I was just wondering what I was going to talk to you about this week when a friend contacted me with quite the avian surprise and what a beauty it was too. A “Least Bittern” had found its way onto his balcony and was on one of his wooden chairs. He was able to get a couple of good pictures of it and also a bit of a “movie” as it moved away from him. He then called me to see if I would like to see it which, of course, I did, but by the time I got to his house it had decided that the refuge of the “Hastas” was a better place to be and, for me, making picture-taking a bit more of a challenge! I did get to see it, although not as completely as he had previously done, but it was still an exciting experience. We both wondered where it had come from but there is a water catch basin two properties away from his house, where there are most likely some reeds and some water creatures that it could catch, so we figured that that must have been where it had ventured forth from. Hopefully, it will find its way safely back there soon.
The subject of preventing bird window collisions has not gone away, as I have been informed that the UV Liquid is hard to come by locally. However, my informant has furnished me with another supplier who can readily get it in Canada – www.thebirdhouse.ca
A couple of my drinking buddies have told me of their sightings of birds recently. One of them spotted a pair of Scarlet Tanagers in his garden, and the other, who has a lakeside cottage beyond Perth, has got a Coopers Hawk nesting very close to his dwelling and has spotted some of the young ones too. Meanwhile, our everyday garden birds continue to keep us occupied and our interests up, as we try to figure out their next moves. “Fascinating” is the only word that I can use at the moment for watching what they all get up to and that also includes the odd roadside spottings that I get of the overhead nesting Ospreys alongside some of our local riverside roads. I hope that your own interest is still being piqued by our avian friends. Stay safe and well.
Cheers,
John Baldwin
