Discussions

when the fox ran by! But I did talk to a few people who said to not worry.  
But if the fox is rabid you would keep a wide berth as with any other rabid animal.  
Otherwise fox tend to keep away from humans.

I spoke to conservation and the person I spoke to said they hadn't seen one in a decade, and they track them on a map and there are only a small handful of confirmed sightings of a cardinal here. Hard to "prove" that I saw it besides a few distant pictures of my feeder, but it was 100% a cardinal. I grew up in ON as well so I know the bird well. Was shocked to see one here!

I have always wanted to see a cardinal in person but I've never been to ON and I know it is extremely unlikely to happen here anytime soon. I have heard of one or two sightings in Winnipeg before as well.  
 
I just stumbled across this website yesterday (an online atlas of the breeding birds of Manitoba). It is very well laid out for anyone who's interested. Click on "start reading" at the bottom of the main page and it will take you to a list of birds with a complete info page for each one including maps showing confirmed areas, abundance, etc. There is a page for the Northern cardinal.  
 
https://www.birdatlas.mb.ca/index_en.jsp

This guy showed up behind our house this afternoon. We think a red-tailed hawk but not certain. I've only seen them in flight or from a distance before, never this close. It's hard to get a perspective on size from the pic but I would say he was more than a foot tall for sure.

Think it’s more likely to be a Cooper’s Hawk. Could be Sharp-shinned but if it’s over a foot tall (and it looks like it is) it’s probably a Cooper’s.

Awesome, thanks! Looking at other pics, definitely seems to be the Cooper's. We missed that page in the bird book when we were trying to identify. Red-tailed was the closest we could find but I couldn't figure out why the breast markings looked so different.

That's a beautiful photo you got there!

We have these two Canada geese who have decided they like one of the old out buildings in our yard. Makes me laugh every time I see them up there. Neither I or my husband ever remember seeing geese hang out on a roof before.

And this is a rarity for us. In 12 years I've only seen one of these in our yard one other time. Unfortunately he didn't stick around but did spend one whole day here so I got lots of pics.

Forgot the picture

I don't know if they've been back for awhile already but I saw the first goldfinch at our feeder today.  
 
Has anyone seen orioles or hummers back yet?  
I'm certain I saw a barn swallow or two yesterday (could be wrong, it was at a distance). Usually the swallows and hummingbirds are back pretty much the same time.

is that an evening grossbeak? The hummingbirds and orioles should be back any time now (they are already in Ontario, my sister lives there) and they are about one week later here in Mb. So any day now. Don't forget a hummingbird will eat out of an oriole feeder but an oriole can't eat out of a hummingbird feeder unless the whole is made bigger (or flower taken out).

Saw a barn swallow tonight, so put out my humming bird feeders! They should be here any day now.  
And most of my hummingbird feeders don't have the little yellow wasp cage anymore because the orioles ripped them all out so they could drink! LOL!

Had a male oriole in the yard this morning

Orioles at my feeder today as well!

No orioles or hummingbirds here yet - I am anxiously waiting for them!!

Just saw our first oriole and hummingbird today. Oriole on the orange jelly feeder I made and hummingbird on my honeyberry tree. Loads of fold finches too. Live on Wolfdale Road outside of Carberry

Just saw my first hummingbird!!  
 
Also heard some kildeer(s) the other night, but did not see them.

Darker coloured little guy did a quick stop in last night to check out the blooming Haskaps. A quick ten seconds and gone. Bumble Bees have been all over them this week but hummingbird was a first!

We also saw our first humming bird today!! It was hanging around a hanging basket of flowers hanging on our deck. Those are always a treat, we usually only get them once our daylilies start blooming, and even then it's sporadic.  
 
I heard warblers all day Wednesday, but didn't see them until the evening. But yesterday they had moved on already.

If you want the hummingbirds to visit regularly all summer, you need to have a source of food for them when they first return. I learned this from my accross the road neighbor! They establish a regular feeding routine when they first arrive. So now that they found food at your house when they first got here, you will have to watch to see if they become regular visitors to your place all summer now!

Don’t want to send this thread off course, so please start a separate thread to go any further down the turkey/protected track... but from the link below via bps Sgt:  
“Any time we receive reports of anybody trying to injure an animal with some intent, then yes, we will lay charges in those matters,”  
https://globalnews.ca/news/3799737/brandon-teens-arrested-for-attacking-turkeys-with-golf-clubs/

Is there a local birding group, or someone who might be interested in a report of a pair of birds who are nesting far outside their usual nesting territory?

Contact the Westman Naturalists at westman.naturalists@gmail.com.  
 
Our group has some excellent birders who would be happy to learn about any unusual birds spotted the Westman area. We can also help with bird identification.

Thanks Junegrass!

I rarely see a robin anymore..there used to be so many. Anyone notice this too?

there seem to be far less birds in general..(except sparrows!!)  
 
I have bird feeders out, and three birdbaths.  
 
I am wondering if the extreme heat has anything to do with it.

We are noticing the opposite and having many more birds of different kinds visit west of Virden. Sunflower seed , suet and nyjer seed seems to draw lots of variety in. Lots of Orioles this year. Have noticed purple finches tip the hummingbird feeder so that they can drink the nectar . Lots of swallows nesting too and I’ve seen several partridge families out in the fields, ruffed grouse, owls nesting in the pastures, lots of different hawks and a group of ten turkey vultures soaring on a thermal over the Assiniboine valley.  
Seem to be observing lots more deer, moose and elk around this year as well and even a few prong horns.