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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Today’s birding anecdote is brought to you by the letter “H”, for “Harris Sparrow”. I definitely have days where I feel bloated. I just wish I could show it as spectacularly as #birds because then people would know that I might not be as chi(r)pper as usual! 😜 #winnipeg #canada #borb

A Harris Sparrow poses on my wooden fence to show of its high contrast fashion statement. Black face and hair, silver cheeks, and every soft colour of brown decorating its back and wings. It is one of the larger sparrows I know of, so it REALLY stands out!

Having not garnered quite as much attention as it may have liked, it has fluffed its entire body up to the point where it, quite genuinely, resembles a ball with a bird tattoo. The scientific name for this state amongst all respectable ornithologists and birdwatching enthusiasts is: BORB!!! A bird in orb form 😂

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

One of the thing that surprised me about Pelicans was that getting their food down is no simple feat. Because they don’t chew it up, because it fights back, and because it’s big, it takes time and patience. Yesterday it took 8 minutes to get down! ⏳#birds #winnipeg #canada

An American White Pelican flots on a still pond, with a medium sized “bullhead” fish gripped at the very end of its bill. The Pelican is getting ready to try to flip it up in the air so that it can catch it in hopefully a good spot to be able to swallow it.

Up in the air the bullhead goes. The Pelican tossed it only a few inches in the air between the two halves of its bill, so that it doesn’t risk missing and letting the fish get away.

Throughout the course of the endeavour to swallow this fish, the Pelican easily tossed it more than ten times. This is just one of them.

Once in the Pelican’s (gular) pouch/sac the battle isn’t over. The fish is still squirming at times, and sliding around into unfavourable positions for swallowing other times.

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

If you’ve never taken your camera (or camera phone) out during the golden hour before sunset, GO. Do it. A female Canvasback. It’s mate. Then a female and male Blue-winged teal. I mean, really, how could you NOT fall in love with birds in this light! 🤩 #birds #winnipeg #canada

A female Canvasback (diving duck) slowly paddles at sunset across golden tinted water covered in almost magical ripples.

A male Canvasback (diving duck) paddles at sunset on water shimmering with smooth, lucious wripples that reflect all sorts of colours.

A female Blue-winged Teal (tiny diving duck) leads the way for her mate, a male Blue-winged Teal. The water is smooth but decorated with soft dimples from the gentle ripples at sunset.

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Warblers….WARBLERS!🤬 😂 The annual Warbler ID guessing game is upon me. I strongly believe this is an Orange-crowned Warbler because of the broken eye-ring, faint smudgy streaks on the breast, dull olive and yellow colouring, and yellow undertail coverts. #birds #winnipeg #canada

A tiny, light olive and yellow coloured bird clings to the stalk of a reed in a marsh as it reaches its head towards the fluffy head of the plant.

Our tiny Orange-crowned Warbler is still nibbling away at the tops of reeds (or are they bull rushes…hmm)

Finally we get a peak at the undercarriage of our tiny bird. Various shades of light yellow for the most part.

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I love answering questions about blackbirds, because they really aren’t black! The Brewer’s Blackbird is one that flies under the radar of many people. Often confused with the Common Grackle, the Brewer’s Blackbird has a PURPLE head vs. BLUE in the males, they are smaller, and have more pale eyes.

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

The mating chase is still on-going for almost all #bird species in my backyard. On any given day we have between four and eight Northern Shovelers on the pond. The males outnumber the females so the females are quite literally run/flown ragged fending them off. #birdwatching #winnipeg #canada

A female Northern Shoveler (diving duck with a large shovel type bill) is being chased in the air by two males fighting to win her as their mate. Nesting sites have been picked and ready to be sat upon but lone males without a mate will keep trying to win over a mate despite most pairs already being set.

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

This morning I went looking for #birds including a rare, stray visitor that @jeope.bsky.social got to have an amazing encounter with. While I didn’t see that bird, I did see around 50 Tree Swallows Zooooooooming inches above the water grabbing small insects. AMAZING! #Winnipeg #Canada

Four Tree Swallows (dark blue tops, white underneath) perch on a very delicate branch.

A Tree Swallow cranes its neck down as it flies at blisteringly fast speeds an inch above the water of a pond, and bites down on a tiny insect on the surface.

A Tree Swallow banks sharply in the air, displaying its pure white underbelly as it readies itself for another high speed pass across the surface of the pond to grab more insects.

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

Good morning fellow birders. The pond by our house is currently inundated with Buffleheads, YAY! These tiny diving ducks are some of the best water skiiers around. I LOVE watching the males trying to prove who’s the biggest and bravest to the females this time of year. #birds #winnipeg #canada

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

The humble “Butter Butt”, a.k.a. Yellow-rumped Warbler. A simple, common bird, but one that certainly helps brighten up the place. #birds

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Brock Gunter-Smith @brockgs.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Northern Shoveler today on the retention pond. Yes, it does have a shovel on its face! I hope they nest and make little “shovelettes” like they did last year!! #birds #notpolitics