Only out once to bird this week. Took a walk at Bayfront between hospital visits hoping to find the elusive Pacific Loon close enough for pictures. Met up with Barry and Doug and had a lovely walk in balmy temperatures. The Northern Mockingbird has returned to its winter home along the tracks and posed nicely for us. And we dipped on seeing the Pacific Loon.
Northern Mockingbird
Jerry’s mom remains in hospital and our focus is trying to figure out LTC options for her so lots of appointments, phone calls, hospital visits and facility tours. She will likely not be out for Christmas but we hope to find a space for her soon. Our system is certainly in disarray caring for the elderly with few options that make sense to families so it has been very frustrating and stressful for us feeling like there are few options at the moment and nothing happens quickly. I will give a shout out to all the staff we have encountered in the hospital and emergency, without exception, have been compassionate, caring and kind with us and his mom and are sympathetic to the situation. Our governments have certainly let the population down knowing that the baby boom generation would be aging out through these years and allowing a situation where you have some LTC places with 300-600 people on the wait list. I could go on in great depth of our trials this week but you are here for news about birds…
I thought you all might enjoy a look at the birds we did miss seeing and how feasible it would have been to get higher numbers so here are the birds that were seen in Ontario but we missed seeing SO FAR LOL as there is still time for one of these to show up somewhere that maybe I can get to.
1. Gyrfalcon – sensitive species so no reports on ebird but at least one seen the beginning of the year – I received one older location 5 hours away a few weeks back but didn’t go
2. Common Gull – 2 accepted reports both sightings for a very short time, no other observers, not re found not chaseable
3. Black-headed Grosbeak – Present at feeders for a few days, a few local birders saw it but access was not given to public – not chaseable
4. Eurasion Tree Sparrow – 5 attempts with one in Thessalon, should have returned to Ottawa for one but had just come back from there when it was found. Another one was seen in Middlesex just last week but the people would not allow birders to see it. I would have attempted to drive the area but we have not had the time to go. Bird 1 – regret not going for in Ottawa
5. Gray-crowned Rosy Finch – 3 reports Jan/Feb/March – all Kenora/Rainy River area 17 hrs away
6. Prairie Falcon – 2 reports – 2 days apart a week after our trip north – 7 hour drive
7. Yellow Crowned Night Heron – few reports 5 days apart in the spring from SSMarie – 8 hr drive – most people said don’t chase as we almost always have YCNH in the fall in Southern Ontario – only this year we did not – a report from Hamilton in the fall was determined not to be a YCNH although my understanding is a couple of birders maintain they saw it but no photo proof
8. Swallowtail Kite – 35 reports in May from numerous locations on Lake Erie and Ontario – we were very close to getting this bird – I blogged about our chase – but sadly we did not see it pass over us near Pelee.
9. Swainson’s Hawk – 16 reports from 4 locations – the hawk went through Hawkcliff hawk watch and we should have headed to Holiday Hawk watch the next day as it went through there! but instead we spent the day at Hawkcliff.
10. Henslow’s Sparrow – sensitive species in breeding time – I missed the best views at Pelee when we were caregiving on the weekend but thought I would pick one up on their traditional breeding place but none were found there this year and while they likely were further back in the field I was not going to walk through to flush them
11. Little Blue Heron – 2 sightings, 3 birders – one fly past at Pelee, never re found and 1 reported days later after sighting near Kingston – we went for that one in hopes to re find but did not
12. Worm-eating Warbler – 3 sightings, many birders saw at Pelee on the weekend we were caregiving, not chaseable
13. Laughing Gull – 4-5 sightings – 2 day sighting but we were up in Rainy River and missed it at Erieau – not chaseable
14. White-tailed Kite-mega rarity, first record in Ontario – 3 birders reports accepted for one sighting over 1 hour – we had driven to Pelee that morning – not chaseable
15. Eurasian Collared Dove – 2 reports – many birders saw it at the tip at Pelee – we had left 30 mins before to chase the White-faced Ibis – other report was a fly past at Zion Road – not chaseable
16. Says Phoebe – 1 report Polar Bear PP – Hudson Bay – not chaseable
17. Kirtland’s Warbler – 1 accepted report Grimsby – I was at Pelee – almost every year there is a Kirtland’s at Pelee so I took the odds that I didn’t need to drive 6 hours round trip at end of the day – that evening I saw the Ferruginous Hawk but in hindsight I could have got both birds as the hawk was seen the next day. Bird 2 – I regret not going for.
18. Painted Bunting – 1 report – at a feeder Baysville – owners did not allow public to visit – not chaseable
19. Mississipi Kite – 30+ birders saw a Kite at 4 locations spring and fall – not lucky enough to be there when seen – closest chance we were at Pelee on May 21 and left the tip around 11 and it was seen at 12:10!
20. Bell’s Vireo – 63 people saw this one bird at Pelee May 15 and we were at home caregiving. Never re found.
21. Black-bellied Whistling Duck – 1 report private residence did not allow public – ducks did not return – not chaseable
22. Townsend’s Warbler – 13 people were lucky to see the bird at Rondeau – we had left Rondeau 20 mins earlier to twitch a Blue Grosbeak, turned back but bird was never re found
23. Chuck’s Wills Widow – Long Point Tip Bird Observatory – only heard – no public access – not chaseable
24. Black-headed Gull – 1 report – private property – not re found – not chaseable
25. White-winged Dove – 5 reports – 3 far north, 1 Rondeau – I should have showed up at the door of a place north of Thunder Bay as we drove past that day instead of being “polite” Bird 3 – I regret not going for.
26. Western Kingbird – Hoped to catch up with 2 birds seen in Rainy River but did not re find, 4 single reports around Ontario, we twitched another one but no birds were ever re found
27. Lazuli Bunting – 1 report at a feeder – never re found – not chaseable
28. Lark Bunting – 20 people saw the bird in SSMarie that was around for 3 days – we should have gone for this bird but care giving gave us a very small window to go – Bird 4 – I regret not going for
29. Broad-billed Hummingbird – 1 report Georgian Bay stayed 3 days private residence – not reported until after bird departed – not chaseable
30. California Gull – 1 report from Pelee – not re found – not chaseable
31. Smith’s Longspur – reports from Polar Bear PP – Hudson Bay
32. Black Guillemot – reports from Moosenee – far north
33. Common Eider – 1 report – 5 birders – seen at Van Wagners – not re found – did many Lake watches hoping to re find
34. Ross’s Gull – 1 report Lake Huron – fly past – never re found – not chaseable
35. Tropical Kingbird – 5 birders saw it at Rossport over 4 days – made decision not to go – got the Black-tailed Gull at same time so it was a trade off
36. White Ibis – 1 report late afternoon of Black-tailed Gull find – went next morning first thing but bird never re found
37. Rock Wren – 14 birders saw it in Thunder Bay – 2 days seen – decided too far
38. Razorbill – Reports flying up the Ottawa River – still hope one will show up before end of year –not chaseable
39. Ancient Murrelet – was briefly seen by a few birders in Oakville Harbour but not re found – not chaseable
372 birds seen in Ontario this year + Hoary Redpoll that has been combined so total of 373 birds seen in Ontario and we have seen 334 including the Hoary.
When we first announced our Big Year one of the first questions we got asked from non-birders, friends and family was “what will you get when you “win”?” They thought there was money, or a trophy, a prize of some sort, that surely no one would take on this task without some reward. But the reality is birders do Big Years simply to set a goal and achieve that goal, for themselves. At least that is why I did it. Well, I guess some people do it for the recognition from the birding community but I think the personal goal is the usual reason because I suspect that the vast majority of birders in Ontario don’t really pay any attention to the “Top 100 e-birders” list and have no idea who is doing what. I know I did not pay any attention to it until I considered doing a Big Year and I think only the people trying to get over 300 or doing a year are watching the numbers. There are many years where multiple people are doing Big Years and so only one will also be first in Ontario. I had not expected to be in the number one spot too.
My bestie, Marg, was one of those people that could not fathom why I would subject myself to sitting in a car for 150,000 kms this year, often up at 4am, to find birds. While we have many shared past-times we both love, birding does not resonate for her, just as her bridge playing does not resonate with me. But despite not “getting it” Marg has supported us in our journey from day one, faithfully reading my blog, and cheering us along as we hit milestone after milestone. i think she has even learned a bit about birds! She has helped edit my blogs from the beginning and corrects my spelling, grammar and run on sentences to keep me from any public humiliation.
Last week she delivered a small gift bag to me and a card that read “Congratulations on your amazing Big Year” and inside was a beautiful T-shirt by Blackhare designs in Toronto (blackhare.ca) with, appropriately, a gull on it. So now I can say that I got a T-shirt for doing a Big Year!
Thanks Marg, love ya!
A very slow birding week due to rain, caregiving and appointments. On Friday a Eurasian Tree Sparrow was found at a feeder in Middlesex County and we were very happy! We have tried for ones up in Thessalon and didn’t go for one up in Ottawa back last January so to have one just under 2 hours away was fantastic. Except, the owners chose to say no to any visitors. Sigh, this is always a tough one to swallow. I understand people do not want 100’s of people showing up in their backyards but I also really wanted to add that bird to my list.
On Saturday afternoon an Ancient Murrelet was spotted and photographed briefly at Bronte Harbour. That would be a fantastic bird to get as 335 but sadly we were at the hospital with Jerry’s mom. She has been admitted and will be in until decisions can be made about her returning home or not. The bird was not re found despite heroic efforts by many birders late Saturday and on Sunday. So we remain at 334. Only 2 more weeks left.
NOTE: Feel free to check the gallery again as we have added new pictures. Rather than leave blank spaces for the birds Jerry missed a pic of, we have added older pictures of the species, and added notes with the year, so non-birders can see what they look like. We only have two birds without pictures, Yellow Rail and Connecticut Warbler as we have only ever heard those two species.
The euphoria from the Kittiwake twitch carried into Monday leaving us both feeling like the year had unofficially “ended”. Not to say the Black-throated Gray Warbler in St. Catherines was not on our mind. But our reality was Jerry’s moms furnace had stopped working on Saturday and none of the motor suppliers were open over the weekend so we had to get a replacement motor and Jerry had to install it Monday. I took the opportunity to take his mom out for some shopping for Christmas chocolates and candy (her favourite). We would have loved to be searching for the warbler and figured it would be re found. Sure enough late afternoon, when we were already almost back to Brantford, Jude found it and had a brief few seconds with it before it disappeared. There was not enough time for us to travel there and birders that were closer that did, could not re find it before dark. Tuesday we were at Port Weller at 7:45 hoping it would be hungry enough to start feeding early. We had a bit of a time crunch as we had a long awaited appointment with Home Health to get PSW’s for Jerrys mom in the afternoon. We had chatted in the car about sticking together for this one as it seemed that people were only getting quick glimpses at it and we didn’t want a situation where one of us got it and the other missed it. To be honest, that was my concern more than Jerry’s LOL. So we walked, we stood, we waited, we chatted with other birders and as is true to his nature Jerry continued to walk off and I would be having to leave a conversation to run to where he was. It became the joke of the day. We stuck within the area that the bird had been seen both times but birders moved about the park as well. The sun was out and we concentrated on areas with sunshine hoping the bird would be looking for the warm spots. We had to leave at noon and by then there were only a few birders left. Margaret was staying as she had come a long way and we passed along the “birder good luck” that she would no doubt get it after we left. And at 1:20 she did find it after another couple said they had just seen it a short distance from the original spot. Many birders returned to re find it again closer to the original area but sadly we were in our meeting and we were also taking our grandson out for his birthday dinner so there was no time to go back in between. The vagaries of birding and the timing of everything is something I have talked about many times this year. Sometimes everything aligns and sometimes it does not. I no longer stress about these sightings, I laugh at the fickleness of birds to appear for some birders and not others. The more time you put into this pursuit the more chance you have to see things. As Barb says “the only guarantee is if you don’t go, you definitely won’t see the bird.” And so it appears that we need to make a third, and possibly more, attempts for this little warbler. Wednesday was forecast as a snow day but there was not that much in the morning and things cleared by noon and we had nothing on the calendar so we took a chance to make the third attempt. When we arrived there were only 2 birders that had been looking for a couple of hours and it was chilly, overcast and a bit windy. I was not optimistic. A few minutes later Mourad showed up and I was a bit more enthused, Mourad has a fantastic ear for calls and the warbler had been doing its “chip” call. I went for a short stroll to show him the spots where it had been seen and Jerry, of course, wandered off (cue dramatic, foreshadowing music in the background). Mourad and I heard a Kinglet and he was sure he heard a second bird with a chip. We searched but saw nothing and the calls were not repeated. We walked back down the path and separated and I headed down to walk the canal a bit. A few minutes later my phone rang and Jerry said they had it on the path I had just been on with Mourad! Jean had found it with Mourad and Bob was there as well. Uh-oh! Jerry had seen it and I had not!!!! I started to run, um jog? and I could see them up on the path but a fence between meant I had to run down the path and around to get up to them. I wheezed my way past a dog walker, my mind in a panic and joined them with no one on the bird, but within a few tense seconds I saw the warbler! Whew! Jerry’s life was spared (Glorious Hallelujah chorus)!
Black-throated Gray Warbler #334
It remained feeding for maybe 10 minutes allowing many photos and great bin looks before we lost sight of it as it moved to another tree. A big thank you to Jean and Bob, it was a lifer for them, and Mourad for sharing the moment! Other birders re found it an hour or so later so it appears this warbler is getting a bit easier to find and see as it struggles to feed enough to stay warm. A bird in this situation cannot usually put on enough fat to make a lengthy migration flight so this is probably a doomed bird who might make it into January but at some point when it gets really cold it will sadly, likely perish. I hacked and coughed for the next few hours because I suffer from EIB (exercise induced bronchoconstriction ) in cold air but it was more than worth it to see the Black-throated Gray Warbler.
The weekend was the traditional OFO Gull weekend in Niagara Falls and since we had seen the Kittiwake we opted to just go on Sunday in case a rarity was found. There are always a large number of birders in attendance with some of the experts on gulls so it is always worth a visit to learn and socialize. We are extremely lucky to have good friends that live in Niagara-on-the-lake and always offer us a very comfy bed to stay over complete with more socializing! Thanks Dave and Julia!
The expected species of gulls were seen but nothing unusual and we left the large group around 1 to head back over to the Black-throated Gray Warbler so that Jerry could get better pictures. There was a group of 10-15 people viewing the bird multiple times over the hour we were there as it moved about feeding. It looks very healthy and seems to have a large supply of bugs to still feast on. I’ve added a video to give you an idea of how small and difficult the warbler is to find and see and a couple more pictures from our second visit.
Will this end up being the last bird added to our list this year?
We had a cousin staying with us from Germany most of the week and a celebration for Jerry’s mom 93rd birthday so we didn’t get out much. On Friday the winds were good on Lake Huron but we could not get out there as it was the Glen Morris Turkey Roll and we had some preparations and pickups to do. Of course an adult Black-legged Kittiwake was seen numerous times. We were able to get out early Saturday at Point Edward on Lake Huron for yet another lake watch. We met up with Jeremy, who has been doing a Big Year as well and is only 3 birds behind us, while working full time, I might add! Maria, from London also joined us a bit later. The winds were NW so it was cold and we suffered through a few small showers. We traded stories of our birding years as we watched in vain for a Black-legged Kittiwake. The conversation was fun and lively and the time went by fast. Even though we did not see the bird we wanted it was a great birding day because of the company. After 4 hours we packed it in as the winds seemed to be dying down and the flight of gulls had slowed to nothing.
Week 47 no new species added 332 species seen E&J
Week 48 started with good winds at Van Wagners so we headed out on Monday for yet another lake watch. Are you all tired of hearing about lake watches! We are getting tired of doing them LOL. I looked back through our checklists and we have done 24 lake watches since the end of August! Not all at Van Wagners but always with the hope of seeing a Kittiwake. Where is that Black-legged Kittiwake? There are multiple reports each week but we never seem to be in the right place to see one. The lake watch on Monday was no different. We made sure we did not leave until the light had faded this time so there was no way we missed it. The weather was miserable. Cold, windy and driving rain for a short period of time. And we didn’t see a Kittiwake.
Wednesday there was a report of a Greater White-fronted Goose 10 minutes away at Bannister Lake. We listed this species way back in January but had a really horrible picture as they were across the bay at Rondeau. We headed out first thing and easily found the goose but quite a way out in the lake. Jerry took some pictures that are slightly better than our original from January in that you can tell what species it is.
We then had to head in to care give but stopped for a quick hour hike at Dundas Conservation Area. It has become a favourite place of ours and we will be renewing our Hamilton Conservation membership so we have access to these beautiful trails next year. Late on Thursday a report came in of a Cattle Egret in the Hamilton Study Area. We listed this species back in May at Pelee but our picture is a white smudge in a field so we have been waiting for one to show up close to us to try for a better picture. We were planning on a day along the Niagara River to once again try for Kittiwake and the Egret was on the way so we did a quick stop first thing in the morning. A few birders had already seen it but when we arrived it was huddled deep in the conifer tree trying to keep warm. We waited for 20 minutes or so and it finally popped up and started preening allowing Jerry to snap a few pictures that are much better than our original back in May. It is late in the year for this bird but it had apparently been around for a few weeks feasting on worms and bugs in the nearby fields. The next day it was not re-found so hopefully it is already in a warmer southern place.
Cattle Egret MayCattle Egret November
Our day along the Niagara River was full of Gull watching as we hunted through Bonaparte, Ring-billed and Herring Gulls for that odd Kittiwake. Still no joy! But there was a lovely rainbow over the falls.
A Kittiwake was seen on Lake Huron late in the day of course! The discussion on the way home was should we head to Lake Huron and hope the Kittiwake remains? I was a bit hesitant with all the weather reports about snow squalls and horrible conditions further north. So I opted not to go first thing and Saturday morning at 8:15 a report came in of a Black-throated Gray Warbler in St. Catherines! We were out the door and arrived at Port Weller just before 10 but the warbler had not been seen since the initial sighting around 8. There were quite a few birders looking and we all spread out to wander the area where it had been seen. This is a western species that we see out in British Columbia so it definitely took a wrong turn. The area has sewage lagoons and scrubby forest with lots of potential for bugs even as the weather gets cold. We all searched, and searched but the bird was not found again although I am sure it is still there, it is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. We do not miss too many of the birds we chase so I guess we were due for one. A nice consolation was seeing two Great Horned Owls in the woods.
Great Horned Owl
Oh, and the Kittiwake was seen at the same spot on Lake Huron so we could have got that one! LOL. Decisions and timing! Sunday morning we headed to Lake Huron, a 2 hour drive to Cow Creek where the Black-legged Kittiwake had been for two days – it would be our 25th lake watch and we pulled up at 8:00 and got our bins on the gulls without getting out of our car…AND IT WAS THERE! A beautiful juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake with the defining black M pattern across its shoulders and the collar on its neck. We were so excited we didn’t put on gloves, hats but just grabbed camera and bins and ran out of the car. The last of the expected species! Bird #333! So many lake watches needed to get to this moment!
Black-legged Kittiwake
I texted Jeremy, who I knew was on his way, and let him know it was here. He arrived around 20 minutes later and we celebrated both of us getting the bird. It was #330 for Jeremy. Suddenly Jeremy got on a Kittiwake but in a different spot and we had 2 Kittiwakes in front of us with beautiful views! We had some good laughs about after waiting so long for the this species and suddenly we have two of them. It is what we all love about birding – the total randomness of never knowing what will happen. After another 20 minutes Maria arrived and she added it to her Life List! Woohoo! Last week all four of us dipped on the bird at Point Edward so it was nice that we all ended up getting it at the same time this week! It always makes the “win” better when you share it with others.
December 1 and I finally completed seeing all of the 288 expected species seen in Ontario in any given year. Back in January my excel sheet was empty and now 4 columns all have a 1 in each square. Rarities and semi-rarities are the only birds to get and there are few possibilities left. We will probably try for Gyrfalcon, an Ontarian bird, but a difficult bird to find. It is a sensitive species and so there are no reports on ebird so I will be dependent on hearing reports from other birders. There is also the possibility of a rare duck, gull or seabird still. December is the time for Christmas Bird Counts in most major areas and there is always the possibility of a rarity found during those counts. Until those reports come in we will bird when we get the chance but the urgency has lessened considerably. I will be very happy if the year ends at 333 but we will still chase any rarity that is found and is reasonably close. I am thinking of Canada 400 more and more and need to still get lists, bookings and some research done so my focus will be divided for the rest of the year. But for the moment there is happiness that the Kittiwake is finally ticked off the list!
Monday our youngest grandchild turned 6! We have had the good fortune to help care for all four of them from babies over the last 12 years and its been a delight to watch their personalities develop as they mature. Tuesday we had talked about birding in the morning but the empty fridge made getting some groceries the priority. I had just put everything away around one when a report came in from Steve Charbonneau that he had found a western Mountain Bluebird at Keith McLean Conservation Area, 2 hours away. We had a commitment at 6 so we had to do a quick calculation as we were getting our stuff in the car. It looked like we could make it as long as we didn’t have to hunt for the bird. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were quite happy that the two hour drive was west and not east through Toronto.
When we arrived at the spot it was evident that many other birders were there and people leaving assured us the bird was being seen by a group out by the water. We made our way over and got bins and camera on a beautiful young male Mountain Bluebird. His colouring was not as bright as they are in the spring but when the sun hit at the right spot as it flew around we could see flashes of the bright blue. It was feeding on dragonfly nymphs so it flew down to the dried creek bed and caught a nymph and then flew up to a dead branch to devour its meal. This was the first record for the Chatham Kent area and bird #331 for us!We enjoyed watching its antics for a bit, Jerry got many pictures and we chatted with a few other birders enjoying the Bluebird. The clock was ticking, and so we unfortunately only spent about 20 minutes with the bird and then had to hop back in the car to head home. This is the part I dislike about the Big Year, the long drives for a short few minutes, instead of being out for a day just birding.
Mountain BluebirdMountain Bluebird
Wednesday morning the winds were NE into Hamilton so we planned on a lake watch. Jerry’s mom has improved a bit and so we opted to spend most of the day at the lake arriving around 10:30. The sun was out but it was cold and windy. I had about 4 layers on but my feet and fingers quickly got cold. There were a few birders out so we enjoyed chatting while we scoped the lake and waited patiently for a good bird to come by. Nothing much happened. We did have a Peregrine Falcon hunt a flock of Gulls unsuccessfully and a couple of “late” Sanderlings arrived on the beach but for hours, nothing. A few birders gave up and left and we remained with a few others. Finally, around 3 we had had enough, I was cold, we had yet to see Jerry’s mom and so we decided to pack it in. We joked with the remaining birders that something good would arrive after we left, and headed to our car. As we were putting our stuff in the car my phone pinged and I looked down to see BLKI from Richard. The bird we had been waiting for literally went over just as we had headed to the car! There were a few F-bombs as we ran back over but of course the bird was only there for seconds. The closest miss this year so far. We have never missed a bird by a minute or seconds! Thankfully, it was not a rarity but oh! it would have been nice to get that last expected species off the list and have something to show for 5 hours standing in the cold and wind. All we could do was have a laugh with the birders who had stayed as we all know this is the craziness of this hobby. It is all about timing! I knew I should have stayed and stuck it out but I was sooo cold and tired and hungry. We stayed for a few minutes more and discussed whether to stay till dark or not and decided it was unlikely that another one would go by, so we left for the second time. And part way to his moms there was another report that a Kittiwake had gone by again!
The winds shifted towards the south Thursday and a few Kittiwakes were seen near Oshawa so it bodes well for me still getting this species on my list. Next lake watch we will arrive later and stick it out till dark. Rookie mistake! Never leave a lake watch until dark! LOL
We had company arrive from Germany for a week so our birding over the next week will be curtailed somewhat as we try to see family and celebrate his moms 93rd birthday. The birds, however, do not care if I am available or not and late Friday a Short-billed Gull was reported near Ottawa. It would be a lovely bird to add but I did not think we could subject our guest to 11 hours in a car LOL. Thankfully, I did not head to Ottawa because early Saturday morning a Short-tailed Shearwater was seen off Wasaga Beach and had made a few passes suggesting it might stick around the area. This would be a lifer for us so we had a quick discussion and Hana (our guest) graciously shooed us on our way declaring she would love to spend the day in our house surrounded by nature while we went for the Shearwater. So off we went. And just after arriving in Wasaga Beach the Short-tailed Shearwater made a flight across the bay dipping and gliding, or I guess the correct terminology is “shearing” the water. We had great scope views even though it was a distance away and about 20 minutes later it came back the other way even closer and Jerry managed some pictures. Other birders with better cameras had many better pictures and video enabling the confirmation of the species as a Short-tailed Shearwater. I had labeled the Black-tailed Gull as the likely “bird of the year” but the Short-tailed Shearwater takes its place, as an Ontario first record, a Lifer and bird #332. These birds breed in the Pacific Ocean near Tasmania, yes I said Tasmania, and fly up along the Pacific to the Bering Sea. There was a report of one seen off Wisconsin on Lake Superior three days ago. How the heck it ended up in the Great Lakes is a mystery but we are happy it did!
Short-tailed ShearwaterWasaga Beach Birders
Unfortunately, his mom was in crisis again and we had to take a few phone calls while we were on the beach waiting for the bird and then had to leave prematurely to get back to deal with that situation. It was last sighted around 2:00 and then not seen again. Oh, and the Short-billed Gull in Ottawa was not re-found either.
Week 46 2 species added 332 species total J&E Only six more weeks to go!
