Two weeks in Canada visiting my daughter & family. Not a birding trip but naturally I checked out the local bird life, always ready to shoot. The first thing I saw as I stepped into their riverside garden on the first morning was a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers inspecting a disused telegraph pole. I managed to grab a quick shot before they moved on which was fortunate as we never saw them again. My daughter said she had not seen them before either. This was a good omen, perhaps my luck was in, this is not one of the more common species of woodpecker so I was quite pleased.
Hairy Woodpecker - picoides villosus
Here's a shot of the family in the back garden, no wonder my grandson Arlo is smiling, what a place to play! Wade & I went fishing from his boat in the river and I caught six, a pike, three bass and two others in one hour. Beginners luck I think.
Anyway from the banks of this river, rather grandly named the Mississippi (Not the big one) I picked up a few bird shots. The Great Blue Heron below should have been ok catching fish if my experience was anything to go by.
Great Blue Heron - ardea herodeas
.....as should the Green Heron further downstream. It doesn't look very green to me, the back and upper wings should be a dark bottle green colour? can't see it myself, perhaps "Black Crowned Brown & White Streaked Heron" would be more appropriate.
Green Heron - butorides virescens
Eastern Kingbirds were busy on the wires bringing food for fledged young ones....
Eastern Kingbirds - tyrannus tyrannus
Eastern Kingbirds - tyrannus tyrannus
American Robins were everywhere, probably the most common bird around, they seemed to be present in every habitat. Quite a handsome bird too I think.
American Robin - turdus migratorius
The little town of Almonte has a shop dedicated to bird feeders, food, books and general bird paraphernalia. The owner gave me some tips on birding locations close to Town. The first spot known as "Burnt Lands" was an area of swamp and young woodland recovering from a wildfire. Here I found a flock of Cedar Waxwings circling over an area of wetland in the evening. I managed to get fairly close by wading into the bog and even though the light was very poor came away with some reasonable images of this very handsome species.
The Waxwing's ruddy brown and yellow plumage is so sleek and smooth that it looks almost blurred or out of focus. This is not the case, those flawless, creamy smooth feathers are quite remarkable and very beautiful.
The bird below is a Red Winged Blackbird, confusing perhaps as the bird is neither black nor red winged. It is of course a female.
Red Winged Blackbird female - agelaius phoeniceus
Red Winged Blackbird male - agelaius phoeniceus
One look at the male explains all. A common bird, quite vocal and very attractive as they fly to-and-fro flashing their red wing patches.
I did well to find the Indigo Bunting below. Although common in much of the USA this is at the extreme Northern edge of it's range. I had to clamber down a steep bank, cross a barbed wire fence then wade through swampy woodland to get anywhere near close enough for a usable shot. So here's my reward, not great as it's heavily cropped, but I got it.
I did well to find the Indigo Bunting below. Although common in much of the USA this is at the extreme Northern edge of it's range. I had to clamber down a steep bank, cross a barbed wire fence then wade through swampy woodland to get anywhere near close enough for a usable shot. So here's my reward, not great as it's heavily cropped, but I got it.
The next birding location given to me by the friendly store owner was the Mill of Kintail. This is a restored watermill on the Indian River close to Almonte, or Mississippi Mills as the municipality is known. It is a beautiful location with a variety of woodland and riverside trails that I explored with great pleasure.
Mill of Kintail on the Indian River
It is an outstanding area for Woodpeckers. I saw four species here, Downy, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers plus Northern Flicker.
Downy Woodpecker male - picoides pubescens
Pileated Woodpecker - dryocopus pileatus
 Northern Flicker - colaptes auratus | I was disappointed not to get a decent shot of the Northern Flicker. This is a magnificent looking large spotted Woodpecker, very widespread throughout North America and a bird I have long admired. Unfortunately the only sightings I had were very high up in the tallest trees and mostly obscured by foilage except when they took flight. So this is just a record shot of a great bird. No such problem getting good shots of the Grey Catbird, one of my favourites. |
Described as rather plain but with lots of personality, the Grey Catbird often hides in the shrubbery, making an odd variety of musical and harsh sounds -- including the catlike mewing responsible for its name. At other times it moves about boldly in the open, jerking its long tail expressively. I find them most entertaining and actually very attractive when their dusty grey plumage is complemented by fresh green leaves and matching grey branches. This one brandishing a lush juicy red berry makes a really nice image, I liked this series a lot so below is another good image of an intersting bird.
American Redstart - setophaga ruticilla
A flock of American Redstarts passed through a woodland clearing that I was monitoring. These beautiful warblers flitted about very actively in the trees, often holding their wings and tail partly spread as if to show off their patches of orange color. At times they fed like flycatchers, hovering among the foliage and often flying out to grab insects in mid-air. Very active little birds and a pleasure to watch in action. I was pleased to get some nice photographs.
American Redstart - setophaga ruticilla
The open area of woodland with the Redstarts was also rich in other bird life. I grabbed a couple of quick shots of what I believe to be Warblers, the second is most likely a Tennessee Warbler but I have no idea about the first one. I will keep looking at the field guides and online but have so far drawn a blank. Update 10/9/16 I found a shot of a Chestnut-sided Warbler on Facebook Birder group which closely resembles this one, so I guess that's what it is.
Chestnut-sided Warbler - setophaga pensylvanica
Tennesse Warbler - oreothlypis peregrina
No such problem identifying the next species, this is a Rose Breasted Grossbeak. They were fairly abundant in and around the woods and along the river. They certainly justify the name grossbeak, it is somewhat parrot-like in size but the bird is quite a looker with hints of roseate feathers on the breast. mature males are black and white with a striking inverted red triangle on the breast, but unfortunately all the birds I saw appeared to be females or immature males as in this case. Still, a nice species to add to my expanding list.
Rose Breasted Grossbeak - pheucticus ludovicianus
Here however are a couple of very nondescript LBJ's that I cannot definitively identify. They are from different locations so I'm not sure even that they are the same species. At first I thought "Flycatcher" but all the Flycatchers in this region should have yellow or pale bills, this one is black. For the moment I will go for Eastern Phoebe, but I am not entirely happy with that. Perhaps I can get a more expert opinion sometime.
Eastern Phoebe? - sayornis phoebe
Eastern Phoebe? - sayornis phoebe
Here' another LBJ I'm unsure of, but in this case it's a Large Brown Job. At first I was sure it was a Brown Thrasher until I checked carefully other photos of the species. It is not quite right. For a start the eyes, Thrashers all have conspicuous yellow Iris's, this doesn't. The breast speckles here are plate shaped, Brown Thrashers are like upturned arrowheads. The breast and flanks here have russet shading, not normally so with a Thrasher. So in a word I am stuck. I have checked all thrushes, mockingbirds, veerys and other similar species but as yet no "hit", so I'll just have to keep trying for a match. (Update 9/10/16 - Identified by a Canadian birder as a juvenile American Robin).
American Robin juvenile
American Robin juvenile
Here are some more of the very common birds of Canada/N. America. The Blue Jay is very widespread. In Florida they are common garden birds but here they seemed to be more wary. I eventually shot this one in a woodland area at the Mill of Kintail.
The Song Sparrow is very widespread throughout. Quite wary it rarely strays far from cover but will come to feeders where cover is available. It has a very melodic song.
Song Sparrow - melospiza melodia
The little Chipping Sparrow is common at garden feeders. Formerly a bird of open pine forests and edges it has adapted very well to human habitation and urban environments.
I had Black-Capped Chickadees feeding from my hand. Seriously, on the Jack Pine Trail off Moodie Drive all you need to do is hold out a handfull of sunflower seeds and pop, a Chickadee appears, takes a single seed and flies off to hide it in the bark of a nearby pine tree. Great fun.
Black-Capped Chickadee - poecile atricapillus
Black-Capped Chickadee - poecile atricapillus
The American Goldfinch can be seen almost anywhere, open fields, marshes, woodland or suburban gardens at feeders. It is a very attractive bird, much more golden than its European namesake.
American Goldfinch - spinus tristis
A familiar backyard bird, the House Wren was named long ago for its tendency to nest around human homes or in birdhouses. Very active and inquisitive, bouncing about with its short tail held up in the air, pausing to sing a rich bubbling song, it adds a lively spark to gardens and city parks despite its lack of bright colors.
House Wren - troglodytes aedon
One of the most popular birds, the Northern Cardinal is the official state bird of no fewer than seven eastern states. Abundant in the Southeast, it has been extending its range northward for decades, and it now brightens winter days with its color and its whistled song as far north as southeastern Canada. Feeders stocked with sunflower seeds may have aided its northward spread.
Northern Cardinal - cardinalis cardinalis
Familiar over much of North America is the dark, long-winged form of the Turkey Vulture. Unusual amongst birds in that it has a strong sense of smell that it uses to locate carrion.
Turkey Vulture - cathartes aura
Not the best time for birding in Ontario, by no means a great birding destination, but I enjoyed my time out in the countryside finding and photographing what birds I could. I built up a reasonable list of at least 42 species.
American Crow, Brown headed Cowbird, Indigo Bunting, Common Grackle, Mourning Dove, Ground Dove, Black-Capped Chickadee, Grey Catbird, Ring Billed Gull, Herring Gull, Canada Goose, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Rose Breasted Grossbeak, Red Tailed Hawk, Blue Jay, Common Loon, American Kestrel, Eastern Kingbird, Mallard, White breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Phoebe, American Robin, Rock Dove, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, House Sparrow, European Starling, Tree Swallow, Brown Thrasher, American Redstart, American Goldfinch, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Turkey Vulture, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Red Cardinal, House Wren, Red Winged Blackbird.
Beaver, Muskrat, Garter Snake, Chipmunk, Squirrel,
American Crow, Brown headed Cowbird, Indigo Bunting, Common Grackle, Mourning Dove, Ground Dove, Black-Capped Chickadee, Grey Catbird, Ring Billed Gull, Herring Gull, Canada Goose, Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Rose Breasted Grossbeak, Red Tailed Hawk, Blue Jay, Common Loon, American Kestrel, Eastern Kingbird, Mallard, White breasted Nuthatch, Eastern Phoebe, American Robin, Rock Dove, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, House Sparrow, European Starling, Tree Swallow, Brown Thrasher, American Redstart, American Goldfinch, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Turkey Vulture, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Red Cardinal, House Wren, Red Winged Blackbird.
Beaver, Muskrat, Garter Snake, Chipmunk, Squirrel,
Chipmunk
Muskrat
