98 Short-eared Owl

• A group of Shot-eared Owls are called a; Bazaar / Glaring / Parliament / Stooping / Wisdom.
• This one I took with its back to me and yes it was Glaring.
• They generally have a nice round face but when scarred or angry (iritated) they puff up their face and look like they have ears.
• Usually they are nocturnal or semi-nocturnal. You can see them floating above the ground like a Hen Harrier.  They have a bobbing type winged flight that is very graceful.  Rising with several wing beats and then gliding down and repeating this over.  During courtship this is exaggerated to 200 feet above the ground.  Their flight has been referred to as Bat like.
• They are also known as; Evening Owl, Marsh Owl, Bog Owl, Grass Owl, Meadow Owl, Mouse Hawk, Flat-faced Owl, Cat face.  All good names for this bird.
• They prefer open areas, grassland, fields, tundra and marshes.  Places where they can guild and hunt.
• They nest on the ground having 4-6 eggs but when vole are abundant can have up to 12 eggs.  They will fake a broken wing to lure predators away from the nest.
• "Waowk, waowk, waowk, toot, toot, toot" can be herd from these birds at dusk. 
• They can hunt in pairs looking for rodents. 
• They arrive early in March and nest in April.

97 Prairie Merlin

• A group of Prairie Merlin are called a; Brace / Leash / Illusion.
• I like the term illusion for them, they are in and gone before you know what just happened.
• This one was feasting on our birds at the feeder. 
• Notice the black tip of the curved bill and the black talons on the yellow feet.  This bird is a real predator.  It has been used in falconry.  It uses its speed to do its work.
• The female lays 3-6 eggs and stays on the nest for bout a month.  In this time she stays there while the male feeds her.  She will only leave the nest for short break or to defend the nest with a "Kee-kee-kee".
• The Merlin in North America was Known as the Pigeon Hawk, but it is not a hawk at all.
• It eats song birds and larger insects like grass hoppers.

• This one was about 5 miles from our house.  Looking for something to eat I'm sure.

96 White-throat ed Sparrow

• A group of White-throat ed Sparrows are called a; Crew / Flutter / Meinie / Quarrel / Ubiquity.
• Individuals almost always mate with an opposite morph.  A male with brown stripes will prefer a female  with white stripes, where a male with white stripes will prefer a female with brown.
• It comes in two morph colors a White stripe on its crown or a brown.  This one is the White crown stripe.
• It nests in thickets and bush.  They lay 3-6 greenish to blue eggs flecked with brown.
• They have an interesting song with a cadence of "Oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada."
• This guy arived early in the spring.

95 Fox Sparrow

• A group of Fox Sparrows are called a; Flock / Den / Slyness.
• This is one of the largest sparrows.
• The adults are known to perform a broken wing display much like a killdeer.
• They are very active in scratching for seeds and insects amongst the leaves they are often mistaken for larger animals for all the noise they make.
• They nest on the ground in thickets or in small bushes.  They lay 3-5 greenish white eggs with reddish brown speckles.
• There are 4 main subspecies this one is the Red Fox Sparrow.  It came early to my feeder as you can see by the snow.  It scratched about on the ground to find some seeds.

 

94 Green-winged Teal

• A group of ducks are called a; Team / Flush / Raft / Paddling / Brace.
• This is the smallest of the Dabbling Ducks.  The size is a real give away with the chestnut head and small bill with an iridescent patch of green to purple running from the eyes down to the nape of the neck.  The chest is a pinkish brown with speckles.
• The male has a "preep-preep" high pitched call, while the female has a loud "quack".
• They nest in heavy reed or cattails and lay 6-14 eggs very early in the spring.
• They feed on seeds, aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans and tadpoles.
• They are one of the first birds to arive in the spring and migrate as far away as South America.

93 Blue-wined Teal

• A group of ducks are called a; Raft / Brace / Flush / Team / Paddling.
• This is one of the ducks that is easily identified by its crescent moon in front of its eye and before its long black bill.  The Blue -winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal and Northern Shoveler are the only ducks with a noticeable blue on the wings when they fly.
• The male has an interesting High or low pitched raspy "paay" sound during courtship.  The female a long single "Quack".
• They nest on the ground near water in a depression lined with grass having 6-14 eggs and one brood.
• Skunks are the chief predator, scavenging the eggs.
• They are surface feeders, eating aquatic plants, insect larvae, incrustations and snails. 

 

92 Northern Pintail

• A group of ducks are called a; Brace / Flush / Paddling / Raft / Team.
• This duck has the largest tail of any freshwater foul.
• It has a very long neck and flies with it extended.
• It has a pale chocolate brown head, with a intricate pattern of back feathers.  It has a band of green on its wings with a fringe bar of buff.
• It eats grain, rice, seeds, aquatic weeds, insect larvae, crustaceans and snails.
• It is one of the first ducks to nest, right after the ice thaws.
• It has a very harsh Quack amoung other sounds like a Wheeee, and Prreep. 
• Its numbers have been on the decline over the last 30 years due to habitat loss.