Monday, April 9, 2012

A Slow but Unusual to Spring Migration

The weather keeps flopping back and forth between chilly and nice. So, even though there have been some unusual sightings reported here and there, there still hasn't been any solid indication that spring migration is really and truly in full swing.

What is really unusual is the snowy owl sighting out at Long Point, this past weekend. It is not typical for this species to be here so late. Too, there are also unusual reports of birds species coming into Ontario such as black vultures and fish crows. These are sightings that would be common in the state of Florida, and yet here we are getting them coming in, and so early in the season. There is even talk of possible nesting behavior being seen with a fish crow pair, found at Bronte Harbour.

My husband and I did make our way over, in order to see the fish crows for ourselves. We had only seen them once before, on a visit to Florida. Funny enough, that is also where we saw our first black vultures.

The fish crow pair were keeping company with an American crow, so it was easy to see the difference between the two; right off the bat. The former was much larger and it made the traditional "caw, caw"sound that most of us are familiar with. We also heard the fish crows make the "uh, uh" sound that is typical of their species; so that was great. Will this be the start of a really stellar birding season? I sure hope so.

Friday, March 16, 2012

A Really Fine Day

What a great day! We reached a high of 19 degrees C, and it felt much warmer than that. The litmus test was the walk along Lake Ontario at Sam Smith park. Sam Smith is a nice place for a stroll. It's pretty big, and all kinds of activities are enjoyed at there. It is also a good place to go birdwatching. Come the spring, this place is hopping with warblers and other migrants. There is also a wimbrel watch. It amazes me that any birds go there at all, because the place is always so full of people and dogs.

Today, my husband and I went around the park looking out for early migrants. There was not a whole lot to see, but it was nice to be there with this lovely weather. There were a lot of red neck grebes, and some horned grebes still in winter plumage. It was lovely to see so many song sparrows about, as well as the robins and red-winged blackbirds. Many years ago, the robin was considered to be ubiquitous, but that title should now go to the red-winged blackbird. You will see them everywhere, once the winter season draws to an end.

At first, it is nice to hear their 3-note herald to spring: "doo-da-dee"! (To me, it sounds like they are singing "Burger King!") After a while, it starts to wear on you. All the same, I love to see them, and their cocky antics can be very amusing.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A Lovesick Romeo


My husband and I got some birding in last weekend. I hope to post the pictures soon. It was a beautiful day, and so we went to LaSalle Marina, in Burlington, in order to see if the ring-necked ducks were still there. They were, which was great, because they are rarely seen in our parts. We also saw some Canvasbacks- another duck species though not rare, are not seen so often, either. I also enjoyed watching the Common Mergansers strut their stuff in order to impress a lone female.

The best sighting was the juvenile King Eider, of course. He was still hanging around, and we could see it was because he was love sick: over a female Mallard! This female had an entourage of males (Mallards) surrounding her, and behind her like a bad smell, was the young King Eider.

It looked like she was trying to shake him, but couldn't. At some point, she did manage to elude him, and the King Eider, ended up flying right up to the beach where we were. It was great for us, because we had such a close up view. However, that poor duck was searching frantically everywhere! He kept looking around here, and there. He didn't seem to know that she was much further into the lake. I felt sorry for him. But, c'est la vie!

Well, from there we went to Bronte Harbor to see if the Snowy Owl was still there, and yes, it was. And so was a horned grebe with winter plumage, as well as an early Kildeer. The latter bird is a sure sign that the spring migration is under way, so I was really happy about that. And it was cool that the Snowy was still around, too!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Well, here I am again. I stopped writing this blog for the longest time, because I didn't feel like changing my account and sign-in (it's a long story). In the interim, I have seen many new species, and enjoyed the return of many familiar ones.

Last year was the year for unusual bird sightings. There didn't seem to be too many birds about, but there were certainly a lot of sightings of rare birds; to make up for any deficit. I saw a smew, a razor-billed auk, and a mountain bluebird, among other things.

The mild winter was definitely a draw for some warbler species. Imagine seeing a half-dozen passerine species in the month of December - something that would be normal at spring migration. These sightings were all at Bayfront Park, in the Hamilton area. The topper was the Black Throated Gray warbler. This species is not normally seen in the eastern half of Canada. It really made my day, to see this little beauty.

This year, my husband and I managed to get a look at a Snowy Owl at Tommy Thompson Park, in Toronto. We missed seeing one last year, and I was a little sad about it. The Snowy always looks, to me, like a miniature snowman from a distance. But, if you can manage to get closer, they really can take your breath away. Unfortunately, though, some people can't resist the temptation to get too close to this wonderful bird. What I don't like, is the landfill that surrounds it: seeing at these birds, surrounded by rebar, and broken tile; really bothers me.