During one of the very few really hot days we had this summer, a lady asked me how birds keep cool during those conditions.
They have a number of methods of beating the heat.
Featured Bird: Cuckoos (Not Just on Clocks!)
I also was delighted by the farm houses, because in those days, most had a cuckoo clock.? I was also thrilled, with a little help, to pull the long chains which wound up the clock mechanisms. Little did I know that there was a real bird called a Cuckoo!
Featured Bird: Northern Flickers
We are blessed by Woodpeckers! Worldwide, there are 210 different species, but in Ontario we only have 9 of them.
Feature Bird: Eastern Towhees
After a minute or so listening and watching, the noise stopped and from out of the undergrowth, a male Eastern Towhee flew up to the rail fence, tipped his head up and began to sing his heart out….”drink your tea…drink your tea!”
The Fantastic World of Bird Nicknames
Reading an article on woodpeckers, the author referred to a Pileated woodpecker as a “Logcock”. That was a term I had never heard and it got me thinking. How many birds do I know that have nicknames?
Bird Watching: Ospreys, a large bird of prey
No matter where it is I travel, one bird I can usually count on seeing is the Osprey. Ospreys are one of the most widespread birds in the world and can be found on all continents except Anarctica. They are not difficult to identify as they are one of the largest birds of prey in North America with a wingspan of about five feet.
Bird Watching: Bird Houses in the Winter
Come fall and winter when most of our song birds have gone south, we tend to forget the bird houses we have in our yards. But have another look!
The elusive Red-headed Woodpecker
The Red- headed woodpecker is a striking bird with a bright red head, contrasting blue/ black back and primary wing feathers and white breast and secondary wing feathers. It exhibits similar behavioural characteristics of all woodpeckers such as flight and tree climbing pattern. It is that solid bright red head that makes it easy to distinguish it from other members of the woodpecker family.
Bird Watching for all ages: Canada Geese
Canada Geese have fared very well across Canada and many parts of the World in spite of significant residential and commercial growth. They have adapted to human intervention unlike any other bird, to the extent that for many of us, they have become quite a nuisance.
Making a new home for Barn Swallows
Ask any farmer, and they’ll tell you there are not nearly so many Barn Swallows as there used to be. The science backs them up – over the past 20 years, there has been a steep drop in swallow populations across eastern North America. In Ontario, Barn Swallows are now listed as a threatened species.
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