Horned Grebe

Podiceps auritus

Appearance:

Small grebe

Red eyes
Small black bill, often with pale tip
Summer: (not photographed)
Black head
Buffy-gold tufts along sides of  face
Reddish neck and flanks
Dark back
White belly
Winter:
Black cap, hindneck, and back
White cheeks, foreneck, flanks, and belly

Listen to its call.

To anyone who read the above description and thought, "but what the heck is a grebe?", you are not alone.  When I initially read this definition on a number of websites, I was perplexed. I didn't know what a grebe was in the first place so ...  Yet, it is surprising how often people will define a word using the same term.  Very annoying!  Anyway, for those of you, like me, who don't already know, a grebe is a diving waterbird with a long neck, lobed toes and almost no tail. It is a small, compact-bodied, almost completely aquatic bird that builds floating nests.  Who knew?

Learn more about the Horned Grebe.

Sandhill Crane

Grus canadensis

Appearance:

Large wading bird with long neck

Long, black legs

Gray body
Red forehead

White cheeks

Dark bill

Yellow eyes

Tufted feathers over rump

Listen to its call.

While driving down Puckle Road today, my husband suddenly slammed on the brakes and yelled (very loudly) for me to "get out of the car". I must admit I was a little taken aback at first until I spotted these birds flying overhead. 

Later in the afternoon, I answered the telephone at home to hear an excited voice (my husband's, again) telling me that a large group of cranes were flying over our house. "I'm serious. Hurry".  What surprised me even more was that he was right. I counted twenty of them. 

So, to the farmers in the Martindale area who may have witnessed the earlier incident, I just want to assure you that my husband is really a very nice man. He's just becoming a birding enthusiast. 

mating dance (photo taken on Haida Gwaii)

Learn more about the Sandhill Crane.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Appearance:
Small hawk
Relatively small head
Long, square-tipped tail
Pencil-thin yellow legs
Adult:
    Blue-gray upperparts
    Barred, reddish-brown underparts
    Gray and black barred tail,
         with very narrow, white tip
    Dark red eyes
Juvenile:
   Brown back and wings
   Brown-streaked underparts
   Thin, white eyestripe
   White underwing with dark brown barring
   Yellow eyes

Listen to its call.

I caught a glimpse of this bird as it flew over Tuesday Pond at Swan Lake last week. I quickly rushed over to the area where I thought it had landed. After walking back and forth along the path a number of times, I finally noticed it sitting silently in a tree watching me. Its ability to be inconspicuous must be useful for hunting but it felt a bit eerie when I was the one in its sights.

Learn more about the Sharp-shinned Hawk.

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Appearance:

Very small falcon

Long tail

Long, narrow, pointed wings
White head with bluish-gray crown
Two distinct black facial stripes
Red-brown nap and back
Two black spots on each side of nape
 Male:
   Red-brown patch on crown  

   Red-brown breast 

   Red-brown tail with black tip

   Blue-gray wings with black spots

   Pale belly with black spots

Female: (not photographed)

   Red-brown wings

   Back and wing barred with black

   Red-brown tail with multiple dark bands

   Pale buff breast streaked with brown

Listen to its call.

While driving down Welch Road this morning, I saw this bird perched in the top of a tree by the side of the road. Initially, I thought it was a Mourning Dove due to its size and shape. However, as soon as it took off, I realized my mistake.

 

It seemed to hover gracefully in the air, almost like a toy kite. Apparently, it manages to stay in place by flapping its wings and adjusting its long tail.  

Learn more about the American Kestrel.