Alberta Birds: October

The trees are almost completely bare, although the flowers in my flower beds are still valiantly trying to produce more blooms.  This means that lately I'm not seeing very many birds.  Even the Juncos and White throated Sparrows seem to have flown, although I still hear Geese flying over the house at night as they continue to migrate.

The birds that are left have been mostly quiet when I have gone out on bird watch, and seem to stay hidden.  This is a tense time of year for the bird species that do not migrate, since there are many more predators seeking to feed themselves as they follow their prey south, as well as predators who simply take advantage of the lack of cover for these birds.

Northern Flicker

On the bright side, this is a perfect time of year to see Woodpeckers.  I'm also hoping to see species of  Hawks which I don't usually see in the area, which is why I continue to go out on bird watch.  However, this week's sightings makes for a very short list, but include one lone Mallard duck and a Solitary Sandpiper.

Solitary Sandpiper at dawn

Blue Jay

The photos I present here represent the bird species on that list.

Murder of Crows

The Crows in the tree above were actually only a few in the huge murder that I saw.  I have noticed over the years, that whenever large numbers of crows gather in the fall, the winter that follows is usually very cold.  I'm really hoping that I'm wrong, since I don't enjoy winter much, and plan to go out more this winter in hopes of catching sight of bird species that might come down from the north to winter here.

Chickadee

Nuthatch

This time of year Blue Jays and Magpies are everywhere.  They are the only birds that are seen out in the open almost all of the time.  You will hear the House Finch and Nuthatch occasionally, but even they are unusually quiet.

House Sparrow

I caught this photo of a House Sparrow just as I headed for my front door, reminding me to fill my bird feeders and to purchase some suet to hang in the tree for wintering birds.  Please don't forget to do the same.



Enjoy,
Susan