Northern Flicker

The Northern Flicker has been very common this year. I have seen one a week, at least, throughout the Fall, Winter and Spring.  They are quite a big woodpecker and very brightly colored. The Northern Flicker of Newfoundland is a yellow-shafted variety. They can be heard calling, singing and drumming on trees, chimneys or eaves.

Yesterday, I went birding around the ponds and rivers in St. John's. There was not much to be found but I did see two Northern Flickers at Bowring Park. In addition to that, I walked at least 5K. Walking with a purpose is so much more engaging than just walking for the sake of walking. Even when birding is not great, there is always something to photograph. (I digress.)

 

From a distance, this bird can be easily identified by its long, slightly curved beak. If the lighting is right, the red patch on the crown of its head will shine.  The male has a black molar coloring an a red crescent on the nape. The three pictures above are males.

The female does not have the black molar and red nape. The two pictures above show two females at different times of the year. Most birds change their appearance with the seasons, just like people.

Even though the quality of the two images below is not great, the pictures do show the size and brightness of the yellow shaft. If a large bird flies by quickly and flashes bright yellow, it is likely a Northern Flicker.

In addition to the Northern Flickers, I did find something special at Branscombe Pond in Mount Pearl.  I found a family of nine Mallard Duckling. They would not stay in a straight line. Like most babies, they were eager to explore the shoreline and go off on their own. They followed me around the water's edge.

There will be a lot of this to see in the days to come.  The Mute Swans at Kennie's Pond have set up home and will likely have little goslings soon.

Northern Gannet

If you have been watching the news about the Gulf oil spill, you may have seen that the first bird covered with oil was a Northern Gannet. These birds winter in the Gulf Coast and return to Newfoundland in the Spring to breed. They are very striking with their coloring and their size. The shape of this bird is compared to a flying cross.

I was at Cape Spear last weekend and spotted nine Gannets flying off the point. They should return by the thousands, and if they are smart, they should return soon! This shot was taking at Cape St. Mary's last September prior to their departure to the South. As you can see their young are quite big. This bird is touted to be the largest seabird of North America.

This shot shows the young in the downy state and in the molted darker state. Apparently, they only breed one brood a year. The young stay in the nest for 3 to 4 months . Cape St. Mary's is the only nesting grounds that I have visited where you can walk right to the edge of their breeding zone. It is very easy to get pictures of these birds, but difficult to isolate just one or two.

Their nests are certainly no "Hilton." There appears to be a small patch of nesting material (probably dried grass taken from the hillside) just laid on the jagged edges of the cliff. It looks like the eggs would just roll off. Yet, judging by all of the young in the colony, they know what they are doing.


In this shot it looks like the young is resting on the nest and the adult is tucked in to protect the young. With the winds blowing so strong, it is a wonder the adult can hang on. We can only hope that these birds will return to our shores this year, safe and sound.

Northern Shoveler

This female Northern Shoveler lost her way in October. She appeared at Quidi Vidi Lake and stayed until sometime in December. This large-billed duck does not belong in Newfoundland. Different field guides indicate that the Northern Shoveler may travel North but stop short of Maine. Other guides indicate a much more southern and western range. If the bird could only tell its story!

This duck is very easy to identify by its extremely large bill, bigger than its head. Yet, it blends in with the other ducks and is easy to miss. It is much smaller than the Black Ducks and Mallards. The male's coloring is much brighter and more distinctive.

In previous posts, I have talked about diving ducks and dabbling ducks. The Northern Shoveler is neither of these; it is a skimming duck. It will feed by skimming across the water and filtering plant and animal life from the water. This behaviour helps to separate it from the other ducks in the pond.

I am issuing an APB on this little bird. Where did it go in the height of Winter? Did it leave the island? Did it find a mate? Sometimes you may notice a tag with a number on a bird. If possible, take a picture and report the sighting. These reports help in the tracking of the movement of unusual birds.

There was recently a Ring-billed Gull found at QV with a numbered tag. It is known that Cornell University undertook a tagging program a few years back. The number was reported to the project and a documented history of that bird was provided. It was amazing! It had been in the Northeast U.S., other places and back to Newfoundland at least twice. It is this kind of information that helps scientists do their work.

Garganey

Spring birding on the Avalon has been particularly fruitful! There have been unexpected and early arrivals from the South and from the European front. This duck is a Garganey and is particularly unusual here. It breeds in Europe and Asia and winters in Africa. This male is not supposed to be in Newfoundland. Nevertheless, late last week it showed up at Mundy Pond.

Like many fresh arrivals this small dabbling duck was very skittish. It would just take flight for no apparent reason. It flitted all around the pond for about one day and then disappeared. Numerous birdwatchers and photographers showed up to get a glimpse and maybe capture a shot. He did not want to pose. I had to be fast on the trigger and hope for the best in order to get any shots of him.

The Southern Shore has been a very exciting place to be over the last week. There have been Great Egrets, a Snowy Egret, a Scarlet Tanager, Plovers and many more special birds showing up there. It is a hit or miss experience, depending on the whims of the birds. The anticipation that a rarity may just show up, as they often do, is enough to keep birders at it for 16 hours a day.

I went on the bird watchers' walk at the Botanical Gardens. It was a nice experience. There were five on the trek but we didn't see any special birds. We did see and hear some familiar species. One of the nicest experiences for me was to clearly hear the drumming of the Ruffed Grouse. It sounded like a tympani. I would recommend the walk because as the Spring and Summer birds return, there should be a lot of activity in the Oxen Pond area. The guide is knowledgeable and will answer questions and offer information about the birds.Bonus bird! I found this Pine Grosbeak on the Southern Avalon tour. It was much bigger than I remembered from the winter shots.