Ice Fog and Mild Temperatures

Traffic has not been that heavy at the birdfeeder. The spruce trees are heavy with snow and ice. We have had a sort of ice fog several mornings in a row that coats all the tree branches and wires. The result is a beautiful ice etching against the blue skies.

This is the time of year when annual bird counts are taken. The list I saw from a Regina group overlaps quite extensively with birds I have seen hereabouts. The one expection is the "sterling". Around here I have only noticed starlings! They also note that they saw rock doves whereas around here they are pigeons!

At the feeder the last few days there have been: chickadees (photo), red-breasted nuthatches, and a few house sparrows. Fortunately the number of sparrows has declined and so all the feed is not tossed on the ground!

In the countryside we saw a few more snow buntings and the occasional raven.

Downy woodpecker back

Yesterday a downy woodpecker visited the feeder a number of times. Actually, it possibly might be a hairy as it seemed to me a bit larger than the last downy I saw some time ago.
There were also a few more redpolls yesterday as well as the usual red-breasted nuthatches and plenty of chickadees. There are some house sparrows but no large flocks. We saw another flock of snow buntings on our travels on Xmas day.

Redpolls at the feeder.

I guess the weather was not very good at many places for the annual bird count. The weather is fine here but I did not go out counting. However, for the first time this fall I have seen redpolls at the feeder. I have seen a few flocks in the countryside but this is the first time they have visited. There is not a flock just a few individual birds. Once in a while a Savannah sparrow still visits and the occasional red-breasted nuthatch. Chickadees are common. However, there is not heavy traffic at the feeder. I have not had to fill the feeder for almost a week now. There seem to be only a few house sparrows and that means the food is not scattered on the ground too much.

On our trips outside the village we see occasional ravens and today we saw two flocks of snow buntings.
Merry Xmas everyone...

First Day of Winter

We have not seen any flocks of snow buntings or redpolls of late but yesterday in Shoal Lake we saw plenty of pigeons. They frequent an older style grain elevator. No doubt it is a good habitat for them. Aside from the pigeons we only saw a few ravens always alone or at most a pair.

The feeder is not as busy as it was. There are fewer sparrows and the ones that do come do not unload all the seed unto the ground. I have seen a number of chickadees but only few red-breasted nuthatches. I have not seen any Savannah sparrows for the last couple of days.

Finally a magpie!

Finally we saw a magpie(photo) on our way to the dump but not at the dump itself. At the dump there were over half a dozen ravens searching through the trash for lunch. Magpies do not seem to be all that common hereabouts for some reason. They appear off and on for a while and then they seem to disappear from the scene.

There are plenty of chickadees these days at the feeder. THe house sparrow invasion has tapered off a bit. There is still a Savannah sparrow visiting regularly and a few red-breasted nuthatches.

A large flock of snow buntings

We ended up just visiting friends in Southwestern Manitoba and returning the same night. My old 1500 dollar car misbehaved on the way back but we made it OK. I think the car is saying that it has given me back more than the 1500 I invested a year and a half ago!

We saw few birds along the way. However, there were a few ravens usually singles or at most pairs. However, south of Virden we encountered a very large flock of snow buntings. I thought we would have regular sighting of them in our over a hundred mile trip but those were the only ones we saw.

The feeder still has the regulars but I actually saw two Savannah sparrows at the feeder yesterday so at least we have one new species along with the chickadees, house sparrows, and red-breasted nuthatches.

A Savannah sparrow

There is at least one Savannah sparrow visiting the feeder today. This is the first time I have seen one since the snow came. The regular feeders are: house sparrows, chickadees, and red-breasted nuthatches.

Traveling to the next town to shop this morning we saw a couple of flocks of snow buntings again. This time we saw them a bit closer and they do look quite a bit like the photos I have seen on the net. They are larger than I thought the other day. We even got a glimpse of a few landing in a field. They do not seem to come into the village. At least none have visited our feeder.

We will be on the road over the weekend going to southwestern Manitoba and then on to Regina Sask. so I will keep my eyes open for new birds.

Snow buntings?

We saw several flocks of birds that were partially white and in flight the white patches stand out clearly. They may very well be snow buntings (photo). There are snow buntings in this area in the winter but photos I found on the internet do not look quite the same. The birds in the photos seem larger than what we saw. Perhaps these were redpolls but there seemed too much white present for that to be the case.
Unfortunately I have not yet seen these birds on the ground or up close. They are always at a distance and flying quite quickly.

The bird feeder has the usual visitors. First and foremost house sparrows but quite a few black capped chicadees these days and visits by red-breasted nuthatches are quite common. I am always on the lookout for a new bird but so far have had no luck.

Warming up a bit

The weather is moderating somewhat but there is still no sign of the lone junco that was around a few days ago. No new birds have visited the feeder. Groups of sparrows are still visiting regularly and eating voraciously. Certainly many of the sparrows look very plump and well coated with fat for the winter. The sparrows are visiting in smaller groups thank goodness. There is even room on the feeder for a chickadee (photo) or red-breasted nuthatch to butt in and snatch a seed.

Along the highway we encountered another large flock of redpolls but they still have not discovered our feeder. Perhaps they are finding enough feed on their own.

Ravens and Redpolls

On our trips out of town there are few birds to be seen but a couple of days ago we saw a large flock of birds, probably redpolls. Yesterday, we saw a much smaller group that also appeared to be redpolls. So far no redpolls have appeared at the feeder. Last year there were quite a few from time to time. The only other birds we have seen in the countryside late are ravens. They often appear singly or in pairs.

The feeder is busy but mostly with the occasional visits of sparrows who consume a great deal of seeds and distribute even more. There are also quite a few chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches.

The record cold weather is continuing in spite of global warming! The windchill this morning was minus forty three. This is about as bad as it gets anytime in the winter. The actual temperature is minus 29. We go quite a bit lower than that but usually the wind dies down so windchills don't usually go into the minus forties.

So far I haven't bothered to plug in our old 93 Acclaim but it is in a garage so that may help. One of these chilly mornings it may decide enough is enough and not go.

I haven't seen the lone slate coloured junco the last couple of days. Maybe the weather finally did it in.

Frigid weather continues

The feeder is refilled. I finally braved the freezing cold and wind and also the snow. I had to clear a way across the lawn and to the garage to access my bird seed. There are still intermittent visits by flocks of house sparrows. I counted around sixty in one flock. Even while they were feeding a couple of red-breasted nuthatches were able to muscle their way to the feeder and pick up some seeds before flitting back to the spruce trees.

The lone junco is still about. Sometimes he or she is the only bird feeding. Its wing is definitely a bit abnormal although it seems to be able to fly OK around the yard. Perhaps it will stay for the whole winter unless the weather is so severe that it freezes. It is after ten o'clock AM and the temperature is still minus 29. Fortunately, the wind is almost calm for now. Of course when the temperature warms up a bit the wind goes up too making the wind chills much higher.

Feeder running on empty

Since it was Sunday yesterday and very cold I did not venture out the whole day, and as a result the feeder is almost completely empty. It is raided from time to time by voracious flocks of house sparrows. However there are several other types of birds visiting. There seem to be a few red-breasted nuthatches that roam the spruce trees searching the bark for something to eat and then dashing to the feeder for a much easier way to get food. Chickadees are also back in some numbers, enough that I have seen at least two at the feeder at once.

The lone slate coloured junco is still around. He is often completely alone at the base of the feeder eating dropped sunflower seeds. I just wonder if he is completely well as he should be far south by now. At least the cold hasn't killed him. He seems to fly without trouble but I noticed when his wings are folded one sticks out slightly. Perhaps he cannot fly long distances.

Frigid weather

The weather has turned very frigid. Last night the windchill was minus 35 C or more and tonight the temperature it to go to minus 27 C but at least the wind is not very strong.

The sparrows must be fattening up for the cold weather as they are eating a lot of sunflower seeds. I see some chicadees back feeding again as are red-breasted nuthatches (photo).

On trips out of town I have seen mostly a few ravens but near a damn at Rivers where there is still water flowing at the foot of the damn I could see some ducks but I was not close enough to identify them.

I guess all the snowbirds who are going south have gone already! The chickens!

A lonely cold Junco

There are flocks of house sparrows voraciously eating from the feeder now. I think they anticipated our recent snow flurries and the very cold weather we have now. It is close to minus thirty C this morning.

Just outside the ring of sparrows below the feeder is a lone junco (dark-eyed or slate coloured who knows!). It must have been reading that global warming is happening much faster than anticipated. All his brethern are skeptics and left for the south about a month ago.

I have seen a number of chickadees the last couple of days. They seemed to be missing for a time. There are also several red-breasted nuthatches.

A pine siskin and red-breasted nuthatch

This morning the ground is covered with a thin layer of snow. A large flock of house sparrows invaded the feeder and managed to toss some of the seeds on the snow where it is picked up by many of the sparrows.
Yesterday I saw a long red-breasted nuthatch visiting the feeder. A flock of sparrows also appeared and along with them was a lone pine siskin. The sparrows are somewhat larger than the poor siskin. The siskin did not seem to be attacked even though it was certainly a minority of one in the large flock. Of course it was crowded when it decided it had a claim on the feeder space not just the space on the ground where there was a lot of fallen seed.

A blue jay

There are very few birds at the feeder. All I have seen are occasional groups of sparrows who do not stay very long. Perhaps I will need to replace the seed I have now with all sunflower seeds or maybe it is just the time of year.

We drove out into the country the other day to a farmer friend who lives not far from the west boundary of Riding Mountain Park. While we were seated in his kitchen I saw a group of cedar waxwings feeding on berries that were in a hedge by his drive. After they left a lone blue jay also came and feasted on the berries.

On the way to and from the farm all we saw in the way of birds were an occasional raven.

Ravens and pigeons

The bird feeder is not busy at all. Perhaps I need to change the feed so that I just have sunflower seeds again. Some people around here say that the mixed seed is not very popular with some birds. Sparrows seem to like it OK but not much else!

On route to Shoal Lake the other day I saw several ravens but that is all. In the town itself there was a large flock of pigeons that frequent an old elevator in the town. Birds must be hibernating!! Actually there seem to be more once winter gets established and there is lots of snow. I assume that is because food is scarcer.

Slow days at the feeder

There has been some snow, lots of wind, and cool weather but it is warming up today. The snow will all be gone by around noon I expect. I have not been out in the countryside to see any birds but at the feeder there are very few.

The house sparrows are still present but not in large numbers. Aside from the sparrows I have only seen a few red-breasted nuthatches and black-capped chickadees (photo). It is just a slow period. Perhaps when winter arrives traffic will increase. At least I do not have to fill the feeder every few days!

Snow on the ground!

Strangely enough when it started to snow and blow I didn't see any birds at the feeder. I thought they would be hungry. Even after the snow had stopped not many birds came. The first birds back were the house sparrows (photo). They were lazy. They only ate from the side of the feeder that had no snow banked on it. THe other side they just ignored.

Today the snow has melted from the feeder but there is still some in the grass and at the sides of the road. More birds are visiting but it is not busy as it was before the snow and colder weather came. I have seen a few chickadees and the odd red-breasted nuthatch but that is about all so far. Maybe things will look up next week.

Just a few flurries

The weather is cool and windy often below freezing at night but so far we have had only a few flurries that have melted away quickly. On the way to shopping yesterday I saw two ravens and one magpie(photo). There were no other birds to be seen. The geese must be all gone or most of them at least. The sloughs are freezing over already.

At the feeder house sparrows are still predominant. However this morning the feeder was not too busy. At leastl the chickadees and red-breasted nuthatches had an opportunity to dart back and forth without encountering a wall of sparrows already on the feeder! No juncos in sight. Perhaps they are already moved on south.

Signs of winter coming.

The weather is getting quite cool with temperatures dipping below freezing during the overnight period. We have had quite strong winds and also a few brief flurries. There are still geese about but many have already flown south.

The feeder is busy but the variety of birds seems not to be increasing. The house sparrow dominates more than ever. However, there are still quite a few red-breasted nuthatches, and the faithful chickadees (photo) that are here all year long. I have not seen any juncos the last few days. It seems a bit early for them all to have passed through. I did see another downy woodpecker yesterday.

Still ducks, geese, and gulls around

We drove to Brandon yesterday. There were ducks in many sloughs. We saw a number of mallards(photo). We saw several farmers cultivating fields with flocks of herring gulls following to feast on whatever was unearthed. We also saw several magpies although they are few and far between.

The feeder is still busy but with the regulars: house sparrows, red- breasted nuthatches, pine siskins, and chickadees. We bought some different seed rather than just sunflowers we have a mixture. Perhaps some new species will appear.

The Usual Visitors

The feeder is busy but there are no new birds. The most common visitors are still house sparrows. However I saw as many as three chickadees at once. There are also more red breasted nuthatches than usual. There are also quite a few pine siskins. The slate coloured juncos are not as common as some years but there are a few. No doubt there are more at other locales.

Another Downy Woodpecker

At the feeder yesterday, a downy woodpeck appeared. They are not that common. I have not seen any northern flickers lately. They are around all winter but only visit the yard occasionally. I have never seen one at the feeder as they are rather large.
The usual house sparrows are busy dumping out seed. There are still plenty of juncos but they do not usually eat from the seeder. They hop around the yard or pick up seeds from under the feeder.
Red-breasted nuthatches are rather common. I saw three at one time at the feeder, most unusual. Purple finches appear from time to time. Chickadees are constant visitors and there is the odd purple finch. Pine siskins are still common visitors.

Geese are still flying south every day so far. Once the weather turns colder they will soon all be gone. We are enjoying almost Indian summer weather these days although the wind is often cold.

Many flocks of geese, mostly Canada geese

I was outside for a while in the yard and there were flocks and flocks of geese flying over. There was a lot of honking so most must have been Canada geese.

The bird feeder is busy most of the time. There was one period this morning when the feeder had about six pine siskins at once (photo). There were also quite a few red breasted nuthatches and a few chickadees. House sparrows are still plentiful and there is the odd purple finch.

On the ground around the trees slate coloured juncos are still common, not having moved further south yet. It has not been all that cold so I suppose birds including the geese may be around for a while yet.

Savannah sparrows appear again

There were several Savannah sparrows at the bird feeder again. I had not seen any for several days now. There are still hordes of sparrows who insist on dumping seed on the sidewalk.
There are quite a few red breasted nuthatches every day as well as the always present black capped chickadees. There are also quite a few slate coloured juncos still around and also pine siskins as well as purple finches.
Out in the country I saw two magpies as well as several crows or ravens. This time of year I am never sure. The crows go south but tnen ravens drift in from the north.

More snow geese in the fields.

We drove to Russell yesterday and again we saw a field with many snow geese browsing on the ground. I assume there is plenty of grain dropped by the combine. There are a few crows or ravens about but not many other birds.

At the feeder there are still slate coloured juncos, red breasted nuthatches (photo),
house sparrows, chickadees, and some purple finches and pine siskins. The nuthatches seem more prevalent than usual.

Late Leavers

On Friday we drove to near Roblin to a farm. In the yard there were high bush cranberries. Lo and behold there were quite a few robins eating the berries. It is getting rather late for robins to be still here but I guess as long as there is food and it is not too cold they will stay. There were also many slate coloured juncos. On the way home we saw a newly cultivated field replete with herring gulls. They too are staying late. I assume come the first big freeze or snow they will finally get the message and fly south.

Snow Geese Flying south

On the way to shop in Shoal Lake the other day we saw a large flock of snow geese in a field. Some were white but not all of them and perhaps there were other geese mixed in. The photo is of a flock at sunset--not here but in the northern US just south of us.
There are plenty of pine siskins around and also nuthatches, chickadees, and several purple finches. Of course there are oodles of house sparrows as well. There are some slate coloured juncos but not that many as yet.

Several purple finches

For the first time I saw several purple finches at the bird feeder at one time (photo). There have been many red-breasted nuthatches visiting and also there was one downy woodpecker, the first I have seen in some time. As usual chickadees are still around. The most common birds are house sparrows in large flocks and plenty of pine siskins as well.

Many Canada Geese: Honkers

We drove to Russell yesterday. In Russell there were many flights of Canada geese overhead. The noise of their honking was so loud that a nearby dog started up howling when they passed overhead!

On the way home we passed a newly cultivated feed. There were numerous herring gulls feasting on whatever grubs or insects had been uncovered.

The feeder is still busy. There are plenty of house sparrows and pine siskins (photo) as well as chickadees, and nuthatches. The other day I saw another Harris sparrow.

Two Crows and a Magpie

In the countryside on the way to shopping at Rossburn we saw two crows and a magpie. I have seen very few magpies this year for some reason. We also saw a hawk but we were not close enough to identify it.

THe feeder is still busy with the usual house sparrows, pine siskins, chickadess, and red-breasted nuthatches. There are a few slate coloured juncos around as well.

Another junco or so!

There was at least one slate coloured (or dark-eyed) junco along with the house sparrows at the feeder this morning. There was also a Harris sparrow again. There are still plenty of pine siskins and there wads a purple finch as well. Red breasted nuthatches as well as chickadees are present every day.
I hear flocks of geese going overhead quite regularly these days. Most of them so far seem to be Canada geese.

A number of nuthatches visiting

There are more nuthatches visiting the feeder than usual. Perhaps there are not too many insects to be found in the spruce bark. The feeder ran out of sunflowers again and I had to refill it.
The usual flocks of house sparrows do their usual damage by emptying out seeds! There are still quite a few chickadees, and pine siskins, and today I saw several Savannah sparrows again. I also saw a couple of purple finches.

Many slate coloured juncos

We were in the country all day plucking and cleaning chickens. Of course I just watched and enjoyed the scenery. There were quite a few dark-eyed or slate coloured juncos around the bush at the farm yardsite. I saw also one magpie and a crow. Overhead there were numerous flocks of Canada geese the whole day.

A few southbound snow geese

On the way to the next town shopping yesterday we saw about a half dozen snow geese flying south. These are the first I have seen. There are usually large flocks passing over when they start to leave.

I did not see any more slate coloured juncos today but there were plenty of redbreasted nuthatches, chickadees, pine siskins, and of course house sparrows.

The wind was strong enough to blow the feeder off its foundations but I have put it back more firmly I hope.

Another Harris sparrow

I saw a Harris sparrow this morning, the first I have seen for some time. There were a lot of red-breasted nuthatches visiting today more at once then I have seen so far. There were also several purple finches again. As usual there are chickadees as well and pine siskins but the house sparrows are still coming in substantial flocks.\

This morning I also saw the first slate coloured junco of the fall season. No doubt they will soon be here in large numbers.

Hordes of sparrows visit the feeder from time to time and cause havoc. They insist on scratching and pecking seeds out onto the ground. There are still plenty of other birds. I have seen several purple finches again (photo) and chickadees and red breasted nuthatches visit frequently. The second most common birds are pine siskins. The goldfinches must no be all or mostly gone. I think that some I thought were female goldfinches are actually pine siskins. There are still a few crows about.

Still hordes of house sparrows

I think the sparrows must be fattening up for the winter. They all look plump and well fed. There are some larger flocks of two or three dozen some of which are all sparrows. However there are often sparrows mixed in with other birds at the feeder. Today there were plenty of pine siskins but I did not see any purple finches or savannah sparrows. There are also chickadees(photo) and red-breasted nuthatches, both are frequent visitors.

Rising cost of feeding birds

Our low cost sunflower seed supplier ran out between this morning and this afternoon when my wife went to pick up a sack. I ended up paying 18.00 for a sack at a hardware store. It seems the prices of sunflowers are rising. I didn't notice so many fields planted this year, perhaps because of high prices for other grains.

Anyway the birds were happy to start wasting seeds as fast as they could again. Some of my friends just give up and quite feeding when the sparrows start to make runs on their feeders! Actually I have a soft spot for house sparrows. At least they stay with us all winter. Usually there will be a few sparrows around when there is no other bird to be seen.

Right now though there is still a fairly good representation. Not all the goldfinches are gone yet (photo). There are plenty of savannah sparrows, pine siskins and purple finches. The last few days red breasted nuthatches are frequent visitors as well.

More birds bound for the south

Although I have not heard or seen large numbers of geese departing yet, yesterday there was a huge flock of black birds along the highway. They may be red-wing blackbirds from further north or perhaps starlings. We did not get close enough to identify them.

There are quite a few nuthatches (photo) about and at the feeder. Yesterday we also saw about half a dozen northern flickers around the yard. Chickadees are also daily visitors as are purple finches, pine siskins, and savannah sparrows. There are still a few goldfinches around but mostly females. Maybe they are hardier! Large flocks of house sparrows are regular raiders of the feeder. They should be out in the fields eating grain!

Two Crows!

I took a trip to the dump and on the way I saw two crows along the highway. At least I assume they are crows. Soon they will be replaced by ravens who come here from the north for the winter.

There have been quite a few red breasted nuthatches visiting the feeder and also several purple finches. Chickadees are still common as well. I found a dead pine siskin near the feeder. I have no idea what was wrong perhaps he hit the window and broke his neck but I rather doubt it. There are still savannah sparrows, and again today I saw a female goldfinch. The most common birds though are flocks of house sparrows. I wish they would stay in the fields where there must be plenty of grain for them on the ground. There have been very few flocks of geese going south as yet.

Fewer visitors

There have been fewer birds at the feeder the last couple of days. Still some flocks of sparrows visit from time to time and scatter seed about. There are still the usual varieties of birds: house sparrows foremost, savannah sparrows, pine siskins, red breasted nuthatch, chickadees, and still the odd goldfinch at this late date.
When we went to shop at a nearby town I saw some herring gulls still around. They were following behind a tractor that was cultivating. There is still some grain to be harvest around here as light rains have made the grain too damp to thresh.

Voracious sparrows

The female house sparrows are the most messy when it comes to scattering seed from the feeder. The spilled seeds got wet and my wife gathered them and set them on the back porch to dry. When we returned from shopping there were hardly any seeds left in the pan. Some had been eaten but most had just been scattered all over outside the pan!

I finally decided to take down the hummingbird feeders. There have been no hummingbirds for about a week and last night there was a heavy frost so if they are not all gone they will be frozen!

There are still plenty of savannah sparrows about as well as pine siskins, and I saw a goldfinch at the feeder again today. I thought they would be all gone. I saw more than one purple finch at a time and there are probably several red breasted nuthatches as well or at least if there is just one it must be very hungry.

Sunflower seed consumption

I used up a large sack of sunflower seeds in about a month. The general store where I buy them is out so I had to go to the regular hardware and buy a smaller bag until the new stock comes in. Apparently the cost of sunflower seeds is climbing just like oil and gas! The farmers should be happy with grain prices as well but the yields are not that marvelous.

There seem to regular visits by nuthatches (photo) these days but it is large flocks of sparrows that seem to clean out the feeder regularly. With the smaller flocks there are often purple finches, savannah sparrows, pine siskins, and still the odd goldfinch mixed in. Chickadees are still coming regularly as well. It will not be too long until the juncos begin to come from the north on their way south.

The leaves are changing colour and cucumbers are already freezing from patchy frost a couple of nights.

A few blackbirds yet.

Yesterday I saw a small flock of red-wing blackbirds a ways out of town. Perhaps they are moving through from further north. There are still a few goldfinches at the feeder (photo). I am rather surprised as I thought they would be already gone. There may have been a slight frost last night and it is to go down to freezing later this week. Only a few flocks of geese have gone over so far.

The feeder is still very busy. Most are common house sparrows but there are also a few chickadees, savannah sparrows, and the odd red-breasted nuthatch. Also chickadees are fairly common along with purple finches. The purple finches and savannah sparrows as well as the siskins come mixed in with house sparrows.

No hummingbirds

We have seen no hummingbirds for several days so perhaps they are all or mostly gone south already. I still see a few swallows. However we drove far out in the countryside yesterday and I did not see any red-wing blackbirds. This summer every slough had a few. On the sloughs there were a few ducks and I saw on pair of Canada geese but I was unable to identify the ducks except for some northrn pintails.

A redbreasted nuthatch(photo)is visiting the feeder again. There are so many house sparrows that the seed level goes down considerably every day. When we were away for the day it was virtually empty when we returned. There still many pine siskins, and some savannah sparrows plus a few purple finches. I saw a norther flicker again in they yard yesterday. There are still a few crows about but it will soon be time for ravens from further north to appear for the winter.

A house sparrow "sport"

There were plenty of birds at the regular feeder this morning including a male house sparrow that had white wing tips. I wonder if they were bleached or what. They did not look bleached.
There was a purple finch among the group as well as many pine siskins and some savannah sparrows as well. Yesterday I saw a long goldfinch still here. There were no hummingbirds for the last two days. I will leave the feeder out a while longer.
Chickadees are common at the feeder and yesterday there was a red breasted nuthatch again.

Red Wing Blackbirds Swarming

We drove down to Hamiota yesterday. On the way I saw three different large groups of red-wing blackbirds on wires gathering to fly south. There are a few ducks on sloughs but I was not close enough to identify any. I haven't noticed any mourning doves lately.

There were no hummingbirds today but I saw one the other day. I guess there are still a few moving through on their way south.

THe main feeder is busy. There are Savannah Sparrows, house sparrows, pine siskins, and the odd goldfinch still around. I saw another purple finch yesterday. A starling flew in with a bunch of house sparrows. The sparrows ate up some old bread I put out for them but my wife put out some corn and that was left untouched.

savannah sparrows

I finally identified some of the sparrows that I knew were not house sparrows. They look a bit like pine siskins but they have no yellow on them and are larger. It turns out they are savannah sparrows I am reasonably sure. They look quite a bit like song sparrows but have no black spot on their front. They do have many streaks of black on their chest. The photo I have enclosed looks exactly like the ones at the feeder.

There are still a few hummingbirds visiting occasionally. I thought I should leave the feeders out in case some stop by on their way south from further north. At least there has been no really cold weather as yet. There are still plenty of flowers.

I noticed on a trip to Winnipeg on Saturday that the crops are almost all harvested near Winnipeg. I saw a flock of Herring gulls. I assume they are gathering to go south. I even saw a few Canada geese already flying south. However, at Oakburn there are still some swallows around yet.

More swallows swarming.

Apparently there is some problem with the image upload system so I will just send my last post for August in text!

There are still no hummingbirds yet today so I guess they have all left. I will leave my feeders out for another week or so just to make sure that some migrating hummingbirds have a snack.

There were swallows circling above the yard today. I think they are all or mostly tree swallows. Barn swallows are not that common any more around here.

While relaxing in the yard, I saw a northern flicker. Later I saw a crow who just finished off a couple of chicken bones we left out and also two starlings who were by the bird feeder. The feeder is being overrun by hungry mobs of sparrows and pine siskins. I saw one redbreasted nuthatch today. Chickadees are regular visitors.

No humming birds today

Although I have a total of three hummingbird feeders operational I haven't seen a single visitor today so perhaps all or most have gone south. There might be a few stop by still on their way through from further north. I imagine they need food all along the way!

I finally saw another red breasted nuthatch again but they do not seem all that common. There are a predominance of house sparrows these days and they are very messy scattering seeds on the ground and sidewalk as they like to feed there. There are still plenty of pine siskins and I see the odd goldfinch still but they seem to thinning out as well. No doubt many have already left. There is some sort of sparrow that I have no identified as yet. It looks quite a bit like a pine siskin but it is quite a bit larger and has no yellow at all and even more predominants dark streaks on its breast. I must search my books for it.

The other day I walked to the lagoons and saw northern pintails and the spotted sandpiper at least I assume that is what they were.

More Martins gathering.

Yesterday we went shopping to Rossburn. There was a scene that could have been out of the Hitchcock movie The Birds. There were droves of purple martins festooning the wires and lightstandards and swooping and diving everywhere. The martins gathered and disappeared already from our village. Maybe Rossburn is a central gathering point. Martins certainly must not like to travel alone.

There are still humming birds at the feeders. Enough that there are often fights but they are less common than a week or so ago. I do not see any adult males so perhaps the adults go before the kids! Maybe males go scouting on ahead.

The regular feeder is busy. There have been no new birds but what is lacking in variety is offest by numbers. The chickadee (photo) is still a regular visitor. They will stay all winter.

Hummingbird numbers dwindle.

There are still a few hummingbirds about. I put my flower shaped feeder out and found that they will visit it, so I will use it again next year. The numbers of hummingbirds are beginning to dwindle. I think that some may already be on their way south. I am not sure how they go. Perhaps they go in small numbers rather than flocks. I have never heard reports of flocks of them but then one might not notice them. Some folks around here keep repeating the myth that the hummingbirds go south on the backs of geese. I guess they think the little hummingbirds are too tiny and frail to go it alone. I wonder if Monarch Butterflies hitch hike on the geese as well!

The regular feeder is quite busy. THere seem to be quite a few house sparrows around these days. Some are in flocks that are unmixed consisting of all or mostly house sparrows. However I saw one purple finch mixed in! The finch looks quite a bit like a house sparrow except for its red colouring.

There are still chickadees. I actually saw three at one time yesterday. Usually there are just single birds. I have not seen any goldfinches the last day or so. Perhaps they are going south as well.