Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A week of birds - and it's only Tuesday

It all started on Sunday with this male House Finch on our feeder.


Then today after work I popped over to Southside Park as a fellow bird nerd told me it would be worth stopping by. For starters I saw this pair of Canada Geese. They were regal but quite common around here year round.


Then I caught this Ring-billed Gull in flight with a sizeable scrap of something in it's bill.


Then finally the trip paid off - Hooded Mergansers. Left a female, right a male (crest down)and at the top of the photo a male with it's crest up.


But the sighting that caused the biggest stir in our house today happened as Geoff and I were standing in the kitchen supper time. He touched me on the shoulder, pointed to our front door and said "look!". Lo and behold....


We're hoping this is one of the pair of Mourning Doves that have nested here since the 2009. Last year we only saw one pair of chicks raised on this window sill and it was my fault. After the chick fledged I thought it would be a good idea to remove the nest so that the adults could build anew. BAD move. They didn't return to our house but set up housekeeping at our neighbours. Fingers crossed for this year.

5 comments:

  1. We have a lot of those doves around our home. Not too bright these little birdies. They scratch around on the driveway and don't want to move for the car.

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  2. It is so cool that the Mourning Doves are back. We leave the nest for our Barn Swallows. I don't know if it is the original pair returning each year or one of the grown up babies, but it has been rebuilt and occupies for about five years now. I just love watching the birds all summer long. - Margy

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  3. Awwwww! How wonderful to how return birdie visitors!!! :-]

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  4. Oh Oh Oh I love the bird photos! How cool about the mourning doves - I hope they are moving back to your house - please keep us all posted!(we will be expecting pictures of the babies!)

    Vicki

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  5. So happy I picked today for a visit. I know spring has officially arrived when you begin to post dove photos. Yippee!

    I know Gray is enjoying all the new feathered visitors. Skipper is getting fat. He could use some exercise.

    I have missed your posts. I will try to visit more often.

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