I think it is fair to say our most entertaining flycatcher is the eastern phoebe. It is the easiest of the flycatchers to identify because of its fondness for human structures, including our barn. From the nest it built in Limerick’s stall, we have watched one female in particular fly to and fro through several summer months beginning in May. The female phoebe constructs the nest from mud, moss, and leaves mixed with grass stems and possibly animal hair. This nest adheres to the barn beams in the barn. Once the eggs hatched, you can hear the insistent chirping complaints of the chicks while their busy mother tried to satisfy the chicks’ appetite for insects. The adult could often be seen sitting on a low tree branch, a few yards away from the porch, flicking its tail up and down.
No duck is as maligned as the shoveler, easily identified by the spoon-like bill that subjects it to so much ridicule. Many refer to them derisively as bottom feeders, and while it’s true they feed on animal matter more than any of our other puddle ducks… really? I think they are beautiful!
Northern Flickers spend lots of time on the ground, and when in trees they’re often perched upright on horizontal branches instead of leaning against their tails on a trunk. They fly in an up-and-down path using heavy flaps interspersed with glides, like many woodpeckers. This pair were on the road side by our farm.
The mourning dove call is a distinctive “wooo-oo-oo-oo” sound which may evoke a feeling of grief over the loss of a dearly beloved. But far from representing death, mourning dove symbolism can give us optimism with its spirituality. Beyond their sorrowful song is a message of life, hope, renewal and peace. This one was in our apple trees.
In Ontario, the Minesing Wetlands provide ideal breeding grounds for great blue herons and are home to one of the largest and oldest known colonies in the province, with more than 200 active nests. Which is exactly were this early arrival was found!
