10th Most Common Bird at Winter Birdfeeders: Thomson Park, October 13, 2020

For 34 years Birds Canada has organized a “FeederWatch” community which has recorded the birds at feeders from November through April throughout Canada.

#10 on last winter’s Ontario list is the American Robin:

American Robin
American Robin

This is a bit odd as I have never seen a robin eat from my feeder but they do spend a lot of time on the ground underneath it looking for scraps. Perhaps these fruit, insect and worm eaters find insect larvae near feeders or some people put out fruit. .

Other birds:

You are never far from a goldfinch in the “Meadoway” area of Thomson Park:

American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
American Goldfinch

Pine Siskins sometimes associate with goldfinches and we had one this morning:

Pine Siskin
Mallard (male)
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadee
House Sparrows
Downy Woodpecker (male)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
White-throated Sparrow

Species list: mallard, northern flicker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, American crow, blue jay, black-capped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch, white-breasted nuthatch, Carolina wren, American robin, ruby-crowned kinglet, European starling, house sparrow, northern cardinal, pine siskin, dark-eyed junco, American goldfinch, white-throated sparrow, song sparrow. (20 species)

Some botany:

Arrow-leaved Aster (Symphyotrichum urophyllum)
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus inserta)
Calico Aster (Symphyotrichum laterifloru
Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Freeman Maple (Acer x freemanii)
Hackberry leaf galls
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Great Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Spindletree (Euonymus europaea)
Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra)
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Park views:

Brown-lipped Snail
Brown-lipped Snail

From the cemetery:

Today’s groups:

Morning
Afternoon

NATURE POETRY

The grasses are light brown
and the ocean comes in
under the fleet from last night
which dozes now in the early morning.              – Joanne Kyger (1934–2017) 

Miles Hearn

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