Bird Is The Word

I stepped outside the other day and noticed something I hadn’t heard in quite a while, the sweet sound of chirping birds! Most birds fly south for the winter, at the least the ones that have any sense. But there are the few that stick around and brave the harsh winters here in Newfoundland. We usually try to put out some food for them as it can be quite difficult to find food. I’m sure they manage though. I’m looking forward to spring when they return and start looking for homes and building their nests. Our house is surrounded by trees so its the perfect place for them to come home to and me, as a bird lover, to photograph them! So, as we anxiously wait for their arrival I thought I’d post a few pictures of some birds I’ve taken over the years.

 

 

These birds are not your backyard variety, but are birds all the same!

 

Of all the birds I’ve photographed, Blue Jays are my favorite! Their colours are amazing.

 

Last summer we had the pleasure of visiting the Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. That was amazing. When we left Torbay it was a beautiful sunny day. By the time we got to Placentia, the fog was thick as pea soup. We kept on driving to St. Mary’s and there were times we could barely see our hands before us. The tour guide at the sanctuary told us that the fog bank was pretty thick so the views weren’t the best. It was still pretty awesome, all the same!  My advice to you, if you ever visit, is to wear a hood. Those birds flying overhead have pretty good aim!

 

Another couple of visitors to our backyard over the last few years are swallows. I didn’t even know they lived around here until one day I noticed them checking out the area. They have been appearing the last three years around the same time. They hang out around the bird house for a few days and then they’re gone. I can’t wait for May to see if they’ll turn up again.

 

Last summer, we went for a little hike around Signal Hill. We managed to find the eagle’s nest that everyone was talking about. The picture quality isn’t that great since I had to zoom in a lot and it was hard to keep the camera steady without a tripod. I’m still happy that I got to see them in person. That nest is massive!

 

Okay, so I’m saving the best for last!!! A few summers ago John discovered a bird’s nest on the side of our house. We have vines growing on the lattice and hiding among the branches was a nest of robins. John noticed that every time he passed by a certain spot near the vines a robin would fly out in front of him. Upon further investigation he found the nest.

This is where the nest was built!

You can actually walk behind the lattice. There’s a little covered area where we keep a few gardening tools in the summer, so it was a perfect viewing spot. Unfortunately, the mom and dad didn’t think so and every time I went back there to take a look they’d fly off the nest. I didn’t want to risk them abandoning the nest so I did a little research and found an app that allows you to use an iPhone like a security camera which I duct taped to the lattice and placed the camera lens over one of the openings. Using the app I was able to view the birds from inside the house on the iPad. I was able to take pictures and video as well. It worked perfectly! This is what I was able to capture, talk about a bird’s eye view.

This was one of the parents.

No blog is complete without a bird watching selfie.

 

Hope you enjoyed my bird pictures! I’m looking forward to getting out again this spring and snapping a few more of our fine feathered friends.

 

Until next time,

Andrea