Friday 29 June 2018

Birds in our Backyard

Spring, summer, autumn or winter,
These are all the birds that visit our backyard throughout the year.
Some of them more often than others, but all are always welcome.
This is their backyard!


We have seen more birds in our backyard this year (2020), than all previous years.
Could this have something to do with the Covid virus, 
the stay-at-home and pollutiuon free lifestyle 
we have all been following worldwide?

For example, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird is here several times, every day,
And we now have 3 feeders, 
and several plants for the hummingbird alone



Unlike other birds, the Hummingbird can fly forwards, backwards and also hover
With it's wingbeat of 80 times per second, and it's size of 2 inches,






You have to be very quick to capture a photo!




Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Several of them have appeared this year


This is a new squirrel-proof open bird feeder I made


This is a female of one of the most common birds in North America
The male is very easy to identify,
But the female is rarely ever seen because she's very secretive!


Her subtle brown plumage is a camouflage
That protects her and her eggs from predators like raccoons

Female Red-winged Blackbird



Cedar Waxwing




Adding the Indigo Bunting (16th May 2020)
First time seeing this in our backyard





White-throated Sparrow with its distinct yellow lores! 
(2nd May 2020)


Downy Woodpecker


Six ducks (mallards), all at the same time (added 20th June 2020)
There are 2 females also, but not in this photo




Is this a Parrot or a Parakeet?


Baltimore Oriole



Cuckoo



Cooper's Hawk



White-crowned Sparrow


Pigeon
(I bet this flew in from downtown Toronto!)

A Hairy Woodpecker?


Common Grackle
(Drying up after a hot summer afternoon bath!)



No idea what this bird is


Juvenile male Ruby-throated Hummingbird
(I know this for sure, because I checked with the experts in Ontario!)



Not sure if this is a different Hummingbird
(It came at night!)


A young Coopers Hawk


Nuthatch



Chickadee



Rose-breasted Grosbeak



Blue Jay



Male and Female Mallard


Female Cardinal



Male Cardinal



Mourning Dove and chicks!


House Sparrows


Robin



House Finch or Purple Finch?



Goldfinch



Common Parakeet also known as a Budgerigar


This post will be updated if new arrivals are spotted.
If I've got some of the bird names wrong,
please feel free to correct me in the comments below.
Thanks!


Tuesday 26 June 2018

Painting a Girl with a Fiddle

Once upon a time, in Fort William in North Western Ontario,
There was a girl who played the fiddle






She looked in the distance 
As she played her fiddle





18" x 24" oil painting on canvas