Yardbirds

I was pleased to record 31 species in or over the garden in Kingsdown in October, and then another 11 in the backyard in Canada - and it has to be said the North American ones are generally brighter.
On the left, a Northern Cardinal - on the right, a European House Sparrow. QED.

Even the female Cardinal is reasonably colourful, for a girl. Their winter range is apparently spreading north-eastwards, helped no doubt by backyard feeders.

This an American Robin (actually a thrush).

And these are American Goldfinches.

The Blue Jay needs little introduction, and no second invitation to scoff sunflower seeds on the deck - up to eight were seen at a time.

A Hairy Woodpecker.

And finally an endearing, trusting Black-Capped Chickadee-dee-dee. Canada's a great place for birds - I hope to return soon.

More pics from Canada are shown on http://ottawasquirrel.blogspot.com/

Bay of Fundy - late fall

In the fall, thousands - maybe millions - of waders funnel down the Bay of Fundy on their way south, with many staying to feed. Apparently. Presumably in early fall.

Because when we visited, there were just a few Sanderlings and things, which in some ways was a relief as North American waders are a nightmare to identify.

The trip was, however, worthwhile as it passed through the Acadian country which is good for raptors, including Bald Eagles. There were also plenty of Red-Tailed Hawks, helpfully showing themselves on wires and posts before languidly flapping away, exposing their distinguishing parts.

At the roadside, two Ravens displayed, bouncing around on the grass together.

New World Rodents

Canada is well served with rodents, and we saw a few on the trip. Beaver lodges were frequently seen, and we even got a few glimpses of some of the owners.

The most common rodents are, however, the squirrels, three varieties of which can be seen in Ottawa.

The red squirrels hold their own against the other two - the usual grey and a black form, which is particularly numerous around Ottawa for some reason.

I recently read, by the way, an article in the Observer about a group of people in Northumberland who were fighting the invasive Grey Squirrel with traps and guns, with considerable success. Perhaps one of the northerners could tell us if the greys are prevalent in their areas?

A chipmunk scolded us as we passed by, with a loud chip-chip....impressive considering it had its pouches full of food.

I don't think that Raccoons are rodents, but this one deserves to be seen because of its impressive size, gained by raiding a cat sanctuary. It would make a good hat.

West Dover & St Margaret's Bay

Just returned from a fortnight in Canada, staying on the beautiful shores of St Margaret's Bay.Naerby was the bustling(!) fishing village of West Dover, which bears no resemblance whatsoever to its larger namesake.

The granite boulders that define the shoreline and islands make a lovely scene, and every corner reveals a stunning view of a lake, creek or bay.
The one piece of commercialism in the place was (like most things at this time of the year) closed.

The sheltered waters held a good variety of birdlife, and each morning's walk promised something new.

Male and female Hooded Mergansers

The equally daft-looking Buffleheads

Red-necked Grebes were frequent visitors

American Black Ducks were everywhere, on freshwater and the sea

Red-Breasted Mergansers

A Horned Lark (aka Shore Lark) was seen and heard on the beach, as was a flock of about 30 Snow Buntings

And there were plenty of Common Loons (Great Northern Divers)

Ospreys' progress

Since August I've been following the progress of two Osprey chicks from Scotland that had tracking devices fitted - one (a male) stayed near Hythe for a month, then set off in a slightly wrong direction and presumably ditched exhausted into the Atlantic.
The female spent a similar time in southern England, around Oxford, then made steady progress south across western France, across the Med (not via Gibraltar) then across the Sahara. She is now in Senegal, near the Senegal River and lakes which should provide a good food supply.
While checking her current position, I noticed a strange moon-crater-like image, and zooming in can see that it is a village. The layout of houses and enclosures is clearly shown, and there are clues about the inhabitants' lifestyle.

Where did all the leaves go?

No. 31 Pheasant (which woke me up by clucking at a local cat, which slunk off, the coward).

Great October Word-Botch

Just for the record, the total number of specious birds seen in the October Word-Botch was 31:

31. Peasant
30. Goldfinger
29. Soul Tit
28. Sqawk
27. Wide Pagtail
26. Tublit
25. Fong Frush
24. J
23. Goldpest
22. Grey Herring
21. Blond-Tailed Tit
20. Common Crossword
19. Chiffchaffchiffchaffchiffchaff
18. Dunnink
17. Dollared Cove
16. Chaffink
15. Greenfink
14. Agent Starling
13. Great-Spitting Pecker
12. Carry On Crow
11. Heron Gull
10. Tate Grit
9. Ren
8. His kin
7. Mipit
6. Hows Martin
5. Block-Headed Gull
4. Wrobin
3. Mudpie
2. Slackjaw
1. King Pigeon