American Goldfinches are the latest-breeding songbird species in this area. They molt their feathers a second time in the summer, which is unusual for most bird species and leads to increasingly bright colours as the season progresses. Their song is a cheerful musical babbling, and their flight call – po-ta-to chip! po-ta-to chip! – is … Read more
Lots of folks are asking why there are so few birds at their feeders this winter, as compared to last year. The answers to these types of questions are never as straightforward as we might think. To start off, different numbers of birds are here from one winter to the next. A variety of factors … Read more
At The Avant-Garden Shop we carry a wide variety of bird feeders but the most popular and best quality are those from Brome, Droll Yankees and Aspects. These feeders are made from high quality materials that last a lifetime. The tubes are made from a special UV protected plastic that doesn’t yellow or crack. The … Read more
The Peterborough area is blessed with an abundance of American Goldfinches, which some people call Wild Canaries. Male Goldfinches are a rich lemon-yellow, with black wings, a black tail, and a black “toupee.” Females are a paler yellow and lack the toupee (perhaps the males struggle with male pattern baldness?). Goldfinches alternate between flapping their … Read more
Some people refer to hummingbirds (“hummers” to birdwatchers) as “winged jewels,’ which is no surprise, given their small size, the males’ brilliant iridescent colours, and the way they flit about. There are 5 hummingbird species in Canada, but only one, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, in Ontario. Males have bright red throats, iridescent green backs, wings, and … Read more
Birds are in Trouble! The populations of many bird species are declining. The number of individuals of many species is half what it was 4 decades ago and is expected to decrease by another half in the next 40 years. Local Ornithologist (professional bird nerd), Andrew Jobes, has written the blog posts for our monthly … Read more
Many people who love feeding birds dislike Blue Jays, because they can be loud and aggressive. Although this is true, there’s so much to love about these intelligent and charismatic creatures! Jays are in the Corvid family, which includes ravens and crows. They are very intelligent, capable of problem solving and mimicking the calls of … Read more
Fall Feeder Fun! Fall migration has already begun for some bird species. As birds leave their northern breeding grounds to head south for the winter, the numbers of birds and species of birds that will pass through or arrive in this part of Ontario will increase quite a bit over the next month or two. … Read more