Author: Richard Lee

I never thought I would see a snake in December in Ontario, sunning itself………but I did today!  I also saw a misplaced mountain bluebird, about 2000 miles out of its normal range. Additionally I saw my first snowy owl of the year.  It was too far away for a good photo but I watched her (juvenile female) for about 15 minutes with a spotting scope.  Add a thousand sandhill cranes, hundreds of tundra swans and a pileated woodpecker and a beautiful sunset to make for a great day!

Mountain bluebird (female)

Tundra swans

Sandhill cranes

Snowy owl (Female, juvenile, from a long distance!0

Early winter in Algonquin Park.

Blue jay

Red-breasted nuthatch

 

Gray jay (whisky jack)

Until today, it had been a  beautiful sunny week in Southern Ontario. Today it is supposed to snow. I am glad we took time off to enjoy the late autumn! The following water bird pictures were taken on Lake Ontario yesterday.

Long-tailed duck (male)

Long-tailed duck (female)

White-winged scoter

Wood duck

Red-breasted mergansers

Trumpeter swan (juvenile)

Golden eagle

It was a great day for birdwatching at Hawk Cliff (Elgin County) above Lake Erie. We saw eight golden eagles, a comparable number of bald eagles, numerous red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, coopers hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, harriers, merlins and kestrels.  We also saw twenty-seven tundra swans, eastern bluebirds, cedar waxwings, golden-crowned kinglets and a single loon. Later in the day and further east, we encountered about 100 sandhill cranes and another sixty tundra swans.

Tundra swans

 

Yesterday was a wonderful day for wandering, with sun and unseasonably warm temperatures. The leaves have been late in turning this year, the migration of birds is later than normal, but there are many signs of the changing seasons.  

(Find the goldfinch amongst the spruce cones!)

I always wondered why the above butterfly is called a question mark, and why a very similar butterfly is called a comma.

I was looking through butterfly photos I had taken recently when it hit me. The underside of this beautiful butterfly is brown and drab.  However here are two small white markings on the underside that can be construed as a question mark.  On the other butterfly, there is only the longer white marking, and thus it is called a comma.  (I verified this on line!)

Can you see the question mark?

 

 

 

Golden crowned kinglet, trapped in net, in order to facilitate banding.

The Long Point Bird Observatory on Lake Erie is the oldest bird observatory in the Western Hemisphere, and has over its history,  more than one million birds have been banded. It is now an important site for radio tracking of birds in association with Bird Studies Canada and with several universities. The observatory has contributed significantly to the study of birds and our understanding of migration as well as to the health of bird populations in North America. It is situated in Norfolk County, Ontario which has reported more than 400 species of bird. As many migrating species pass through Long Point, it is an excellent location for birding in the Spring and Fall.

Ruby-crowned kinglet

Herring gull, on a very windy and wavy day at Long Point.

Over the past ten days we have been touring Oregon with friends and visiting family. It is a beautiful state and there is so much to see in the way of ocean, mountains, and wildlife!

One of the most amazing sites seen was the descent of nearly 11000 Vaux’s swifts, down an abandoned chimney at Chapman School, in Portland!

Today I went out to the Sloughs again, with my friend Gene Stinson.  It was a hot and humid day, and we did not see the birds we were hoping for. However, there was still a lot to see in the way of insects, flowers and frogs. Overall, a very good day!

It has been five years since I was in Henderson in September.  A quick trip to “The Sloughs” was in order.  Many summer flowers, butterflies and birds…………and insects! The noise of the insects in the Sloughs on a summer afternoon is incredible!  Here are a few photos from Sunday.

 

The fall migration of birds is well underway. Additionally there are butterflies and moths, late summer blossoms and the first trees are starting to change colour. All in all, a beautiful time of year to be outdoors!

 

White-faced meadow hawk dragonfly

Ruby-throated hummingbird on jewel weed

Chestnut-sided warbler

Cedar waxwing

Thistle

Bald eagle – juvenile

Swainson’s thrush

Orange sulphur on wild aster

Blackpoll warbler

Pokeweed (toxic)

Painted lady on wild aster

Today is the fourth annual “World Shorebirds Day”. This week, counts are underway globally, taken while shorebirds are in migration. Many of the species we encounter in Southern Canada and in the Continental USA are only seen during migration, as they summer in northern latitudes. Shorebird populations are down for more than 50% of shorebird species. Loss of habitat is a major concern, particularly along migration routes. The following photograph was taken yesterday at the West Perth Wetlands (Ontario) and shows from left to right: a stilt sandpiper, lesser yellowlegs and greater yellowlegs.