Birds of 2011 ( and 2012 ? ) - The Whitby Smew, Shearwaters, etc.

Here are my favourite birds for 2011

5. Barred Owl - A very co-operative Barred Owl at Cranberry Marsh provided a great opportunity fo THE SON and THE DAUGHTER to get a close-up look. This bird may be #1 on my son's list as for weeks he would ask if we were going to see the owl.

4. The swarms of shearwaters off Little Catalina, Newfoundland - An impressive site and great to pick out three differrent species for the old life list

3. Golden-Winged Warbler - A singing Golden-Winged Warbler at the Carden Nature Festival provided me with a new life bird and the first in-the-feather look at my favourite bird. But if this is my favourite bird, why is it at #3 on my 2011 list ?

2. Atlantic Puffins ( Lots of them ! ) - The sheer number of Atlantic Puffins on our boat tour of Witless Bay Ecological Reserve in Newfoundland was mind-blowing. Even better, the whole family was able to take in this spectacle. Oh, the whales were petty cool too !

1. The Smew in Whitby Harbour - A late-in-the-year addition. An ultra-rarity that I dragged my family out to see ! A great Christmas present and only the third confirmed sighting in Ontario !

And looking forward to 2012, here are the five species I hope to see in 2012

5. California Gull

4. Grey-Cheeked Thrush

3. Barrow's Goldeneye

2. Connecticut Warbler

1. Kirtland's Warbler ( I'm going fo it ! )

Niagara River + December = Gulls !

And back again...An insanely busy fall has made posting an endangered activity but now that the big holiday has passed, we have time to reflect on fall birding. Of course, my fall birding was limited but for one road trip. After years of wanting to go but never quite going I finally made it to the Ontario Field Ornithologists Niagara River Field Trip. This trip is one of their most popular trips and this year was no exception with a solid 60-70 people plus many others along the route. The weather was great, balmy for an Ontario December ( the exception to the rule ). The kids were at home, as this trip was my delayed birthday present. And the target for birders on this day...Gulls. Yes, the most frustrating family in ornithology ( despite what people watching a flock of "peep" sandpipers will tell you ). Unfortunately no pics but here are 10 key points about this field trip if you are interested in going.

1. It is hard to pick out gulls but the presence of experts makes it a little easier.

2. Getting close enough to hear the experts is tough. This field trip is insanely popular for people who have tried to add gulls to their list before and failed miserably.

3. Bring a scope and binoculars. The overlook of the Sir Adam Beck Hydro plant is one of the most impressive places to bird as one looks down ( way down ) into the gorge onto the hundreds of gulls congregating on the river. Seeing the sitting birds in any detail is impossible without a scope. However, once they take off and start to fly you need a decent pair of binoculars to track them. I had two life birds and with both I was able to see diagnostic features with 10 x 40 binoculars.

4. The scope is even more impotant when birding sites above the falls, like the Chippewa Control Gates or the river immediately above the falls.

5. When birding above the falls, try to stand in the middle of the group. If you end up on the periphery of the group, you will be asked by non-birders what this crowd of people on the sidewalk is looking at. Which means explaining that everyone is looking at seagulls.

6. The Slaty-Backed Gull may be the most frustrating bird to identify in North America. To identify a Slaty-Back in North America, you must essentially eliminate all other possibilities ( i.e. all the normal gulls ). Thankfully, I have my life Slaty-Back but every time I see a possible candidate, it makes you realize the challenge that birding provides.

7. Jaegars are cool. After missing out on jaegars completely in Newfoundland this summer, I wrote off these birds as overly fat, nasty seagulls. And while there is some truth in my assessment, seeing one in action was impressive. The POMRAINE JAEGAR at Adam Beck was a great surprise. It was gliding with the other gulls, then bolted towards it's target and began harassing it relentlessly in the air, then into the water. As I stated before, even with my binoculars i was able to see the typical white flashes on the wings.

8. Waiting for the gulls is part of the game. Sleeping gulls show just enough to be intriguing but of course, there is always one other feature that remains hidden. Our group spent nearly 20 minutes waiting for a potential CALIFORNIA GULL to show it's legs. Finally, it stood up to reveal....pink legs !!! No California Gull, although the birders with more expertise mused that this might be California/Herring gull hybrid. Ah, hybrids. Another reason why gulls cause birdes to assume the fetal position.

9. There is more to this trip than gulls. PURPLE SANDPIPERS, HARLEQUIN DUCKS, TURKEY AND BLACK VULTURES(!) in addition to the gulls ( including my life THAYER'S GULL ). The scenery is great too. This trip gave me my first look at The Whirlpool, which is impressive.

10. This trip rates a 2 out of five on the kid-meter. Staring at seagulls requires patience beyond that of young children. I would recommend leaving the kids at home for this one, despite the chance to see the falls.

And the saga ends ???

And so Happy Feet is on his way to somewhere. A nice ending to an interenting story

Newfoundland - Part 2 - Shearwaters

It seems odd but I have never seen a shearwater before. Most people probably are in the same boat as me, although probably more apathetic to the issue than I am. However, I want to see shearwaters and have had ample opportunities. Despite living in and visiting Nova Scotia and despite several trips to Newfoundland, shearwaters never made it into my field of view. Or maybe they did and I couldn't ID them. Whatever the reason, the recent family visit to Newfoundland held promise to break this streak.

Newfoundland Vacation - Part 1 - In search of whales

The family vacation to Newfoundland is over. Despite butal summer weather, even by Newfoundland standards, everybody enjoyed themselves. Now it is time to get back into routines, prepare for back to school shopping and blogsome trip reports. From a birding perspective, the trip brought 6 life birds including some nice pelagic species. In fact Newfoundland is a great place to indulge in the outdoors and get closer to nature. One of the activities that I would recommend is a whale-watching tour and there may be no better place than Bay Bulls, a small town about 40 minutes south of St. John's.

Newfoundland update

I am halfway through my trip to Newfoundland. It has been great. The family is having a great time and I have added 6 lifers. Preparing a trip report when I come back. Check out my new sightings on my Birdstack feed below. And check out the videos I have on my twitter feed. Later !



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Newfoundland

Plans can go awry when planning/preparing to go on vacation. I had grand designs on posting some pictures of Newfoundland and Newfoundland birds but unfortunately time dwindled and here I am in Newfoundland, staying at my in-laws with wife & kids in tow.
Despite an late night departure and early, early morning arrival, everyone is in good spirits. Even the birding is off to a good start. A walk down to the bay netted me my life ARCTIC TERN. Tomorrow is a whale watching trip that I will post ASAP. And then... well who knows ?


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Sign this petition please !

There are plans to build an Ethanol Plant beside the Second Marsh Wildlife Area. This provincially-significant wetland is a wonderful place to visit. The location of the plant is directly adjacent to the marsh; the worst possible location, really. The history of ethanol plants in Ontario is not very reassuring. In addition, this project is heavily opposed at the local level. Oshawa city council has made numerous objections in the past but FarmTech, the company that hopes to build this massive plant, keeps coming back with a fixation on this location.
The Oshawa council is still mounting opposition by preparing a petition to send to the Fedeal Government. Please sign this petition or research the issue further. Thanks

Link to petition: http://www.oshawa.ca/cit_hall/harbour-petition.asp

Friends of Second Marsh ( if you wish to visit or learn more ) :   http://secondmarsh.science.uoit.ca/

Brickworks, Toronto

The birding may be slow but the parenting never stops. Here are a couple of pictures from the Brickworks in Toronto. Anyone from around the Greater Toronto Area should check out this wonderful facility. Some decent birds including PURPLE MARTINS and a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON. Lots of dragonflies, frogs and turtles too !

Looking into one of the many ponds at The Brickworks

Dragonfly on THE DAUGHTER'S finger

Purple Martins

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My native plant garden - Early Summer

With birding is a slow period, one can turn their attention to other things. Like looking for rare ferns(!) or working on my native plant garden at home...

Inglis Falls, Owen Sound - Falls and Ferns

So what does a birding parent do when the birds go out of sight for the summer ? Well, fortunately there are plenty of options for a parent that enjoys other aspects of nature. On Canada Day, we had a family outing to Inglis Falls. This conservation area is located west of Owen Sound, almost two-and-a-half  hours north of Toronto. It is known for two things: the falls and the high diversity of ferns. Yes, ferns...the ignored cousin of the plant kingdom. Still if there is a Fern Capital of Ontario, Inglis Falls Conservation Area might be it !

 

And for those that don't care about ferns, there is always the waterfall

Corporate Responsibility ? Wow...

Good for Telus ! Of course, there is always a cynical slant to these situations but I don't know of too many cases where I have seen such positive action...

Doldrums are fun...

June has been a big bird news month...Willow Ptarmagin in Southern Ontario...The Peregrine Falcons breeding success at the building that houses Harlequin Publishing...An Emperoro Penguin taking a wrong turn...and now THIS ! You know, if turkeys are the biggest problem on your commute, you should count yourself lucky. And be thankful; turkeys are capable of worse...

Summer Doldrums...

Not much to post...The birds have better things to do...The bugs are out...Canada Post is on strike, delaying delivery of new books...We'll wait for the Canada Day weekend and see if there isn't something to report. Until then, if you are in Toronto, check out the new Penguin Exhibit. Again, I probably have a little pro-zoo bias ( I used to volunteer there ). For those that remember the old indoor penguin exhibit, the new exhibit is vastly improved. THE SON has adopted penguins as his favourite animal and judging by the reactions of children when we go, he is not the only one...

Speaking of penguins, here is the king ( or emperor, if you will ) of all vagrants. And I thought a Willow Ptarmagin in Southern Ontario was impressive !

Willow Ptarmagin at Darlington Nuclear Plant

The Birding community in Ontario is abuzz with the sighting of a Willow Ptarmagin on the grounds of a local nuclear power plant. So much buzz that it made the paper...

Of course, the one ( and only ? ) trip to the facility coincided with a big party for my Dad's 70th birthday, which goes to show that I have my priorities in the right place. However, I now find myself living the experiece vicariously via Youtube:

To explain this odd bird sighting, I will use the power of Copy/Paste from Ontbirds ( the Ontario bird sightings page ) and Jean Iron:

 "Last winter there was a very large irruption of Willow Ptarmigan and even a
few Rock Ptarmigan into south-central Quebec. The Darlington Willow
Ptarmigan is likely an extreme overshoot from last winter's irruption.
Remarkably, there was a specimen taken near Whitby, which is close to
Darlington, on 15 May 1897 following a large irruption in the winter of
1886-1887."

Hopefully, there will be another trip arranged so even more birders can enjoy this amazing sighting !

Baby Muskie ( or Muskellunge if you prefer... ) and other aquatic stuff

THE DAUGHTER and I participated in three sessions at the 2011 Carden Nature Festival. The first was an early-morning but unfortunately quiet Birding by Ear workshop. The second was a Fossil Finding activity at a local quarry which was rained out by some torrential weather ( although I did learn that limestone attracts lightning, a fact that I am sure will come in handy at some point in the future ). Upon our return and a near-simultaneous clearing of the bad weather, we ( really me, via executive decision ) went off and found my life Golden-Winged Warbler. After this triumph, we returned to Festival Central to take part in our last session: Aquatic Organisms. When I originally signed us up, I felt that this session would appeal to my daughter because it was fun. I remember participating in stream studies and finding all kinds of cool stuff. However, with a session that my daughter looked forward to already cancelled, the pressure was on. Would my daughter really enjoy dipping her net into water and catching little slimy, muddy beasties ? Thankfully the answer was a resounding YES !

A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon !

Peregrine Falcons in Toronto...

Here is an update on the Peregrine Falcons in Toronto, ON. The Toronto Star has been following this falcon pair, thanks to their connection with a certain publisher of romantic books. Now, a new baby has been welcomed into the family...I'm assuming the star will continue to update this nice little story throughout the summer.

Plantlife from the Carden Alvar

Just beecause I never have huge success with photographing birds, here are some wildflowers pics from the Carden area. Late May-Mid-June is a great time of year to see some of these highly-adapted alvar plants. They tend to be fairly rare in other parts of Ontario. Although there are many places one could go, I highly recommend Cameron Ranch or Prairie Smoke nature Reserve if you are interested in seeing the diversity of plantlife on the Carden Plain.

Prairie Smoke is everywhere...This picture was taken on the Windmill Ranch

Golden-Winged Warbler !

The Golden-Winged Warbler is my favourite warbler. Maybe even moreso, now that I have seen one. A visit to the Carden Plain always brings some nice birds. I still remember my first visit; 6 life birds including a HENSLOW'S SPARROW, SEDGE WREN and Loggerhead Shrike. Last year's visit to the Carden Nature Festival brought my first CLAY-COLORED SPARROW and VESPER SPARROW. However, every visit also missed out on the Golden-Winged until Saturday...

Carden Nature Festival 2011

The Carden Nature Festival is one of those annual events that every nature-lover should try to attend at least once in their lifetime. Hyperbole ? Perhaps I'm still buzzing after attending the 2011 version last weekend. However, the festival revolves around a habitat that many people do not get a chance to experience and features numerous activities that range from birding to observing aquatic wildlife to mosses and lichens to hunting for fossils. I could go on but suffice to say, if you like nature, there will be something that will appeal to your taste. Even better for parents, kids are welcome !