Category: Nature

Yesterday, it was cold and windy (-13 degrees Celsius, but much colder with the wind chill). But the cold weather had given me “cabin fever” so I decided to go looking for birds. It proved to be a good day, with almost 30 species seen, and a snowy owl as well.  I had hoped to catch the owl in flight, but it was content to sit on its post and watch the world go by.  I was finally too cold to stay. and so, I did not manage to catch the owl in flight. Maybe next time!

Another day……another owl. Still did not manage an “in flight” picture. It remained in the tree for more than an hour and it was -20 Celsius.

In the photo above, the owl is coughing up an “owl pellet”.

Today I went to my favourite location in Wellington County for finding snowy owls.  I have been very successful in this area in previous years, but this year I have struck out over three trips to the area. I did however see this short-eared owl, which is considered rare for the county.

This week, I was fortunate to see whooping cranes in three different counties in the Henderson area. The whooping crane is critically endangered and they survive in the wild today due to exceptional work by dedicated people committed to saving this magnificent species.  Sadly, most years,  some of the cranes are shot  in their winter homes (this has happened in Indiana, Kentucky, Texas and Louisiana) while others are killed in collisions with power lines. It is estimated that there are about 100 in the wild in Eastern North America. For more information visit the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (https://bringbackthecranes.org).

Whooping crane with snake

Whooping cranes in flight

The short-eared owls put in a wonderful aerial performance yesterday, near the Somerville Mine in Southern Indiana!

The highlight for me was seeing male harlequin ducks, which I had never before seen in the wild. But I also enjoyed seeing common eiders (North America’s largest duck), sanderlings, buffleheads, common and red-throated loons, mergansers, three types of scoter and a solo northern gannet in the distance.

Male harlequin ducks

Female harlequin duck eating what looks to be a small crab

Male common eider

Sanderling

Buffleheads

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.