Spring wildlife action heating up
Nature photographer captures Kawartha feathered friends as migrating birds return
April was a pretty wet month but as the temperatures warmed up so did the action in the animal world.
Many of the migrating birds have already returned and now the warblers are beginning to show up. Any day now we should start to see the hummingbirds too. The woodpeckers have been quite active as they begin their breeding and nesting season.
It is not uncommon this time of year to hear the calls of the northern flickers and the pileated woodpeckers. For the difference in the size and appearance of these two species of woodpecker one would expect them to have very different calls, but that is not the case. They sound very much alike, both having a very loud call almost like a scream. It took me quite a while to be able to differentiate between the two and sometimes I am still not certain which one I am hearing.
I find the flicker call is usually longer than the pileated. I saw several of each the past couple of weeks. One morning on my way out of town I thought it was a black squirrel climbing up a stump but as I got closer I realized it was a pileated woodpecker.
I was in luck and got a nice shot as it took flight. It pays to have the camera ready at all times.
On one of the few sunny mornings I happened on a threesome of northern flickers fluttering about on a dead tree. Two females were competing for the attention of a male. There is not a lot of difference in the appearance of the male and the female but there is one way to distinguish between them. The male has a little black moustache under the beak on each side.
The female does not have the moustache. They both have beautiful brilliant yellow coloured feathers on their underside that you see when they raise their wings.
It also shows on the shafts of the feathers from the top side, hence their full name, yellow-shafted northern flicker. Out west the flickers have red shafts on their feathers and are red underneath and have red moustaches.
It may seem strange to see a duck up in a tree, but it is not uncommon for wood ducks to perch in trees. In fact they often nest in cavities in trees. They use rotted out hollows or old pileated woodpecker nest holes.
When the young hatch from the eggs, within hours they make a door-die leap from the nest hole to the ground. It is a photographer’s dream to catch this sight.
Hooded mergansers also nest in cavities in trees. It is also common to see porcupines high up in the tree branches at this time of year. They are very fond of the fresh leaf buds that are emerging as spring warms up. They use their long claws to get a good grip and are remarkably agile at moving around at seemingly impossible heights on tiny little branches. They move about in the tree tops almost like monkeys except they do not have the long tail to use for security.
Earlier this week I came across a very desolate looking bald eagle. He had spent all night out in the rain and the poor soul was drenched to the bone.
Animals do not have nice cosy houses with roofs and heat so they have to tough it out in the weather. Luckily, most of them are equipped to handle it but it doesn’t mean it is pleasant. This guy spent a long time preening himself and eventually took flight, still looking a little rough around the edges. Hopefully he dried out once the sun came out.