Bob Bell 🇨🇦

@thebirderbob

Avid birder, Lyme patient, author of "Out of the Lyme Light and into the Sunlight" Read about my frustrating journey with Lyme, and how birding helps me cope with chronic pain. Photos all by me. #birds #cats #Lyme #naturetherapy #wellness #birding

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Bluesky

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Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· 25d

Here's one of many Blue Jay kids at my feeders these days. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

A close up view of the same Blue Jay, seen from about shoulders up.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· 26d

Further to my last post - having a good scratch! #mammals #wolf #coyote #coywolf

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· 26d

I saw this rather thin critter in June in an area of northern Ontario where wolves are more common that coyotes. I've consulted two biologists and a naturalist and none were 100% confident in their conclusions, but leaned towards it being either a coyote or a wolf-coyote hybrid. #mammals

A thin coyote or coyote-wolf hybrid standing on a highway, facing me. I had my car door open and was backing towards it as he started approaching me!

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· 26d

It was neat watching this Brown Thrasher gathering food for its kids. After disappearing into some thickets to feed them, it flew up and perched high above for a couple of minutes, before going off for more goodies. #birds #birding #Algoma

A Brown Thrasher standing on the side of a gravel road, with food in its beak.

A Brown Thrasher perched on a low, dead twig, with food in its beak. The background is blurred out green.

A Brown Thrasher perched on a dead, horizontal branch, looking to the left. It is a bit floofed out, and looks a bit disheveled!

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· 27d

I'm not sure what the attraction was, but I witnessed hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls foraging in a farm field. #birds #birding #Algoma

A flock of gulls swirling around above a farm field, with a forest behind the field.

A flock of gulls swirling around above a farm field, with a forest behind the field. The sky above is very dark and ominous - I could hear lots of thunder.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· 28d

We only see Tennessee Warblers here during migration when they are coming and going from their boreal breeding grounds. Up there, they are very common. #birds #birding #Algoma

A Tennessee Warbler perched on a small alder, looking over its shoulder to the right. Their upperparts are yellowish-olive, their head is gray, and their throat and underparts white.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· 29d

This spring I was lucky to see a species of swallow that I rarely encounter, the Bank Swallow. #birds #birding

Two small swallows perched on a thick hydro wire, looking down at me. Their underparts are white, with the exception of a gray collar on their upper chest. Their upper parts soft brown to gray. The sky behind them is an amorphous white.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 12

My two favourite warblers that I get to see regularly are Canada and Blackburnian. Here's the latter, showing why they're nicknamed flame throat. #birds #birding #Algoma

A Blackburnian Warbler perched on a small branch of a hemlock tree, sitting fairly vertical, with its head tipped back, looking upwards to the left, a position that really showcases its flaming orange throat and facial pattern.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 11

Last week for #caturday I posted a photo of Loshi when we first met him and he was only a few months old. Here's a picture taken yesterday, over 9 years later, of Loshi chilling out on his "lily pad" pedestal which sits on my desk.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 11

A Veery that I saw at camp back in June. #birds #birding #Algoma

A Veery perched high up in a cedar tree, looking over its shoulder and up. The backdrop is blurred out green.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 10

A very distant shot of a male Northern Harrier, aka "the gray ghost" hovering over a farm field, about to pounce on prey. #birds #birding #Algoma

A gray hawk is hovering over a farm field of green grass speckled with white and yellow flowers. Its wings, which have black tips, are curved downwards, allowing it to essentially hover while looking for prey to pounce on.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 9

There has been a couple of Sedge Wrens in Hamilton for the past few days that have become celebrities, delighting many local birders. Here's one that I saw in the Algoma district of northern Ontario in June. #birds #birding #Algoma

A sedge wren perched low to the ground in a marsh, oriented towards me but looking to the left. It was tricky to focus on him through the tiny branches and blades of grass.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 8

"I always feel like somebody's watchin' me." A Common Yellowthroat, the masked bandit warbler, keeping one eye on me, in the first photo, and then posing and singing. #birds #birding #Algoma

A male Common Yellowthroat hiding in an alder bush, peeking out at me between the leaves. All you can see is his yellow throat, and black mask and a bit of the narrow gray band above the mask

A male Common Yellowthroat perched in a shrub, looking to the left

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 8

There are lots of kids at the feeders these days. Exhibit A, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. #birds #birding #Bobsbackyard #Ancaster #HamOnt

A male rose-breasted grosbeak, perched on the top of my feeder system, looking over his shoulder to the left. He's undergoing a molt into adult plumage, and as a result looks quite shambolic

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 7

I like the moody setting of this shot of a Cedar Waxwing that I took in northern Ontario. #birds #birding #Algoma

A cedar waxwing clinging to a small, vertical tree dead tree, with the background blurred out gray. It is looking to the right.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 6

There were lots of Alder Flycatchers in northern Ontario, some singing their hearts out. #birds #birding #Algoma

An Alder flycatcher on a bare branch, sitting upright, with its head tipped way back, beak almost vertical, open and singing.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 5

Three species of blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, and a Common Grackle, all putting on a display. Who did it best? #birds #birding #blackbirds

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 4

Taken March 25, 2017, the day we first met Loshi when he was three months old! Never dreamed of the joy that he would bring, and continues to 9 years later! #Caturday #catsofbluesky

Me on the right, in a blue shirt and blue jeans, next to my partner wearing a pink ski jacket and holding little Loshi, an all gray, green-eyed Russian Blue.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 4

This isn't backyard birding; in this case it is front yard birding. Fun watching this American Robin family growing rapidly in our sweet gum tree. Poor mom, those mouths are open begging constantly! #birds #birding #HamOnt #Ancaster

Three robin nestlings sticking their necks well above the top of the nest, with their mouths wide open

One robin nestling hanging its head over the edge of the nest, with its mouth wide open. Poor thing is probably suffering in this incredible heat and humidity

Mom robin sitting on the side of the nest, with food in her beak, while two babies beg

Mom robin, having just fed the kids, sits watching them continue to beg. The youngsters are never satisfied!

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 3

Cape May Warbler on its territory in the boreal forests of northern Ontario #birds #birding #warblers #capemay #Algoma

A Cape May warbler on a bare branch with coniferous trees behind it. It is oriented towards me, looking over its shoulder to the right side of the image. This shows off the black streaking on its yellow breast, and the orange patch on its otherwise yellow face.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 3

Double-crested Cormorants don't get a lot of love, but when you see them up close you get to see their mesmerizing bluish green eyes and the blue lining of the inside of their mouths! #birds #birding #HamOnt

A close up of a cormorant's face, looking to the right. Overall black, they have an orange patch on their throat and in front of their blue-green eye. Its mouth is open and you can see the blue lining

A close up of a cormorant looking directly at me, its mouth open, showing the blue lining. Overall black, they have an orange patch on their throat and in front of their blue-green eye.

A close up of a cormorant's face, looking to the left. Overall black, they have an orange patch on their throat and in front of their blue-green eye. Its mouth is open

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 2

Another bird that we only see during migration, if lucky, is the Olive-sided Flycatcher, so it was nice to see them on their boreal breeding grounds. #birds #birding #Boreal #Algoma

A bird perched on the very top of an old dead tree that is covered in lichen. It is oriented towards me but looking to the right. A large flycatcher, with olive-gray streaking on its white underparts. The white goes up to it bi-colored bill. The upper parts are all gray.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 1

A few Canadian Tiger Swallowtails. Don't ask what the attraction was, you don't want to know! #butterflies #Algoma #notabird

A big clump of swallowtail butterflies feasting on wolf or coyote poop

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jul 1

To help celebrate Canada Day, here are a couple of the many Canada Warblers that I encountered on my birding trip in Algoma. #birds #birding #CanadaDay

A dead branch with the bark peeling off runs from the top left to bottom right corner of the image. On it there is a Canada Warbler, looking to the left. The backdrop is blurred out greens and browns. This view shows well his black necklace on is yellow underparts, and large white eye ring.

A Canada Warbler perched in alders, such that he's mostly in the shade and only his head is in the sun. He's looking to the left and upwards.

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jun 30

Typical boreal scenery - those spruce trees are home to lots of warblers, including Cape May and Bay-breasted. That's the birding-mobile on a logging road in one phot. #birds #birding #Algoma #Borealforest

A creek running through a black spruce bog

The birding-mobile parked on a sandy logging road in a forest that has been logged off and is now regenerating

A wider creek with sand banks running through a black spruce - jackpine forest

Bob Bell 🇨🇦@thebirderbob· Jun 30

We only get to see Lincoln's Sparrows during migration, so it was great to see these beautiful birds on territory in northern Ontario. #birds #birding #sparrows #Algoma