Birdy Days!

One of the Canatara Cooper's Hawks.

A Cooper's Hawk nest is being built quite close to the road that passes through the park. From past experience, we have learned that this may be a "dummy" nest. We'll be keeping an eye on it to see if it is used in 2025.

A mystery! While standing in the backyard, I watched a clump of fur fall from a tree high above. Fur colour leans towards a Raccoon or Grey Squirrel. Was it eaten by a predator, or perhaps lost in a fight between members of the same species? (I may never know!)

A hungry Golden-crowned Kinglet. Look closely and you can see his tongue!

A Hungry American Goldfinch eating Teasel seeds.

The use of buildings and bridges for nest sites has allowed the Eastern Phoebe to tolerate the landscape changes made by humans and even expand its range. However, they still use natural nest sites when available.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Phoebe/overview

An ever adorable Black-capped Chickadee "bounced" around in the stand of sumac looking for food.

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have been found drilling sapwells in more than 1,000 species of trees and woody plants. However, they have a strong preference for birches and maples. They are enterprising woodpeckers that lap up leaking sap and any trapped insects with a specialized, brush-tipped tongue.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-bellied_Sapsucker/overview

Two male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers chased each other around the forested area in Canatara Park, trying to claim the best trees!