Tundra Swans!

With the nasty weather and my breathing problems almost called it a day even before I started birding at the park this morning!Even though I was watching a Belted kingfisher perched on some bushes!Also saw a few Tree Swallows skimming over the pond.Headed over to the mulch pile were many more swallows were flying around the numerous snags,home for their young ones for the summer!Heard my first Swamp Sparrows singing and then heard swans.Twelve were seen heading northwest,could not make an id but if you see a swan in Manitoba 90%odds it is  Tundra Swans!Terrific sighting in Winnipeg!Found some unique feathers,still in my pocket,most likely a victim of the Cooper's Hawk perched on a gravel pile.And then some pink Franklin's Gulls made there first appearance this year!And finally for the first time caught the #75 bus home,while I was waiting for bus got a lot of stares from the traveling public? 

Big Green Day!

Do one of these every weekend!Big Green Day.Today I walked 10km and spent four hours looking for birds!First stop was a pond where Ruddy Ducks are regular.Three there with two males chasing the female.Unusual behavior observed ,a Bufflehead female was following them around and chasing the males away.Found a huge den close by, most likely Coyotes.Carried on to the Mazenrod pond were the grebes have left but saw a pair of Greater Scaups copulating!Heard a twittering in the last pond and then seen a Belted Kingfisher here! The sparrow spot had seven Yellow-rumped Warblers and as I drank my extra large double double watched one drink water!The regular 10:00 lady with her large dogs forced me to take a detour.Slugging through the marsh,spooked a Wood Duck!Out of a snag,many here,and those snag nesting specialists,are pretty safe here!Including the Tree Swallow seen overhead.As I walked through the sedge meadow two Coyotes walked in front of me.And later watched a young deer who likely got hit by a vehicle and could not walk.The Swainson's Hawk is back to warn me ,if you want to film Monarchs in their favorite milkweed patch,you are going to lose some hairs on that bald head! 

Grebe Fallout!

Did some patchwork yesterday,I see that I am reading too many reports from Birdforum!Using there birding vernacular very often!My main objective was emberizines,there has been a dearth of sparrows on the ground so far.The only new sparrow I kicked up was a Swamp Sparrow.Dark-eyed Juncos have decreased in numbers and did not see any American Tree Sparrows.Still many Fox Sparrows and heard three Song Sparrows.The two ponds I visited were hoping with waterfowl.Especially exciting were grebes I found in Mazenrod pond as it is called in local birding circles!Four Pied-billed Grebes,three Red-necked Grebes and a striking Horned Grebe!Was decked out in it's breeding plumage,yellow patch,rufous neck and black throat!An unfamiliar call was heard and I am sure it was one of the grebes!Nest building was observed by both a Common Raven and Black-billed Magpies.The only other new bird for the area was a pair of Northern Shovelers.Here's a list of other species seen,Lesser Scaup,Greater Scaup,American Robin,American Coot,Killdeer,Ring-necked Duck,Mallard,Black-capped Chickadee-S,Northern Flicker,Canvasback,Canada Goose,American Crow,Ring-billed Gull,Red-winged Blackbird,Greater Yellowlegs,Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,Western Meadowlark-S,Mourning Dove,Great Horned Owl,Green-winged Teal,Hermit Thrush,Herring Gull,Hooded Merganser,Wilson's Snipe,Rock Dove and Bufflehead.The flowering plant I mentioned in an earlier post was misidentified ,it is actually is a Petasites species! 

Croaking Bitterns and Sprouting Flowers

Where to start how about Beghin Ave.The pond here held my first American Coot of the year,fifteen Bufflehead and assorted unnamed Scaup.Observed the scaup in various courtship displays,especially the female who was strutting around with all that attention!A bunch of birds were glued to a sap producing tree,the main characters being a Northern Flicker and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.Lot of the latter around and got one on film!

In a swamp/woodland nearby got my first warbler of the year a Yellow-rumped Warbler as I was investigating a woodpecker who was drumming.Was trying to find the guilty party who was peeling off large chucks of bark!Also only heard a Ruby-crowned Kinglet! As I was slogging through the swamp almost stepped on my first flower of the spring a Pussytoe!In my plant field guide there are three varieties of this plant found in Manitoba.Saw Rosy Pussytoe and most likely Broad-leaved Pussytoe by the habitat I found them in.Here are two photographs,

I then walked along the railway tracks were in a water filled ditch I flushed two American Bitterns and two Wilson's Snipe!Close by filmed a Song Sparrow singing!

And finally went to the marsh along Bournais Ave were I dug up five Northern Shovelers,the croaking American Bittern and one Green-winged Teal .

Identification of a Comma?

Since I am new to butterflies and their identification was having difficulty naming the butterfly I saw last weekend.Sent off a few photographs to BugGuide and they identified it as a Gray Comma!I then looked at my two butterfly field guides to see if I could identify it with there descriptions.Here's two links from flickr showing notes on identification from my photographs,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71308769@N02/7061069933/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71308769@N02/7061069767/

And here`s a video of the same butterfly and a photograph taken from there,

Here`s the field guides used,
The Butterflies of Manitoba
Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America

Today was all about the Birds

Awful weather almost sent me home today.Even before I started birding.Heavy winds,cold,light rain and darkness made me pause as I eat my McDonald's breakfast.Walked eight kilometers and seen plenty of nice birds!In the first pond I looked over saw two Green-winged Teal.And in a subsequent pond saw four more!Also in this pond were a Lesser Scaup and Greater Scaup!Had good looks at both males side by side and there head profiles were quite noticeable!Seen nine Gray Partridges,they seemed to popping in pairs everywhere!Two male Bufflehead were chasing a female everywhere including underwater.Still about twenty Canvasback in one pond and some of the males were performing.More Song Sparrows were heard singing,and one Wilson's Snipe was displaying!Seen 33 species in 3 hours,my highest total at St.Boniface Industrial Park this year!

Two Tortoiseshells!

Was doing a good job of surveying my patch for birds until I came upon lots of enticing butterflies to record on video!Seen a Compton Tortoiseshell,a few Milbert`s Tortoiseshells,lots of Mourning Cloaks and Commas!Was having a hard time recording them due to the glare on the lcd monitor and the flightiness of the butterflies.The glare is going to be an ongoing problem because of habits of butterflies who come out later in the day.As for the birds seen new for the year Pied-billed Grebe and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker were nice and saw 20 Canvasbacks in one pond!

April's Fools Big Half Day!

The weather fooled with me,rained and was cold,the forecast said otherwise!Tried hard to do a big day which I plan on doing every first of the month in my patch.Did walk 8km.in 4 hours looking for everything moving and calling in all the good spots.Only new bird of the year was a Wilson`s Snipe.Here is a list of birds seen,

1.Canada Goose
2.Mallard
3.Canvasback
4.Ring-necked Duck
5.Bufflehead
6.Hooded Merganser
7.Northern Harrier
8.Red-tailed Hawk
9.Killdeer
10.Wilson's Snipe
11.Ring-billed Gull
12.Northern Flicker
13.Black-billed Magpie
14.American Crow
15.Black-capped Chickadee
16.American Robin
17.European Starling
18.American Tree Sparrow
19.Fox Sparrow
20.Song Sparrow
21.Dark-eyed Junco
22.Red-winged Blackbird
23.Western Meadowlark
24.Common Grackle
25.Rock Dove 

Favorite Butterfly Patch!

Finally some nice conditions for butterfly hunting!Went to some unused land off of Bournais Drive where last summer always saw many varieties.Found over 25 Mourning Cloaks,2 Comma's and 1 tattered Milbert's Tortoiseshell!The cloaks were chasing everything including any birds flying by and me!Was not looking for birds but did see new for the year Winter Wren and Eastern Phoebe!And saw two Woodchucks who use the extensive cement piles as home.Sure do give off a startling warning call!

Sandhill Crane Calling

Again another day off!This time no work!Left very early to avoid the crowds!Only went to one area along the railway tracks.Extensive marsh with very interesting sights!A large bird flushed and I followed it through some deadfall.It was a Cooper`s Hawk and it was hunting the numerous Dark-eyed Juncos about!A Northern Flicker also alighted as I walked here.With the low cloud ceiling swore a Sandhill Crane was very close to me!On the way to the bus stop took a side trip to another swamp and was rewarded.A Rusty Blackbird flew on to a bulrush and started singing!Here are three videos of birds seen or heard,

Song Sparrows Singing!

St.Boniface Industrial Park

Had another day off ,poor employer is very sick!Lots of male Red-winged Blackbirds have arrived and were scattered around the two marshes.As I was approaching the sedge meadow heard my first song from a migrating bird,a Song Sparrow!A few moments later heard a Western Meadowlark belt out part of a song!In a swamp with many dead snags a Mourning Dove was back at it's favorite haunt.Only new species seen in all the ponds were a pair of Buffleheads.As I was exiting the park a Black-billed Magpie was seen building a nest near the police station.Of all the years of seeing American Tree Sparrows passing through never heard a male sing.But today one perched prominently on bush singing!

Gray Partridge!

Went for a long walk looking for exciting new finds for the year!All four ponds were covered.In them were a Canvasback and a pair of Hooded Mergansers.Also found a new pond looking through Goggle Maps!Next time!American Tree Sparrows everywhere,a few Fox Sparrows rummaging in the leaf litter and an American Robin flushed from a bush.A Northern Harrier hunting over a marsh and two later chasing a very active Great Horned Owl!Two Herring Gulls who only stay long enough to gorge on the winterkill of fish! Watched as a Red-tailed Hawk soared higher and higher trying to find a warm updraft in the cold weather.Lucky for the bird the winds were heavy and it was out of my eyesight in no time.Found a colorful male American Kestrel hunting from a hydro line and close by a female.Could I be treated to a whole summer of raising there young as I did last year!And always a surprise two Gray Partridges flushed from a field just as I was about to step on them!

American Kestrel

When butterflies are not flying and orchids are not showing will periodically post notable bird sightings especially from my local patch.Which is St. Boniface Industrial Park, found within the city limits of Winnipeg,Manitoba.After unseasonably warm weather lately the temperature returned to more normal highs for this time of year.Therefore because of the cold no butterflies were expected to be seen.Did see an American Kestrel which are very uncommon in the city.Hope it is one of the pair who breed here and successfully raised two young.And finally seen a Killdeer after hearing them for about a week.One other bird of note were two Herring Gulls.The three ponds are free of ice but disappointedly there was few waterfowl on them. Next weekend should be good for butterflies,much higher temperatures and sunny!

Green Comma

My first butterfly sighting of the year!Found in a riparian oak forest.Checked out both my butterfly field guides and I am confident that it is a Green Comma!