Here is a copy of my Wellbirds post (our local Wellington County listserv) from this afternoon.
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Birders,
Some highlights from this afternoon. I finished with 21 waterfowl species.
Neibaur's Marsh (2:10 PM)
-179 Ring-necked Duck
-5 Redhead
-various other common waterfowl
Puslinch (2:30 - 4:00 PM)
-18 total waterfowl sp.
-2 Trumpeter Swan
-1 Horned Grebe
-2 Ruddy Duck
-5 Canvasback
-112 Redhead
-7 Greater Scaup
-6 Lesser Scaup
-1 Red-breasted Merganser
-1 Glaucous Gull
-1 Kumlien's Iceland Gull
Quarries: (4:20 - 4:40 PM)
-only thing of interest was 1 Glaucous Gull
Mountsburg (4:50 - 5:20 PM)
-highlight here was 1 drake Blue-winged Teal, my earliest for Wellington County by a long shot
-lots of the usual waterfowl, including 65+ American Wigeon - I think we are due for a Eurasian
-8 Green-winged Teal
HWY 6 just south of Morriston (5:30 PM)
-two Tree Swallows were flying around in a field on the east side of the road, between Leslie and Badenoch. This is my earliest for Ontario by 14 days, let alone Wellington County!
Many other spring migrants (Killdeer, Turkey Vulture, Eastern meadowlark, etc) were seen today.
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So yeah, a pretty good day! I have no idea how to find out, but perhaps the BW Teal and Tree Swallows were record early for the county? It felt good to get out for a few hours with this spring weather - a nice break from studying for sure.
There are currently no rare birds on the radar so I'll be taking it easy the next little while and focusing on school. Additionally, it is salamander season starting possibly tomorrow night in this part of Ontario so that will be fun :) Check out my post from last year... http://joshvandermeulen.blogspot.com/2011/05/salamanders-in-spring.html
With this crazy early spring we'll be probably be getting some record early spring migrants - get out there and look!
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Monday, 12 March 2012
Quarterly Review
The calendar says March 12, but since winter is nearly over I thought I would post a review on how my Big Year is going so far.
Warning - if you don't really care about the theory behind a big year and the numbers, look away now........
When doing a Big Year it is impossible to predict in March how you will stack up at the end of the year since you will have seen less than half of your final tally. As well, the early part of a Big Year (winter: part 1, if you will) should be focused on seeing rarities, first and foremost, as well as finding winter "specialties". I have been extremely successful with the rarities and moderately successful with the wintering birds.
First, lets look at total numbers. If I was feeling ambitious I would turn some of these data into graphs, but I'm not that ambitious.
So far, I have seen 153 species this year in Ontario, approximately 45.1% of the 339 total species I will need to see to break the record. In previous years I have seen, by March 12:
2009: 93 species out of a total of 286 (32.5%)
2010: 100 species out of a total of 304 (32.9%)
2011: 94 species out of a total of 289 (32.5%)
So I've seen way more this year compared to the last three, in which I've been eerily consistent.
These numbers only tell part of the story, however.
First of all, Ontario has had better birding in total this year. The number of species reported to Ebird by March 12 are:
2009: 153
2010: 162
2011: 157
2012: 182
Look at that jump from the previous three years! Some of this is because the number of people submitting data to Ebird is increasing yearly, but that should only account for very minor increases (probably only 2-3 species). Mike Burrell did a really great post about the number of people using Ebird here. Since hundreds of thousands of Ontario sightings are submitted a year, very few species get "missed" being reported to Ebird annually - usually only a couple of single-observer sightings from someone not yet converted to the wonders of Ebird. Anyways, I digress.
The other reason for the huge jump this year is because of the winter that wasn't, allowing many birds to winter in Ontario that usually don't, as well as an early spring. There are a number of species that have already been reported in Ontario that normally don't for another week or two. Long Point had a Forster's Tern a few days ago, and I just saw a report of Barn Swallows! For a cool CBC news segment on the winter that wasn't, including some clips from Mike (you get around!), see here.
Secondly, I've done a ton of birding this year and have seen most of the common birds. Last year at this date I hadn't been farther north than Kingston, thus missing about 10-15 "northern" birds right there (which I ended up getting as the year went on). This year I have been to Pelee; Niagara 4 times; Long Point twice; Ottawa 3 times; Cochrane, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay (same trip); Bracebridge twice, North Bay, etc. I have seen birds in 31 of Ontario's 50 counties. You get the picture!
So basically, my total of 153 species is inflated somewhat because of Ontario's weird winter, early spring, and my numerous picking up of the common birds. Nonetheless, it is high for a reason - namely, rarities.
I have seen 9 species that I had coded as codes 4-6, meaning super duper rare in Ontario. They are:
Mountain Bluebird (4)
Black-headed Gull (4)
Fish Crow (4)
Gray-crowned Rosy-finch (5)
Spotted Towhee (4)
Band-tailed Pigeon (5)
Black Vulture (4)
White-winged Dove (4)
Smew (6)
I predicted I would need to see all of the code 1 and code 2 birds (piece of cake), nearly all of the code 3 birds, and at least 20 genuine rarities. And I'm almost halfway there with the rarities! We've had a really unprecedented year for rarities - normally late April to early June, and mid September to early December are rarity time, not January to March. Even if the rest of the year is relatively "normal" I should see (knock on wood) over 20, maybe even 30. If I end up seeing 30 mega rarities it gives me quite a bit of breathing room, in case I happen to not cross paths with a Worm-eating Warbler, or Glossy Ibis, or maybe even a Great Blue Heron ;)
There have been a few that have gotten away - namely the Black-throated Gray Warbler that didn't hang around til I got back from Nova Scotia early in the year, and the Common Gull that decided to show up while I was in Scotland. I think I've seen every other code 4 to code 6 bird that has been seen in Ontario this year.
Winter/boreal birds I have done fairly well on, with a few obvious holes. Some of the species listed are found throughout the year, I just listed them as winter specialties since they can be easily found in the winter.
Owls: 8 for 10
Finches: 11 for 10 (all the regulars plus the rosy-finch!)
Bohemian Waxwing: check
Geese: 6 for 6
King Eider, Harlequin Duck, and Barrow's Goldeneye: check
Spruce and Sharp-tailed Grouse: 0 for 2
Three-toed and Black-backed WPs: 1 for 2
Gulls: I've seen all the gulls reported in Ontario this winter, except for Kittiwake and the aforementioned Common Gull.
Boreal Owl I will do my best to get calling on territory in April and the grouse/Three-toed Woodpecker I will get as the year goes on. I should have a good chance at Kittiwakes this fall. The one glaring hole is Northern Hawk-Owl. I really hope I can get one on territory this summer since they might not be around in December!
But, not so fast! I may be on a really good pace so far, but there are other big year birders out there. I won't only be competing against Glenn's 1996 record of 338 but also the likes of some 2012 birders. Only a few days ago I was sitting in 5th place, according to the Ebird Top 100 (Ontario, 2012).
My excuse is that I have been focusing my energy on rarities (still missing birds like Winter Wren, Red-throated Loon, Great Blue Heron), I have been out of the province for 3 weeks so far and I am a full-time student. Once I graduate in April all hell will break loose! :)
Warning - if you don't really care about the theory behind a big year and the numbers, look away now........
When doing a Big Year it is impossible to predict in March how you will stack up at the end of the year since you will have seen less than half of your final tally. As well, the early part of a Big Year (winter: part 1, if you will) should be focused on seeing rarities, first and foremost, as well as finding winter "specialties". I have been extremely successful with the rarities and moderately successful with the wintering birds.
--------------------------------------------
First, lets look at total numbers. If I was feeling ambitious I would turn some of these data into graphs, but I'm not that ambitious.
So far, I have seen 153 species this year in Ontario, approximately 45.1% of the 339 total species I will need to see to break the record. In previous years I have seen, by March 12:
2009: 93 species out of a total of 286 (32.5%)
2010: 100 species out of a total of 304 (32.9%)
2011: 94 species out of a total of 289 (32.5%)
So I've seen way more this year compared to the last three, in which I've been eerily consistent.
These numbers only tell part of the story, however.
First of all, Ontario has had better birding in total this year. The number of species reported to Ebird by March 12 are:
2009: 153
2010: 162
2011: 157
2012: 182
Look at that jump from the previous three years! Some of this is because the number of people submitting data to Ebird is increasing yearly, but that should only account for very minor increases (probably only 2-3 species). Mike Burrell did a really great post about the number of people using Ebird here. Since hundreds of thousands of Ontario sightings are submitted a year, very few species get "missed" being reported to Ebird annually - usually only a couple of single-observer sightings from someone not yet converted to the wonders of Ebird. Anyways, I digress.
The other reason for the huge jump this year is because of the winter that wasn't, allowing many birds to winter in Ontario that usually don't, as well as an early spring. There are a number of species that have already been reported in Ontario that normally don't for another week or two. Long Point had a Forster's Tern a few days ago, and I just saw a report of Barn Swallows! For a cool CBC news segment on the winter that wasn't, including some clips from Mike (you get around!), see here.
Secondly, I've done a ton of birding this year and have seen most of the common birds. Last year at this date I hadn't been farther north than Kingston, thus missing about 10-15 "northern" birds right there (which I ended up getting as the year went on). This year I have been to Pelee; Niagara 4 times; Long Point twice; Ottawa 3 times; Cochrane, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay (same trip); Bracebridge twice, North Bay, etc. I have seen birds in 31 of Ontario's 50 counties. You get the picture!
So basically, my total of 153 species is inflated somewhat because of Ontario's weird winter, early spring, and my numerous picking up of the common birds. Nonetheless, it is high for a reason - namely, rarities.
I have seen 9 species that I had coded as codes 4-6, meaning super duper rare in Ontario. They are:
Mountain Bluebird (4)
Black-headed Gull (4)
Fish Crow (4)
Gray-crowned Rosy-finch (5)
Spotted Towhee (4)
Band-tailed Pigeon (5)
Black Vulture (4)
White-winged Dove (4)
Smew (6)
I predicted I would need to see all of the code 1 and code 2 birds (piece of cake), nearly all of the code 3 birds, and at least 20 genuine rarities. And I'm almost halfway there with the rarities! We've had a really unprecedented year for rarities - normally late April to early June, and mid September to early December are rarity time, not January to March. Even if the rest of the year is relatively "normal" I should see (knock on wood) over 20, maybe even 30. If I end up seeing 30 mega rarities it gives me quite a bit of breathing room, in case I happen to not cross paths with a Worm-eating Warbler, or Glossy Ibis, or maybe even a Great Blue Heron ;)
There have been a few that have gotten away - namely the Black-throated Gray Warbler that didn't hang around til I got back from Nova Scotia early in the year, and the Common Gull that decided to show up while I was in Scotland. I think I've seen every other code 4 to code 6 bird that has been seen in Ontario this year.
---------------------------------------------
Winter/boreal birds I have done fairly well on, with a few obvious holes. Some of the species listed are found throughout the year, I just listed them as winter specialties since they can be easily found in the winter.
Owls: 8 for 10
Finches: 11 for 10 (all the regulars plus the rosy-finch!)
Bohemian Waxwing: check
Geese: 6 for 6
King Eider, Harlequin Duck, and Barrow's Goldeneye: check
Spruce and Sharp-tailed Grouse: 0 for 2
Three-toed and Black-backed WPs: 1 for 2
Gulls: I've seen all the gulls reported in Ontario this winter, except for Kittiwake and the aforementioned Common Gull.
Boreal Owl I will do my best to get calling on territory in April and the grouse/Three-toed Woodpecker I will get as the year goes on. I should have a good chance at Kittiwakes this fall. The one glaring hole is Northern Hawk-Owl. I really hope I can get one on territory this summer since they might not be around in December!
--------------------------------------------
But, not so fast! I may be on a really good pace so far, but there are other big year birders out there. I won't only be competing against Glenn's 1996 record of 338 but also the likes of some 2012 birders. Only a few days ago I was sitting in 5th place, according to the Ebird Top 100 (Ontario, 2012).
My excuse is that I have been focusing my energy on rarities (still missing birds like Winter Wren, Red-throated Loon, Great Blue Heron), I have been out of the province for 3 weeks so far and I am a full-time student. Once I graduate in April all hell will break loose! :)
Sunday, 11 March 2012
A wild Smew chase, part 3 (a.k.a.: third time's the charm)
Five hours after arriving in Guelph, I was on the road again to Long Point. As opposed to Friday, with sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds as well as snow, today was sunny and calm.
I arrived at my preferred destination - the marina along the causeway - and set up shop hoping the Smew would come by. I was hopeful since it had been seen at this time the last 2 mornings. At 8:03 AM something scared all the ducks out of the bay. I scanned them with my binoculars and picked out one that looked exactly like my target bird! It had a white head with a small amount of black on the face, a white neck, a striking white and black back, and black wings with a large white window - the adult male Smew! It was flying with 5 or 6 Common Mergansers, which eventually joined up with the large swirling mass of scaup, Canvasback, wigeon, Redhead, and Bufflehead. The birds turned and headed away from me. It appeared that the Smew had landed way out in the middle of the bay, on the east side of a large cattail "island". Excitedly I called Brett and a few others - apparently no one else saw the bird in the swirling mass of ducks. I spent the next little while scanning the ducks with Barb Charlton, Rob Dobos, and Ron Ridout to no avail. We did get a flyby Snowy Owl (just about took out Brett, Dave, and Reuven!) and Eastern Meadowlark, a singing Eastern Towhee, as well as a White-winged Scoter, rare for this part of Long Point.
After that excitement and being thoroughly sick of ducks and waterfowl in general, I decided to take it easy and go for a stroll through the provincial park.
It was pretty quiet (except for the thousands of blackbirds) but I did come across a few flocks of American Tree and Song Sparrows with my first-of-year Fox Sparrows mixed in. 2 Common Redpolls flew over and close to 10 Killdeers were making a racket.
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| Common Grackle - Long Point |
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| Song Sparrow - Long Point |
I also photographed a few other common species that I had neglected to so far, giving me 86 total species photographed this year in Ontario. If I'm lucky I may reach 300. As you can see from the next photo, it doesn't have to be good quality to count!
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| Fox Sparrow - Long Point (take my word for it) |
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| Singing male Red-winged Blackbird - Long Point |
After I was done in the park I sauntered over to Big Creek to spend a bit of time. The ducks were quite numerous - I counted over 800 Northern Pintails and 1200 Mallards, among other species.
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| Big Creek - Norfolk Co. |
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| Northern Pintails - Big Creek |
A meadowlark was flying around and I was happy to see my first Savannah Sparrow for the year here as well. Extremely early migrant? It was my earliest Sav for Ontario by nearly 3 weeks.
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| Savannah Sparrow - Big Creek |
What's a trip to Long Point in the spring without Sandhill Cranes? Their bugling call is one of my favorite sounds of the early spring and Sandhill Crane is one of my favorite species that can be found in Ontario.
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| Sandhill Cranes - Long Point |
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| Sandhill Cranes - Long Point |
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| Sandhill Cranes - Long Point |
It was a beautiful day in the field and I added 5 more year birds including my first code 6 of the year - the Smew. The other four year birds were Eastern Meadowlark, Eastern Towhee, Fox Sparrow, and Savannah Sparrow. Time to go to bed!
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Wigeon surprise
It seems every time I sit down to catch up on schoolwork and study for midterms, something more important comes up to make me abandon those plans. This time, I had just started to dig into some pathology at my sister's place in Kingston when I checked eBird and saw that a Eurasian Wigeon had been reported by Martin Roncetti at noon just north of Kingston.
I was there in 20 minutes and located the bird without much trouble. The bird was relatively close and I was able to get several IDable shots. It spent some time attempting to court a female American Wigeon, though its partner, a male American Wigeon, would have none of that.
This was the last species of regular waterfowl I needed. The next most common waterfowl species I am missing is Common Eider.
Cheers!
I was there in 20 minutes and located the bird without much trouble. The bird was relatively close and I was able to get several IDable shots. It spent some time attempting to court a female American Wigeon, though its partner, a male American Wigeon, would have none of that.
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| Eurasian Wigeon - north of Kingston, ON |
This was the last species of regular waterfowl I needed. The next most common waterfowl species I am missing is Common Eider.
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| Eurasian Wigeon - north of Kingston, ON |
Persistence pays off
Seriously attempting a Big Year can be more about persistence then anything else. You could have all the money in the world, but unless you are willing to go back time and time again after missing a bird, you won't do as well as you hope. John Vanderpoel showed a lot of persistence last year when he attempted his North American wide Big Year. Half a dozen trips to Alaska are a good example, but the one I liked particularly was his Greylag Goose story. Essentially, a wild Greylag Goose showed up near Montreal, so he traveled there and spent 2 days scanning through "regular" geese unsuccessfully. Eventually he had to return home, but mustered up the energy to travel back to Montreal to spend another 2 days looking for "the plainest goose in the world" (as he puts it). He eventually got it.
I had already missed the Varied Thrush in Ottawa twice. Once, on January 10, I headed east with Andrew Keaveney and spent a good chunk of the day searching for the sneaky devil to no avail. It was sporadically still being seen, so when Barb and I traveled to the north, we took a rather looooong detour and tried for it again, since Ottawa is "on the way back" from Cochrane. It was 100 % my idea and fortunately for me, Barb didn't give me any $%#@ for this epic detour which cost us a couple of days and with no Varied Thrush seen. I swore I would never return to Ottawa after that little misadventure.
But, the thrush continued to be seen. After two weeks out of the province followed by some failed bird chases, I was anxious to get a new bird to my list that wasn't a super common spring migrant. That found me traveling back to Ottawa about an hour after I arrived in the door from the long day at Long Point.
I arrived in Kingston at around 11:30 PM and met up with my siblings, Lindsay and Isaac, to go to a pub for a drink. My brother had just turned 19 so this was our first ever chance for that! I didn't get to bed til late but was up first thing this morning to drive to Ottawa.
On the drive a flock of 400+ Greater Snow Geese flew over, but I was anxious to see this bird. As soon as I pulled up at the address, a flash of orange and black flew from the feeder! I didn't see it in my bins and while I was pretty sure it had to have been the thrush, I wasn't certain. I kept waiting, but it didn't show up! At this point I had some dangerous thoughts creep in. "Maybe I should just count that initial sighting as the thrush and move on....after all what else could it have been?"
I convinced myself to keep waiting and finally, around 9:45 AM, the flash of orange was back! I had great looks at the Varied Thrush in my scope, but by the time I ran back to the car to get my camera, it was gone. You see, I usually leave my camera in the car because it increases my chances of seeing anything rare. Actually.
After a tense 10 minutes of waiting it showed up again and I fired off a series of shots that show the thrush. I think I earned this one.
Speaking of persistence, I may be heading back from Kingston to Long Point tonight (still haven't decided). This morning at 7:00 AM, Brett Fried saw the Smew fly out of the same bay where Stu had it yesterday at the same time. Hopefully it will stick to this routine for tomorrow. I don't think I'll leave my camera in the car for that, however.
I had already missed the Varied Thrush in Ottawa twice. Once, on January 10, I headed east with Andrew Keaveney and spent a good chunk of the day searching for the sneaky devil to no avail. It was sporadically still being seen, so when Barb and I traveled to the north, we took a rather looooong detour and tried for it again, since Ottawa is "on the way back" from Cochrane. It was 100 % my idea and fortunately for me, Barb didn't give me any $%#@ for this epic detour which cost us a couple of days and with no Varied Thrush seen. I swore I would never return to Ottawa after that little misadventure.
But, the thrush continued to be seen. After two weeks out of the province followed by some failed bird chases, I was anxious to get a new bird to my list that wasn't a super common spring migrant. That found me traveling back to Ottawa about an hour after I arrived in the door from the long day at Long Point.
I arrived in Kingston at around 11:30 PM and met up with my siblings, Lindsay and Isaac, to go to a pub for a drink. My brother had just turned 19 so this was our first ever chance for that! I didn't get to bed til late but was up first thing this morning to drive to Ottawa.
On the drive a flock of 400+ Greater Snow Geese flew over, but I was anxious to see this bird. As soon as I pulled up at the address, a flash of orange and black flew from the feeder! I didn't see it in my bins and while I was pretty sure it had to have been the thrush, I wasn't certain. I kept waiting, but it didn't show up! At this point I had some dangerous thoughts creep in. "Maybe I should just count that initial sighting as the thrush and move on....after all what else could it have been?"
I convinced myself to keep waiting and finally, around 9:45 AM, the flash of orange was back! I had great looks at the Varied Thrush in my scope, but by the time I ran back to the car to get my camera, it was gone. You see, I usually leave my camera in the car because it increases my chances of seeing anything rare. Actually.
After a tense 10 minutes of waiting it showed up again and I fired off a series of shots that show the thrush. I think I earned this one.
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| The back feeder setup - what's that lump on the feeder? |
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| Varied Thrush - Limoges, ON |
Speaking of persistence, I may be heading back from Kingston to Long Point tonight (still haven't decided). This morning at 7:00 AM, Brett Fried saw the Smew fly out of the same bay where Stu had it yesterday at the same time. Hopefully it will stick to this routine for tomorrow. I don't think I'll leave my camera in the car for that, however.
Friday, 9 March 2012
A Wild Smew Chase, part 2
A quick post from today.
Yesterday, a different Smew was found at Long Point - this time an adult male, found by Ron Ridout. No one else saw it that evening, however the Guelph crew (Reuven, Mark, Dave, Matt and I) headed down for first light. Apparently we missed it by a few minutes, or it flew right by us, as Stu Mackenzie saw it fly out of the bay around the same time we were scanning it! Very frustrating. We eventually met up with Barb Charlton and Ken Burrell and spent the rest of the day scanning every inch of the inner bay, probably looking at every duck about 10 times. We didn't see it, but had a few other highlights:
High count of 12 Little Gulls off the causeway
Many Sandhill Cranes
All the expected ducks, including a Blue-winged Teal at BSC headquarters (my earliest ever by 2 weeks!)
A very early Eastern Phoebe (my earliest by almost 2 weeks)
Lots of other early birds - blackbirds, flicker, Killdeer, E. Meadowlark, etc
15,000 Redhead
I added three new year birds (Sandhill Crane, Blue-winged Teal, and Eastern Phoebe) so the day wasn't entirely lost. Plus it was great seeing the thousands of waterfowl. Tonight I am leaving for Kingston and I will try for the Varied Thrush in Ottawa (yes, try #3) first thing. I'll need all the help I can get.
Yesterday, a different Smew was found at Long Point - this time an adult male, found by Ron Ridout. No one else saw it that evening, however the Guelph crew (Reuven, Mark, Dave, Matt and I) headed down for first light. Apparently we missed it by a few minutes, or it flew right by us, as Stu Mackenzie saw it fly out of the bay around the same time we were scanning it! Very frustrating. We eventually met up with Barb Charlton and Ken Burrell and spent the rest of the day scanning every inch of the inner bay, probably looking at every duck about 10 times. We didn't see it, but had a few other highlights:
High count of 12 Little Gulls off the causeway
Many Sandhill Cranes
All the expected ducks, including a Blue-winged Teal at BSC headquarters (my earliest ever by 2 weeks!)
A very early Eastern Phoebe (my earliest by almost 2 weeks)
Lots of other early birds - blackbirds, flicker, Killdeer, E. Meadowlark, etc
15,000 Redhead
I added three new year birds (Sandhill Crane, Blue-winged Teal, and Eastern Phoebe) so the day wasn't entirely lost. Plus it was great seeing the thousands of waterfowl. Tonight I am leaving for Kingston and I will try for the Varied Thrush in Ottawa (yes, try #3) first thing. I'll need all the help I can get.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
A Wild Smew Chase
This morning while I was contemplating what to, an ONTbirds post immediately made the decision easy for me. A Smew was reported in Whitby harbour, presumably the same bird that was present last December (see here). I immediately booked it down there with Reuven and we showed up around 11:00 AM. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be seen, and all the birders had missed it as well, including some that had shown up right after it was posted to the listserv. Reuven and I still spent several hours around the harbour area searching for it, but no luck. With several other birders we did view an adult Thayer's Gull and an adult Kumlien's Gull next to each other on the breakwall! There were several more Kumlien's around as well as a 2nd/3rd cycle Glaucous Gull.
We decided to check out nearby Lynde shores to see if there were any interesting waterfowl there. No rare geese among the hundreds of Canada Geese, but we did see a nice Red-shouldered Hawk overhead and several migrant ducks (Ringneck Duck, Gadwall, etc) at Lynde Shores.
We saw on the WELLbirds listservs that Fred Urie had found a Snow Goose in Aberfoyle. This would be a life bird for Reuven (his biggest hole on his Ontario list) so we stopped there on the way back. Fortunately it was there when we arrived and we were able to view it from quite close. It appeared to have an injured leg but was still active and wary.
The Snow Goose was year bird 141 for me. Since arriving in Canada, I picked up Common Grackle on March 4 and Rusty Blackbird with a mixed flock of blackbirds near Cambridge last night. The Red-shouldered Hawk was #140.
No Smew, but that's how it goes sometimes! It was cold and windy for much of the day and very few blackbirds were around compared to yesterday. The forecast is improving, fortunately!
We decided to check out nearby Lynde shores to see if there were any interesting waterfowl there. No rare geese among the hundreds of Canada Geese, but we did see a nice Red-shouldered Hawk overhead and several migrant ducks (Ringneck Duck, Gadwall, etc) at Lynde Shores.
We saw on the WELLbirds listservs that Fred Urie had found a Snow Goose in Aberfoyle. This would be a life bird for Reuven (his biggest hole on his Ontario list) so we stopped there on the way back. Fortunately it was there when we arrived and we were able to view it from quite close. It appeared to have an injured leg but was still active and wary.
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| Snow Goose - Aberfoyle, Wellington Co. |
The Snow Goose was year bird 141 for me. Since arriving in Canada, I picked up Common Grackle on March 4 and Rusty Blackbird with a mixed flock of blackbirds near Cambridge last night. The Red-shouldered Hawk was #140.
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| Snow Goose - Aberfoyle, Wellington Co. |
No Smew, but that's how it goes sometimes! It was cold and windy for much of the day and very few blackbirds were around compared to yesterday. The forecast is improving, fortunately!
Monday, 5 March 2012
Back to the Great White North
After a fantastic couple of weeks across the pond, I arrived last night in Toronto. While it sucks to be back home in a way, I am anxious to catch up on some homework as well as some birds.
In a previous post I mentioned why I had planned my trip for the last two weeks in February. Pertaining to doing a big year, that is traditionally one of the slowest time of the year for rarities. One particular individual predicted Ross's Gull, Brambling, and Fieldfare would show up while I was away, then disappear the day before I got back! Fortunately that didn't happen or I may have had an aneurysm. Despite some mega birds being seen while I was away, none were really chase-able so I lucked out by being gone for those two weeks. Here is a rundown of some of the species I missed, or that the other big year birders got, while I was gone:
Mew Gull (possible the European subspecies/species, Common Gull): One showed up for about half an hour at Cobourg harbour. If I was in Ontario, I probably would have left for Cobourg immediately after it was posted, but alas I would have arrived about an hour or more after it was last seen.
Slaty-backed Gull: one was reported near Owen Sound on February 28, though birders traveling up on March 1st were unsuccessful in relocating it. I saw some photos of the beast, and with no disrespect to the finder, it appears to be a hybrid Great Black-backed Gull x Herring Gull, which can look eerily similar. I had one such bird a year or two ago that just about made me cry wolf.
Heerman's Gull: This was the mega I was talking about! Heerman's Gull is a code-6 bird according to my rankings, the first code 6 to be reported in Ontario this year. It was found by Mark Gawn, of Ottawa Razorbill, Western Grebe, and Northern Gannet fame from last fall. Unfortunately for the crazed twitchers among us, it failed to hang around for more than the rest of the afternoon. If I was in the province at the time, I probably would have headed down that evening and searched for it (unsuccessfully) the following morning. Some very distant photos of the bird provide evidence that it may have been a Ring-billed Gull with some sort of weird staining of its plumage, making it appear dark. I am still holding out hope that it will be found and confirmed as a Heerman's.
Townsend's Solitaire: One was reported near Cobourg on February 24, though all subsequent searches have came up negative. I am still holding hope that it will be around and I may try my luck at this bird soon. Generally, solitaires hang around in the same area (or even the same tree) for months on end when they show up in the winter in Ontario.
Typically early spring migrants: Common Grackle, Rusty and Brewer's Blackbird, Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Killdeer, American Woodcock, Sandhill Crane, and Snow Goose are all early migrants that have been reported which would be year birds. I got the grack yesterday, and the other ones I will pick up easily as the year goes on.
So what it boils down too....There were no code 4+ birds that I would haveadded if I had hung around in the province instead of visiting Scotland. The only things I missed were birds that I'll pick up easily as spring moves along!
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What's next on the agenda? I have a ton of schoolwork to catch up on, but the Varied Thrush in the Soo is still calling my name. Maybe I'll do a Townsend's Solitaire search, and I'm sure I'll pick up a bunch of common spring migrants in the near future.
PS I'll try to get some Scotland/Spain pics up soon!!
In a previous post I mentioned why I had planned my trip for the last two weeks in February. Pertaining to doing a big year, that is traditionally one of the slowest time of the year for rarities. One particular individual predicted Ross's Gull, Brambling, and Fieldfare would show up while I was away, then disappear the day before I got back! Fortunately that didn't happen or I may have had an aneurysm. Despite some mega birds being seen while I was away, none were really chase-able so I lucked out by being gone for those two weeks. Here is a rundown of some of the species I missed, or that the other big year birders got, while I was gone:
Mew Gull (possible the European subspecies/species, Common Gull): One showed up for about half an hour at Cobourg harbour. If I was in Ontario, I probably would have left for Cobourg immediately after it was posted, but alas I would have arrived about an hour or more after it was last seen.
Slaty-backed Gull: one was reported near Owen Sound on February 28, though birders traveling up on March 1st were unsuccessful in relocating it. I saw some photos of the beast, and with no disrespect to the finder, it appears to be a hybrid Great Black-backed Gull x Herring Gull, which can look eerily similar. I had one such bird a year or two ago that just about made me cry wolf.
Heerman's Gull: This was the mega I was talking about! Heerman's Gull is a code-6 bird according to my rankings, the first code 6 to be reported in Ontario this year. It was found by Mark Gawn, of Ottawa Razorbill, Western Grebe, and Northern Gannet fame from last fall. Unfortunately for the crazed twitchers among us, it failed to hang around for more than the rest of the afternoon. If I was in the province at the time, I probably would have headed down that evening and searched for it (unsuccessfully) the following morning. Some very distant photos of the bird provide evidence that it may have been a Ring-billed Gull with some sort of weird staining of its plumage, making it appear dark. I am still holding out hope that it will be found and confirmed as a Heerman's.
Townsend's Solitaire: One was reported near Cobourg on February 24, though all subsequent searches have came up negative. I am still holding hope that it will be around and I may try my luck at this bird soon. Generally, solitaires hang around in the same area (or even the same tree) for months on end when they show up in the winter in Ontario.
Typically early spring migrants: Common Grackle, Rusty and Brewer's Blackbird, Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Killdeer, American Woodcock, Sandhill Crane, and Snow Goose are all early migrants that have been reported which would be year birds. I got the grack yesterday, and the other ones I will pick up easily as the year goes on.
So what it boils down too....There were no code 4+ birds that I would haveadded if I had hung around in the province instead of visiting Scotland. The only things I missed were birds that I'll pick up easily as spring moves along!
----------------------------------------------------------------
What's next on the agenda? I have a ton of schoolwork to catch up on, but the Varied Thrush in the Soo is still calling my name. Maybe I'll do a Townsend's Solitaire search, and I'm sure I'll pick up a bunch of common spring migrants in the near future.
PS I'll try to get some Scotland/Spain pics up soon!!
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Flamenco flamingo
This past weekend, Laura and I went to Spain. Amidst exploring the old city, biking along the beach, enjoying tapas, watching street performers, and unsuccessfully attempting to converse with the locals, we also managed to get out and do some birding for an afternoon at the Delta del Llobregat. I will post a thorough report of this day once I get back to wintery Canada. For now, I'll leave you with some shots of 3 of the 50-odd species we saw at the Delta.
The most common of all the teal
"Hey cool, its another egret flying by." (takes photos, and looks at them) "Wow, it has a weird bill....oh %$#@ its a spoonbill!"
We saw our first wild flamingos! Sure they may be somewhat common in this area, but we were pretty stoked.
We are back in Edinburgh for the rest of this week until I fly back home on Sunday.
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Big year news.... on February 26th, Peter Middleton found a possible Slaty-backed Gull in Owen Sound and it was reported to ONTbirds yesterday morning. I haven't heard any reports, positive or negative, since. If it is still being seen that is my number one priority when I get back to Ontario.
Additionally both the Ottawa Varied Thrush and the Sault Ste. Marie Varied Thrush are still being seen. Which one should I go for? I've already struck out on the Ottawa bird twice(!) already so the Soo bird seems tempting, even though its an extra 2 hours drive. Plus I've vowed never to return to Ottawa again.
The most common of all the teal
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| Common Teal - Delta del Llobregat |
"Hey cool, its another egret flying by." (takes photos, and looks at them) "Wow, it has a weird bill....oh %$#@ its a spoonbill!"
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| Eurasian Spoonbill - Delta del Llobregat |
We saw our first wild flamingos! Sure they may be somewhat common in this area, but we were pretty stoked.
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| Greater Flamingo - Delta del Llobregat |
We are back in Edinburgh for the rest of this week until I fly back home on Sunday.
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Big year news.... on February 26th, Peter Middleton found a possible Slaty-backed Gull in Owen Sound and it was reported to ONTbirds yesterday morning. I haven't heard any reports, positive or negative, since. If it is still being seen that is my number one priority when I get back to Ontario.
Additionally both the Ottawa Varied Thrush and the Sault Ste. Marie Varied Thrush are still being seen. Which one should I go for? I've already struck out on the Ottawa bird twice(!) already so the Soo bird seems tempting, even though its an extra 2 hours drive. Plus I've vowed never to return to Ottawa again.
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Update from Scotland
It is now day 5 in Scotland and it has been a pretty fantastic few days. Obviously we are without a car, so any traveling we have been doing has been by public transit....makes me really miss my car! Laura and I have seen a lot of pretty spectacular views, some castles, and a few birds here and there. I'm finally starting to get the hang of look right THEN left when crossing the street. I haven't really edited many of my photos but I'll get a few posted now from the first day of the trip. Once I return on March 4th I will start posting some day by day recaps.
So what birds have we been seeing? Nothing too out of the ordinary and I haven't seen or chased any rarities since I'm happy seeing the common stuff. However I am up to 68 species so far here in Scotland, not a bad total considering this isn't a birding trip. Many of these are new birds for me. The weather hasn't been bad as the temperatures remain between 5 and 12 degrees Celsius each day. Flowers are blooming and it definitely feels like spring. However, I am pretty sure that Edinburgh is where they grow the wind because we have seen winds of 35 km/h or greater every day that I have been here! Today it was 55 km/h. There has been a fair amount of "liquid sunshine" too.
Some things that are definite highlights so far:
-great views at a number of species of tits - Long-tailed Tits are awesome!
-finding a male Smew waaaay up in the highlands on a loch - a bit out of their wintering range
-identifying some lifers by their calls/songs without previously having looked up what they sound like. For example, on Monday we were alongside a meandering creek when I heard a flock of tits/finches. As we were going through them, I heard what sounded just like a kinglet from back home. Sure enough, there was a Goldcrest in the buch! Today I thought I heard some goldfinches, and they were European Goldfinches. Pretty cool
-getting familiar with the gulls out here, many which are vagrants to Ontario. Black-headed Gulls are everywhere (even downtown Edinburgh), and Euro Herring Gulls and Common Gulls aren't shy either. All this practice may make it easier to pick these things out in Ontario. Same goes with Eurasian Jackdaw, Common Ringed Plover, Tufted Duck, etc. They're all pretty easy to identify once you see several dozen of them.
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Big year news from back home:
In my case, no news is good news! Fortunately no new rarities have been found since I've left and hopefully it will stay that way. The other 2012 Ontario big year birders have now seen the White-winged Dove to keep pace. If you look at the ebird standings I am in 4th place but I'm not worried at this point. Other than the Black-throated Gray Warbler which I missed right at the start of the year, I have seen all the other big rarities. This means that the birds that the others have up on me are, for the most part, birds which I will pick up as the year goes on. As well, once I get back I plan to go pretty much all out until mid-June. I will still have school as a priority until mid April, but there are several trips around the province I intend to make before then. And of course, any big rarity is a top priority!
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Tomorrow Laura and I leave for Spain for 3 days before returning to Edinburgh. We're looking forward to sunshine and no wind!
So what birds have we been seeing? Nothing too out of the ordinary and I haven't seen or chased any rarities since I'm happy seeing the common stuff. However I am up to 68 species so far here in Scotland, not a bad total considering this isn't a birding trip. Many of these are new birds for me. The weather hasn't been bad as the temperatures remain between 5 and 12 degrees Celsius each day. Flowers are blooming and it definitely feels like spring. However, I am pretty sure that Edinburgh is where they grow the wind because we have seen winds of 35 km/h or greater every day that I have been here! Today it was 55 km/h. There has been a fair amount of "liquid sunshine" too.
Some things that are definite highlights so far:
-great views at a number of species of tits - Long-tailed Tits are awesome!
-finding a male Smew waaaay up in the highlands on a loch - a bit out of their wintering range
-identifying some lifers by their calls/songs without previously having looked up what they sound like. For example, on Monday we were alongside a meandering creek when I heard a flock of tits/finches. As we were going through them, I heard what sounded just like a kinglet from back home. Sure enough, there was a Goldcrest in the buch! Today I thought I heard some goldfinches, and they were European Goldfinches. Pretty cool
-getting familiar with the gulls out here, many which are vagrants to Ontario. Black-headed Gulls are everywhere (even downtown Edinburgh), and Euro Herring Gulls and Common Gulls aren't shy either. All this practice may make it easier to pick these things out in Ontario. Same goes with Eurasian Jackdaw, Common Ringed Plover, Tufted Duck, etc. They're all pretty easy to identify once you see several dozen of them.
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| Tufted Duck - they're as common as Mallards in small ponds |
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| Carrion Crow - filling the ecological niche of American Crows back home |
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| Laura on top of Arthur's Seat - Edinburgh, UK |
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| view of Edinburgh from Arthur's Seat |
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| Eurasian Kestrel |
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| male Common Eider |
Big year news from back home:
In my case, no news is good news! Fortunately no new rarities have been found since I've left and hopefully it will stay that way. The other 2012 Ontario big year birders have now seen the White-winged Dove to keep pace. If you look at the ebird standings I am in 4th place but I'm not worried at this point. Other than the Black-throated Gray Warbler which I missed right at the start of the year, I have seen all the other big rarities. This means that the birds that the others have up on me are, for the most part, birds which I will pick up as the year goes on. As well, once I get back I plan to go pretty much all out until mid-June. I will still have school as a priority until mid April, but there are several trips around the province I intend to make before then. And of course, any big rarity is a top priority!
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Tomorrow Laura and I leave for Spain for 3 days before returning to Edinburgh. We're looking forward to sunshine and no wind!
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