Little bit of this, little bit of that

I haven't got out a whole lot in the last few days but I'm hoping to do a fair bit of birding this weekend. I have been picking up birds, slow and steady, as they arrive in Guelph. The other day I went for an afternoon stroll around Guelph Lake. The day was mild and sunny with a brisk wind, but with very little birdlife was around, I was happy to spot a pair of Eastern Bluebirds in the campground. For some reason I rarely encounter this species. According to Ebird I have 29 total sightings of this species since I saw my first bluebirds in June, 2007. Only 5 of those sightings are in Wellington County. On the other hand, I have 38 independent sightings of Lesser Black-backed Gull. Figure that one out. Also, I have seen more Summer Tanagers and just as many Eurasian Wigeons as Upland Sandpipers in Ontario, but I digress.

Eastern Bluebird - Guelph Lake CA

The birds were few and far between but I did get a Great Blue Heron fly over and there were a few Redhead and Lesser Scaup way out on the lake. Both these species are considered rare in the county but I've seen them just about every single time I look for ducks! Mountsburg and Puslinch usually have a few of each species.

New for my "photographed big year" were Cedar Waxwing, White-breasted Nuthatch, etc. Snapped a couple photos of a chickadee, just 'cause.

Black-capped Chickadee - Guelph Lake

Driving around the lake I was happy to see that one of the Osprey were back on a nest! This was year bird 164.

Osprey - Guelph Lake

The other day I got a text from David Bell saying something like "I'm pretty sure a Purple Martin flew by, heading your way....". Dave lives just down the street (about 1/2 a km), so I stood vigil for a few minutes and had 2 Purple Martins fly by! Later on Dave had 6 of them nearby! Nice to see them back in town. That was year bird 165.