I have had two Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) coming to my feeders today. One is a Red-shafted female, which is unusual for my area as I live in the eastern prairies. The other flicker is this one.
This is a hybrid or intergrade male, with the grey-crowned head and facial colouring of a Yellow-shafted, but with the red moustache of a Red-shafted (black in a Yellow-shafted)
There's a hint of the Yellow-shafted's red crescent at the nape
And, for the heck of it....flicker tongue!
I heard this fella singing/calling from a neighbour's tree when I went outdoors earlier to fill feeders. Very shortly, the Red-shafted female joined him.
Another Christmas has wrapped up. I've been on and off with the enthusiasm this holiday season. The weather makes such a difference to me - and it has been too very cold for nearly all of December.
BUT, yesterday we had a break. It was -4C. It was even sunny! I went off on my now-traditional drive around the countryside, looking for birds and generally enjoying whatever I find.
Some scenes captured along the way:
Many Canada Geese in residence at Boundary Dam. Half of the reservoir is ice-free all winter. This is at a warm water bay. (The reservoir is used as cooling water for the electricity-generating turbines at the power plant)
There isn't a great lot of snow around, compared to places north of here. Fingers crossed it stays like this.
My favourite little farm with the beautiful Percheron horses. Had only a minute or so to snap a quick photo as the farm dog, a large golden lab, was racing my way to check out why a vehicle was stopped at his farm. Generally, I try not to stop near farm building as it really is a bit disconcerting for the people living there. I just had to get a shot of this colourful scene, though.
A Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus), one of four seen during the drive. There is a Snowy Owl irruption down into the Eastern US this year. We always have a few of these wonderful birds visiting during the winters. Fuzzy photo - he was quite a distance away, but I had to try for a shot.
Today I went out driving around part of my usual winter birding route. Nothing, Nothing, Nothing. I don't blame the birds for not being here this year. We had a disgusting deep cold spell - as has most of North America - since early December. There just aren't many birds of any kind.
There was, however, this quite magnificent male Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
in a Sea buck-thorn shrub (well, I think it is Sea buck-thorn). I had exactly enough time to stop my vehicle, grab my camera, turn it on, back the vehicle up and snap a single photo before Mr. Handsome flew off.
If this is, in fact, a Sea Buck-thorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), its berries are very high in protein, vitamins
C and E, and organic acids.
