American Coots in Saskatchewan Sloughs

Bright orange baby coot, in not-camo...   © SB

The first time I saw a very young American Coot swimming in a slough, I was astonished by its colour.

The bright yellow, orange and red feathers, beak and skin of this water bird are exactly the opposite of camouflage...

And I wondered: Does its discreet black and white parent need these vibrant colours to find it?

Even at a slightly older age, these young birds look bizarrely speckled and tufted.

(The tufts are perhaps because its feathers are ever-so-slightly matted by the algae and other stuff typically found in slough water...)

The adults, in contrast, are sedately attired... although their behaviour is somewhat less that sedate. (Hence the term, silly old coot.)

Beautiful birds, all the same.

Adult and young American Coot  © SB

Grumpy-looking baby Coot  © SB

Slightly older, still young, Coot. © SB

Is this adult American Coot (could it be?) smiling at me? © SB

What are these birds? American Coots — Foulque d'Amérique — adult and young.

Location: Various sloughs and wetlands in Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Photo date:  Summer 2012 and 2013.

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Lark Bunting in breeding plumage

One of my favourite Saskatchewan grassland birds is the Lark Bunting — perhaps because the males look so formally attired in their crisp black and white breeding plumage.

The female Lark Buntings are also lovely, with an intricate brown feather pattern.

These small songbirds were fairly common in the Val Marie, Saskatchewan, area during our recent Prairie Passages Tour of pastures and grasslands. Especially lovely to see, knowing that come winter, they'll change from this bright plumage to more drab brown feathers again. (And leave Saskatchewan to fly south to Mexico for the winter.)

Male Lark Bunting in breeding plumage   © SB

What are these birds? Lark Buntings  —  male in breeding plumage.
Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan. 

Photo date:  June 26, 2013.

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Spotted Towhees in Grasslands: I have a message for you

To all Spotted Towhees in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan:

There is no need for you, or any other birds, to hide behind bare shrubby branches when I drive by.

This is the only picture I have of you large sparrows, and it barely captures your brilliant rust, white and black colouring.

Spotted Towhee beside the Frenchman River   © SB

That said, my thanks for waiting on this bush, beside a bridge over the Frenchman River, until I was able to take this single shot.

And yes, I love your bright red eyes.

Seen on the Prairie Passages tour of PFRA and other publicly owned grasslands, with conservationists, authors, and photographers, including Margaret Atwood, Graeme Gibson, Alberto Yanosky (Executive Director of BirdLife affiliate Guyra Paraguay), and  Ian Davidson (Exec. Dir., Nature Canada). Organized by Public Pastures - Public Interest. For more on the tour, see Pasture Posts and Trevor Herriot's Grass Notes.

What is this? A Spotted Towhee.
Location: Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: June 25, 2013.

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Regina, Saskatchewan: Goldfinches in my Backyard

American Goldfinches started visiting our backyard feeders in Regina, Saskatchewan, a few weeks ago, sporadically, and in nothing like the numbers we saw last year. (But last year's Goldfinch visit was very brief. One day three finches showed up, then five, then 16, then 24, then no Goldfinches at all...)

These birds are small but highly visible, even in among the new yellow-green lilac leaves. And they are a true delight, even if they only stay for a short time.

(Still this week, they remain.)

2012: Feeder full of Goldfinches. © SB

American Goldfinch at the sunflower feeder.  © SB

Female Goldfinch, on the lilac tree. © SB

Goldfinch on a chain, waiting to assault the feeder. © SB

What are these?  American Goldfinches
Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo dates: May 16, 2012; May 23, 2013; May 15, 2013; and May 23, 2013.

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Harris's Sparrow: May Backyard Sparrows, Regina SK (3)

Today's May Bird: Harris's Sparrow. I saw only one, but it posed well for me!

These birds, with their distinctive black face, throat and chest markings, are typically found only in the middle of North America — and breed only in Canada.

Harris' Sparrows also have that peculiar (to me) way of running forward while scratching backwards for food that many native sparrows display, and stop-motion moments are rare in my backyard.

Harris's Sparrow - taking a break in my backyard, during migration
from the southern U.S. to the Canadian Arctic.   © SB 

What is this?  Harris's Sparrow
Location: Backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: May 11, 2013. 

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Peregrine Falcon on Regina City Hall

High on a ledge at Regina City Hall, there is a Peregrine Falcon. The falcon likes the east side of the building, birders say, and it's sometimes seen near the south-east corner.

Although falcons aren't huge birds, this one was fairly easy to spot... I'd heard it was often at City Hall, and I saw it from several blocks away. (Then again, at about 16 inches, with a wingspan of about 40 inches, they aren't small birds, either!)

Peregrine Falcon on the east side of Regina City Hall.   © SB

Peregrine Falcons are birds of prey, hunting "mainly medium-size birds from high above in spectacular swoops," my Sibley guide says.

Pigeons — and robins — beware...

High, high - yes, almost near the roof
and sky in this urban canyon. © SB

For those who know Regina City Hall, the picture above shows the falcon's position on the ledge. And, for those who don't, this total building shot (taken a couple of weeks ago at the Mayor's Poetry City Challenge), shows the scale — although to see the falcon yesterday, you'd have had to walk around the corner to the east side. 

Regina City Hall. Walk around to the right,
towards the rest of downtown, to see the falcon.
(If, that is, it's there...)  © SB

For more, the CBC last year aired a video interview about on falcons at City Hall with a bird watcher and with ornithologist, Dr. Stuart Houston.


What is this? Peregrine Falcon

Location: Downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.  

Photo date: April 24, 2013.

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Horned Larks Feeding Along Saskatchewan Roads

Male Horned Lark: fence post bird. © SB 

A few weeks ago, flurries of Horned Larks rose from the sides of the grid roads near Regina when I drove by.

With heavy snow still thick in the fields, the gravel shoulders seemed to be the best — and perhaps only — place for these returning birds to feed.

Horned Larks, named for the spiky black feathers on either side of males' heads, are native North American larks.


They are one of our first birds back after (or, this year, during) winter, and they form flocks alone or with a few other species. Several times earlier this year, I saw these birds along the road with several Snow Buntings. Alas, the Buntings were too far away for my camera (or me) to clearly focus.

I love the males' horns, but I'm even more pleased to have captured a reasonably sharp shot of a female, as I see them far more rarely.

And I'm surprised I haven't posted pictures of Horned Larks yet; I have some good photographs from last summer; perhaps once the snow melts, I'll post a few.

Female Horned Lark in roadside gravel and snow -
great camouflage, but fields are even better. © SB

Male Horned Lark - yes, I know...
An odd shot, but shows his horns! © SB

What are these? Horned Larks
Location: Along a grid road, near Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.   

Photo dates: April 3, 2013.

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Common Grackles in Regina, Saskatchewan

A flock of more than 60 Common Grackles descended on my front yard in Regina, Saskatchewan, today, chattering from the grass, trees, driveway, sidewalk and bird feeder.

One Common Grackle returned to the bird feeder.   © SB  

The grackles scattered as soon as I eased the door open to take a photograph.

Most of these large black birds then seized space on the neighbours' yards, until a city bus belted down the street and drove the horde of chattering birds ahead of its wake.

Chattering. Yes, grackles are noisy. Imagine 60 creaky gates exchanging gossip at the back of a hardware store.

The sight of so many grackles, yellow eyes glittering, chilled me. What else would come to mind but The Birds?

But grackles are also highly sociable — all that cheerful clattering from trees and lawns.

And they are strangely beautiful, their feathers iridescent in the sun.


What is this? Common Grackle
Location: Front yard, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Photo date: August 22, 2012.

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Lark Bunting: Male, Female and Molting Plumage

Lark Buntings watched from fence posts as I drove through prairie pasture land along a township road south of Regina, Saskatchewan.

The male Lark Bunting in breeding plumage was the easiest to identify. Black, with a bluish bill and white wing flashes, this bird stands out from other tiny brown-striped grassland birds.

Lark Bunting in Saskatchewan.   © SB

The female Lark Bunting was also fine to ID — as soon as she pirouetted through a turn to show that she, too, had white wing flashes. And what a fine grasshopper! The other females of this species that I saw also had insects in their beaks. Great hunters!

Female Lark Bunting with Grasshopper. Saskatchewan  © SB

But this final Lark Bunting, a moulting male, baffled me. I couldn't guess what kind of bird I'd photographed until I got home and enlarged the image. (I use a lens that zooms to 300mm, but my bird shots are usually tiny crops from the resulting photograph; lacking super-vision, I can't see as far in real life as the camera sees.)

Molting Male Lark Bunting on Fence Rail.  © SB

This moulting male Lark Bunting has his own strange beauty, as his mating colours fade to winter browns, whites, grays. 

What are these birds? Lark Buntings  —  male in breeding plumage, female, and moulting male.
Location: Along Township Road 102, south of Regina, Saskatchewan. 

Photo date:  July 23, 2012.

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Baltimore Oriole: Improbably, brilliantly orange

I've seen very few Baltimore Orioles this season — only two, in fact: first, the improbably, brilliantly orange and black bird in this photograph, taken in Saskatchewan's Qu'Appelle Valley; and second, an equally vibrantly orange bird, high in a tree in Regina's Wascana Park.

Baltimore Orioles summer and breed here, but so far, the specialized oriole feeder we bought is not doing its job: Not a single oriole has been sighted in or near our yard.

I was startled when this bird landed on a post beside me;
such a brilliant colour!  © SB

What is this bird? A Baltimore Oriole
Location: In the Qu'Appelle Valley, on the road from Rte 99 over to the little church near Craven, Saskatchewan. 

Photo date:  May 25, 2012. 

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