Introduction
I currently reside in southern Ontario, east of Toronto. During mid-July, in what has proven to be a unseasonably hot and dry month, I filmed several species of birds that are present at the feeders, bird bath, patio and lawn in the backyard. The most frequent visitor is the American robin. Also present fairly often were starlings, grackles, chickadees, golden finches, cardinals and blue jays. Every so often, a bird of prey appeared, possibly a red-tailed hawk. Circling above, it caused panic amongst the backyard birds, who fled in all directions while screeching in dismay. However, several hours later, they returned and resumed their regular activities.
Apart from the backyard, Canada geese, sea gulls, pigeons, mourning doves, chickadees and sparrows are common birds in the neighbourhood, especially at mini-malls, where they find ready sources of food in discarded fast-food and waste bins. Residential garbage days also provide a convenient source of food for these birds.
Taking a bird bath
Splish, splash, I was taking a bath on a hot summer's day. This video features a juvenile grackle taking a dip to cool off (and get rid of some pesky parasites). If you watch closely, you can see several birds on the ground below who are waiting for their turn at the bird bath. At one point, the bathing grackle fends of an interloper and resumes bathing.
The video is hosted on YouTube because of its large file size. New segments will be added weekly.