22: Morning Dove

• A group of Doves is called a:  Dole / Flight / Piteousness
• This scruffy looking dove has been through snow and wind and looks like it could use a meal.  Willow, dad and mom found this one near their home in Nova Scotia,  Great job Willow.
• I love the sound of doves. You often see them flying together as a pair.
• This was the second bird Noah sent out of the arc and it brought back good news the water had receded.  It has been known as the bird of peace and love.
• They make good pets and are a comforting bird. 
• They also can be eaten. It would take a lot of them to fill me up and I think there are better meat sources out there.

21; Snowy Owl

• A group of owls is called a; Parliament.
• This nomadic bird is found in northern climates but can travel south for food and breeding.

• They lay their eggs on the ground and have 4 - 14 eggs.
• They normally have yellow eyes but as you can see this variation is beautiful blue as Eve my granddaughter would say.
• We saw one like this just outside Swift Current. Too cool.

• This one was taken on May 3rd near Meadow Lake SK.

 

20: Lesser Canadian Goose or Crackling Goose

• A group of geese is called a: Gaggle / Wedge
• In 2004 the Lesser Canadian goose became the Crackling Goose.  This goose is a smaller version of the Canadian Goose, mini me.  If you hunt you will know the difference just by packing it out.  The big Canadians at one time were greatly reduced in numbers but now with good conservation have made a healthy come back.  

 Canadian and Crackling

• These birds mate for life.  Many times I have had to stop along the road to let a mom and dad parade their young onto the other side of the road.
• It seems more and more of these hardy birds are not flying south for the winter.  They seem to be able to find open water even in extreme weather in most major cities.

19; Bohemian Waxwing

• It was great time in Alberta but we didn't see as many birds as we wanted to.  There was so much feed in the trees and bushes.  Hats off to the people of Didsbury for growing bird friendly plants.  
• There were hundreds of Cedar Waxwings so I knew if I watched and watched I would eventually see this beauty.  It is easily distinguished from the Cedar by the yellow plumage on its wings.  Seeing that plumage and distinguishing it from white was another story.  At one time I must have seen a group of 500 Cedars/Bohemians.  They were on a feeding frenzy, eating Mountain Ash berries. It doesn't take long for a group this big to clean up a tree.
• We had great temperatures all the time we were there 0C to +8C. 
• Like the Cedar, this bird can fly at altitudes of 20,000 feet. So if the feeding is better in another town they can easily pack up and go. So if you see them take some pictures for tomorrow they could be gone.

18; Cedar Waxwing

• We have stayed at Vicki's sisters house in Didsbury Alberta for the last week.  The town has an abundance of trees and bushes for birds to feed on.  It is no wonder we saw hundreds of these birds feasting on Mountain Ash. 
• This fast flying bird travels at unusually high altitudes.  It has a pleasant vocalization.  The nesting pattern has them building more than one nest in an area lay 4-6 eggs and incubating in 14-15 days.
• People say they have seen these bird getting drunk on berries to the point of falling out of the tree.
• The Bohemian Waxwing is said to travel with them in smaller numbers.  I have yet to confirm this.  My eyes will be on the trees until I do.

17; Northern Raven

• A group of Ravens is called a: Unkindness.
• On our drive from Manitoba to Alberta we saw 12-14 dead deer along the road.  At each of these sites we saw 4-5 Ravens feeding on carrion.  The Northern Raven is an opportunist and  scavenger. 
• This bird is an omnivorous and is known to mate for life.  Which is long up to 40 years.  Speaking well of its large brain and having the ability to adjust to extreme climatic weather conditions.  8 sepcies are found around the world, the Northern is the one we see.
• They have a large range of vocalizations.  They are aggressive and have been known to steal from fox, wolves and bears.  Hunters and trappers will use their calls to find kills for baiting and trapping fur bearing animals.
•  It has a very divers vocalization for communication.  My favorite is a musical sound like that of a child's bike bell only a bit deeper in tone.
• These birds have a lot of history as evil watchers to creators to the first bird that Noah let out of the arc to search for land.

16 Jan 2nd 2013

• As expeted we were able to see some preditor birds on our journey to Alberta.

• 16; Bald Eagle

• A group of eagles is called a; Convocation.
• The Bald Eagle doesn't get its white head until it is mature at 5 years.  The immature Bald is very similar to the Golden Eagle but the Golden has white plumage on its tail and less feathers on its legs.  The Bald Eagle can have an impressive wing span of up to 7.5 feet.  
• We took the first picture just outside Swift Current.  At first we thought it was a mature Golden Eagle because of its size, but after studying the picture and seeing a mature Bald close by we recognized it as an immature Bald.  What a wing span when it took off.  It was feeding on a dead deer with some Ravens.
• The Bald Eagle is a powerful bird and has been known to carry off cats, dogs, fish, snakes and folk lore says children. It kills from above with landing on and using its talons to spear its pray.