While I still have a backlog of readers’ wildlife photos, I’m not happy with the number of contributions. Please send your good photos to me when you get a chance. Thanks!
Christopher Moss was recently featured in the “photos of readers” segment. Here are a few bird photos he sent, with captions indented:
These Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are rare visitors to Nova Scotia, and this one seems to have adopted my feeders for the winter!
I now have two Northern Cardinals, both male. Here is the bolder of the two – the same one I photographed on the feeder, which is marked with some damaged feathers on the left flank:
And a first for today, a starling sized bird, with glorious egg-yolk coloured plumage on the breast:
This is, I believe, a Yellow Breasted Chat (Icteria virens). They also are not supposed to be residents of Nova Scotia. I seem to be drawing in all the oddball stragglers to my feeders!
What gorgeous colours to brighten your January!
I have lots of decent photos – I just have to remember them & sort them!
Nice photos! I love brightly-colored birds in winter! We have many cardinals along with resident Pileated Woodpeckers.
Our Gold Finches molt to dull colors form the winter. It’s a real sign of spring when the males begin to molt to their spectacular yellow for breeding season,
My computer at home is in the terminal stages of some kind of gremlins and I need to replace it. Then I will submit some more photos. 🙂
I am a bit concerned about that chat (warbler) as it’s way too far north for winter. Normal winter grounds are south of the US border.
I too have cardinals. Both Male and female but I live in central lower Michigan. I remember when I saw an unusual resident (bird). Very exciting.
Do you think you’re seeing these birds in your area is an indicator of climate change?
I was wondering about climate change too. I know of several insects that have moved to my area from farther south, and this too is being attributed to global warming.
I’ve looked at the maps of bird species’ ranges, and I think they are too conservative. Yellow Breasted Chats are unusual in NS, but not unknown. Likewise, a few Cardinals are seen here each year. They are vagrants (as the Twitchers put it) rather than failed migrants. I remember around 25 years ago birders from all across the province descended on a friend’s garden as she had a visiting indigo bunting. These things happen. Robie Tufts excellent book, Birds of Nova Scotia, diligently records all the oddities recorded up to the time of writing, and included some very lost avian souls such as a pelican!
I think climate change is a factor. I was out birding yesterday (SW Idaho) and saw a male and female red-winged blackbird together. I’m thinking an occasional male is somewhat likely since they would love to get first chance at the best nesting sites. But, the female is supposed to be in the south, fattening up, getting ready to return in April. That could just be a confused female, or climate change, or both.
Good shot of the chat. I think they stay low in dense bushes. Hard to see.
Nice pictures! I tried keeping a bird feeder for a time, but could not keep up with it. The little feather balls would empty it far too quickly!
How beautiful! Thanks, Christopher!
These are great…I somehow missed them yesterday. Glad I spotted it while cleaning my inbox.