#Bobsbackyard

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

4 days ago

A song sparrow is perched on a thin vine wrapped around a small tree, in profile view looking to the right, mouth open singing. The background is blurred out and is the same soft brownish colours as the bird.

Yesterday was a glorious day for spring migration. Literally thousands of tundra swans on the move, including a flock over our neighbourhood, lots of killdeer flying around calling, and my first backyard Song Sparrow of spring. #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt #Bobsbackyard #springmigration

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

6 days ago

Two ducks swimming in calm water in front of a grassy bank, which is reflected in the water. The female is in the foreground, in profile view looking to the right, while the male is the reverse, in the back looking left. His hood is not flared up.

It was nice of this pair of Hooded Mergansers to stop by our pond on the weekend. #Birds #birding #ducks #Ancaster #HamOnt #Bobsbackyard

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 week ago

A red-bellied woodpecker on the left side of my double suet feeder, in side profile looking to the right, and a hairy clinging to the right edge, in profile view looking to the left.

When Hairy met Sally......a good size comparison between Red-bellied (left) and Hairy woodpeckers (right), both female. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 weeks ago

A closeup shot of a downy woodpecker in profile view, looking to the right, on my backyard photography setup.

A downy woodpecker in profile view, looking a bit away and upwards, on my backyard photography setup.

A downy woodpecker in profile view, looking over its shoulder back to the left side of the image, on my backyard photography setup.

The first Red-winged Blackbird of "spring" showed up at our feeders yesterday, but I didn't manage a photo, so here are three different poses of a very cute little Downy Woodpecker in our backyard. #Bobsbackyard #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt #woodpecker #downywoodpecker

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

3 weeks ago

A grackle perched on a small branch, with a large maple tree behind it, glaring towards me with their usual grumpy look. The body is black, with an iridescent blue hood and head, and piercing yellow eyes.

Look who is back! This is the earliest I've had the grumpy birds oops Common Grackles back since I started recording backyard dates in 2020. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #HamOnt #Ancaster #grackle

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

A Wild Turkey in profile view, standing on my backyard photography stage, drinking from the water bowl

A close up view of a Wild Turkey's head and feet, standing on my backyard photography stage, eating bird seed

My backyard dinosaurs continue to get more aggressive, with one now jumping up onto my photography setup for a drink and snack. #birds #birding #HamOnt #Ancaster #Bobsbackyard

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

A wild turkey standing on top of our backyard privacy fence, in profile view looking to the left.

I'm going to be busy tomorrow so am posting my bird of the day now. My backyard turkeys are getting a little aggressive! #wildturkey #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

A close up portrait of a female Hairy Woodpecker looking to the right

An American Robin tucked into our backyard spruce, probably seeking shelter from the cold.

A cedar waxwing with its head down, preening its chest feathers

Four male house finches eating seeds on top of a snowy log in my backyard

A few recent backyard birds - Hairy Woodpecker, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, and a few male House Finches. #Bobsbackyard #birds #birding #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

I watched this red-tailed hawk fly by my window 4 times, in pursuit of birds at my feeders. It took a pause in one of our backyard maples. In this scene it is facing me but looking off to the right, and is a bit hunched down, ready to take off again

Red-tailed Hawk hunting in our backyard late yesterday afternoon #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt #hawk #raptor #redtailedhawk

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

A male house finch glaring directly at me, sitting in deep snow on my table where I put out seeds. He's been digging around with his beak to find them, so it is covered in white snow, which contrasts strongly with his pink colour

A floofed up male House Finch with a snow covered snoot after rooting around for seeds. He doesn't look impressed! #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

A female house finch perched on the far side of my water tray, with the background blurred out. She's looking to the left. She is soft brown and white, with a fairly thick bill.

A female pine siskin perched on the far side of my water tray, with the background blurred out. She's looking directly at me. She is soft brown and white, with less streaking than the house finch, and a smaller, daintier bill. She has white wing bars and greenish-gray wings

I thought that these photos were a good comparison between female House Finches (left) and Pine Siskins (right), taken at the same spot having a sip from my bird bath. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

A Cooper's Hawk perched with its back to me, looking to the right. It is mostly dark gray and white.

A Red-tailed Hawk perched with its back to me. It is mostly various shades of reddish brown, reddish white, and dark brown.

I'm getting a complex! My two regular, backyard hawks take turns hunting birds visiting my feeders, and even seem to prefer the same perch. However, they also seem to prefer sitting with their backs to me! Cooper's Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. #birds #birders #Bobsbackyard #HamOnt #Ancaster

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

My snow covered backyard and feeders. The aftermath of almost 24 hours of light, fluffy snow falling.

My snow covered backyard and feeders. The aftermath of almost 24 hours of light, fluffy snow falling.

I don't think the birds can find my feeders this morning. #birds #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

A view of my tray feeder, with a pine siskin on the right and a dark-eyed junco on the left. The siskin is flapping its wings and has its head tilted up towards the junco, and appears to be yelling at it. The junco is calmly looking down at the feisty siskin.

A closer up view of a pine siskin with its wings partly raised, its head up and mouth open, staring to the left at another bird which is out of the frame.

The Pine Siskins at my feeders are quite feisty, often scolding the Dark-eyed Juncos and American Goldfinch. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #HamOnt #Ancaster

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

About 20 waxwings perched on the upper bare branches of a young maple tree, with a gray cloudy sky in the background

Three waxwings lower down in the maple, all looking to the left and leaning forward, ready to launch!

The Cedar Waxwings keep returning to our backyard, typically late in the afternoon, and every time they seem to bring more friends with them. Here's just some of them in a backyard maple. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

My backyard, with the coniferous trees all laden with fresh snow. My bird feeding station is on the right, and bottom centre is what I call my "stage" set up for photographing birds from my home office window.

The aftermath of yesterday's storm. Serenity now! #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

1 month ago

Two bright red male cardinals, both perched in profile view looking to the left, with one situated above and slightly behind the other. The backdrop is our spruce tree laden with snow.

A couple of Northern Cardinals in our redbud during yesterday's snowstorm. #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt #birds #birding #cardinal

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

My green coloured tray feeder, full of seeds, is on the ground in my backyard, under the feeding station. There are 8 wild turkeys around it, having a feast.

A couple of days ago I'd been out birding for the morning. When I got home I found that a squirrel had somehow managed to jump onto my feeders and knock down the platform feeder. The Wild Turkeys thought that they'd won the lottery! #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #HamOnt #Ancaster

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

I have a metal ornament of a chickadee mounted on my backyard fence. I am always trying to capture images of various birds that land on it, in this case a wee red-breasted nuthatch, in profile view, looking downwards towards the chickadee's head

A Red-breasted Nuthatch perched on my ornamental chickadee in the backyard. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #HamOnt #Ancaster

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A partly obscured view of a cedar waxwing in profile view, stretched out and looking to the right, near the top of my backyard spruce tree.

This Cedar Waxwing was one of several who dropped by my backyard a couple of days ago. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt #waxwing #cedarwaxwing

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

The red-tailed hawk is perched on a thick, ,horizontal branch of my backyard maple, with a second branch angling off it at 45 degrees, crossing in front of his chest, which is showing off the characteristic "belly band" of red-tailed hawks. It is looking intently down to the left side of the image

My local Red-tailed Hawk spent much of the afternoon of New Year's day monitoring my feeder birds. #birds #birding #raptors #redtailedhawk #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

At least 16 doves perched on snow covered branches of my backyard spruce. There were at least another dozen at my feeders at the same time.

Anyone missing their mourning doves? Happy to return them.
#birds #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A Cooper's Hawk in profile view, looking to the left, sitting on my privacy fence. There is a bright halo of light behind him caused by reflection of the sun off a house in the background, which is blurred out. The hawk looks very intense!

Yesterday, the Cooper's Hawk landed on the fence right outside my window, so close I struggled to focus on it. Didn't help the low sun was reflecting off a house in the background, creating tricky lighting. This was its 5th failed pass at my feeder birds yesterday. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A starling sitting on top of my snow-covered backyard fence, in profile view looking to the right. The beautiful white "arrow tips" on its breast are showing nicely.

European Starling showing off its lovely winter plumage #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt #starling

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A closeup view of a pine siskin hanging upside down, pecking at some cones on our backyard spruce tree.

I've only had two Pine Siskins in my yard this fall/winter. Here's one from a few years ago when several dozen spent the winter here. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt #siskin #pinesiskin

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A Northern Cardinal posing nicely in my backyard spruce tree, looking over its shoulder to the right side of the image.

Here's a beautiful cardinal that I photographed in my backyard earlier this year; I thought it was a good one for today. Merry Christmas to all! #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt #MerryChristmas #Christmas

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A cowbird on my tray feeder, in profile view looking to the left. There is a starling behind him.

Another surprise at my feeders - one male and two female Brown-headed Cowbirds. Here's a snap of the male. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A female Purple Finch, which has no purple like her mate, but rather is streaky white and brown, perched on the hoop of my feeding system, facing towards me but looking slightly to the right

A female Purple Finch, which has no purple like her mate, but rather is streaky white and brown, perched on the rim of my tray feeder, in profile view looking to the right

A female Purple Finch, which has no purple like her mate, but rather is streaky white and brown, perched on the hoop of my feeding system in profile view looking to the right

An unexpected but welcome visitor yesterday, a female Purple Finch! #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt #finch #purplefinch

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A robin in my birdbath about to take a drink, glaring directly at me, perhaps unimpressed that some ice had formed on the water.

A robin perched in our redbud, looking off to the right. Horizontal branches cross over its belly, and just above its head.

A robin perched in my backyard spruce tree, in profile view looking to the right.

Yesterday a flock of about 30 American Robins passed through my yard. They seemed to be on a mission, with most flying rapidly by, all in the same direction. However, a few took a drink and a brief rest before rejoining their gang. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob.bsky.social

2 months ago

A male House finch, with pink head and upper breast, and streaky brown and white on the rest of him, perched in our backyard redbud, in profile view looking to the left

A male House finch, with pink head and upper breast, and streaky brown and white on the rest of him, perched in our backyard redbud, facing me but looking downwards to the left

A male House finch, with pink head and upper breast, and streaky brown and white on the rest of him, perched in our backyard redbud, facing me but looking downwards to the right

I couldn't decide which pose of this House Finch I liked best, so am posting them all. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #housefinch #Ancaster #HamOnt