Photo Quiz Answers

Congratulations to everyone who got some right!

Common Goldeneye

Brown Creeper

Little Gull

White-winged Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

American Pipit

Short-eared Owl

Red  Crossbill

White-winged Crossbill

Pine Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak

Redhead

Horned Lark

Spring Migration is a Go!

With the recent warm weather we've been having, it's no surprise that there has been a recent influx of migrants returning and resident species starting their mating rituals.

American Robins have started their "cheery-up" song

My first Red-winged Blackbird of the year was seen on the 18th down at the local park. I didn't see any for a of couple days, but then on the 21st, there was a group of 10 that flew by. In the following days, I found about 8 or so singing males.

While this species isn't unexpected at this time of year, the numbers in which they are being reported is quite unusual. Here is the eBird map for the month of February (red is within the last 30 days).

Grackles are also starting to come back, and on the 24th I saw at least 19 at Virginia Park.

They usually aren't around in large numbers until mid-March. Again, here's the eBird map for February.

Killdeer are also starting to appear.

There are numerous records of Killdeer in February, but as with the Red-winged Blackbirds, the numbers in which they are being found are exceptional.

American Woodcocks are also returning. In fact, they've already started displaying.

Turkey Vultures are migrating in small numbers, and I'm sure we'll start seeing them regularly in the next couple of weeks.

Perhaps one of the best early records so far this year was a Greater Yellowlegs near Long Point in Norfolk county.

www.njaudubon.org

In fact, it's a PROVINCIAL record early by about a week.

So far, 2017 looks like it's going to be one hectic year!

Guess the Bird: Winter Edition

Can you identify the birds below? Post your answers in the comments section.
Hint: All birds were photographed during the months of December-February in Ontario

Good Luck! Answers will come soon.

Avian Roadside Fatalities

This post includes images that some readers might find disturbing.

When I was up in Algonquin, I found a fairly large group of about 90 Pine Siskins.

But I also unfortunately found nine fatalities…10% of the flock.

So what were these “suicidal” finches doing on the highway? Well, they were getting the grit from the side of the road, which they require for digestion. Also, the road salt on the road seems to attract the finches, but the toxins in the salt impair the birds response, therefore meaning by the time they notice the vehicle coming, for some of them, it's too late. 

Although I only saw deceased Pine Siskins, there are many more birds that are killed by cars such as crossbills, grosbeaks, goldfinches, grouse, and even owls.

Red Crossbill

Pine Grosbeak

So, what do you do if you come across birds gritting on the road? You should slow down and honk your horn (be careful not to confuse other drivers), or if you’re interested in the birds, pull over onto the shoulder and observe them.

Obviously, there will never be an end to avian roadkill…the birds need grit which is on the road and us humans need the road to get from place to place. These two things together unfortunately equal a few flattened birds.

There is a positive side to the casualties, however. For scavengers like foxes and ravens, a siskin is a bite sized morsel of energy to get them through the harsh winter. Also, birds, such as the Gray Jay, may use the feathers to line their nests.

Well, that was a pretty depressing post, but I hope someone learned something.

Birding Below Zero (Algonquin Park)

To see winter birding at its best, you have to visit Algonquin Park…that is, if you don’t mind the cold.

Algonquin is well-known in the birding world to be one of the best and most accessible places in Ontario to regularly find winter finches and other “Northern Specialties”.  I made a list of targets for the weekend:

1.       Gray Jay

2.       Evening Grosbeak

3.       White-winged Crossbill

4.       Red Crossbill

5.       Pine Grosbeak

6.       Common Redpoll

Well, I’m glad to say that I saw all of them…which is the first time in quite a while where all the birds I was hoping to see were all observed.

The weekend started off at the West Gate with Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill, Common Redpoll, and the first of many Blue Jays.  A couple of Crossbills, probably Red, were noted along the highway, but other than that it was pretty quiet.

The fun began when we reached the Visitor Centre.

Well over a hundred Evening Grosbeaks dominated the feeders, along with dozens of American Goldfinches and Blue Jays. Many of them perched just mere meters away from us, and their calls filled the air.

The Wild Turkey that’s been hanging around also allowed its presence to be known.

Spruce Bog Boardwalk is the one stop shop when it comes to winter birding. While I didn’t see a Spruce Grouse this time around, I did  (finally) see a Gray Jay.

Three more soon followed.

I managed to hand feed two different birds here as well, which was pretty awesome. By the end of the weekend, I had hand fed four different Gray Jays.

There was even one with a radio tracking device (which is one of the ones I fed...see above).

The Boreal Chickadee seems to be getting bolder, as the first time I noticed it, the bird was taking a peanut from my hand!  It soon took a nut from my mother as well.

Opeongo Road was next, where there were numerous “friendly” birds. I use “friendly” lightly as there were about a dozen chickadees swarming me and a battle between a chickadee and a nuthatch over who gets to perch on my head.

A Black-backed Woodpecker flew overhead, but I fell over in the 3+ feet of snow as I attempted to see where it landed and get a photo.

There was a pair of Gray Jays as well.  I must say, they make the weirdest sounds!

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The next day was a much better day in regards to winter finches.  We started right off with a pair of Red Crossbills, then a bit further down a whole group of mixed crossbills (White-winged and Red).

White-winged Crossbills

Red Crossbill

Both Crossbills

A large number of Pine Siskins were gritting on the road.

Sadly, I counted nine fatalities, which will be the topic of a post coming soon.

The rocks along the highway had some pretty neat ice formations on them.

It truly is a different place here in the wintertime.

We passed  a Ruffed Grouse on the way to the Logging Museum, but it flew away before any photos. We passed it later, but it pulled the same trick.

At the Logging Museum, we hand fed dozens of Chickadees and I got one Gray Jay.

The Visitor Centre was not as active as the previous day, but still quite a few birds. A Pileated Woodpecker flew by as well.

A Red Squirrel too.

Here's a picture to give you an idea of how deep the snow was...nothing like SW Ontario!

Last stop of the trip…Spruce Bog. Quite a few Black-capped Chickadees and the Boreal Chickadee was back as well. Nuthatches, Blue Jays, and Hairy Woodpeckers were common.

Boreal Chickadee

I was freezing my butt off so I decided to head back to the car, ready to accept that I had missed a Pine Grosbeak.

 But I didn’t get too far.

A fellow birder told me he and his wife had just found a PINE GROSBEAK!!!

The bird sat high in a tree for the longest time.

You can only truly appreciate this incredible bird’s beauty when it’s at eye level, so imagine my delight when it flew down to the trail map about 15 feet away from me!

By the time I finished taking photos, my fingers were so cold I couldn’t bend them, but it was worth it.

We were done with the park, and it was time to head back to London (Bonus Knowledge: as I write this I’m on Highway 11 with at least three hours still to go). I’m sure we’ll be driving through the gates of Algonquin Provincial Park again soon!

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My life list now stands at 249…..what will be my 250^th species!?!?!