There has been a juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake hanging around the St. Clair River in the Sarnia/Port Huron area for about a week now. A couple days ago we observed it cruising along the river near the Bluewater Bridge however it was too far away for decent images. Yesterday however it was feeding along the Sarnia side of the river and afforded better images.
A dainty gull of northern oceans, Black-legged Kittiwakes nest in teeming colonies on cliffs of the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic. On these sheer, rocky sea stacks, their unceasing cries of “kittiwake” join with the crashing surf to make the classic sound of a seabird colony.
Their neat white and gray plumage is accented by a bright yellow bill and jet-black legs. Kittiwakes are true pelagic seabirds, spending virtually their entire lives on the open ocean and only touching land during the nesting season.
They forage while in flight by dipping or plunging into the sea, almost ternlike, to seize small fish and other prey, usually far offshore.
Breeding adults are pale gray above with neat black wingtips, clean white below, with a yellow bill. The legs and feet are jet black. Nonbreeding adults are similar but acquire a dusky patch behind the ear. Juveniles are quite striking: white overall, with a black M pattern across the upperwing visible in flight. They also have a gray or black collar across the back of the neck, a black tail tip and a black bill. Cornell All About Birds
On a recent trip to The Pinery with some birder friends we were able to get decent looks with the bins at some Red Crossbills. Although rather high, I was able to capture a few record images.
A fascinating finch of coniferous woodlands, the Red Crossbill forages on nutritious seeds in pine, hemlock, Douglas-fir, and spruce cones. Their specialized bills allow them to break into unopened cones, giving them an advantage over other finch species.
A crossbill's odd bill shape helps it get into tightly closed cones. A bird's biting muscles are stronger than the muscles used to open the bill, so the Red Crossbill places the tips of its slightly open bill under a cone scale and bites down. The crossed tips of the bill push the scale up, exposing the seed inside.
Male Snow Buntings head to their high arctic breeding grounds when the ground is still covered in snow and temperatures can dip to -22° F.
The Snow Bunting places its nest deep in cracks or other cavities in rocks. Although such nest sites are relatively secure from predators, rocks are cold. The thick nest lining of fur and feathers helps keep the eggs and nestlings warm, but the female must stay on the nest for most of the incubation period.
Although breeding and nonbreeding Snow Buntings look quite different, the change from nonbreeding to breeding plumage isn't caused by growing in a new set of feathers (molt). The change from brownish to pure white happens when males rub their bellies and heads on the snow, wearing down the brown feather tips to reveal immaculate white features below. Cornell All About Birds
