Hummers are almost here!!

The blue star marks where the NovaBirds Cam is..not much longer now!

 Ruby throated hummers are on the move! I just checked an updated map on Journey North and the hummingbirds are now being sighted in Rhode Island! Not much longer now, and they`ll be once again visiting the feeder here at the Nova Birds cam!

This weekend the feeders will go up so we're ready for them!

Once they do return as regular visitors, the seed cam will be switched over to the hummingbird feeder cam!

I should also mention that periodically, the cam may be down. We're in the process of trying to sell out house, so I like to take the cam down when people are there viewing it!

Spring!

Spring has started to arrive at the NovaBirds cam! Sure, we're still getting a few flurries here and there, but for the most part, the temperature is rising and the snow is melting.

Along with the climate changing, the birds are gearing up for mating season and are also on their return migration from the south. There have been lots of new visitors. There have been flocks of Common Grackles, Red-winged blackbirds, the first American Robins, and swarms of Common Redpolls. I even spotted a Fox Sparrow making a brief stop by the feeder area as well.

If you  listen carefully on the cam, you can hear lots of birdsong in the background, as eager birds are trying to find mates. You might also notice much more bickering going on amongst the birds, as they are getting much more territorial this time of year!

A Sharp Shinned Hawk looks for unsuspecting songbirds.

There has also been a few visits from a little Sharp Shinned Hawk. He's been chasing the little songbirds around, and I suspect (from feathers on the ground) that he may have caught one or two!


By the end of this month, I will be switching over to the Hummingbird cam...soon our buzzy little friends will be returning! I cannot wait to see them once again!

Stay tuned :)

Oh! And don't forget to check out the Gallery for all the latest photos!

Storm Warning!

There's a storm a-brewin'!

Despite the fact that tomorrow is the first day of Spring, we're in for a nasty snow storm. While I personally could do without it, it will most certainly bring lots of birds to the feeder.

Be sure to check in tomorrow!

New lens

Black-capped Chickadee

I *finally* purchased a new lens for my camera. My husband urged me to...so I bit the bullet. I got a new 55-200 telephoto lens for my Canon Rebel XTi. I got out and had the opportunity to take a few photos of "the regulars" this weekend.

I still have lots to learn when it comes to photography, but so far, so good.

I'm hoping that as I get more comfortable with my camera, I'll be able to capture some of the less common birds that visit. These birds are all pretty used to me, so I could get pretty close or fiddle with my camera settings without them flying off.

Downy Woodpecker

Hopefully this is the beginning of many great photos that I can share with all of you! 

Hairy Woodpecker

GBBC Results

Female red wing blackbird.

I have officially completed my first ever "Great Backyard Bird Count!"

I was a little disappointed that some of my regular birds didn't show up. Both my ruffed grouse and red-breasted nuthatch didn't come by at all during the count...but of course today I saw them both! Buggers!

I did have one new visitor, a female red wing black bird. She visited throughout the day on Monday. It's a bit early to spot a female RWBB, so I hope she has fared out out since she left.

I spent most of my time counting the birds in our yard, but on Saturday I did go for a nice long walk and counted some non-seed feeding birds as well. My total count is as follows:

Mourning Dove: 30
Downy Woodpecker: 5
Hairy Woodpecker: 8
Bluejay: 35
American Crow: 66
Black-capped Chickadee: 82
Dark-eyed Junco: 41
Red-wing blackbird: 1
Common Redpoll:  21
Hoary Redpoll: 2
American Goldfinch: 6
Bald Eagle: 16
Herring Gull: 15
Black Back Gull: 2
Common Raven: 1
European Starling: 315
American Tree Sparrow: 2

I really enjoyed participating. It was really good practice for identifying birds in the field. It was also great exercise! I normally hate going outside in the winter time, but going out to find birds was really enjoyable!

The Great Backyard Bird Count

So it's been a few days since I updated, but I do feel that I must take a few moments to write about an exciting event that is happening over the next 3 days!

From Feb 15 - 18 participants from North America and around the world will report their bird sightings to create an enormous snapshot of bird activity :)

I'm participating for the first time this year, and I am using the Bird Log app for my Android, which is currently on sale for $.99!

It's not too late to participate! Go check out eBird or The Great Backyard Bird Count to get started!

Blizzard Warning!

Looks like we have another nasty winter storm on the way!

Last night was the coldest night we've had so far, I believe! Somewhere around -21C before the windchill. It's miserable!!

The temperature will come up a bit, but that's only to make way for the ginormous snow storm that's coming our way. It's actually two storms combining. It's so large that it's currently effecting Ontario, and will eventually come our way.

The forecast predicts that our snowfall will begin over night tonight and winds will pick up to gusts of 100km/h. All that snow + the wind = BLIZZARD!

Saturday will be very messy. They predict we may get upwards of 40cm once it's all over.

It's hard to say if the birds will be out in that mess, not to mention the power is very likely to go out. So if the cam is down, you'll know why!

The birds will probably be very hungry once the storm is done!