Manitoba, Carman, Stephenfield and area (1 Viewer)

[Craig S]

Has been a stormy week. Only got out birding twice.
There was a several hour lull in storms on the 29th so we went to Stephenfield and spent about 3 hours walking the trails.
We got our first wood ticks of the season. Picked up a few tick pointers. As soon as we get home we get undressed in the laundry room and throw our clothes into the dryer for 15 minutes to kill any ticks in our clothing. We heard that applying liquid soap to a ball off cotton and placing it over an embedded tick is supposed to cause them to release. We didn't get to try this out this time as neither tick was embedded.
Grey Catbirds, Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and Humming Birds finally arrived this week.
Bird feeding pole we bought last summer broke this week and we have replaced it with a double Shepperd hook. The pole we replaced was the type with a sectional pole and three long tines that you would plant into the ground. It started to tilt within a month of putting it out. It fell over completely during one of the nastier storms on the 28th. Upon inspection the section of pole that attaches to the tines had only one spot weld which had broken away. Rather a poor design.

Carman 24-29 May
Grey Catbird
Pine Siskin
House sparrow
Robin
House Finch
Purple Finch
Blue Jay
White Breasted Nuthatch
Chipping sparrow
Unidentified Thrush
Common Yellow-throat
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Ruby Throated Hummingbird
Brown Thrasher
Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Mourning Dove
Baltimore Oriole

Stephenfield 29 May
Great Blue Heron
Grey Catbird
Bank Swallow
American Redstart
Eastern Kingbird
Clay Coloured Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Western Meadowlark
Red Winged Blackbird (Numerous)
Yellow Warbler
Song Sparrow
Great Crested Flycatcher
Savannah Sparrow
Brown Headed Cowbird
Crow
Robin
Read Headed Woodpecker
Mallard
The only water fowl we saw were 3 or 4 Mallards.
We did see something sitting in the edge of some weeds next to a plowed area used for planting fir trees. It was probably about 100 feet away. At first I thought it might be a bird, but upon looking through the camera viewfinder thought it might be a rabbit. On inspecting the picture at home I couldn't figure out what it was. Posted the pictures below.

 

[borealowl47]

See the Red-headed Woodpecker often!Was looking all May long weekend at my brothers place at Grand beach for a red-headed woodpecker he seen the previous week!No luck! darn!:-C

How big was it,to me it looks like a Woodchuck?

 

[Craig S]

This was only our second sighting of a Redheaded Woodpecker. Saw one last summer in town.
A friend of mine sent me a picture of a Red Bellied Woodpecker taken North of Winnipeg last week.
I am guessing it would be about the length of a small dog. You can only see its head in the picture. A few friends I sent the pictures to think it might be a ground hog. Found a forgotten picture I took of a ground hog last year and it does have similar appearance.
Wikipedia says ground hogs and wood chucks are one and the same.
You are the fourth person to identify it as such.

 

[borealowl47]

Wikipedia says ground hogs and wood chucks are one and the same.
You are the fourth person to identify it as such.

Love them creatures quite adorable when you see them,seen two this year
in my travels.Wanted to get a good photo but unfortunately did not have my camera with me.There has been a Red-bellied Woodpecker around Asinniboine
Park all winter seen it many times!By the way nice photo of the blackbird
chasing the heron!

 

[Craig S]

I've seen them several times at Fort Whyte Center, but was only ever able to get one picture. Wouldn't have gotten that other than the the ground hog was feeding on a some spilled sunflower seed near a feeder.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology range map the Red Bellied Woodpecker its range ends a few hundred miles south of Manitoba.
That Heron has been in the same spot twice when we have gone to Stephensfield. You can't see it from land so once you get close it takes off. Got the pictures with an E-510 and 150mm lens. My 300 lens is on loan to a friend until next week. The picture turned out not to bad considering we were probably 100 feet away and it was a hurried shot.
Sun has been out for a few hours now, not a cloud in the sky, hope this spells the end of our monsoon.
Was a good day at Stephensfield in spite of the weather, Forgot to mention that we saw a flock of Cedar Waxwings on a trail near the beach. Watched them for about 5 minutes before they moved on. Mosquitoes weren't to bad either.