My Weekly Bird ABC

Pull up a chair and get a cup of coffee or tea I would like to take you

along to see our 'S' birds.

You will need to be prepared for all kinds of weather,as we are viewing different seasons.

Bird number one is the Snow Goose,or in this case Geese.

In spring we see large flocks of these in our skies.

A much smaller bird,but still seen near the water is the Swamp Sparrow.

Trying to photograph this bird is a challenge,as he like to hide in the reeds.

Another shore bird is the small Spotted Sandpiper.

This one was in town in our park. The Song Sparrow can be seen and heard almost everywhere. Here we see him in the reeds,but he is equally at home on the yard, singing from some nearby branch. Another very secretive bird is the Sora. This bird is in the Rail family. It is rare to catch him out in the open,and they can disappear in the reeds very quickly. The Sanderling is a new Bird for us this year. We were fortunate enough to catch a small flock of them on their way through the area. While they are busy feeding they pay no attention to anyone around,or so it seems. This Sharp-shinned Hawk was photographed in Winnipeg at the Assinniboine Park.

High overhead we catch a glimpse of some Swans.

I think they are Tundra Swans.

Caught in flight is this Swainson's Hawk.

This is a fairly large hawk,with beautiful markings.

During our coldest days we find these Snow Buntings feeding on the ground.

These too are almost always in motion,therefore hard to capture.

Another winter bird is the lovely Snowy Owl.

This particular bird is almost pure white,

making it a male.

Here is a photo of a Sharp-shinned Hawk sitting in the trees.

This slender hawk favors the forested areas.

A rear view of a Sharp-tailed Grouse.

You can see how the name may have come about.

This songster is a Savannah Sparrow.

A drive through the countryside will yield many of

these birds sitting on a pole or wire,singing their heart out.

The only problem is that the song is a quiet lispy tsit-tsit-tsit.

The Swainson's Thrush is a lovely soft looking bird.

In a picture the spots in front look out of focus,

but they are just blended so softly.

Last but not least is this pair of Sharp-tailed Grouse.

They flew up right beside the car and I was lucky enough to get this one good shot

You can learn a great deal about God by studying His creation.