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!
Most years in late October, early November, birders get the chance to see Cave Swallows in Southern Ontario if the winds are right. Large numbers of Cave Swallows reside in Texas and if there are very strong South, Southwest winds that move up from the Gulf of Mexico and Texas to the Great Lakes Cave Swallows will be drawn up and end up along Lake Ontario. Fifty Point Conservation Area is a known spot to watch them fly over as the birds cut the lake and come inland a bit across the parking lot. Jerry and I have been down to the park a few times with south winds in the last weeks but this week the path was specifically from Texas all the way up to the Lakes. We had a late start on Tuesday but Jude saw one swallow at 8:42 and then Andy had a few more around 9:25 and 9:50. We arrived just after 11 and set ourselves up at the parking lot berm and Andy who was down near the lake had another Cave Swallow at 11:06! Missed it by minutes! We waited around and birded a bit but did not have any other swallows appear. This is also the trend of the past that the swallows come through in the morning but by 11-12 there are few if any going by.
We made plans with Jude and Margaret to be back early Wednesday morning since the south winds were continuing. We arrived at 7:00 and watched for a bit until a downpour sent us to our cars around 8. Once the storm passed the young birders, Leo, Jax and Kale arrived and we set ourselves up across the parking lot looking up. The winds had completely died down and we were a bit worried but right at 8:40, the same time as Jude had them, Jax shouted he had one and as we all ran to where he was we realized there were 7 flying slowly over our heads! Much excitement! High fives and hugs! Everyone got pictures and it was obvious that they were indeed Cave Swallows. Bird #330! It turned out that these two days Nov 5,6 are the exact same dates Cave Swallows were seen back in 2022. Last year none were recorded but perhaps no-one checked for them either.
Thanks to Margaret for allowing me to add her photo, she has a better camera than Jerry and I wanted you to see what we saw with our binoculars. Thanks Margaret!
Jerry’s Cave SwallowMargaret Hough’s Cave Swallow
We had caregiving duties so did not stay too long but did a quick lake watch and stopped along the lake at a few spots into Hamilton. Our attention continues on the lakes looking for the Kittiwake and any other rarities these South winds might bring up.
Unfortunately, we did not get out to bird the rest of the week except for a quick jaunt on Friday while his mom was at her adult program. We checked our local storm ponds and then tried for a reported Cattle Egret that we need a better picture of. We didn’t find the Egret. The winds continue to not be ideal for lake watching and it looks like it might be mid-week before we get a day to hang at Van Wagners.
It is a quick blog this week as there was little birding happening. Winds were not good for lake watching and we had a lot of meetings as we continue to negotiate help with Jerry’s mom. We did manage to take an hour and visit Bronte Harbour to take pictures of the Brant that showed up for the week right after we had driven to Ottawa to check them off our list, of course! It was great to see one up close and personal…
Brant
We also birded for a few hours at our local storm pond mid-week and did a bit of a lake watch early Saturday morning on our way into Hamilton. Late Saturday a report came in of a White-winged Dove east of Cornwall, 5.5 hours away. My initial reaction was we needed to go, but the bird was at a private residence that did not look viewable from the road and the owner had not “invited” birders. Jerry and I went back and forth with me wanting to go right away in the morning and him saying lets get confirmation, its a long way. The clocks were falling back so we got an extra hour of sleep which meant I was wide awake at 3:30 after going to bed at 10:30. We talked and decided it made the most sense for us to wait and see if Michelle from Ottawa re-found the bird and got permission for others to visit since she was only 1.5 hours away. We had also committed to taking part in the Alan Wormington Fall Bird Count on Sunday morning so we wanted to complete at least part of the count if we could.
Part way through our bird count a report came in from Steve of a Purple Sandpiper 2.5 hours west of us at Erieau. Hmmm, decisions, decisions. We kept birding as we waited to hear about the Dove. We managed to complete our count, a bit faster than we usually would have, and heard from Michelle that the Dove was not being seen and the owner was not home so we headed for the Purple Sandpiper. We were both relieved, I think, that we were not facing a 5.5 hour drive.
Steve sent us a few updates as the bird moved around a bit and by the time we arrived it was back on the pier where it was first seen. Mike and Nancy from London had it in a scope but we could also see it with the naked eye as it was close to the beach at that point. It is a beautiful sandpiper that have a distinct purple hue on their back that is only discernible if you are close up in certain light. Jerry got some great pics of it despite the sun, wind and distance.
Purple SandpiperPurple Sandpiper
I had thought this species would be tough to get and require more than a few chases but as it turned out it was pretty easy. Thank goodness we had not headed off in the opposite direction, at first light, for the Dove. So, I will just say publicly that Jerry was RIGHT, again. That makes TWO times this year LOL!!! HAHA!
