Chickadee Photo Art » Birds of Manitoba

Pileated Woodpecker

Sharon — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:35:00 +0000

These large woodpeckers can be found through all seasons in Manitoba. They are capable of making large holes in their favourite trees or hyrdo poles. I have found them to be extremely skittish and will fly at the slightest movement so I am always feeling pretty lucky to get a photo of them.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Spruce Grouse

Sharon — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:00:50 +0000

A loud flapping sound right behind my head scared the dickens out of me but when I turned around and saw that a Spruce Grouse had landed on the railing right behind me all was well. The Grouse was on its way to a birch tree to eat the tender buds at the very top. It flapped over to the tree ( they don’t really fly well ) and then started climbing up and up until it got to the tiniest branches at the top. There were two other Grouse already up there and I hadn’t even seen them. I was surprised that the tiny branches held their weight while they stretched their necks out to get the buds and clinging to the branches with their feathered feet. This group of Grouse were up in the tree tops each day at dusk while I was visiting my friend in Northwestern Ontario. They roost in the spruce trees and also forage for food on the ground.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Hairy Woodpecker

Sharon — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:00:46 +0000

Another year round resident the Hairy Woodpecker is very similar to our little Downy Woodpecker only larger. Hairy woodpeckers are also a lot more skittish than the Downy variety who tolerate human presence very well. They also circle tree trunks in search of insects beneath the bark. Brains specially encased within their small heads allow members of the woodpecker family to hammer away at trees without injury – what an adaptation of nature that is! The woodpeckers love suet and will also partake in the black oil seed during the winter. They use their tail as a prop on the trees.

Hard to see in the re-sized photo below but when I enlarge this the woodpeckers tongue can be seen darting into the bark to retrieve its food.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

More Manitoba Winter Birds – Red Breasted Nuthatch

Sharon — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:00:32 +0000

NEW PHOTOS GALLERY HAS BEEN UPDATED

Small and busy creepers these pretty little nuthatches are often found circling head down on a tree trunk searching out insects beneath the bark. They have stubby little tails and a rounded body. They also don’t mind the black oil seed at the feeding station and frequent that as well. They have a distinctive call so you always know when they are around.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Winter Feeding Station – Pine Grosbeak

Sharon — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:00:11 +0000

NEW PHOTOS GALLERY HAS BEEN UPDATED

Bright and beautiful – also known as “snow parrots” these birds will flock to feeders in the winter and love the black oil seed offered to them. I seldom see these residents of the spruce-fir forest in the summer but see many throughout the winter. They are quite approachable and carry on feeding even when I am standing close by. I love photographing these colourful boreal forest residents.

Below is a female showing the markings on her back.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Winter Bird Feeding Station – Boreal Chickadee

Sharon — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:47 +0000

NEW PHOTOS GALLERY HAS BEEN UPDATED

Similar to our Black Capped Chickadee, this resident of our boreal forest has chestnut colouring on its sides and a brown head. This one really seemed to like the suet I put out for the birds. I had read that the Boreal Chickadees prefer not to flock with the Black Capped Chickadees but this cute little bird had no problem mingling with the other winter birds at the feeding station. It rarely sat still, hopping about and fluttering its wings.

Enjoy !

~Sharon

Winter Bird Feeding Station – Redpolls

Sharon — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:00:50 +0000

Winter feeding can attract a variety of beautiful birds that remain with us year round. Nuthatches, chickadees, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, jays, redpolls and sparrows to name a few. The next few posts will feature photos of this year’s visitors to the feeders. Black oil sunflower and suets seem to be the food of choice for those named above except the sparrows prefer a millet mixture if given the choice. I’ll start with the beautiful little redpolls.

Enjoy!

Sharon

Snowy Owl

Sharon — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:05 +0000

We are fortunate to have these beautiful arctic birds visit our area each winter. The Snowy Owls can often be spotted sitting on the tops of hydro poles, signs along side our highways or outbuildings. These owls are diurnal, meaning they are active both day and night. Their preferance for higher perches allows them to scan their hunting territory ( in our case the open prairie fields ) for small rodents or rabbits. They breed in the high arctic where their prey would be lemmings and sometimes ptarmigan. Both parents are fiece defenders of the nest and young owlets. The Snowy Owl featured here is either a female or immature bird as it has fairly extensive black markings. An adult male would be mainly white with fewer dark areas. Their bill is black, their eyes yellow and feet are heavily feathered. Snowy owls can weigh in the 6 pound range and have a wingspan of up to 59 inches which makes it one of our largest species of owls.

This snowy only moved when its head turned around to look the other direction. My neck hurt just watching it !

Enjoy !

~Sharon

Cedar Waxwings

Sharon — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:00:33 +0000

Flocks of these elegant waxwings gather in trees eating the ripened berries. These waxwings were feasting on berries of Mountain Ash and Snowberry.

Enjoy!

~Sharon

Common Tern

Sharon — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:00:10 +0000

Common Terns are fun to watch flying over the water in search of food. They can hover in one spot like a helicopter and then turn abruptly diving straight down into the water. Smaller and more delicate looking than gulls I find them to be very attractive birds. These photos were taken in Nopiming Provincial Park.

Below: Common Terns preening on a rock island.

Enjoy!

~Sharon