More snowy weather!

There were a good number of red polls and chickadees as well as the odd house sparrow at the feeder today. The weather is bad with wind and snow. This evening the Trans Canada highway is closed from Brandon to the Saskatchewan border. Travel is not recommended anywhere around here but roads are still open.

We drove to Brandon early this morning. I saw a number of ravens on the way and also several flocks of birds. I assume they were redpolls. In Brandon we saw a lot of rock doves or common pigeons. They frequent the MacKenzie seeds building. Ther are supposed to be some peregrine falcons introduced to control them but they were nowhere to be seen.

We returned home early in the afternoon but the weather was already changing for the worse with snow and blowing snow as we got closer to home. However we made it back without any real difficulty.

Light snow. Weather warming a bit.

THis is another photo of the feeder through our window. THe birds are red polls. We had lots of them today and again a couple of sparrows and a smattering of chickadees.

I took a trip to the dump at Shoal Lake and saw at least a half dozen ravens around the dump area. We will be off to the city tomorrow so I will see what I can see along the way.

Finally a house sparrow!

After several days absence I saw a couple of house sparrows at the feeder today but that was all. The red polls were busy all day and a few chickadees as well. Another red poll was in bad shape. When I cleared the walk he was on the ground under the feeder. He did not move and went right into the snow scoop. I went to pick him out of the snow but he flew away to some lattice work and eventually disappeared. He did not seem bloated but he was breathing very heavily.

The weather is remaining relatively warm with more drips from the icicles on the eaves. However, a little more snow has fallen and there are to be flurries over the next couple of days.

Warming up to freezing

Here is a red poll on the ground in the snow. I saw a couple of sparrows over at my other house today. I heard a raven as well and saw him flying overhead. I assume it was a raven and not a crow.

At the feeder there were plenty of red polls and some chickadees. I filled the feeder yesterday. The weather is much warmer. THere are even icicles on the eaves that are dripping water.

Calm and warmer but more snow coming

Although the blizzard is past the birds are still busy at the feeder today. The same crowd of red polls plus a few chickadees. I was able to drive to the dump. There were no cats and only one solitary raven in the fields near the dump. More snow is falling. I just paid to have three places plowed so it is sure to snow quite a bit!
This is another photo of our feeder with red polls.

Blizzard conditions

Yesterday there were blizzard conditions much of the day but not too much snow, mostly just strong winds blowing previous snow and creating hazardous driving conditions. The feeder was busy even though it sways in the wind. There were many red polls and also chickadees but nothing else while I watched.

I was able to take some photos of the feeder from inside. I hope they show up OK on the blog. The photo is of red polls at the feeder.

Wednesday and Thursday

The red polls are still here after a considerable snowfall. They seem to enjoy skipping through the snow. There are occasional chickadees visiting as well but that is all I have seen.
This morning (Wednesday) one poor red poll, badly bloated, ate voraciously at the feeder. When I came back later the bird was lying on the snow beneath the feeder with its feet up off the ground. My son, Jason, had seen it earlier lying there but still alive. My wife went and gathered the bird up in kleenex and placed it by the heater for a while. It was no use. I had to take it out and dispose of it.
On Thursday we had more red polls and chickadees visiting but again no other species.I will soon need to fill the feeder again. We went over 50 kilometres out of town without seeing a single bird. When we got back there was a sad looking stray keeping watch at the bird feeder waiting for some completely blind bird to come down on the ground for seed. I suppose it is possible but I think the usual strategy is to hide or at least crouch. The cat meowed a greeting. I thought it might be a pet but it would not let us approach and ran off. I saw that it was not in good shape and had a mangy looking tail. It is probably a homeless cat.

Ho Hum

This is a restful blog. Every day there is the same pattern: chickadees and red polls. The feeder level is gradually going down. There are no new birds yet. At least the red polls and chickadees are faithful visitors. Perhaps when we get closer to spring there will be more birds. However, too much excitement might be stressful!

Weather improving

It is warming up towards seasonal values now. However, the wind is blowing hard enough to ruffle the feathers of the red polls who have been regular visitors today. The only other birds to visit are chickadees. The lowly house sparrow has not visited for days now. I gather that their numbers are decreasing in this and other areas.

Weather is improving

Weather is improving but not bird variety at the feeder. There were just red polls and chickadees again today.
We drove out of town twice but the only bird visible was one lone raven. Perhaps in a few weeks some birds will be returning from the south such as the juncos but we will see.
My son brought me a bird book of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. However, it leaves out common birds such as the pine grosbeak and American goldfinch. It does have a helpful description and identification features for many birds though

Two species Day again.

There was moderate traffic all day at the feeder. The red polls have knocked quite a bit of seed on the ground and there were often red polls eating on the ground--in the snow actually! There were also a few chickadees darting back and forth to the feeder.

Although we went out of town, I did not see any birds except in the evening when it was dark. Some bird flew off at the side of the road but I did not get a chance to see it well enough to know what it was. It was probably an owl.

Flocks of pigeons

The feeder was moderately busy today but only with chickadees and red polls. There are still no sign of even the lowly house sparrows. Red polls vastly outnumber house sparrows this winter. Some winters the house sparrow is the main and often the only daily visitor. Chickadees are also plentiful this winter. Earlier there were nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, and grosbeaks but they seem scarce now.

We drove to the dump and to the town of Shoal Lake. At the dump there were the usual ravens and also the regular dump cats. No catbirds though! At the town there is still one of the older type of elevator and there were flocks of pigeons flying about it. There will be lots of food and no doubt they can find good places to raise their young nearby.

Red Poll Day

There were quite a few red polls at the feeder throughout the day. However, they were the only birds I saw all day. Perhaps the chickadees came when I was not looking. The weather is improving a little so there may be a better representation tomorrow. We did not go out of town so I did not get a chance to do any birdwatching farther afield.

Valentine's Day for the birds.

Yesterday was Valentine's day. There were no surprise bird appearances! The weather is a little less cold and traffic at the bird feeder was moderate. However, there were only red polls and a few chickadees. On a trip to the next town for a Valentine buffet I spotted one lone raven. His sweetheart was nowhere to be seen.

Traffic increasing but not kinds of birds!

There were only chickadees and red polls at the feeder while I was watching today. The weather is a bit less cold and the birds seem a bit more active. Even so I did not see a single bird when we drove to the next town to shop. Usually I see at least a few ravens.

There were red polls by the half dozen at times. The chickadees however usually come just one or two at a time.

Finally a downy woodpecker

For several weeks I have seen not a single woodpecker at the feeder but today there was one downy that visited several times before disappearing. My son heard him from his bedroom earlier. He was pecking either on or close to the house.

There are many red polls visiting. They have visited all day off and on, also eating seeds on the ground and hopping across the snow. A few chickadees are around again as well. Only house sparrows seem absent, a rare event in itself!

Not quite so cold!

Today was a bit warmer but still well below normal. Tonight it is already down to minus 25 but there is no wind factor thank goodness.

There was quite a bit of traffic at the feeder, but only two species while I watched. There were many red polls. At one time there must have been 6 to 10 different birds both on the feeder and on the ground. They were hopping around under the spruce trees as well. They seem to peck at fallen spruce needles.

There were a few chickadees too. Two seemed to take turns landing on the feeder and then immediately taking off again. I am hoping that one of these days some new species will return again. For two days I have not seen one house sparrow!

Red polls are back

There were quite a few red polls at the feeder today in spite of the continuing very high wind chills. As well I saw a few chickadees dashing back and forth as is their usual style.

We went out of the village to a local dump and there I saw a few ravens as usual along with some very cold stray cats foraging for food. On the way home I saw the first magpie I have seen in ages. Apparently they are usually in groups except in the mating season. I doubt this is the mating season unless they mate to keep warm! This must have been a lost bachelor.

More traffic today

THe weather is just as cold with wind chill warnings of minus 40. However traffic has picked up. I saw a number of redpolls visiting the feeder. Some stayed for quite a while, one with beautiful red breast showing itself off. There was one lone sparrow maybe the one left over from yesterday. Finally there were a few chickadee. It is nice to see traffic picking up. All we need now is for global warming to pick up some steam or at least local warming.

Cold Snap Continues

There was only one male sparrow at the feeder that I saw. He was there on and off all day. He managed to spill out quite a few sunflower seeds. After our trip to a nearby town I filled up the feeder. At the rate birds are visiting I may not need to fill it again for weeks.

When we drove out of the village I saw three ravens perched in a small tree by the side of the road. We still have plenty of snow and the wind was strong enough to cause blowing snow on the highway.

There is no sign of the cold weather ending as yet. This morning there was a wind chill warning again as it reached about minus 40 C. The warning ended later in the morning but it was still very cold all day and tonight wind chill will stay in the minus thirties.

One Lonely Sparrow

All I have seen today at the feeder is one lone sparrow. Perhaps he is another ill bird. I have not usually seen sparrow by themselves. He is still in good enough health to fly when I go close to the window. He also has a very good appetite.

Perhaps when the cold weather breaks there will be more birds and more kinds of birds but for the next few days we are looking at more of the same. The wind chills at night are going down to minus forty or even more. If I could fly I would go south. I wonder if the US has a no fly list for birds?

A slow cold day at the feeder

Another very quiet and cold day at the feeder. A couple of chickadees dashed down and then up again during the morning. There were a few different house sparrows that visited. One couple stayed quite a while basking in the sun trying to find some warmth when it is still near minus thirty.

We drove to a nearby town but I did not see a single bird let alone a flock. Usually there will be a few ravens but today nothing. Perhaps when the weather warms a bit the birds will be more in the open.

At the dump at minus 40 C

Well for all you Americans out there: minus 40 C and minus 40 F are the same. In either F or C it is also very cold. Nevertheless quite a few sparrows visited the feeder today. They managed to dump a lot of seed onto the snow. If they lived in the house they would no doubt eat food off the floor!

We went to the local dump at Shoal Lake. There were several dozen ravens congregated at the garbage and they did not fly very far when we arrived. There were also about half a dozen cats foraging for cat food! It always amazes me to see stray cats manage to survive the winter here. There are always a number of them at the dump but we also have some in our village. Many people put out their scraps for the cats to eat. However I find that often I end up having to take the food in and thaw it out as it freezes rock hard before the cats come upon the food.

The sex life of house sparrows.

This was another bone chilling day. The wind chill was close to minus forty at times if not more than that. I did not even get dressed. I watched the bird feeder for some time while enjoying a cup of coffee by the hot air vents.

There were just two species at the feeder today: house sparrows and chickadees. I think that all the other species must be hibernating because of the cold!

The male house sparrow has a black bib on its throat and chest. Apparently the attractiveness of the male to females is directly proportional to the size of the bib. Even in sparrows it seems there is a size fetish!

There were a male and female sparrow together at the feeder. They seemed to get along well enough. HOwever, the male had one wayward or loose feather. Perhaps he is henpecked.

The chickadees seem not to like each other. They are more disturbed when they happen to land at the same time as each other than at the sparrows who were already on the feeder. Not every species likes its own kind better than others I guess.

An out of town trip

We left for a trip to the city (Brandon, Manitoba) about an hour or so after daylight. I saw only a couple of sparrows at the feeder before we left. However along the road we saw a few ravens in two different places and also two large flocks of red polls. I was rather surprised to see any birds as it is very windy with windchills about minus forty three C.

Minus forty and holding with wind chills.

The weather is actually getting even colder today. I keep hearing news reports about Global Warming. Tonight it is minus 27 C and with windchill it is minus 40. That is the same in F minus 40.

In spite of the cold there is more activity at the feeder. More sparrows have appeared and they knocked some sunflower seeds on the ground as they love to do. There are also quite a few red polls but no large flocks. Finally a few chickadees appear from time to time. All the regulars except for grosbeaks were active today. I have not seen a woodpecker or nuthatch for some time now.
On a trip out of town we saw a few ravens but nothing else. Tomorrow we will be going to Brandon a little over an hour's drive so I will keep my eyes open for birds.
There are rabbit tracks by the spruce trees. I should get some oats to feed them.

The red polls return

The weather is horrible again. The windchill is in the minus thirties again. It is to turn even colder tomorrow! This global warming is begining to get to me!

There were a few redpolls at the feeder this morning. They were not a large flock but just four or five birds it seemed. They look to be in good shape not like the poor grosbeak I saw yesterday. There is no sign of her today. Perhaps she has died already.
In the afternoon there were a few house sparrows visiting. I actually have not seen a house sparrow for a couple of days now! I only saw two or three, no large numbers.
At least there are some bird prints in the snow now. For a day or so there was nothing but the sparrows and red polls have spread some seeds on the snow and have flown down to feed on the ground at times.