On Monday the winds were still favourable for Jaegers so we planned to be there for the afternoon and Jerry suggested we check Niagara once more for the Black Vulture since we would be half-way there anyway. If you recall I had said I would not go back until the leaves are off the trees as right now it is so difficult to see the river with all the trees in full leaf. We had a bit of a tiff over it and I relented and we went to Niagara. After a few hours up at the lookout I suddenly saw a vulture way off in the distance that immediately looked different. Both of us got bins on it and noted it looked flatter, not the V shape of Turkey Vultures and the wings appeared shorter and more compact. Jerry noted a short tail. We were pretty sure we were viewing a Black Vulture but the bird was a long way away and quite high. We could not make out if it had the white tips to the wings underneath or not. We got in the car hoping we could chase it down a bit and get closer but we could not find it after stopping at 2-3 places along the road. We discussed how sure we were about the ID and decided that we would not put it in even though both of us felt pretty sure, we just didn’t have 100% confirmation. And so we will need to go back again but this time it will not be until we are back from our East trip.
We headed to Van Wagners Beach and met up with a few other birders scoping for Jaegers. It was gusty, the winds were from the NE but 3 hours went by and not a Jaeger seen. There was one seen by someone off the lake in Oakville but sadly the bird did not make it to the end of the lake where we were. We consoled ourselves with fish and chips at Hutch’s.
Tuesday the winds were NE again but with lots of rain. We had intended to go but looking at the radar in the afternoon we could see that there would be quite a bit of rain falling so we stayed home. Jude was out there for a bit but again no Jaegers.
Wednesday the winds continued and we planned to head in earlier after seeing Babi. We had just said goodbye and got her seated for her lunch at noon when there was a Discord report from Rowan that he had 2 Long-tailed Jaegers (probable) go past at a distance away. We arrived an hour later and had just missed a second pass from the birds but still too far out to nail down the ID. This is always the difficulty at Van Wagners. The birds often are only seen at a great distance and the differences between juvenile Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers can be subtle so it is not always possible to report birds to species. And they don’t count until they are reported as a species. Rowan had to leave but we took up the watch. It was even gustier than Monday and as more birders arrived there was a sense that we would see something.
Three hours and 20 minutes later – nothing, except James had seen a Jaeger very distant that remained distant. We headed home feeling quite wind blown with headaches from the wind and scoping. The quiet of the car was wonderful after the constant howl of the wind. Thursday was once again NE winds but we had little hope there would be something seen. In the past it has always been suggested that the best viewing at Van Wagners is from 3:00 on but over the last few years I have noted that birds are often seen in the mornings or around noon. We had a lunch date on Thursday with friends so we knew we could only go later in the day. There was a report of a potential Parasitic that was seen in the morning and that was it. When we left our friends after 3 we made the choice not to drive in again and nothing was seen by birders that were there into the evening.
It is a tad early for Jaegers, the numbers will increase over the next few weeks but we only have next week and then we will be East. We do have the chance of seeing Jaegers out East and even when we come back so the door is not closed on this species yet. Plenty more time for action and lake watches.
In the meantime along with the birding we have been spending time on house chores, we had our yearly wood arrive to keep us warm this winter and had to stack that. In November those lovely stacks will be re-stacked on our porch for quick access to the house. Double the work but Jerry wants the wood as dry as he can get and so stacking it twice is worth it.
We have been working on our much overgrown gardens and trying to trim things back, weed and mulch. I have been working towards maintenance free gardens and planting but there is always something that still has to be done and it takes me double the time it used to. My tried and true gardening tip is to use inexpensive wet newspaper under the wood chips to keep things weed free much longer than just adding the wood chips. We get newspapers thrown on our doorstep weekly for free so we always have a supply to use.
While we have been working in the yards we have heard both Black and Yellow-billed Cuckoos and I have found a few Monarch Butterfly caterpillers and a Cicadas.
We have a Cucumber Magnolia tree in our yard. It is a rarity in Ontario and is the only native Magnolia to Ontario and is found in the Carolinian Zone.
I missed it flowering in the spring with being away and birding so much but the flowers have given way to the “fruit” from which it gets its name. Although I’m not sure this reminds me of a Cucumber LOL!
On Friday we added a Stilt Sandpiper to our Ontario list when we dropped into the wetland where the Redshank was seen last week. Stilt Sandpiper was added to our Canada year list when we saw them out in Alberta. I’m not actively trying to see birds in Ontario that I have seen elsewhere but this was 15 minutes from home and on our way running other errands so we did a quick stop.
The weekend was spent enjoying family gatherings and finishing the gardens. Late Sunday I saw a report that a Buff-breasted Sandpiper had been seen at Long Point so I think that will be where we start our week…
Week 34. 0 species added. 398 J&E