View Post

How birds keep cool in summer heat

In Birds by couchiching

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.

View Post

Featured Bird: Cuckoos (Not Just on Clocks!)

In Birds by couchiching

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!

View Post

Feature Bird: Eastern Towhees

In Birds by couchiching

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!”

View Post

The Fantastic World of Bird Nicknames

In Birds by couchiching

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?

View Post

Bird Watching: Ospreys, a large bird of prey

In Birds, News by couchiching

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.

View Post

The elusive Red-headed Woodpecker

In Birds, News by couchiching

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.

View Post

Bird Watching for all ages: Canada Geese

In Birds, Kids, News by couchiching

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.

View Post

Making a new home for Barn Swallows

In Birds, News by couchiching

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.