Spring is Creeping Closer!

A male Red-winged Blackbird appears to be announcing, "Spring is Almost Here"! February 27th was our first view of the species in Canatara this calendar year and is my personal "harbinger of spring"! 

The first Common Grackles are also being found in the park! They are taller and longer tailed than a typical Blackbird. They have glossy-iridescent feathers. In flight their long tails trail behind them, sometimes folded down the middle into a shallow 'V' shape.

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

Up to 3 White-throated Sparrows have been found in Canatara throughout the winter.

I couldn't capture them both in the same photo, but a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches were hunting for food in Canatara Park. These long-billed, short-tailed songbirds travel through tree canopies with other winter birds but stay close to tree trunks and branches for food where they search bark furrows for hidden insects.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/overview

It took me 2 months, but I finally saw my first Carolina Wren of 2026! This species is found locally throughout the year.

 A woodpecker has been practicing drumming and drilling skills on a Bat box.

Coyote on the run through Canatara. The Coyote is a remarkably hard runner, galloping along at 40 km per hour, but capable of reaching 64 km per hour.

https://www.hww.ca/wildlife/mammals/coyote/

I watched this Red-tailed Hawk fly in with prey but was not able to see what it was eating.

The weather was a little more reasonable on Saturday and the Alpacas at the Animal Farm were in the barnyard for a change.