Charismatic mammals and a request

I am only 6 away from tying the big year record, and so consequently the number of potential species I could add is dwindling. I have made a list of potential species that I could still add, in the hopes that somebody reading this blog at some point in the remaining 12 weeks knows of the location of one of these birds and can help me out. The list, entitled my "Hit List" can be found here. It contains only species that I haven't seen yet this year and includes most of the species which one could expect to show up from now until the end of December. If anyone knows any details on any of the species listed, let me know! Of particular interest are hummingbirds. Almost all of the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have now left the province, so if a hummingbird shows up at a feeder there is a very good chance that it is a Rufous Hummingbird or even something more obscure. Often Rufous Hummingbirds will be seen into November and December in Ontario. If you know of a hummingbird visiting a feeder between now and the end of the year, I would really appreciate any info on it!

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When we were up in Moosonee we saw more than just interesting birds. The mammals were almost as interesting! On our first day in Moosonee, we were walking back to town from the lagoons when Mark noticed this little Pine Marten scaling a hydro pole. I'm not sure what he was hoping to find up there!

Pine Marten - Moosonee

Once we "caught" him climbing the pole, he ended up just hanging out up there and keeping a close eye on us.

Pine Marten - Moosonee

Pine Marten - Moosonee

On our last morning in Moosonee, we got word that a Bearded Seal was hanging out on one of the docks in town. We swung by to check it out, and sure enough there it was!

Bearded Seal - Moosonee waterfront

Apparently this Bearded Seal has been occasionally seen on this very dock over the past couple of years! It was quite tolerant of people and I was able to take some close-ups while it rested.

Bearded Seal - Moosonee waterfront

Bearded Seals are the largest of Ontario's pinnipeds and can be found along the coasts of Hudson and James Bay. This was my first!

Bearded Seal - Moosonee waterfront

We had two more interesting mammal sightings. The first was a lynx on the road to Fraserdale late one evening. We turned the car around and went back to where it was and had great looks as it crouched in a ditch at the side of the road. Eventually it bounded towards the treeline and kept an eye on us from under a spruce tree. This was a "life mammal" for Alan and Mark, and only the second I had seen.

The other interesting mammal sighting was one "that got away". I was driving along HWY 129, northeast of Sault Ste Marie. We were in a fairly desolate stretch when a large cat-like mammal bounded off the road. Mark also got to see it. Unfortunately it had disappeared before we were close, but it had a long tail and was certainly cat-like. It may have been a cougar, but I guess we will never know.