Canaan ~ Bird Watching
( Close to 100 species identified... )

Bird headlines from here and there
Local bird sightings - chronological
Internet sources to help you identify birds
Sound sources to help you identify birds
Photos and notes
Patrick's personal perchers


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Bird headlines from here and there
Here are some interesting bird-related stories we found on the Net...

The Great Grey Owl invasion
A Passion for Birding - Ottawa birder Bruce Di Labio - a lifetime passion
Study: 1 in 4 U.S. bird species at risk
Workshop on Peregrine Falcons - Webcam and Falcon page
The Great Grey Owl invasion - Winter 2005
The great gray owl was the topic of several local sightings and stories during the winter of 2004/05, coming from their more northern habitats around Lake Superior in search of food. One Rockland family was featured in a front page story when their tiny pup was picked up and almost carried away had it not been for the father’s quick thinking.

These photos were submitted
by our local friends and fellow
bird watchers,
Luc Leger from
Blue Jay and
Francine Carriere
from Hammond.
Click on the
pic to see a larger shot.
-pwm

Francine Carriere

Luc Leger

Francine Carriere

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A Passion for Birding
Ottawa birder Bruce Di Labio turns his childhood hobby into vocation and lifetime passion
To say Bruce, 43, is enthusiastic about birds would be an understatement. Next to his family, birds are his life, his passion, his raison d'etre.

Today he's one of Canada's most respected birders. When he's not giving lectures to schools, seniors and other groups, he's leading birding tours to countries around the Americas or running local birding courses. He also undertakes short-term birding contracts for consulting firms. More...
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Study: 1 in 4 U.S. bird species at risk

Urban expansion and loss of open space have put some 25 per cent of bird species in the United States in trouble — more than double the number at risk five years ago — according to a new study by the National Audubon Society.


Found in the eastern United States, cerulean warblers like these have declined
by more than 70 per cent since the 1970s, the Audubon Society reports.

The WatchList, and state-by-state background, is online at: www.audubon.org/bird/watchlist.
Click here for full story.
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17 Jul 2002 - Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection(DEP): Educators attend workshop on Peregrine Falcons; Attendees learn how to use Internet to teach about, track Falcons
Thirty-five educators attended a workshop on peregrine falcons sponsored by DEP and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Last month, officials attached small satellite telemetry units to two of the falcons. The telemetry units are linked to a satellite that will allow researchers to locate the birds anywhere on Earth for up to three years. The use of telemetry is part of a Game Commission research project in cooperation with DEP and the Canadian Peregrine Foundation.

In addition to learning about the satellite telemetry, educators also learned about the challenges facing an endangered species and examined the importance of urban habitats. They also participated in curricular activities that are designed to help their students learn about endangered species.

Click here to visit Pennsylvania's Peregrine Falcon page and Web camera.
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Local bird sightings - chronological

For weekly sightings in the Ottawa area,
read Elizabeth Le Geyt's
"Bird" column in the Ottawa Citizen.

We are entering our bird (and nature) sightings in chronological order... join in if you like.
(Please note that the links to the sound clips are either the clip itself,
or links to other websites that have the actual bird calls.
And...
some of the sound clips may take time to load.)

 

Winter of 2005
These great and
graceful birds
were spotted in
great numbers
in the Ottawa
area when they
came down from
their regular
haunts around
Lake Superior
foraging for
voles and mice.

The Great Gray Owl
(
sound)
(
more information)

June 18, 2002, 1:30 p.m.
Cardinal Crescent
Flying over onto the Reynolds Blueberry Farm.

Northern Harrier
(
sound)
(
more information)

June 11, 2002, 5:40 p.m.
Highway 174
just east of Canaan Road
Sitting on a fence post.

Common Snipe
(
sound)
(
more information)

June 4, 2002, 8:40 a.m.
172 Cardinal Crescent
(tree lot)
2350 Canaan Road
(Adjacent to the ravine)

Common Yellowthroat
(
sound)
(
more information)

June 3, 2002, 8:40 a.m.
Ontario's provincial bird
is the Common Loon
and I heard one from
my back deck this morning



Read about the legend of the Loon


Common Loon
(
sound)
(
sound2)
(
more information)

June 2, 2002, 7:40 a.m.
Canaan Road, near 2070


American Redstart
(
sound)
(
more information)

June 2, 2002, 7:25 a.m.
Canaan Road @ Blue Jay

Great Crested Flycatcher
(
sound)
(
more information)

June 1, 2002, 6:30 p.m.
Wilhaven near Sarsfield Rd.

Brown Thrasher
(
sound)
(
more information)

May 2002
Marc M. reports sightings on Cardinal Crescent.

Scarlet Tanager
(
sound)
(
more information)

May 2002
Leslie and Joe H. find a nesting bird in their back yard.


American Woodcock
(
sounds)
(
more information)

May 2002
Thanks to Jim Provost on Oakwood for providing this great shot! Just wish I could have put the original on line but it came in at over 600 kb.

Cardinal
(
sounds)
(
more information)

Summer 2001
On one of my many walks south on Canaan Road, off the pavement, past the llama farm and up to Beckett Creek...
a nesting pair.

Belted Kingfishers
(
sounds)
(
more information)

Summer 2001
This graceful flyer is very common to our area and can be seen flying overhead up to three or four at a time. One surprised me last year when it flew up from the ravine on Canaan Road just north of Blue Jay Drive.

Great Blue Heron
(
sound)
(
more information)

Internet resources to help you identify birds:
( Bird sounds are in blue links below )

Link:

Comments:

Animal Pictures Archive's

Most of the images are from the Internet newsgroups.

Birding links and resources

From Peterson Online: "Looking for the best the web has to offer? Check out these links or browse through our other recommended resources."

Birds at Coe Park

Henry W. Coe State Park:
Coe Park is the largest state park in northern California, with over 87,000 acres of wild open spaces.

Birds of Big Lake

Compiled by the Big Lake Environment Support Society, Big Lake, Alberta, Canada

Birds of the World on Stamps

Compiled by Chris Gibbins, this fine site does just what the title suggests, compiles just about everything you want to know about birds on stamps.

BirdSource
Birding with a purpose

BirdSource is a revolutionary partnership between citizens and scientists, designed and managed by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.

The lab is a membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds.

Deep Portage Conservation area - Minnesota

A small list of bird pics that you can access here.

Ellis Bird Farm

This site describes a location dedicated to demonstrating harmony between industry, agriculture and the environment. You can enjoy a tea house and observe Mountain Bluebirds, Tree Swallows and many other species.

eNature.com

A terrific page for all types of wildlife... photos, sounds, etc.

Fermi National
Accelerator Laboratory

The diversity of habitats to be found on the 6,800 acre site of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) make it a favorite location for birdwatchers in Chicago's western suburbs.

Florida Museum
of Natural History

Offers a great photo gallery as well as sound clips of bird calls.
   

i-Bird.com

Location of uncommon, common and abundant birds
of this species in the US and Canada.

Important Bird Areas
of Canada

This site contains information about the IBA program and details about other IBA sites in Canada.

Mugg's island
Birdbanding Station

Mugg's Island Birdbanding Station, Toronto.

National Audubon Society

Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

Naturescape Alberta

This site invites you to learn more about how to transform your backyard into a setting for many wonderful elements of nature.

Naturesounds.com

This page offers the "Complete List of Species" offered on the Naturesounds website. Their link to their main page is found below under sounds.

New York State Birds

Illustrations of some of New York state's birds.

Ontario Field Ornithologists

Are you interested in birds in Ontario? Then OFO is for you.

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has been a national and international leader in wildlife research since its creation by the U.S. Congress in 1936 as an integral part of the Patuxent Research Refuge, under the direction of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Pennsylvania's Peregrine Falcon page and Webcam

Sponsored by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Pennsylvannia Game Commision, this excellent site offers a huge amount of information on the Peregrine Falcon including several videos and a live Webcam focused on a nest. (The picture changes automatically every two minutes.)

Peterson Online - field guides

Learn the basics of birdwatching from the master, Roger Tory Peterson. (Here is a site dedicated to the memory of the master.)

Wildscape

A Birding and Nature Column by Carl Grosfield.

Sound sources to help you identify animal and birds:

Animal Pictures Archive's

Here is their "Animal Sound Clips" page.

Birds at Coe Park

Henry W. Coe State Park:
Coe Park is the largest state park in northern California, with over 87,000 acres of wild open spaces.

Guide to Animal Sounds
on the Net

Just about any sound you want!

Naturesounds.com

These pages provide samples of various natural sounds, promote nature recording and archiving, and provide a library of sounds that people can refer to when they hear something new.

New York State Birds
(Thanks to Tony Phillips)

Songs and calls of some New York State birds.
Click here for an index of 100's of sounds (.au and .aiff).

Stokes Field Guide
to Bird Songs

Sample soundprints of ten species from their guide, along with descriptive text from the accompanying booklet.
Photos and notes

This pileated Woodpecker was spotted on Canaan Road near Baseline.

A pair was observed March 9, flying from tree to tree around the Cardinal-Blue Jay development.


The phots above and to the left offer a better example of what the colours should look like.

Flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds have been in the area for about a week. They are a little more hardy and are often the first to arrive.

They flock during migration, in the fall and spring, however during the summer season you usually see them in pairs.



March 9 saw the first flock of returning geese.

These birds are ubiquitous to the area especially during their spring and fall migrations.
(
More information)

One of the unexpected pleasures of moving out to this great country area has been the opportunity to watch the many species of birds that visit. Many, like the Blue Jays, Chickadees, Downie and Hairy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and American Goldfinches, make their homes here all year round, while others visit only in the summer ( House Finches, Yellow-throated Warblers, etc.) Still others only drop by on their way to and from their summer and winter habitats (Juncos, Pine Grosbeaks, etc.)
This page has been on the back burner for some time and I am not sure what format to go with. So if any of you have any suggestions, please let me know. (Pardon the slow loading of some photos) -pwm, CC Editor.

February 3, 2002

Winter bird-watching can be as much fun as in the summer, especially if you attract your fearthered friends with a feeder or three. But it is important to continue feeding your visitors once you have atrtracted them.
Here we see a Black-capped Chickadee sharing the roost with a female Hairy Woodpecker.


A large flock of Redpolls with a genereous mix of American Goldfinches keep us hopping to top up the feeders.
A good mix of feeders attracts different species. We use a mixture of seeds, nuts and suets. This has brought Blue Jays, Crows, Pigeons, Whitebreasted Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, and even Pine Grosbeaks.


This flock was scared away by a passing predator,
either a hawk or a falcon... it was too quick for us to identify.


A large flock of Redpolls with a genereous mix of American Goldfinches
keep us hopping to top up the feeders.

Nothing like the peck, peck, pecking on your back deck to get your attention!
This is a male Hairy Woodpecker.
Both the Hairy and its smaller cousin the Downey Woodpecker are regular year-round visitors.
They love black oil sunflower seeds and lots of suet in the winter.

November 26, 2001
I spotted four Pine Grosbeaks on Cardinal Crescent at Andre and Manon's place about 2 p.m. Having my digital camera, I was able to get up fairly close and get these three shots. They were feeding on a flowering-type crab apple tree that still had the fruit on it.

This group are all young birds (called "immature"), so they do not have their full reddish colours around the head and upper tail area.

This was so neat they way they were hanging upside down to feed!

Thanks to Forest Hill resident Jim Prevost for this shot. The Owl was perched on the street sign at the corner of Blue Jay Drive and Cardinal Crescent.

Can YOU identify the actual species?

Patrick's Personal Perchers
(This section highlights the regular bird visitors that have been spotted from our back deck,
usually at one of our several bird feeders. Our highest one-day count has been 27!)

Bird

Picture/Comments

Black-capped chickadee
(
more information)
(
sound)
(
sound2)
(
sound3)

Eastern Bluebird on my deck
(
more information)
(
sound)

Eastern Bluebird network -info/sounds

Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds
at our feeders
(
more information)
(sound)

   

Downy Woodpecker
(
more information)
(
sound)

Hairy Woodpecker
(
more information)
(
sound)

Northern Flicker
(Woodpecker)
(
more information)
(
sound)
(
sound2)
(
sound3)


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Enlarged pictures of owl sightings


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