Category: Jane’s Deck of Birds
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Jane’s Deck of Birds – White Throated Sparrow
This handsome sparrow has been called the ‘Whistler of the North’. It’s very easy to recognize their song as it sounds like they’re singing Oh Sweet Canada Canada Canada. The White- throated is a large sparrow measuring up to 7.5 inches. They have a rust-brown back, grey bellies, stripes on their head and a vibrant…
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Jane’s Deck Of Birds- Song Sparrow
This songbird adds yet another voice to the chorus. The Song Sparrow derived its name from its repertoire of songs. The melody will normally begin with four clear notes, a two-eee and end with a trill. Song Sparrows will repeat this numerous times and then switch to another variation of the song. It has been…
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Jane’s Deck of Birds- Rose Breasted Grosbeak
This beautiful songbird will be returning to its breeding grounds by the beginning of May. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks winter in Mexico through central South America and the Caribbean to Peru and Venezuela. In Canada they can be found from British Columbia to the Maritimes and as far north as the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks…
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Hummingbirds and Orioles
It’s that time of year again, time to clean your Hummingbird and Oriole Feeders. Migration is well under way and they’ll both be back within the next few weeks! RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD These brilliant little jewels are on their way back from their wintering grounds in Costa Rica. The male looks very handsome in the sun…
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‘How Do I Keep Squirrels Away From My Feeders?’
This is a question commonly asked by our customers. Squirrels can be known to clean out a bird feeder in a day, if not hours. The culprit in our region is the Eastern Gray Squirrel. This squirrel has two colour phases: gray and black. The gray and black are found in Ontario, Quebec, southern New…
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Solutions For Keeping Bully Birds Away From Your Feeders
‘How do I keep bully birds away from my feeders?’ This is a question I often hear from our customers. Some of these birds are here all year and some will be migrating back to their breeding grounds this spring. House Sparrows, Starlings, Mourning Doves, Grackles and Pigeons can fall into this category. These birds…
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Jane’s Deck of Birds- Red Winged Blackbird
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS ‘Conk-la-ree’, ahhh, the sound I listen for at this time of year. A true sign that spring is on the way is hearing the song of the Red-winged Blackbird. They are one of the first songbirds to migrate from their winter destinations in the Southern US back to Canada. Male Red-winged Blackbirds arrive…
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Jane’s Deck Of Birds – Dark Eyed Junco
Often referred to as our ‘Snow Bird’, the Dark-eyed Junco is another one of our winter visitors. In the late fall Junco’s will migrate from their breeding grounds across Northern Canada and Alaska south into Southern Canada and the US. Juncos vary in colour depending on what region they are in, but the Dark-eyed Junco…
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Jane’s Deck of Birds – American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch Goldfinches are a favourite backyard bird found throughout southern Canada, the US and down into Mexico. You can tell spring is coming when you see the males turning back to their bright yellow colour. American Goldfinches are the only finch who molt their feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again…
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Jane’s Deck of Birds – Canada Geese
CANADA GEESE – DID YOU KNOW? During the fall and winter I have been observing very large flocks of Canada Geese flying in their V formations just before sunset. The reason they fly at this time of day is to avoid predators, such as hawks and eagles. Geese can be very aggressive on the ground…