Bohemian Waxwing - A Photographer's Dream

 It was just in early January that I saw my first Bohemian Waxwing. Now, I've seen hundreds! The best place in town to view these beautiful birds is near MUN where a dear lady there has invested a lot of resources to create a bird haven.

 The flock has grown over this last week to about 40 birds. When they first arrived, they were starved! She bought and chopped apples to keep them going. Then, she put out a call and an appeal for anyone to come enjoy the birds and please bring apples or berries. The call was answered and the birds are staying and thriving. They were so hungry in the beginning that they would almost let anyone touch them. Now that their tummies are full, they are taking breaks and staying at the tops of the trees.

The flock of these waxwings is lovely  but this bird is so spectacular that it really need to be showcased alone to accentuate their striking features.

The sun cooperated for a couple of days and provided the opportunity to get some sharp images that show the smooth texture of the feathers and the bold black and orange markings.

This bird has a raccoon mask or maybe he looks like the Lone Ranger, for those who can remember.

 I have been learning a new feature on my camera and it has really made a difference. I am very pleased with the many pictures that I have accumulated of the Bohemian Waxwing. I'm sure that there are thousands of shots of the birds being downloaded to computers all around the city.

 The touch of red that looks like wax really stands out in the sunlight. Not all of the birds had the bold red and I'm not sure whether they may have been females and/or juveniles. The yellow tips on the tail feathers flash in flight. These birds look like they are ready for Spring.

 These birds are like contortionist, they twist and turn in all sorts of strange body formations to reach food, dodge other birds and just generally get around.

These birds are delightful for all. Many have taken their children to enjoy the constant activity around this special bird sanctuary.

Thank goodness for those who care for the wild birds so well so that they can survive and be enjoyed by many.

Common Chaffinch

Well, the surprises just keep coming! I had never heard of a Common Chaffinch until last week. When the excited word went out that one had appeared at a feeder in Freshwater, Newfoundland, I began reading.

The Common Chaffinch is very common in Europe, maybe the most common finch. However, that is certainly not the case in North America. Many of these birds are exported to N. America as pets and some do escape. That taints many sightings because the bird may be deemed an escapee. Yet, according to Dave Brown, (Newfoundland Birder) there are no such birds imported into Newfoundland. (Check out his blog that is linked from the right side of this page.)

This bird was reported by the homeowners to Bruce MacTavish of the Evening Telegram. In no time a small group of birdwatchers rushed to see the bird.  If bird behaviour is any indication, this bird was not tame. It was much more skittish than the other birds rushing in to eat from the feeder. It was robust and seemed very wild.

 When I travel a good distance to see a rare bird, I try not to get my hopes up too high because the chances are that the bird will not show itself. Yet, my last five trips to see a specific rare bird have been fruitful. The Common Chaffinch showed itself within 30 minutes of our arrival. There is was big as life and even vocalizing.

Too bad for me - I set my camera for the conditions around the feeder, thinking that is where it would show up. Well, it fooled me. It went straight for the tops of two trees and I was ill-prepared to get a good picture. It only stayed for about five minutes and there was no time to shoot and adjust settings.  We waited another half an hour for it to return and decided that it was best to move on and reduce the number of people waiting in the yard. We thought it might increase the odds of it returning so that the other birders would have a better chance of getting a glimpse of this very rare bird.
I would like to extend a very special thanks to the Powers in Freshwater who hosted this bird for about one week. They were gracious and helpful during our stakeout. They served coffee and bread and jam to the cold birders who set up on their property. The kindness was appreciated very much.

Common Moorhen

 I frequently pick up my bird guides and browse through them looking at both birds that I have seen and those that I have not. On Friday of last week, I paused on the Common Moorhen and found myself wondering if this interesting little bird would ever find its way to Newfoundland. Well, the day hadn't ended when I viewed the discussion group and there, much to my surprise, was a posting that a Common Moorhen had been reported on the Avalon. I was stunned.

 When the opportunity arose to make a trip to see this bird, I jumped at the chance. It is so different and unique. It does, however, bear a strong resemblance to the American Coot. (Six American Coots have made St. John's their Winter home.) That is rare enough but the Common Moorhen is much more rare. By browsing the NL Bird Discussion Group archives, I found five previous sightings since 1997. That can only be one indicator of the visits made by Common Moorhen in the past as these reports are not official records of any kind.

When my partner and I first came upon the Common Moorhen it was nestled down in a small ditch with a stream running through it. Most of water was frozen already and the bird was struggling to find its food supply of aquatic vegetation, snails and other invertebrates. I should add that this was before the two huge snowfalls that happened this week and the dipping temperatures. That offers more challenges to survival. Of all of the stray birds that have inadvertently found themselves here, this one seemed the most distressed.  That would make a lot of sense because this

bird should be wintering in Southern

California and Mexico. It must have been some wind that blew it so far off course. 

This bird, although I didn't see it, swims much like the American Coot propelling itself across the water by bobbing its head and neck.




It is a real treat to see this chicken-like bird here. When I look at the feet of this bird, I can't help but see the strong connection with dinosaurs. What must its ancestors have looked like?

Downy Woodpecker - Newfoundland

 All over this province people who love birds are raising bird feeding colonies in their yards. It is surprising how many and how extensive they are. In just this last month, several of these friends of the birds have contacted Bruce MacTavish of the Evening Telegram to report rare birds frequenting their feeders. It seems that one report leads to another report and so on. There are more rare birds showing up here than ever get reported, I'm sure.

 On Sunday past I visited one such yard in St. John's where there are at least 30 feeders and even more bird houses scattered around the yard. It is mesmerizing to watch the hundreds of birds moving in an out - in to get the food and out to avoid the Sharp-shinned Hawk that keeps a close eye on this yard.

 I had a delightful surprise while watching for a flock of Common Grackle to return for breakfast. I spotted this small little bird with just its belly visible looking upward. I couldn't see any markings at first but I trained my attention on it and when it turned sideways, I was so pleased. Up until now, I had never seen a Downy Woodpecker here. There it was, not very far from me. It was so small.

 It flew up to the suet cake and had a short feed. The view of it was blocked by a tree, but I patiently waited in the hopes that I could get a clear picture of it. I dared not get out of the car because it would have surely flown away. I waited and finally it turned and showed itself clearly for just a brief moment before it flew off, up a power pole and then gone. It didn't return but I really enjoyed the five minutes or so that it was there.

In the summer in Arkansas, I did see a Downy Woodpecker on a couple of occasions but not very close. I have attached this shot of a male Downy taken at that time.