Perhaps the reason many people are more willing to let their cats roam free than their dogs is that dogs have a substantially higher track record of attacking people, including young children. Cats are also cleaner animals than dogs are.

Now back to the topic of the thread - birds. I don't think I've ever gone out to specifically go bird watching, but if see a bird in the trees, or walk or fly by, I will often stop to watch it for a time.

You only think cats are clean because you don't have ferel cats living her you obviously.

My garden became a cess pool of cat feces a few years ago. I out rocks around the plants to stop them for digging I my garden to poop.

I don't think the rules about dog leashes are because dogs attack. When I was a child all dogs roamed free. We didn't have a dog and it infuriated my dad to cut the grass and have dog poop on the grass.

Dogs are leashed for many reasons. Safety of dog. People wanting private property to mean exactly that. Safety of car drivers ( not fun to hit and kill a large animal of any type)

I don't agree that cats need air and exercise. Where my brother lives, outside of Ottawa, all cats are indoors or on leashes. Works well for their cats.

And dogs are not allowed to run free, at least where I live, unless it is a designated area. I do let my dog loose in my local park at 6 am when no one is there and at night, same reason. But technically that is illegal and I could be fined.

Here there are specific designated parks where dogs are let off their leashes to run. I have a phobia of pit bulls but otherwise, no problem. Why would it not be healthier for a cat to have fresh air and exercise? Of course they do need it to be (most) healthy. That it may not be required due to bylaws is another matter. Just like apartment dogs- often not best for the dog but allowed (as long as building allows it). Anyway, there's a cat who lives in the building across the street who hangs out in front of our building quite often. Her owner comes to collect her- sometimes I hear her calling the cat. Just sits there and watches people go in and out, like a guard cat. Someone must've let her in at one time (it's a no pet building). I don't see her pooping in flower beds or chasing birds (my cat growing up did- chase birds- but he was very clean). Come to think of it I have seen her going into the bushes out front- they're like a jungle for a cat- but racoons live there too so she'd have to be careful. She probably knows that and that's why she mostly sits there quietly at the front door watching people. Doesn't make a move at birds or flies. Strange for a cat I guess. But she's harmless.

My baby birdies have grown up and left the nest. A robin nested in the ivy on our front porch again this year and they appear to have moved out today. Of course, they managed to build it on the side facing the door this year which meant the parent on the nest freaked whenever someone came to the door but they seem to have made it through in the end. So, I'll miss them (baby robins are adorable) but not too much.

 

Mendalla

 

The problem here...there are probably many species of little birds because we live in a part of the neighbourhood with lots of trees and a landscaped park but you can't hear them from our position- over the traffic- we're one block away from a busy street that cars turn off of- right on the corner- so they're easily missed. You learn to shut out the din but bird watching requires an intentional walk to somewhere a bit more secluded. There are these little grey birds (sparrows or swallows, can anyone guess?) that hop up on the outside tables at Starbucks nearby, and eat crumbs left behind. They compete for attention with pigeons. They're a kind of speckled brownish greyish up close, no bright colors. Tiny, pudgy, could sit in the palm of your hand. They're cute- pretty tame- they may even eat out of your hand, though that's likely not a good idea. I forgot about them.

Mandella, am I reading this right - yo have robins who have already nested, laid eggs and had them hatch and now the baby birds are flying?  Goodness, here in NB I think that the birds are still in the nest building stage.  It's been a late spring.

 

Kimmio those might be Jumko's. Though I know your birds are different than ours.

Oddly, I find birds are everywhere. Put out a feeder and withi days you get at least a dozen different types.

It is fun to see them, they will go everywhere for food and are good company , which I know seems odd

jae & kimmio - thanks for your response to my request.  Appreciate that. 

This morning's walk was very foggy - not too many birds in evidence, but the redwing blackbirds could be heard.  A big hawk was sitting on a wire in an open area of the park - no doubt waiting for its breakfast.

 

Maybe a type of sparrow kimmio -  did you notice the colour or shape of the beak? There are lots of sparrows (otherwise known as LBJs - Little Brown Jobs!) hopping around here too looking for crumbs.  They like to take 'dirt baths' - they find a little patch of dry earth & flutter about endlessly preening until they actually make a little depression in the soil.  Quite entertaining!  

 

I found a photo of a nearly grown baby robin that I took a couple years ago and the date stamp on the file was May 23 so they are pretty much on schedule. Odd given that we also had a late spring (our last snowfall was, in fact, in mid April).

 

Mendalla

 

I looked up junkos, lastepointe. I think that looks like the shape and size of them but the colouring is different. I don't think they have white chests. They're the same brown/ grey speckled throughout, I think. I'll try to find a photo. (Looking up "Vancouver birds")

It's this little guy. They're called bushtits (sounds rude- I'm not being rude). This one does have a whitish chest but I'm almost positive this is it. Yup. Tiny cute little things. There's a sound recording here too.


http://ebirdr.com/bird/Bushtit

It's been a couple of days now and still no hummingbirds - but its been damp and chilly.  Today promises bright sunshine and tempatures up to 20 (which usually means 21 or 22).  Maybe we'll get some today.

 

 

You're welcome carolla.

On the subject of birds - the seminary I attend is home to a happy family of Canada geese. Many students have taken photos of them during their time in attendance. Since the school is located in North York, and not to my knowledge near any major body of water, I don't know what attracts the geese to live on seminary grounds, but they do seem comfortable there.

It was warm out and stuffy last night. Didn't get a good sleep at all. Anyway, the sun's almost all the way up. Traffic's quiet. I can hear seagulls, crows -making a racket- a and a little bird singing what sounds like "Deee-doo" "Deee-doo" and then a little lower pitched, almost like "cho- choo" in response. Neat. The things I take for granted. This is a good thread... I can't see them though, and have no idea what they are.

 

Two Indigo Buntings at my feeders this morning.....so excited.

Managed to get a photo of one after it flew to a nearby tree.  Birds seem really hungry these days - dozens of goldfinches around as well as sparrows and 2 pairs of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.

 

 

Now that spring is here in most of Canada, do you take your birdfeeders down and let the birds fend for themselves on the abundance of buds, seeds, insects, etc that they can find?

We took down our other feeders when we put our hummingbird feeders up.

 

We usually take our feeders down in mid to late June - once more is out in the gardens etc. for the birds to eat.  Plus, we start using our deck more at that time, and it can get pretty messy out there when the feeders are up!  Bird poop is not the easiest thing to clean up!   

cool bird poster gecko!

Actually Seeler this is a very important time to feed birds. For the seed eaters, they have eaten what was available all winter and now are scrounging. Things have not grown enough to be in seed yet. Bug eaters are good but the rest need help.

By late summer , when plants and grasses are in seed they don't need so much

Thanks for the info.  I'd better get some more seed out.

 

Today I glanced out the window from my desk - outside the crab apple tree is flowering the most beautiful fuschia colour - and there was a male Baltimore Oriole hopping about on the branches - breathtakingly vivid orange & jet black amidst the fushia!  Wow!  

i totally love during my walks hearing a hawk's cry and searching the skies...

 

searching the trees...

 

then finding one lone starling

 

they're tricksey those starlings are :3

 

my sister did important work at bamfield (which is an isolated community on the wet coast of vanker island -- so BC has at least 2 west coasts) when she was in med school.  she was studying habits of crows.  she'd ride out to a small island where she would do her experiments.  the crows got to know her so well that they'd fly ahead of her to meet her at the dock.  she gained the nickname 'crow lady'

 

there was this one time i was walking home from shopping when i saw a strange thing:  a crow walking into traffic.  i was worried that it would get hit.  it almost would a few times, retreating to the curb, then go back out into traffic again.

 

it eventually got its wish.

 

i eventually got to it and picked up the body to take it to the curb and another crow started screeching at me.  i was apologizing to the crow.  i didn't get divebombed.  but i put the crow on the grass and spent a few moments with it.

 

one of the toughest times was when a pigeon got run over and it was flapping around, people panicking, trying to figure out what to do.

 

i put it out of its misery.

 

nature is both beautiful and cruel.  it wastes so much; i'm proud that humans at least try to do good.

I posted this elsewhere, but there seems to be a robin's nest near us.  Not sure where as we only have a tiny tree in our front yard and most of the trees around us are also small.  They are in our backyard all the time though.  We do seem to have lots of food for them, I was digging some weeds out of the garden and I came across about 10 worms in a short period of time.

We got birdfeeders up now.  We put up a tall thing with 2 hooks.  A bird was on it before we even got the feeders up.  No hummingbirds yet, but the other feeder is busy.

 

There was a bright yellow bird yesterday, gone before I could snap a picture.  Looking at pictures I would guess a warbler or a flycatcher.  You don't see such colourful birds around here often!

Bright yellow could be a goldfinch - they are small, very vivid, with black & yellow. 

 

Today as we backed out of a lane from looking at an iceberg, a woman was waiting in her car & honked at us - rolled her window down - told us - "there's an owl in the top of the tree just up there past Lloyd's house!"  Sure enough - a great horned owl!  Beautiful creature, surveying the area from tip of a fir tree. 

That's exciting, Corolla, and something to see.

 

How are things in NL?  Have you seen any gannets or puffins?

Thinking about you and the many icebergs around.  Hope you were able to get close to some.

 

 

Gold finch are lovely. The females are more brown with tinges of yellow. They usually overwinter in the area but dull their. Odours down to brown. Which is quite cool

Saw a grouse today. Neat.

Orioles loving the oranges I out outfor them and hummingbirds are back