First red wing blackbirds

On the way back from Winnipeg I saw the first red wing blackbirds by the side of the road. The sloughs are melting so there is some open water although there is also still ice in places.

Several flocks of Canada Geese..

We drove to Brandon and back today. On the way I saw one group of Canada geese in a large slough together with many ducks. However I also saw three large flocks in fields that had been newly harvested No doubt there is quite a bit of spilled grain.

I thought that all the redwing blackbirds had already gone south but in several places I saw flocks gathering. Perhaps they come from further north. So far we are still frost free.

Tree Swallows gathering for trip south..

Large groups of tree swallows are beginning to congregate usually on telephone or hydro wires around town. I saw them also at a farm we visited yesterday. I noticed on the way that all the red-winged blackbirds are already gone from the sloughs(ponds) but that there are plenty of ducks on them now.

Brewer's blackbirds not starlings..

Birds that I thought were starlings must actually be Brewer's blackbirds. Starlings have a yellow bill but the blackbirds that visit my feeder have a dark bill. Both starlings and Brewer blackbirds have irridescent feathers on their heads. People in this area mostly just call them blackbirds although they do also talk of red-winged blackbirds. I have never heard anyone speak of Brewer blackbirds! There is also a chipping sparrow in the background barely visible.

Red Winged blackbirds return..

Driving to Shoal Lake I noticed several red wing blackbirds on wires above sloughs along the highway. I thought I had seen flocks of them a week or so earlier but this is the first sighting when I could positively identify them.

I also saw a starling below the bird feeder a few days ago.

Downy Woodpecker visits

For two days in a row a downy woodpecker has been visiting. The woodpecker visited the feeder at least once. Usually they stay in the spruce trees hunting for insects under the bark.

There are still many large flocks of geese migrating south. On a trip to Brandon on Wednesday we saw at least half a dozen very large flocks. There was also one large flock of blackbirds. I thought they were long gone. In one field there were gulls spread out all over the field.

At the feeder there are still plenty of juncos. Chickadees are common again and nuthatches also visit regularly.

Strange fuzzy bird!

This is a blurry photo of a squirrel on the feeder. It also shows the duct tape that is now holding the feeder together. Perhaps I will invest in a new feeder before winter.

We drove down to Napinka in the southwest corner of the province yesterday. There were several very large flocks of red-wing blackbirds along the way. They may be gathering already to go south. It was cold last night but I do not think there was frost yet. There are plenty of hummingbirds still around. They are so active that I had to replace the nectar after just a few days.

My regular supplies of sunflower seeds still has none so I had to buy at a hardware store where they are more expensive. The house sparrows are the worst for simply emptying the feeder contents onto the ground.

Little blue heron..?

We drove all the way to Regina and back. I did not see any new birds until we were just about twenty miles from home where I saw a heron in a large slough by the side of the road. I think it was a little blue heron but perhaps it was a green heron. The photo is of a little blue heron taken from the internet.

There were plenty of crows along the way, oodles of red-winged blackbirds, and also one yellow headed blackbird. The latter seem to be rather scarce the last few years.

Snow geese on their way north..

I am a different computer with no photos so I will content myself with text! On the way to Shoal Lake this morning we saw a field with dozens of snow geese at rest.
There are also many red-winged blackbirds in ever slough on the way. One red-wing has even been visiting my feeder as there is a slough only a few lots from our house. No doubt it is nesting there.

Two Robins

I have seen two robins the last couple of days. One skipped by the feeder and the other was in a bush by the spruce trees. There is very little traffic at the feeder these days for some unknown reason. All I have seen are a few chickadees.
There are plenty of crows and red-winged blackbirds around.

Mallards are back...

We finally saw a pair of mallards on a slough on a recent drive in the countrside. There are other ducks back as well but I have not been close enough to identify them. I have seen several pairs of Canada geese on sloughs as well.
On a drive yesterday we saw oodles of red winged blackbirds but none of the yellow headed variety as yet. The latter seem to be becoming rare. As usual there are plenty of crows but magpies are not that common.
The feeder is very quiet these days. I have seen a few chickadees and the odd sparrow but that is all.

Red-winged blackbirds back..

Driving to the next town yesterday to shop we noticed several red-winged blackbirds including a female with two males. (I don't know how that works out).
There are also several pairs of Canada geese that have flown over the yard recently. They are probably nesting in one of the sloughs at the edge of town.
The feeder is not busy these days for some reason. The juncos are nowhere to be seen and only the odd chickadee and nuthatch have been visible lately.

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!

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.

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.

Trip to Brandon

We went to Brandon yesterday. There were many ducks in the sloughs along the way. We went by quickly and I was unable to identify the breeds but many looked to be immatures. There are plenty of red-wing blackbirds around sloughs even though according to a local newspaper their numbers are supposed to be declining. It is the yellow-headed blackbird that seems to be rare. The red-wings are found in virtually every slough.
There are still a lot of crows spread throughout the district. On the way home near dusk I saw many mourning doves sitting on the wires. They are common in the countryside but I have not seen any near my property.
Hummingbirds are again very active at the feeder. They usually will not allow another bird to feed along with them but chase the intruder away. This is in contrast to the pine siskins who fill the feeder until there is no room, not even standing room!

A few more hummingbirds

Every day there are a few hummingbirds at the feeder but rather infrequently. I think that I will need to change the nectar again soon before it begins to ferment!

The feeder is busy every day. I have seen a few chickadees and one or two purple finches but most visitors are pine siskins, house sparrows, or goldfinches.

On trips out of town, I have seen many mourning doves along the highway and also plenty of red-winged black birds. I also saw another red-tailed hawk.

Trip to Brandon

We drove to Brandon today to shop. I have a new digital camera. I hope I can get some good photos at the feeder as soon as I learn how to use it!

On the way we saw many red-winged blackbirds and there were a few ducks on sloughs. At one point near Newdale we saw a flock of American White Pelicans. This is just my second sighting of pelicans this year. We also saw a red-tailed hawk just taking off from the ditch with a gopher in its talons.

When we arrived back home the house sparrows (pictured) had emptied out all the sunflowers onto the ground. My wife insisted on undoing their work before she could rest for the night!

Busy at the feeder!

The feeder has been quite busy the last couple of days but most visitors have been either pine siskins, house sparrows, or goldfinches. The pine siskins are in the greatest numbers by far. The sparrows seem to be among them quite consistently but only a few. There are some young sparrows. I saw a male sparrow actually feeding one of the young ones. The young one could peck for himself but seemed to ask to be fed whenever a larger bird came by. It was almost the same size as the male and fatter than the smaller and trimmer pine siskins!

On our drives into the countryside I saw a couple of hawks and several mourning doves. There are still plenty of red-winged blackbirds. At Shoal Lake Park I saw some tree swallows and some Eastern Kingbirds. I saw some sort of tern but could not identify it. We almost hit a rock dove (common pigeon) just outside of the village. There are a number of pigeons in a granary at the edge of the village.