January 13, 2025 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
Project FeederWatch is a North American citizen science initiative that started at the Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario, in 1976, with the Ontario Bird Feeder Survey. In 1987, Cornell Lab of Ornithology expanded the program across the entire continent. Named Project FeederWatch, the program is a joint venture between Cornell and Birds Canada and boasts over 20,000 participants who systematically survey about 100 species of birds.
October 04, 2024 | Kelly Barany, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
With winter just around the corner, keeping bird seed dry can be a challenge. Wet and moldy seeds are not healthy for the birds, so keeping them dry, both in storage and when in bird feeders, is important.
September 11, 2024 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
As summer gives way to fall, with changing colours, shorter days and cooler temperatures, many people give more thought to their backyard birds. September is a special month of the year because yards and gardens host both migrating and resident birds.
August 02, 2024 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
August is often a slower month at the bird feeders. However, bird feeding stations will still be visited during the dog days of summer, not only by adult birds but also by young birds, including fledglings and juveniles (young birds still dependent on their parents are called fledglings while those that are recently independent are called juveniles).
May 28, 2024 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
Bird migration is one of the most remarkable natural phenomena on the planet. Each spring and each fall, billions of birds take to the skies. In the spring, they head northward towards their breeding grounds, making long and often arduous journeys to take advantage of abundant sunshine and a cornucopia of food, especially insects.
April 09, 2024 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
What a delight it is to see the first Purple Finches arriving back in April, with the males’ beautiful raspberry-red providing a welcome contrast to the dull grays and browns of the surrounding landscape.
February 13, 2024 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
As I sit cradling a warm cup of coffee by the woodstove on a very cold winter’s morning, watching the chickadees at the feeder outside my front window, I can’t help but marvel at these little snow cherubs. How can they possibly endure such cold, harsh conditions?
January 29, 2024 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
Project FeederWatch is a North American citizen science initiative that started at the Long Point Bird Observatory in Ontario, in 1976, with the Ontario Bird Feeder Survey. Cornell Lab or Ornithology came on board in 1987 in order to expand the program across the entire continent. Named Project Feeder Watch, the program is now a joint venture between Cornell and Birds Canada.
December 01, 2023 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
Bird migration is a topic that has entranced and mystified humans for centuries. While new technologies are shedding light on the details of bird migration journeys between the north and the south (i.e., departure and arrival dates, distances traveled, stop-over locations, and overwintering areas), the full understanding of how the birds “know” when, how and where to migrate to/from still eludes human understanding.
November 29, 2023 | Myrna Pearman, Chin Ridge Seeds (en-CA)
For several weeks this fall, a rare and beautiful bird enthralled birdwatchers from all over Alberta. The bird, a Yellow-throated Warbler, appeared in the backyard of a bird-feeding enthusiast east of Breton, Alberta on the afternoon of October 22, 2023. This was only the third record for the species in Alberta!