2013 Year in Review - part 2

The month of May was a busy one for me, as it is for all birders in Ontario. I began my first full-time job as a biologist for a consulting firm, and given the time of year I was in the field pretty much non stop from the middle of the month until early July. Additionally I moved to a new area, and I tried to find time to go birding as well whenever time and daylight allowed. Some highlights from spring migration...

Beaver - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Northern Goshawk - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

White-eyed Vireo - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Blue-winged Warbler - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Scarlet Tanager - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Black-and-white Warbler - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Common Grackle - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Willet - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Willet brigade - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Bonaparte's Gull - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Yellow Warbler - Point Pelee NP, Ontario

Purple Martins - Blenheim, Ontario

My work surveys brought me to places including Timmins, Wawa, Sudbury, North Bay, Niagara, and various locations in the GTA/Hamilton area. One highlight was finding Algoma District's third Marbled Godwit and first Arctic Tern within a minute of each other at the Wawa lagoons. But of course, enjoying the breeding birds, herps, and insects of northern Ontario was certainly a highlight of the year.

Mink Frog - Sudbury, Ontario

European Skipper - Sudbury, ON

Chestnut-sided Warbler - Wawa, Ontario

Midland Painted Turtle - Mattawa, ON

Living in a new part of the province meant that I explored it as well as I could in between work excursions. While I would never endorse living where I do (its a really terrible location if you are a birder), there are a few interesting places nearby. Happy Valley, a forest containing species such as Hooded Warbler, Jefferson Salamander, Acadian Flycatcher, and Barred Owl is only a few kms from my place, and a myriad of other breeding birds can be found in the area.

Virginia Rail - Carden Alvar, Ontario

Eastern Bluebird - Carden Alvar, Ontario

Prairie Warbler - Carden Alvar, Ontario

Mourning Warbler - Minesing Swamp, Ontario

Red Knot - Schomberg, Ontario

Tawny-edged Skipper (I think) - Toronto, Ontario

Warbling Vireo - Newmarket, ON

Meadowhawk sp. - Newmarket, Ontario

Most weekends were spent traveling to other parts of Ontario on herping and birding trips - in fact, since I moved to the Aurora area I have only spent one weekend "at home"! Here are a few highlights from these trips. As you can tell, I tried to focus more on herps and insects this summer since I was kind of overloaded on birds. I guess two full months of doing breeding bird surveys daily will do that to you!

Eastern Foxsnake - Norfolk County, Ontario

Eastern Hognose Snake - Norfolk County, Ontario

Giant Swallowtail - Point Pelee National Park, Ontario

Dickcissel - Hillman Marsh, Ontario

Common Map Turtle - Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario

Snapping Turtle - Hillman Marsh CA, Ontario

Hackberry Emperor - Point Pelee National Park, Ontario

Great Black-backed Gull - Leamington, Ontario

Part three will cover the last five months of the year.