Black Squirrels in Toronto

 

I just returned from a trip to Canada, where I saw the famous Niagara Falls.

I also saw the less famous local black squirrels of Toronto! They have a coat-color mutation that seems particularly well suited to the area; black fur absorbs sunlight efficiently and helps keep them warm during cold Canadian winters. 

Just last year, I saw the famous white squirrels of Olney, Illinois. Click on this sentence to go to my blog about them.  The white fur mutation persists with help from local people who actively protect white squirrels. The squirrels have the right-of-way on the streets of Olney. 

 

Squirrels in New Jersey usually look like this. Black, white, and gray forms are different colors of the same species, the Eastern Gray Squirrel, for which this gray is the standard color. Reddish highlights are common. Click to enlarge.

Any questions? 

Osprey

 

The osprey is about two feet long with a five-foot wingspan. This one is hovering while hunting. It eats mainly fish, which it catches by diving feet-first into water, sometimes to a depth of more than a foot. Not surprisingly, it is also called a fish hawk. Click to enlarge.

The osprey is not one of my backyard birds. But there is a nest on the Delaware River that is close enough to my house that I can walk there to watch them. 

The male catches fish in the river, carries them to the nest, then flies out again. 

And again. 

This shaggy character is one of this year's young. So... well done, osprey parents! 

Northern Flicker

Another bird from my backyard -- the Northern Flicker. It's a woodpecker. Notice its black bib, spotted belly, and red nape. The black whisker or mustache stripe on its face identifies this one as a male. 

It does not come to the feeder for seeds. I see it either in trees foraging for insects, or on the grounds poking at ants, which are a major component of its diet. Click to enlarge.

Here it is picking up a bit of debris to check for insects. 

I always feel lucky whenever I spot a flicker -- such a snazzy little surprise. 

American Goldfinch

A male American goldfinch at the seed feeder in my backyard. Click to enlarge.

He is the first in an upcoming occasional series of the birds that visit my yard. He's beautiful, right? But is he the most beautiful of all? We shall see...

Happy Father's Day

 

 Chincoteague ponies, from the Maryland herd, seem to be whispering secrets. Click to enlarge. 

Tree Swallow Baby Pictures

 

Today I watched parents feeding nestling tree swallows at the two locations I monitor in Burlington County, New Jersey. 

At both sites, a nestling sat in the doorway. Click to enlarge.

When a parent approached, the nestling opened its brightly colored gape. It attracts the parent's attention and helps them deliver food. 

Success. 

Still hungry. 

Still hungry. 

Tree Swallow Nest Update

Both of my tree swallow nests are showing signs that chicks have hatched. 

As I watched, a swallow arrived and perched. 

Jumped in and stayed for a few moments. 

Then popped up again, carrying evidence of chicks. 

The bird has a fecal sac in its beak. Tree swallow chicks produce waste in little, easily carried packages that the parents remove from the nest. It keeps the nest clean and helps avoid odors that might attract predators. Click to enlarge. 

The same thing was happening at the second nest I monitor. 

Tree swallow parents catch insects in the air and form balls of them called boluses to feed to the chicks. In with a meal. Out with a fecal sac.  

A hardworking bird on its way back out to dispose of a sac and catch more food. 

Impressive. 

Memorial Day 2025

 

 

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them."

 

from For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon

Pink Lady's Slipper Orchid Season

Mid-May is prime season for pink lady's slipper orchids in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. I went hunting for them last week.

They were blooming right on schedule. 

For a flower so brightly colored, they are surprisingly difficult to see and must be stalked. Click to enlarge.

Here's a nice one, showing off its twisting sepals and puffy pouch. 

I also saw this adorable eastern chipmunk.

The New Jersey Pine Barrens -- dark pools, interesting plants, cute mammals, and a legendary resident Devil. What's not to like?

Happy Mother's Day

 

 From the nursery in the hollow of the maple tree in my yard. The new baby gray squirrel is on top. Mom is below getting walked on. Click to enlarge. Happy Mother's Day!

A Black Swallowtail Butterfly Lays Eggs

One of my local parks has a planting of parsley, dill, and milkweed for butterflies. Monarch and swallowtail caterpillars feed on the leaves and stems of these plants, so it is a great location for a butterfly to lay eggs. I was watching this black swallowtail there. It's the first one I've seen this year. 

It was flying rapidly from plant to plant. When it paused, fluttering, to bend its abdomen like this I realized that it was laying eggs.

She darted over to a dill plant, paused fluttering, and bent her abdomen tip toward the plant to attach an egg. 

I waited until she flew away. 

Then I found the egg. See the little yellow sphere in the right center of the photo? Click to enlarge.

Here it is with my blurry hand in the back for scale. The egg is in the center of the photo. There is so much going on in nature that we never notice. Good luck to all the tiny caterpillars that will hatch in a few days!

Tree Swallow Nest Box Report

 

There has been a lot of tree swallow activity during the last two weeks. 

I'm monitoring two nest boxes in a local park. Both had tree swallows flying around them, perching on the top, perching at the door, and peeking inside.

Sometimes several birds were checking out a nest box at the same time. There have been a few dust-ups. Click to enlarge.

A few days ago, I saw a tree swallow sitting inside one of the boxes looking out. That's the sign I look for to report to the park that the nest is occupied. I'm still waiting for it at the other box. We are off to a good start.

A sleek, shiny tree swallow in a tree near a not-yet-occupied nest box.