridge. The birds seemed OK with this, flew around the lodge and always settled back in its cage at night. He would call for food early in the morning and then be out around the lodge all day. He also caught flies etc for himself.  In the Fall, we returned to Toronto, took off the splint and the leg had healed. A bumpy prominence at the joint but birdie stood straight and flew well. We released him up in the country. I hope we did right.

Reason I tell  you all this is so you  understand that the birds I am seeing now look a lot like our warbler. I combed some sites on GOOGLE and the closest warbler to what I am seeing is the Black poll warbler. Are we a hallucinating or are these birds being seen by some of you in Toronto????

I found a blog called Warbling in Winter about a micro climate site and warblers in early winter. We may have created such a micro climate behind our property where the high efficiency furnace vents out the side of the building as a cloud of warm vapour. There are thick yews nearby as well.

Could some of you please tell me what these birds eat? We have suet, peanut butter, all sorts of seed etc but what are they eating? Can I find them something better? Thanks for any help. Heather
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »


BoboBird

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Posting some pictures would help.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »


lovemypt

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Very doubtful it would be a Blackpoll warbler as they are one of the most long-distance migratory warblers in the group...without seeing possible leads may be a female Goldfinch or female House finch , as you would get these easily to come to a feeder in the city
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »


Henrique Pacheco

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Maybe you could be confusing a black-capped chickadee with a breeding plumage blackpoll warbler.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »


humewood

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Thanks to all for help. No, we have chickadees and they are not those for sure. I looked at the picture of the goldfinch but the beak is wrong. These birds have black beaks, longer than a finch or sparrow or junco beak. Yesterday, I saw 12 of them. I have a couple of shots on my IPhone but don't know how to  transfer them to the iMac. Sorry, not very computer savvy. I will haul out my old Pentax and  try to get a shot of them but I will need to take the screen off the porch window.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »


Paul O'Toole

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Rotarran

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I think they might be Pine Siskins
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Today is a good day to bird!


Paul O'Toole

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Quote from: "Rotarran"
I think they might be Pine Siskins

Good guess for sure.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »