Totally captivated in 2007 by the live camera feed of the Hornby Island nesting Bald Eagles in B.C., I was drawn into birding and have never looked back. Thus begins my account of what I'm fortunate enough to discover each day and perhaps capture with my camera.



Unless otherwise stated, all images were taken by and are the property of Janice Melendez

Species Counts:

2014 Final Year List: 255; 2015 Year List a/o June 5, 2015: 235; Life List: 327

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Locked in a Deep Freeze


Everyone and everything is trying to stay warm during this latest winter deep freeze:








Black-capped Chickadees weren't as bubbly as they usually were:








A Rusty Blackbird in Pickering stayed close to the ground, seeking shelter from the wind:





A trip up north on Friday with Tessa was a huge success. 

Dozens of Common Redpolls frequented an array of well-stocked feeders: 





One lone Redpoll found some shelter on a wire between some evergreens:











From the back, these little winter finches aren't overly remarkable, with gray-brown streaking...





...but when they turn around? 

Bam, there's that dazzling red cap!





A side view shows more streaking...





...but when they turn around, there's that dazzling red cap again!








Making the best of a cold situation, it ate some snow:








Its tiny yellow bill had some snow on it:











A few Evening Grosbeaks (a year bird, yay!) were heard before they were finally seen, just as my fingers were feeling some frostbite. It was time to return to the car even though I really wanted to study each and every one of those Redpolls for a Hoary, grrrrr:





A total of seven Snowy Owls were seen in our travels, including three fabulous males. 

This was the second male:














Record shots of three different Snowy Owls:











The third male, and my final Snowy Owl for the day was an unexpected surprise, what a beauty! 





Tessa also did her best to keep warm yesterday:











Stay warm, everyone and everything, this deep freeze is far from over!

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