Cooling down a little!

This morning it cooled down enough for the electric furnace to kick in briefly! We will probably have some rain later on today. We can use a bit more moisture since strong winds have dried the land out quite well. Earlier we had too much rain for a while.

My wife saw a humming bird yesterday but I haven't seen any. For some reason they have disappeared for a while. A neighbour says they will be back in August with a vengeance when they and the young feed voraciously to prepare for the long flight south. They go early before frosts set in usually.

The bird feeder is busy but there have been no new birds. A crow has finally returned to pick up the scraps I leave out.

At the feeder there are goldfinches, chipping sparrows, and house sparrows. The odd chickadee still visits from time to time. The two cowbirds must have gone to visit the cows.

Drive to Hamiota

We went to Hamiota and back this morning. There were several mourning doves along the roadside. There are still plenty of red winged blackbirds in the marshes among the bulrushes. I saw ducks on many ponds but was able to identify only some mallards. There were also a few kildeers that sprang up from the sides of the road.

At the feeder the same birds seem to be feeding: chipping sparrows, house sparrows (pictured) and goldfinches. The one exception were two cowbirds who were feeding on the sunflower seeds on the ground.

Finally some summer and sunshine!

There still have been no hummingbird's at the feeder. I notice that one of my neighbour's has taken his feeder away, perhaps because there are no hummingbirds feeding. I will check with other people.

There are still plenty of chipping sparrows as in the photo. There are regular visits by goldfinches and house sparrows as well.

Yesterday I went for a walk in the park at Shoal Lake. I did not see very much. There were a couple of robins and one kingbird. I also saw a few tree swallows and a red winged blackbird. The blackbirds who were nesting by the creek at one point seem to be gone. I guess the young are on their own already. I did see what I think was a warbler but it was so well hidden I could not identify it. On the way home I saw a killdeer by the side of the highway.

No Hummingbirds?

The photo is by my son of a goldfinch on top of the feeder. I changed the solution in the hummingbird feeder but there still have been no hummingbird visitors that I have seen. There are no crows around here either. I put out chicken bones and they remain untouched. Perhaps the crows think this place is unlucky since the baby crow died!

There are still plenty of visitors to the bird feeder: goldfinches, chipping sparrows, house sparrows, the odd chickadee and I notice two starlings eating off the ground. A robin or so has visited the grounds while I have been sitting under the spruce trees.

Dead baby crow!

I discovered the baby crow yesterday just before I cut the grass. It was dead out in the open. Either the parents did not feed it properly or it died from injuries received falling out of the nest. It did not look as if it had been mauled. I guess we should have taken it with us to Regina and fed it ourselves.

The bird feeder was completely empty when we arrived back. All the seeds had been dumped on the ground. Sonia picked up half a feeder full of seed and deposited it back in the feeder!

There is a lot of traffic at the feeder: house sparrows, chipping sparrows (photo),goldfinches, and the odd chickadee.

The humming bird feeder is almost empty. I think that perhaps it is clogged or the nectar is old as I did not see a single hummingbird yesterday.

Birds of a feather

This is myself and my filipina wife in Duck Mountain. My wife was very impressed when she saw her first loon and amazed at how long the loon was able to stay under water.

Trip to Regina

We went to Regina for the Canada Day weekend but came back this evening (Sunday). I thought of taking the baby crow in our yard. But the parents seemed to be taking care of it again so I left it. On our return it was not to be found. It is either gone to a better hiding place or gone in some cat's belly! I doubt it could have survived long enough to be able to fly. I should have taken some pics of it.

On the trip we did not see many new birds. I did see several killdeers along the roadside. At Wascana Lake there were plenty of Canada geese and ducklings mostly mallards. On the way home I saw my first yellow-headed blackbird of the year just east of Regina. I haven't seen a single one near Oakburn.

The feeder was empty when we arrived back. The seed was mostly just dumped on the ground. Some birds just love to scratch it out particularly the young house sparrows. We still have plenty of pine siskins about, chippings sparrows and many house sparrows the last while.