Birthday Birding

Today is me and my twin brothers birthday and we are now 12! I decided to do a birthday bird count just for fun, I was hoping to see 7 different species. The cold doesn't help here, last night it was under -50 C (-58 F) with wind chill!! BRRR!! I watched from the windows and counted some birds, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 White-breasted Nuthatch and 10 chickadees. I only had three species, I was disappointed that I never saw the two Harris's Sparrows that were crazy enough to stay the winter.

Downy Woodpecker

I decided to go outside and see the Great-horned Owls, maybe some magpies or ravens also, that would have brought my list up to six species. But... I never saw even a single bird out back, not one! Too cold for the likes of them I guess. My list was still at 3. As we did stuff around the house a Hairy Woodpecker came to the feeder. Yay! 4 species! Still not as many as I was hoping for, today was just to cold. 

Black-capped Chickadee (sorry for only two pictures, I accidentally deleted a bunch of the ones I took today)

Other News For the New Year
I moved the 'Birds Around My House' page to a link on the side. I haven't really worked on it at all and don't know if I will, but I kept for those who want to still look at it. I did it to free up some space on the page bar for room for life list pages. 

I counted 134 bird species in total this year, I guess that counts for my all time life list also, this Spring is really when I started to be very serious about birding. I think I started watching the birds a lot sometime in the Winter so that means I have been birding for a year. I hope to get a fresh start in 2014 and add to my life list a lot. I want to look for shore and water birds more in 2014. In 2013 I was mostly just watching the birds in our yard. I can easily bike to the floodway to watch shorebirds there or a old gravel pit that has kind of turned into a park with paths and ponds. Birds Hill Provincial Park is a bike ride away from our house also. 

I went to my first Christmas Bird Count this year which I saw two new life birds, Northern Hawk Owl and Sharp-tailed Grouse. Read all about it in my post, http://birdsinyourbackyard.blogspot.ca/2013/12/oak-hammock-marsh-christmas-bird-count.html

I went out with Christian Artuso numerous times this year, he has helped a lot. We went out together in early Spring at Oak Hammock Marsh, in early fall at Assiniboine Park, in late fall around Grand Beach and we were counting together at the Christmas Bird Count at Oak Hammock Marsh.


Favorite Photo's of 2013

Here are some of my favorite photos from the year 2013! I have many favorites but I quickly scrolled through my photos and chose a few, well maybe not a few...

Strip the Red-breasted Nuthatch eating from my hand

Ring-necked Duck, at Assiniboine Park with Christian Artuso

Wood Duck, at Assiniboine Park with Christian Artuso

Palm Warbler, at Assiniboine Park with Christian Artuso

Eastern Screech Owl, at Assiniboine Park with Christian Artuso

female Ruby-throated Hummingbird, at Assiniboine Park with Christian Artuso

Me holding a juvenile Peregrine Falcon at Parkland Mews

Mallard, at Assiniboine Park with Christian Artuso

Northern Hawk Owl at Oak Hammock Marsh Christmas Bird Count with Christian Artuso

Rough-legged Hawk, with Christian Artuso

Peregrine Falcon at Parkland Mews

Rough-legged Hawk with Christian Artuso

HAPPY BIRDING AND NEW YEAR!