Explorations of an Ecologist

Saturday, 5 August 2017

Journey to the Southern Cone: Part 13 (Valdes Peninsula and Las Grutas, Argentina)

January 25, 2016

Our bus rumbled along a lonely Patagonian highway through the night, taking us northeast towards the Valdes Peninsula. The first rays of morning sun illuminated the countryside as we approached our destination of Puerto Madryn. Paying close attention to the bird-life out of the windows of the bus proved successful, as I spotted a Patagonian Tinamou in the roadside grasses.

After relying on public transportation and enduring long overnight bus rides, we were happy to rent a car for our three days that we had planned for this part of Argentina. The previous few days had been a little rough with few birds for our efforts, so this leg of the trip was a fresh start for us. While waiting for the rental agency in Puerto Madryn to open, we killed some time by enjoying a much needed coffee at a beach-side cafe.

Breakfast in Puerto Madryn, Argentina

The car rental process went smoothly and by mid-morning we hit the road, eager to bird the shrubby habitats and coastlines of the Valdes Peninsula. Being in a new part of the country meant that a novel suite of birds could be found alongside many of the species that we had already amiliarized ourselves with earlier in the trip. One of our first new birds was the Elegant Crested-Tinamou, proving to be quite common along the roadsides as we began our drive into the Valdes Peninsula. They did not appear to have a lot of street smarts and we saw several freshly hit individuals on the side of the road. One benefit to their boldness is that it made photography much easier!

Elegant Crested-Tinamou - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

Dave contemplated turning this recently deceased Elegant Crested-Tinamou into lunch, but thought better of it.

road-killed Elegant Crested-Tinamou - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

The Valdes Peninsula has an array of scenic beaches, high-relief topography, tall cliffs and an abundance of marine life in the surrounding waters. It has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, specifically due to its significance as a breeding ground for Southern Right Whales, but also due to its large colonies of Southern Elephant Seals and Southern Sea Lions. One of our first stops was a cliff overlooking a Southern Sea Lion colony on the beach below. The sights (and sounds) provided an interesting spectacle.

Southern Sea Lion colony - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

A white, gull-sized bird can be seen in the image above. It was one of three Snowy Sheathbills that were loitering among the sea lions. Found only in southern South America, Snowy Sheathbill has several claims to fame; one being that it is the only landbird found on the Antarctic Peninsula. They can eke out an existence in the harsh environment by subsisting on such delicacies as downy penguin chicks, stillborn seals, tapeworms, carrion, and animal feces.

Snowy Sheathbills, Dolphin Gull and Southern Sea Lions - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

Only two species of sheathbills can be found in the world. There is still some debate as to the taxonomic relationships of sheathbills and other birds, but at the moment it appears that they are more closely related to the thick-knees and the Magellanic Plover. We kind of figured that we would not be seeing Snowy Sheathbill after the cancellation of our visit to the Rockhopper Penguin colony, so watching three of them here was a treat!

Southern Sea Lions and Snowy Sheathbill - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

Young sea lions superficially resemble a Black Bear cub, if you squint enough...

Snowy Sheathbills, Dolphin Gull and Southern Sea Lions - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

The adult males can grow to 9 feet in length and weigh up to 770 pounds, while the females are usually less than half of that. Impressive animals, to say the least!

Southern Sea Lions - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

Southern Sea Lion colony - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

The Valdes Peninsula is home to several species of mockingbirds, including Chalk-browed and White-banded, two species which were new to us. The only mockingbird I happened to photograph was the ubiquitous Patagonian Mockingbird.

Patagonian Mockingbird - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

We continued driving around the island, stopping whenever an interesting bird appeared on some of the vegetation next to the dirt roads.

Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

Patagonian Canastero and Lesser Shrike-Tyrant, two relatively drab species that stuck to the scrubby vegetation, were new species for the three of us. Both of these species are endemic to Argentina; however, the Lesser Shrike-Tyrant is considered a breeding endemic as it migrates north to Bolivia and Paraguay during the austral winter.

Patagonian Canestero - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

Lesser Shrike-Tyrant - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

At one point we exited the car to explore some of the surrounding countryside on foot.

Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

Adam birding the Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

We noticed a pair of mammals off in the distance that almost looked like overgrown hares; a closer look and photographs revealed them to be Patagonian Maras, a species of rodent endemic to Argentina.

Patagonian Maras - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

A pair of Band-tailed Earthcreepers skulked in the vegetation near the car. One popped up onto a fence post, providing great views and a brief photo op. We had previously observed a single individual of this range-restricted species while in the Sierra Baguales in Chile a few days earlier.

Band-tailed Earthcreeper - Valdes Peninsula, Argentina

In the early evening we departed the Valdes Peninsula after a successful day in the field. As the sun lowered in the sky to the west we turned north up Highway 3, passing through endless scrubby fields towards our destination of Las Grutas and San Antonio Este. After approximately three hours we were within striking distance of Las Grutas, so we pulled off on a random sideroad and set up camp along the roadside. I laid out my air mattress and sleeping bag on the sandy ground under the starry sky, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

January 26, 2016

Early the next morning we were eased back into consciousness by a variety of bird songs. Some were familiar, like the omnipresent Rufous-collared Sparrows and Patagonian Mockingbirds, while others were new, such as the pair of endemic Carbonated Sierra-Finches.

Our goal for the day was to bird a road that passes by several washes/creek valleys just south of Las Grutas. The washes provide water and shelter for a great variety of birds and it was our hope that today would be a big day, full of new species. All told, we tallied just under 50 species, including 16 "lifers", during a thoroughly enjoyable morning of birding.

thorny vegetation near the Las Grutas washes, Argentina

White-throated Cacholote, an Argentine endemic, was one of our first targets to fall. Cacholotes are yet another species of Furnariid, being somewhat related to the spinetails, tit-spinetails, and canesteros, among other species.

White-throated Cacholote pair - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

White-throated Cacholote - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

This Straneck's Tyrannulet provided great looks as it called from within a thorny bush.

Straneck's Tyrannulet - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

Variable Hawks are the default Buteo in this part of Argentina.

Variable Hawk - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

Stripe-crowned Spinetails proved to be somewhat common along the roadsides, with several providing excellent looks as they called from the tops of thorny bushes.

Stripe-crowned Spinetail - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

This Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant was also new for us. It looks quite similar to the Tufted Tit-Tyrant, the yellow bill being the dead giveaway that it is a different species.

Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

Birds were not the only items of interest that we came across. A big highlight for me was encountering this Chaco Tortoise out and about.

Chaco Tortoise - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

Chaco Tortoises are found in parts of Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Though they are still found to be reasonably common in some areas, this species is listed as Vulnerable according to the IUCN red list, in part due to habitat loss but primarily from illegal capture for the pet trade.

Chaco Tortoise - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

As the morning progressed we began to see a negative correlation between the temperature and the frequency of bird sightings. However new species kept turning up including Greater Wagtail-Tyrant, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Black-crowned Monjito, and White Monjito, as pictured below. As you can see the heat haze was playing tricks by this point in the morning.

White Monjito - Las Grutas washes, Argentina

Dave attempted to befriend this horse, somewhat unsuccessfully.

The last new bird was a calling Sandy Gallito that Dave heard; unfortunately Adam and I were not so lucky and it refused to call again. Missing an endemic bird is never fun, but you can't get them all!

With the sun high in the sky we made a stop in town for lunch, then continued driving east to a location with recent eBird sightings of Yellow Cardinals. The temperature was above 30 degrees Celsius by this point and the cardinals did not cooperate. These Burrowing Parrots provided a dash of colour in a landscape otherwise painted with drab browns, yellows and greens.

Burrowing Parrots - HWY 3 north of San Antonio Este, Argentina

Common as they may be in this part of Argentina, it was pretty hard to get sick of this charismatic species.

Burrowing Parrots - HWY 3 north of San Antonio Este, Argentina

We backtracked along the highway and explored the coastline near San Antonio Este for a few minutes in the mid-afternoon. Our main goal was Olrog's Gull, an uncommon species found predominately in a stretch of coastline between Uruguay and southeastern Argentina. While we could not turn up any Olrog's Gulls, we did enjoy the Sandwich Terns, Two-banded Plovers and various plumages of Kelp Gulls.

As the afternoon turned into evening the hot temperatures subsided, and we focused our attention on a stretch of road, Highway 52, perhaps 50 km east of San Antonio Este.

HWY 52 east of San Antonio Este, Argentina

This proved to be a productive birding road and in the two hours we spent along here we tallied 42 species. A group of Greater Rheas provided one of the first highlights, while we also observed Green-barred Woodpecker, Campo Flicker and Fire-wood Gatherer (a boring looking Furnariid with an awesome name).

Adam putting Dave's mini-scope to good use - HWY 52, east of San Antonio Este, Argentina

Hudson's Black-Tyrant is an Argentine breeding endemic which winters northward, reaching Paraguay and Bolivia. It was good to cross paths with some; we were getting a little worried that we would miss this species.

Hudson's Black-Tyrant - HWY 52, east of San Antonio Este, Argentina

Burrowing Parrots are not the only type of bird to take advantage of the sandy soils in this region; Burrowing Owls are also widespread and frequently observed.

Burrowing Owl - HWY 52, east of San Antonio Este, Argentina

A pair of Ringed Warbling-Finches materialized while we were looking at the Hudson's Black-Tyrants. Later on we heard a Cinnamon Warbling-Finch, but it remained out of sight, unfortunately.

Ringed Warbling-Finch - HWY 52, east of San Antonio Este, Argentina

With evening closing in we backtracked to the west, arriving in San Antonio Este just after sunset. Our last new bird of the day was a Nacunda Nighthawk flying around as we entered the city limits. That evening we found a room in a hostel, went for a walk to find some empanadas and beers for dinner, and relaxed at the hostel for a couple of hours before calling it a night.

Wednesday, 2 August 2017

Journey to the Southern Cone: Part 12 (Punta Arenas, Chile to Puerto Deseado, southern Argentina)

Introduction
January 8, 2016 - Santiago area, Chile
January 9 and 10, 2016 - Quintero pelagic, Parque Nacional La Campana, Chile
January 10, 2016 - Farellones, Chile
January 10-11, 2016 - Embalse El Yeso, Chile
January 12-13, 2016 - Nothofagus forests in Talca, Chile
January 14-15, 2016- Chiloé Island, Chile
January 16-17, 2016 - Chiloé Island penguins, Puerto Montt, Chile
January 18, 2016 - Patagonia: Puerto Montt to Sierra Baguales, Chile
January 19, 2016 - Patagonia: Sierra Baguales to Tierra del Fuego, Chile
January 20, 2016 - Patagonia: Tierra del Fuego, Chile
January 20-24, 2016 - Punta Arenas, Chile to Puerto Deseato, Argentina
January 25-26, 2016 - Valdes Peninsula and Las Grutas, Argentina
January 27-28, 2016 - San Antonio Oeste, Punta Tombo, and Bahía Blanca, Argentina
January 29-30, 2016 - Buenos Aires, Argentina

January 20, 2016

Picking up from where I left off, the three of us had just embarked on the ferry that would transport us from Tierra del Fuego across the Strait of Magellan to the city of Punta Arenas.

Several Peale's Dolphins helped escort the ferry out of the harbour and into the deeper water. This range-restricted species is limited to the waters around the southern tip of South America but can apparently be locally common. After seeing Chilean Dolphin near Chiloe Island and Commerson's Dolphin the previous day on the ferry to Tierra del Fuego, this was our third species of dolphin in Chile.

Peale's Dolphins - Magellanic Strait near Porvenir, Chile

Peale's Dolphin - Magellanic Strait near Porvenir, Chile

We diligently kept watch for seabirds as we cruised through the productive waters of the strait. The winds happened to be rather low, limited the number of birds seen in flight, but we did have a few things here and there such as an estimate of 60 Chilean Skuas.

Chilean Skua - Magellanic Strait near Porvenir, Chile

Seabird diversity was not great and we did not add any new species, but we enjoyed the decent views of large numbers of Black-browed Albatrosses, most of them resting on the water in loose flocks. By the end of the ferry crossing we estimated that we had crossed paths with over 500 individuals! White-chinned Petrel was the next most common seabird with around 300 observed, and we had our best looks so far of Southern Giant-Petrel.

Wandering Albatross - Magellanic Strait near Punta Arenas, Chile

That afternoon we birded the waterfront in Porvenir, finding a few Dolphin Gulls and a locally rare Red-legged Cormorant among all the Magellanic Cormorants. After some driving around we found a hostel; as you can see it was not one of the nicer places we stayed at! Yet it still cost around 80$ CAD... The following day we would drop off the rental car and hopefully board a bus bound for Argentina.

accommodations in Punta Arenas, Chile

January 21, 2016

Up to this point in the trip everything had gone about as smoothly as one could expect but the next few days would change that.

It began with the return of the rental car in the morning. The entirety of the car's interior was coated with a thick layer of dust, one of the tires had a slow leak, the driver's door latch was broken and a slowly growing crack had materialized in the windshield. The dust was coming in through the floor pedals and air vents, the broken latch could be easily fixed, and the rental agency never noticed the leaky tire, but we were on the hook for the broken windshield. Fortunately the car was insured through my credit card but I had to cover the cost upfront, making sure I had all the correct paperwork to deal with the insurance company once I was back in Canada. Using Skype I was able to call the 1-800 number for my credit card to start the claim and we were soon on our way. By the time we left the rental office and walked over to the bus station it was too late in the day to catch the only bus out of town towards the Argentina border. This was frustrating as it was still relatively early in the day, meaning that we had another 24 hours to kill in Punta Arenas, without a rental car to drive out of town.

We walked around town some more, unsuccessfully looked for a laundromat (apparently it takes 24 hours for laundry to get done at laundromats in Punta Arenas), discovered a pub for some lunch and found a hostel.

Several Dolphin Gulls were easily seen along the waterfront; it was some of the only birding we did that day. I'm a sucker for gulls and Dolphin Gull is one of my favorites!

Dolphin Gull - Punta Arenas, Chile

Our plan for the next little while was to take a bus to Puerto Deseado, a location up the Argentinian coast where a Rockhopper Penguin colony could be accessed by boat. It would take several buses including an overnight bus and about 24 hours of time to reach Puerto Deseado, but there were no worthwhile birding stops between Punta Arenas and Puerto Deseado that we were aware of, so the penguin colony seemed like a worthwhile target. Our other option was to head inland and attempt a Hooded Grebe search but after some research we determined that it would take multiple days and be somewhat costly and complicated, with a very good chance we would still miss seeing the Critically Endangered species, so we set our sights on the Rockhopper Penguins instead. I will have to return to Patagonia at some point in my lifetime to see the Hooded Grebes, a species on the brink with less than a thousand individuals currently persisting in the wild.

January 22, 2016

The following day we walked over to the bus station and by 10 AM we were rolling out of town towards the Argentina border. We experienced a lengthy delay at the border and had a brief scare when it initially appeared that our bus had continued on without us - it had actually just parked around the corner - but soon we were back on track, keeping an eye out the windows for new birds for our incipient Argentina lists. By mid-afternoon we had arrived in Rio Gallegos, Argentina. With nothing to do all afternoon until our overnight bus departed, we grabbed a taxi and made our way out of town to look for a few new bird species that can be found in the area. In particular we were hoping for Patagonian Tinamou, but the strong winds (it is always windy in Patagonia!) nixed our chances.

birding near Rio Gallegos, Argentina

That evening I checked out a lake near the bus station before we departed. As expected for the middle of the city there was not too much of interest, but the Red Shovelers and Yellow-billed Pintails were a nice study in the evening light.

Red Shovelers - Rio Gallegos, Argentina

Yellow-billed Pintail - Rio Gallegos, Argentina

Coscoroba Swan - Rio Gallegos, Argentina

Red Shoveler - Rio Gallegos, Argentina

January 23, 2016

Today was a bit of a write-off and our third consecutive day without any new birds, or really any birding to speak of. It began when we were dropped off by bus around 2 AM at the side of the highway near the road leading to Puerto Deseado. We were under the impression that there was a bus station here, where we would simply wait for a bus to take us into town, but it turned out that there was nothing more than a gas station and a few houses. Fortunately the gas station was open so we had somewhere to hang out, and luckily the owner knew that another bus would be coming by later in the morning that could likely take us into Puerto Deseado. The bus did indeed show up and by late morning we had rolled into our destination.

First order of business was to walk down to the docks to see if we could hop a ride to the penguin colony. Unfortunately it was too late in the morning to catch the only zodiac, and it had been cancelled anyways due to the high winds. We ended up spending the rest of the day bumming around town with not a whole lot to do. Due to the constant high winds and blowing sand during the day, the town took the appearance of a ghost town, only missing the proverbial tumbleweed blowing down Main Street. But by nighttime the place came alive. The winds die down every evening and everyone comes out of their houses. One of the positive memories I have of this day was the hotdog I bought from a roadside vendor - the best one of the trip!

January 24, 2016

We walked over to the docks shortly after dawn to see if the zodiac would be running. The light winds seemed promising and we were soon reassured that the conditions were suitable and everything was a go!

While we waited to board the zodiac we enjoyed studying the Southern Giant-Petrels that were circling the harbour.

Southern Giant-Petrel - Puerto Deseado, Argentina

Shortly after 8 AM we were off! The plan was to follow the coastline to the south for about 20 km until we were near the Rockhopper Penguin colony, located only 2 km offshore. There were about 10-12 of us on the zodiac along with the skipper. Things started out well even while the winds picked up as we exited the natural harbour. We soon came across our first Brown Skuas - finally, a new species after three days of striking out! The skuas followed the boat for a few minutes, one individual coming within only a few meters of us.

As we continued along, the winds became stronger and the swells larger but we pressed onwards. Eventually the waves were high enough that they began crashing over the side of the zodiac, completely drenching everyone on board, over and over again. I borrowed two raincoats from the captain and used them to wrap up my camera, before jamming it under my arm and hoping for the best. This continued for what seemed like the better part of an hour until we finally reached the relative shelter of the bay across from the island containing the penguin colony. Despite being so close, the captain made the decision to abort the mission and return back to the harbour as the open water crossing to the island would be too dangerous, and the conditions meant that the usual landing spot was not accessible to the zodiac. Dave, Adam and I scrutinized the island with our salt-encrusted optics, straining for a glimpse of a Rockhopper Penguin (it would be better than nothing). Unfortunately we could not pull one out given the 1 km+ distance.

The ride back in the zodiac was harrowing to say the least and we all hung on for dear life while the strong waves crashed overboard with even greater force. Several of the other tourists on the boat started to become near-hysterical, while another little girl shivered uncontrollably and vomited in the boat while her dad tried to keep her warm. At this point in the boat ride the collective fates of our cameras were the least of our worries, but the thought still played heavily on our minds.

Eventually, like a beacon in the night, the harbour appeared in the distance and I think we all breathed a sigh of relief as we approached the dock with the promise of dry land. It had been quite the ordeal but at least no one had washed overboard! Somewhat unbelievably our cameras were OK, though Adam dropped his on the rocks as we were exiting the boat which caused some damage. Salt water managed to seep into one of the barrels of my binoculars; the rest of the trip I was essentially birding with one eye.

We dried ourselves off while our first Southern Martins flew overhead and began to plan our next move. Considering that there would be no guarantee that the boat trip would run the next day we decided to cut our losses and get out of Puerto Deseado. We accepted defeat and by 5 PM that afternoon had boarded a bus which would take us far up the coast, to the Valdes Peninsula where a new suite of birds awaited.

Monday, 31 July 2017

Tricolored twitch to Toronto!

Tricolored Heron had been at the top of the list of Ontario nemesis birds of mine over the last few years. Between 1970 and 2006 Ontario had 36 records of this southern heron, equating about one every year. In the seven years between 2007 and 2013 not a single Tricolored Heron was discovered in the province. This also happened to coincide with the first seven years that I began to look at birds. A Tricolored Heron, reported after the fact, was a one-day wonder at Wye Marsh in Simcoe County in May 2014 but it wasn't until 2015 that I had my first crack at this species; a stunning breeding-plumaged bird that my friend Jeremy Bensette discovered in Leamington on April 11, 2015, and which was relocated at Holiday Beach Conservation Area where it remained until April 24, 2015. Unfortunately work got in the way of chasing that bird, during the time frame when it was in fact "chase-able", and when I finally made it down to Holiday Beach the bird had departed the area.

Later that spring, another Tricolored Heron made an appearance, this time in Collingwood from April 27 until May 1, 2015. Unfortunately this bird was also reported after the fact and was long gone when word finally got out.

Earlier this spring another stunning breeding plumaged Tricolored Heron was discovered, this time in Thunder Bay in late April. It also remained in the area for several days, entertaining dozens of local birders and photographers. I happened to be within striking distance of this bird as I was completing some field work in Wawa; however due to our tight schedule and the fact that my co-worker is not a birder, the 10 hour round-trip drive was out of the question.

Tricolored Heron - Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto (July 22, 2017)

Fast-forward to Thursday, July 20, 2017. Paul Prior was birding his local patch of Tommy Thompson Park, a man-made urban wilderness built with reclaimed fill and located at the foot of Leslie Street in Toronto. He discovered a Tricolored Heron and promptly got the word out on Ontbirds. Fortunately for myself and many others the Tricolored Heron decided that the constructed wetland in Toronto was suitable for its needs, and it remained to be seen the rest of that evening and the following day.

Finally on Saturday morning I was able to try for the bird, and by 7 AM I parked at the foot of Leslie Street and began the three kilometer walk to "Cell 2",where the bird had been seen the previous two days. As I locked my car, a vehicle pulled up beside me and the window rolled down. Expecting it to be a fellow birder I was surprised to see that it was my uncle Pete! He was in the area as he had dropped off one of my cousins at the airport that morning and had decided to go for a walk at Tommy Thompson Park.

I was a little anxious as I began the walk since no updates on the bird had been provided yet that morning, neither on the provincial listserv nor the various Facebook groups. Fortunately my fears were qualmed when Mark Cranford, crossing paths with me as he headed out of the park on his bicycle, informed me that birders were currently looking at the heron.

A few minutes later and I was watching the heron in my spotting scope next to a few other birders. Success!

Tricolored Heron - Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto (July 22, 2017)

Over the two hours I spent with the bird, it alternated between resting on one of the mudflats and actively hunting small fish in the shallows. During the course of the observation the bird always remained at a far enough distance that photography was out of the question, though with my spotting scope and phone I was able to take some reasonable digi-scoped images and videos.

The Tricolored Heron remained in the area for the subsequent days, and though I have not seen any reports in the last day or two it is more than likely still in the area. This heron was another great find by Paul Prior, after he discovered Ontario's first Common Ringed Plover last summer in almost the exact same location at Tommy Thompson Park.

Good birding!

Friday, 21 July 2017

Fish Crow flock - Niagara Falls (video)

Over the past several weeks I have had an increase in Fish Crow sightings in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines. Laura and I live in the north part of Niagara Falls and Fish Crow encounters have become an almost daily occurrence here. It seems that I see just as many Fish Crows as I do American Crows! Whether this recent uptick in sightings is random, or represents a genuine increase in numbers, this much is now true: Fish Crows appear to have infiltrated the Niagara Frontier region of Ontario.

This evening while out running a few errands I noticed a big flock (80+) of crows at the Fairview Cemetery off of Stanley Avenue in Niagara Falls. Pulling into the cemetery with my windows open I could clearly hear a few crows - both Fish and American. I approached the flock on foot and was surprised that the vast majority of the calls that I was hearing belonged to Fish Crows. I made a short video of part of the flock in which the high proportion of Fish Crows is easily apparent.

While it is impossible to know just how many Fish Crows were a part of the flock, I think a conservative estimate is that at least 50% of the flock are Fish Crows. That being said I wouldn't be surprised if the ratio was closer to 70% or 80%. Given a ratio of 50%, at least 40 Fish Crows were present.

It seems that most of the Fish Crows I have been seeing are undergoing primary molt, making it appear that they are missing chunks of feathers along their wings. I have not seen too many American Crows lately but from what I recall, most do not have easily visible primary molt occurring. Sure enough most of the crows in this flock tonight exhibited the classic look of missing primary feathers. Is this a semi-reliable field mark at this time of year? I guess I should go do some research on crow molt!

Since the first Niagara records of Fish Crow in 2012, sightings in the region have slowly increased. This spring, a group of at least 14 birds frequented the Port Weller area of St.Catharines, at the time representing the high count for the province. The group of birds from this evening blows that out of the water. Clearly Fish Crows have a big presence in Niagara, though we have not yet found a nest! That will be a project for next spring.

Fish Crow - St. Catharines, Ontario (April 22, 2017)

Sunday, 16 July 2017

Dickcissel invasion!

The Dickcissel is a small songbird in the family Cardinalidae, a family which includes familiar species such as Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Dickcissels superficially resemble sparrows due to their overall size and coloring as well as their penchant for grassy habitats, but the stout beak is one feature that gives it away as a member of Cardinalidae. Dickcissels breed in weedy fields and grasslands throughout the center of North America, ranging from Texas north to North Dakota, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.

Dickcissel - Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, Essex County

Dickcissels are known for temporarily colonizing areas at the periphery of their range, usually during years when drought occurs in a portion of their core range. Here in Ontario we are right at the boundary of where Dickcissels can normally be found and in a typical year there are only a few breeding locations, usually located in the extreme southwest of the province such as Essex County, Lambton County and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. Using eBird, below is a screenshot of a typical year for Dickcissel sightings in Ontario; in this case, I used 2014 as the example. I have limited sightings to the months of June and July when Dickcissels would be breeding, to eliminate sightings of migrants/vagrants from other times of the year.

Dickcissel sightings: June and July, 2014 (source: eBird)

A closer look at southwestern Ontario:

Dickcissel sightings: June and July, 2014 (source: eBird)

2017 is shaping up to be an extreme year for Dickcissel sightings further north and east of their usual range. Sightings have been popping up all over southwestern Ontario and there is an argument to be made that this is the biggest Dickcissel invasion year ever. While this post will discuss sightings in Ontario, there are clearly numerous sightings elsewhere at the periphery of their range. For instance, the northern halves of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota have also seen more sightings than normal, as have places further east such as eastern Ohio and western New York. Here is a screenshot of the eBird map for June-July 2017.

Dickcissel sightings: June and July, 2017 (source: eBird)

Zooming in on the map, the scope of the 2017 invasion in southern Ontario is quite apparent. Not pictured in the map below are some of the other extralimital sightings from the City of Kawartha Lakes, Durham Region, Rainy River District and Northumberland, Prince Edward and Bruce counties.

Dickcissel sightings: June and July, 2017 (source: eBird)

The first Dickcissels on territory this year were discovered at a typical location, the Campers Cove Road field near Wheatley, Chatham-Kent, where individuals have now been found for seven straight years. It appears to be the only location in the province that recently has hosted Dickcissels on an annual basis. On June 11 Jim Burk discovered a few Dickcissels near Rondeau Provincial Park and in the following days and weeks birds began to appear in suitable looking habitat all across southwestern Ontario. In Chatham-Kent alone, Allen Woodliffe estimated in a recent blog post that there are at least 30 known locations likely harboring over 100 birds.

Dickcissel - Fenwick, Niagara Region

Below, I've listed each of the counties that have known Dickcissels this year, along with the first date that the first bird was discovered as part of the invasion. Most of these birds likely showed up in mid-late June, though it is of course difficult to say with certainty. Note that these dates were gleaned from Ontbirds posts and publicly accessible eBird data. If there are any other counties not represented in this table, or if you know of an earlier date for one of the counties, please let me know!

While the greatest number of Dickcissels are in the extreme southwest of the province and along the Lake Huron shoreline to the Bruce Peninsula, sporadic individuals have been found as far afield as the City of Kawartha Lakes, Algoma District and Rainy River District. While most of the counties in the southwest have noted Dickcissels, some counties have yet to get on the board. The most obvious candidates include Oxford, Haldimand, Brant, Perth and Dufferin Counties - these also happen to be counties with relatively few birders. York Region, City of Toronto, Peel Region and Simcoe County could also be hosting individuals. If you are a birder in these areas, get out and look while there is still time! Fortunately Dickcissels will sing incessantly, even during the middle of the day, so slowly cruising roads passing suitable habitat with your vehicle's windows open is a good way to detect them.

Dickcissel - Hillman Marsh Conservation Area, Essex County

I have been trying to take advantage of this year's invasion and spending quality time with Dickcissels in numerous locations. So far I have encountered them in 13 counties this year. Most of the Dickcissels I have seen have been during the late morning or early afternoon after finishing that morning's bird surveys for work; as such, the lighting has rarely been suitable for good photography and very few of the birds I have photographed. Below are a couple of photos of this year's Dickcissels. Clearly I need to spend some more time photographing them as my collection from this year is rather sparse!

Dickcissel - Fowler's Corners, City of Kawartha Lakes

Within a matter of days, if it hasn't happened already, young Dickcissels will be appearing in many of these fields. Over the past two weeks most female Dickcissels I have seen were carrying food, confirming that they have young inside a hidden nest somewhere in the grasses.

Dickcissel - Fenwick, Niagara Region

Naturally, the first question most ecologically-minded people would have is, "Why?". Generally the prevailing thought has been that Dickcissel irruptions coincide with drought conditions in the core parts of its range. Is that the case this year? Below is a gif I created using screenshots taken from the U.S. Drought Monitor (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/). The first frame is from May 30; each subsequent frame is from a week later. The final frame is from July 11.

US Drought Conditions: May 30 - July 11, 2017 (source: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/)

Clearly drought conditions have developed in the far north of the range of Dickcissels, such as both of the Dakotas. Much of the Midwest has experienced low-moderate drought conditions as well, though the Dakotas and eastern Montana appear to have been hit the hardest.

To be honest I am not 100% convinced that "severe drought conditions" are the cause of this year's Dickcissel irruption. Looking at previous years, this year has relatively light drought conditions. For instance, here is a screenshot of the drought conditions from June 17, 2014 - a year with typical Dickcissel sightings in southern Ontario (the same year that I provided screenshots from the eBird map, above). Without any other knowledge of the situation, if I had to guess I would say that the 2014 conditions looked better for Dickcissel sightings far to the north and east, but that was clearly not the case. This is not just a one-year aberration either - the drought conditions were moderate/severe in much of the Midwest in 2013 as well, another year that was typical in the sense that very few Dickcissels appeared in southern Ontario.

US Drought Conditions: June 17, 2014 (source: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/)

Perhaps the drougtht conditions in 2014 were located too far south for these birds to infiltrate Ontario? Maybe this year's Dickcissels all have their origins from the Dakotas? Anecdotally it seems strange that Dickcissels arriving on their breeding grounds in the Dakotas, noticing drought conditions, would decide to fly due east, eventually ending up in Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania, etc. I would not be surprised if this year's irruption was due to some other cause. What might that be? I have no idea! If anyone has any insight into the causes of Dickcissel irruptions, please let me know!