Not dead, just sleeping.....
It's been a bit busy here lately, so I haven't posted anything. This changes now.
I've seen alot of Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) at the feeder lately. Specifically, there is what I assume to be a breeding pair, since they're always together, and are a male and a female (they could, I suppose, just be very good friends, but the third cardinal
belies that theory). the third, and to my mind, most interesting, is an immature male. For those who have never SEEN a Northern Cardinal, I suggest that you might be spending too much time on the internet, and should perhaps go for more walks outdoors. I also offer a description. The mature male of the species is a brilliant red, with a black face and some greyish wing feathers. The female is more drab... a kind of mottled, ashen colour with orangey patches on the wings and tale. The immature male....this being a male in it's first year of life.... looks rather like an adult male that has, for some obscure reason, decided to wear it's wife's coat. it has the red in patches, peeking out from under the more drab feathers of the female, and of the baby cardinal. Nowhere near as spectacular as his father, but interesting in his own way. He will have started out looking like his mother...okay, that's a lie. like most baby birds, he will have started out looking horrific and parboiled, but that changes quickly. He's just getting his adult feathers now, and that means that pretty soon I won't see him anymore...when he reaches maturity, his father will drive him off, and he'll have to find his own patch, and a mate. Cardinals are year round residents here, so at least I'll get to see his parents still.
Juncos, on the other hand, are not year round residents in Ottawa. So imagine my suprise when I saw a Dark-Eyed Junco (junco hyemalis) in the garden this morning. I saw a great many of them about two weeks ago, and I thought that was the last of them. I guess this little fellow was a straggler. They DO sometimes winter in southern Canada, but so far as I can determine, not in Ottawa, which probably isn't south enough.
The Canada Geese ( branta canadensis) are also leaving. Anybody who has ever been to Ottawa will know they're pretty common here....as they are in alot of places. I've seen hundreds at a time in parks near the river, or at the Nortel building. Thousands in fields that have recently been harvested...the feed on grain that has fallen in the cultivation process. Now I only see them flying far overhead. That, though, is an awe inspiring sight. There's something about a flock of geese overhead that takes the breath away. And to see one in Ottawa....well, that just feels very, very Canadian. About as Canadian as one can feel without a beaver present, and a bottle of maple syrup.
It's been a bit busy here lately, so I haven't posted anything. This changes now.
I've seen alot of Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) at the feeder lately. Specifically, there is what I assume to be a breeding pair, since they're always together, and are a male and a female (they could, I suppose, just be very good friends, but the third cardinal
belies that theory). the third, and to my mind, most interesting, is an immature male. For those who have never SEEN a Northern Cardinal, I suggest that you might be spending too much time on the internet, and should perhaps go for more walks outdoors. I also offer a description. The mature male of the species is a brilliant red, with a black face and some greyish wing feathers. The female is more drab... a kind of mottled, ashen colour with orangey patches on the wings and tale. The immature male....this being a male in it's first year of life.... looks rather like an adult male that has, for some obscure reason, decided to wear it's wife's coat. it has the red in patches, peeking out from under the more drab feathers of the female, and of the baby cardinal. Nowhere near as spectacular as his father, but interesting in his own way. He will have started out looking like his mother...okay, that's a lie. like most baby birds, he will have started out looking horrific and parboiled, but that changes quickly. He's just getting his adult feathers now, and that means that pretty soon I won't see him anymore...when he reaches maturity, his father will drive him off, and he'll have to find his own patch, and a mate. Cardinals are year round residents here, so at least I'll get to see his parents still.
Juncos, on the other hand, are not year round residents in Ottawa. So imagine my suprise when I saw a Dark-Eyed Junco (junco hyemalis) in the garden this morning. I saw a great many of them about two weeks ago, and I thought that was the last of them. I guess this little fellow was a straggler. They DO sometimes winter in southern Canada, but so far as I can determine, not in Ottawa, which probably isn't south enough.
The Canada Geese ( branta canadensis) are also leaving. Anybody who has ever been to Ottawa will know they're pretty common here....as they are in alot of places. I've seen hundreds at a time in parks near the river, or at the Nortel building. Thousands in fields that have recently been harvested...the feed on grain that has fallen in the cultivation process. Now I only see them flying far overhead. That, though, is an awe inspiring sight. There's something about a flock of geese overhead that takes the breath away. And to see one in Ottawa....well, that just feels very, very Canadian. About as Canadian as one can feel without a beaver present, and a bottle of maple syrup.
Labels: birds
posted by Gaelan | 7:05 PM
2 Comments:
We don't really get cardinals on the east coast. When I was a kid, one dropped into our neighbourhood for a while and it was a major bird-watching event. At least when they do show up, they are hard to miss, being bright red.
y'know, I happen to have maple syrup AND wild rice kicking about, Sue, so if you can lay hands on a goose I can probably work something up.
Ian: yeah, cardinals are more of an ontario thing. But this being a blog about Ottawa......well, you get my meaning.
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