Heated bird bath from Wild Birds Unlimited

Just over a year ago we bought a heated (150 watt) bird bath & stand from Wild Birds Unlimited. We used it through the entire winter of 2013-14 and it performed well. We regularly experience temps below -20 C through the winter so I make a habit of bringing it (just the dish) in each evening and redeploying it with fresh water each morning. I reasoned that this would save us on electricity, lower the risk it getting knocked over by easily spooked nocturnal deer and perhaps lessen the wear on the heating element.

It performed well enough and while some have complained about the flimsy metal stand, this wasn't an issue for us as the feet of our stand were frozen fast in snow and ice for the entire winter. Others have lamented that their bird baths didn't attract birds. Ours sure did. Pretty much all of our regular feeder visitors drank and some of those also bathed. I've read some fretful comments that tempting birds to bathe in subzero temps will lead them to icy premature deaths. That's just hokum.

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Alas, the heating element in our unit failed after a few weeks of sub-zero weather this fall. I took it back to the WBU franchise in Edmonton last week and they gave me a replacement with no hassles. Thanks WBU! [I've since learned that the product's warranty lasts four years.]

Some random owls near Fort Saskatchewan

After running a few errands in nearby Fort Saskatchewan late this afternoon, I was happily surprised to encounter a few Snowy Owls and a Northern Hawk-Owl along the roadside during my drive home. I took a few quick photos to convey the first and last impressions of the two species.

Love in a slough, near Vegreville, Alberta

American Avocets making more American Avocets, very sweetly.

Marmot Day?

Mount Edith Cavell. Jasper N.P. 13.09.2013.

Three Snowies near Fort Saskatchewan

The charismatic Snowy Owl is staging a significant irruption into eastern North America this winter. In the Edmonton area, there hasn't been an especially high number of Snowies reported so far this winter as best I can judge.

Today I was surprised to encounter three birds during my 20 km drive to Fort Saskatchewan. Usually I'm fortunate to see a single bird on this trip.

Northern Goshawk drops in

A juvenile Northern Goshawk has been a fairly irregular visitor to our yard in recent weeks. Today it perched and preened for more than an hour as the usual throng of HAWOs, DOWOs, BLJAs, BBMAs, BCCHs, WBNUs & EVGRs attended our feeders below. There was no drama.

A few days ago this accipter took a shot at a Pileated Woodpecker, and missed. The week before we found a scattering of Mallard feathers just beyond our yard. C'est la guerre!

Awesome Evening Grosbeaks!

Evening Grosbeaks are ongoing, welcome visitors to our backyard feeders. The first photo in the series was taken a few years ago by Martha near Burleigh Falls, ON. I snapped the last four shots yesterday morning. The current flock size varies from day-to-day. Sometimes there may be only three or four, on other days there may be more than forty. What a sight!

Check out this ongoing research into five "types" of Evening Grosbeak - we thought that Alberta EVGRs sounded different from those in the east.