Eared Grebes * Amazing Red Eyes

Eared Grebes are the most populous of the North American grebe species. They are in their breeding plumage right now, and are very distinctive with their golden fan of ear tufts and their black crests. Their bright red eyes are quite amazing. They seem to shine with a light of their own. 

Grebes are diving ducks with their legs placed towards the back of their bodies, so they do not stand well on land. 

I took these photos at the Schlechte marsh, one of our Ducks Unlimited Canada managed wildlife habitats. 

A Saskatchewan Morning

Sunday, May 13th

Searching For Owlets

I've been keeping tabs on three nesting Great Horned Owls not far from home. On my latest check, all three nests now have owlets. The females flushed from the first two nests when we were a good distance away. We stayed for a few minutes at each location and tried to confirm the number of owlets, while trying to cause as little disruption as possible to the female and her brood. All of these nest shots are 400mm and highly cropped. 

I may have the opportunity to help band these owlets this month. 

#1 has three new occupants.

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#2 has two visible owlets. 

The female owl standing guard not far from the nest.

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At nest #3, it appeared that hatchlings hadn't appeared yet, but on viewing my shots, in just this one shot, I discovered an owlet peeking over the nest. I really like the colouring of this particular female owl.

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We had a few surprises on the way home, like this fox with what appears to be a muskrat in his chompers, running to beat sixty while being chased by a magpie.

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We passed a small flock of Cackling Geese feeding on the stubble. There is a Greater White-fronted Goose at the back right of this photo. 

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These are the first Yellow-headed Blackbirds I've seen this spring. 

It's great to see and hear these birds again. It's a bit of stretch to call the vocalizing of these birds "singing".

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We spotted another first of season bird passing through the area just before we got home. Occasionally we see Double-crested Cormorants here, but these ones are probably heading a bit further north. If you look closely you can see their crests blowing in the wind.

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Road Trip Birds

When I make a road trip for work, I like to be able to take my time. Returning home from Saskatoon, I managed to make a few shots while still maintaining my schedule. The weir on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon is a great place to see Pelicans, and I made an early morning stop there to find them. Shooting from the west side of the river when the sun is on the east side doesn't make for easy exposures, but the first thing I saw was a pair of Common Mergansers, and I never did cross the bridge to the other side of the river. The pelicans weren't around, but there were plenty of other birds. 

There's no shortage of pigeons flying down from their bridge perches to get a drink.

I visited a Great Horned Owl just northeast of Saskatoon. The magpies were giving the owl a hard time at this perch.

The Swainson's Hawks have returned.

The hawk was being quite vocal.

The little plot of bush beside the stubble field where I stopped was flush with Tree Swallows and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

I had to go heavy on the exposure compensation to bring out the warbler.

A pair of Hairy Woodpeckers were in there too.

Further down the road, I stopped to check in on a Great Horned Owl. The female was sitting on the nest as expected.

I fully expected to see a Snowy Owl or two on the last ten kilometres of my drive, but they were elsewhere when I went by. All in all I had a good return trip ....... then it was back to work.

click here for a fullscreen slideshow

Red Crossbills

Usually, I can see that the Crossbills are here because of the rain of spruce cones falling from the tops of the spruce trees as the birds feed. Uncharacteristically, these birds were perching in an ornamental crab and a willow tree, and were low enough to be able to photograph. 

Depending on which reference you read, the Red Crossbills have at least 8 or 9 distinct forms in North America, each having different flight and alarm calls, and a different bill shape specialized to harvest particular types of conifer seeds. The different forms have the same colour, but differ in body shape, bill shape and size, and rarely interbreed with each other. Crossbills are the only birds in the world with truly crossed bills.

There were six of the red males and only a couple of the greenish females in the flock. I haven't seen these birds very often. It was great to have them show up on relatively low perches. 

An Orange Variant House Finch

We did a double-take when we looked out the window and saw this orange/yellow variant of a House Finch. We've been seeing lots of House Finches and Purple Finches with their raspberry-dipped colour, but this is the first time one of these variants has appeared in the back yard. According to Birds of North America Online, the orange/yellow colour is a result of the bird's diet:

"Yellow/orange/red color of feathers results from deposition of 3 carotenoid pigments: ß-carotene, which produces yellow to orange color in feathers; isocryptoxanthin, which produces orange color in feathers; and echinenone, which produces red color in feathers."

I don't know where this guy's been eating, but this bird is the only orange colored Finch showing up.

Spring Hawks and Owls

I saw a good number of raptors this past weekend. I made a trip up to the Gronlid Ski Trails to go for a hike on the trails, and there and back saw quite a few hawks. This female Northern Harrier was cruising a slough.

There were lots of Red-tailed Hawks to be seen.

I discovered another Great Horned Owl sitting on a nest. This photo is shot at 400mm and tightly cropped. The nest was a long ways away. For the time being, with the owl likely sitting on eggs, I really want to keep my distance. There is actually a creek separating the nest from the stubble field over which it can be spotted, so the bird is fairly safe from being bothered by machines or people. 

Our neighborhood Merlin was out this weekend.

It had a bit of hunting competition from this Sharp-shinned Hawk hunting from the next door neighbor's tree.

It's really not hard to spot the Snowy Owls when they're sitting on cultivated earth. 

A gratuitous squirrel photo. Red Squirrels were just about the only wildlife I saw while hiking.

 I did see the Compton's Tortoiseshell butterflies out, but they weren't sitting still long enough for a photo. The geese are starting to show up in larger numbers, and I saw a small flock of Tundra Swans fly over the back yard. It definitely looks and sounds like spring.

The Sound Of Redpolls

Every day, practically all day, the predominant sound in the back yard this week is the sound of Redpolls. 

They had disappeared for a few days, but now they are back in more numbers and regularity than we have ever seen them. The niger feeder that hung most of the winter, waiting for Pine Siskins that never arrived, was finally discovered by the Redpolls. The competition for space at the feeders is fierce. 

Monday's Birds

On Monday I made a visit to the Saskatoon Forestry Farm before heading out on the highway. There were lots of geese flying into the park. 

The Juncos are back, and this one was flying through the maples.

The park has a couple of Mute Swans. They didn't make a sound.

Not long after I got out on the road, I spotted a Kestrel.

The only Snowy Owl I saw was perched on a power pole not far from where I have been seeing other Snowys the previous week. They aren't at their most photogenic on a utility pole, but signs and poles make popular perches. I think I've seen this owl before. 

The Snowy Owls Become Conspicuous

We are enjoying an early spring, and the fields are now mostly golden stubble. Along the shelterbelts and in some shaded areas some snow remains, but with our consistent above-freezing weather, it will all soon be gone. The lack of snow means that the Snowy Owl's camouflage no longer works to hide them so well, and a large white bird stands out conspicuously against a stubble field or the black earth. Consequently, the owls are much easier to spot now. 

Last weekend, one group of people reported seeing 31 Snowy Owls on the outskirts of Regina. 17 owls were spotted lined up along a single snow-drifted fence line. The hunting competition must have been fierce.  These are two of the three that I spotted along a 10 km stretch of Highway 41 yesterday. Click the pics to embiggen the owls.