Year of the Bird Series: December – Northern Flicker Article by: Chris Harris, Environmental Physiology Technician at the University of Windsor As a birder whose enthusiasm has often exceeded his competency, I have always loved species that could be unambiguously identified and sexed both in the hand and field. Between the distinctive call, hefty size, …
Year of the Bird Series: December – Northern Flicker Read More »
Article by Mike Furbur To see a Purple Finch is always a thrill, particularly close-up at a banding station like Ruthven Park (where several were banded this fall). And, to watch an active nest of these remarkable birds for a week is also an unforgettable experience. Indeed, this is one of my fondest memories from …
Year of the Bird Series: November – Purple Finch Read More »
Article by Mike Furber One could hardly imagine a more endearing predator: diminutive, fierce, stealthy, tenacious, and resilient, this smallest of eastern North American owls is rarely observed accept in the winter or during migration at owl banding stations. Indeed, Saw-whet Owls were thought to be much less common until owl banding throughout North America …
Year of the Bird Series: October – Northern Saw-whet Owl – “Nocturnal Nomadic Gnome” Read More »
Article by Rick Ludkin We begin to see the first Fall Blackpoll Warblers at the beginning of September with their numbers swelling as the month proceeds. This hardy little bird, that spends the Winter in wooded habitats in South America as far south as Bolivia, breeds in the boreal forest anywhere from Newfoundland to Alaska. …
Year of the Bird Series: September – Blackpoll Warbler Read More »
Article by Joanne Fleet I was on a guided hike with the Hamilton Naturalists Club when I heard someone ask, “Is that a Goldfinch singing? Why are they still singing? I thought all birds stopped singing by July 15th?” I was very new to birds after having just enjoyed my first visit to Ruthven Park. …
Year of the Bird Series: August – The American Goldfinches Read More »
Article by Sian E. Ford As summer reaches its peak and the colorful migrants of Spring disperse, other less amiable birds can come into focus. I began bird watching and banding during my undergraduate studies in university and all I had ever heard of the northern goshawk was that they are rarely seen but are …
Year of the Bird Series: July – The Northern Goshawk Read More »
Editor’s Note: 100+ bird organizations declared 2018 the “Year of the Bird” as it is the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act’s ratification. Many are pledging to do 1 thing per month to help birds. As Ruthven Park National Historic Site has a bird banding station in collaboration with the Haldimand Bird Observatory, we are featuring one …
Editor’s Note: 100+ bird organizations declared 2018 the “Year of the Bird” as it is the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act’s ratification. Many are pledging to do 1 thing per month to help birds. As Ruthven Park National Historic Site has a bird banding station in collaboration with the Haldimand Bird Observatory, we are featuring one …
