Tag: Jane’s birds
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Jane’s Deck Of Birds – CatBird
Who’s eating your grape jelly? Our Pickering location is keeping track of which birds have been seen eating grape jelly from oriole feeders. So far our customers have reported Orioles, Robins, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Starlings… and the latest, Catbirds. Last week I had a customer come in to tell me about a Catbird at…
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Jane’s Deck Of Birds – Cedar Waxwings
Cedar Waxwings are birds you will usually hear before you see. They fly in flocks serenading us with high pitched whistling sounds that resemble a kettle boiling, ‘tseeee’. I must say it’s not the most beautiful song, but it’s certainly easy to recognize. Waxwings are striking birds with a silky fawn plumage. They have a…
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Jane’s Deck Of Birds – Eastern Towhee
Imagine working in your garden and you hear a bird inviting you to ‘drink your teeeeee’. This is the song of the Eastern Towhee. This striking member of the sparrow family is more often heard than seen. It can be found in forest edges and brushy habitats in the eastern US and southeast Canada. The…
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Jane’s Deck Of Birds – Pine Warbler
While enjoying my morning tea on the deck I have been hearing a soft musical trill in the field behind my house. I have come to discover this to be the song of the Pine Warbler. Their song is similar to the Chipping Sparrow but not as long and slightly richer. I have also been…
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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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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 – Purple Finch
Purple finches are delightful birds that we are able to enjoy during the winter months… most years. They can move erratically from year to year, but this year they have been regular visitors to the GTA. Roger Tory Peterson described the male as a “sparrow dipped in raspberry juice”. Females and first-year males have brown heads with…