Chickadee Photo Art » Winter

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

Red Squirrel in Winter

Sharon — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:00:55 +0000

Red squirrels are active during the winter and can be seen running around in the snow and on trees on milder winter days. They build great nests sometimes lined with stolen fabric which they have borrowed from lawn furniture. Fur lined and cozy they can keep warm on blustery winter days. Their nests are built in spruce/fir tree boughs, inside hollows of tree trunks or in homes/garages and sheds if they can get access. I love watching their antics and get a kick out of them when they “scold” you from above. They are territorial and although many squirrels can live in the same area they often go on real good chases chattering and uttering clucking warnings to other squirrels. They can clean out a bird feeding station in no time but then they need to eat too. I always find many peanuts buried in my flower pots and beds every spring courtesy of the squirrels.

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

Skunk in Winter

Sharon — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:00:34 +0000

You could not miss seeing this black and white striped skunk out for a walk on a sunny and warm winter day. They are normally nocturnal so I am not sure why this one was on a walk about during mid-day. It was walking along and rooting under the snow here and there in search of food. These photos were taken in the Pinawa area. About the size of a domestic cat, skunks won’t bother you unless they feel threatened and it is very wise not to annoy them. In all fairness to the skunk their body language will give you warning if you are too close. Their diets consists mainly of insects and they do eat small rodents as well. Sometimes in more rural areas skunks will damage lawns by digging for food. I especially love the baby skunks and they are adorable reminding me of kittens following along behind their mother. One campground in the Whiteshell that I frequented had many skunks which would appear with the onset of dusk and they wandered around the campsites in search of food. They were so used to people and being fed that they were almost like the campground pets. One walked right under my camp chair one night on its way to the lakeshore for a drink of water. I enjoyed watching them wander about without feeling threatened.

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

Ice Circles – Not “That Wierd or What”

Sharon — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:00:42 +0000

Last March I posted a Blog on “Unusual Ice Formations” – Ice Circles. You need icy cold rushing water with little eddies on the side to produce these ice platters. As it happened, I noticed on a television program this past year “Is That Wierd or What” – William Shatner’s TV show, that they featured Ice Circles. Canadian born William Shatner of Star Trek fame was visiting a United States Army lab facility where they were attempting to form and explain these unusual ice formations. They did in fact produce some in the lab but definitely not as beautiful as the naturally formed ones shown below. As it happens, we have them occurring right here in Manitoba and it is likely they are not that uncommon if you get to the rivers at the right time of spring thaw. It is clear that the froth generated from the rushing ice cold water gathers in the eddies and swirls around forming the circles which then freeze up because of the water/air temperatures. Eventually these ice circles free themselves from the eddies and float downstream where they melt. So once again – here are some recent photos of our made in Manitoba Whiteshell ice circles.

Enjoy!

~Sharon