Green Heron and Cooper’s Hawk: May 2021

May is the best month for colourful migrating birds so we bird enthusiasts need to get out early and often if possible for the next few weeks.

I arrived before dawn at Col. Sam Smith Park.

The temperature of 5 degrees with wind gusts of up to 60 kms an hour reminded me of an Antarctic summer day.

The Green Heron is a small, crow-sized, stockily built heron.

Green Heron

In my experience, they seldom look green but they do show a green gloss in good light on the wings and back. These herons are common but inconspicuous.

Green Heron
Green Heron

MYSTERY BIRD

At the end of the post, I will identify it.

Other birds:

Cooper’s Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Long-tailed Ducks (female)
Red-breasted Mergansers
Red-breasted Mergansers
White-throated Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird (female)
Brown-headed Cowbird (male)
Brown-headed Cowbird (female)
American Robin
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Song Sparrow
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gulls
Song Sparrow
Red-necked Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Tree Swallows
Tree Swallows
Tree Swallow
Tree Swallows
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Double-crested Cormorants
Red-necked Grebe
Red-necked Grebes
Rough-winged Swallow
Rough-winged Swallow
Red-winged Blackbird (female)
Red-winged Blackbird (male)
Mallard (male)
Gadwall
Blue-winged Teal
Mute Swans

MYSTERY BIRD

The thick, ungrebelike “chicken Bill” with a ring around it identify this as a Pied-billed Grebe. “Pied” means having two or more different colours.

Pied-billed Grebe

MAILBOX

Hi Miles and thanks, as always, for our daily tonic!
– visited Bob Hunter memorial Park this week – twice. A riot of ephemerals at the moment and all sorts of birds (thrushes, house wren, towhee, savanna sparrow, pileated & RB woodpecker, black and white warbler, blue-headed vireo and much (mostly unidentified) else, in case you were running out of spots to visit

NATURE THOUGHT

In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.   – Mark Twain

Miles Hearn

1 thought on “Green Heron and Cooper’s Hawk: May 2021

  1. Lisa Volkov

    Fantastic birds (and ducks), fantastic pictures! A Green Heron? Always new birds to learn about! And in such a wind (I experienced it, outside). That Cooper’s Hawk was certainly feasting! Thank you so much, Miles! Thanks to you and your pictures, I am able to enjoy the birds (and ducks–it seems cold enough for some of them to be sticking around for a bit) so much!

    Reply

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