I posted my blog about needing to take a bit of a break to reset on Monday morning and a few hours later the universe responded with an “uh-uh”. A Black-tailed Gull had been photographed on the 19th but had been initially identified as a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a keen birder saw the picture and got the word out that this Mega Rarity had been seen. Birders checked the Port Glasgow dock and sure enough it was still there, loafing with hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls. We were caregiving in Hamilton when the report hit Discord and were 2.5 hours away from the spot near Rondeau but we left knowing that we had to add that bird. It was a Lifer for us and will likely be the “bird of the year” from a rarity perspective. It is a gull from East Asia, breeding in Russia and Japan and this is only the second record of it in Ontario. We arrived to find many other birders with scopes set up and had a quick look in the nearest scope just in case it flew and then set up our scope. It had been sleeping tucked behind numerous Ring-billed Gulls for awhile and we wanted to stick around for a bit in hopes of seeing the full bird. You know its a good bird when people are driving from Toronto and Ottawa to add the bird to their lists. Locals started showing up wondering what all the traffic was about. Bird #326
Black-tailed Gull – Mega Rarity!
The bird finally woke up and Jerry got some pictures showing its red-tipped bill but did not manage to get pictures of its tail or in flight. We then drove back to Hamilton to have dinner with his mom. A report came in while we were driving that a White Ibis had been found in Port Hope, 2.5 hours east of Hamilton but at commute time likely much longer. We weighed the possibility of getting there before dark and it did not look good. Plus we had already left his mom for the Gull. We continued to Hamilton and decided to go for the Ibis at daybreak Tuesday. So far, the break we wanted had not happened and we arrived home at 9pm to head to bed and get up at 4:30.
We headed to Port Hope Tuesday morning and arrived at 6:45. It was still quite dark but we started walking the river where the bird had been seen. Other birders arrived shortly after and told us it had been seen roosting on the pier rocks. We walked down and joined others checking along the rocks. People started making plans to split up and check different areas, and more birders arrived. It was not looking good. The river was filled with rotting dying salmon that had just finished their spawning journey. It was not a pleasant smell first thing in the morning. Jerry and I walked up river checking along both sides of the river but only saw fishermen and some salmon still trying to move up the rapids. By now people on Discord were suggesting other possible places to check so we again divided places up and birders went in all directions to check and re-check areas close by. There was a nearby marsh that had wonderful ibis habitat but it was not there. It was now moving towards 10am and we were figuring the bird was gone or its “schedule” was to show up in the afternoon. We decided to drive 20 minutes up to Rice Lake where some Brants had been reported a few days back and see if they might be still around. It was a beautiful fall day, spectacular fall colours and stopping along the lake at different spots was a lovely way to spend a few hours.
We headed back to the harbour and now it was only us and Isabel left. We had nothing else to chase so I was not prepared to leave and get back home to hear that it arrived at 3-4 o’clock, so we had decided to stay till dusk. By this time someone had heard that a local had probably seen the bird 3 days earlier in the small creek near the marsh but it did not get reported anywhere. For all you non-birders reading this please take note, if you ever see anything that you find very unusual or a bit different looking please take a picture and pass it to me or a birder you know. There are rarities all over that are found by non-birders all the time and many, like this one, don’t get reported in a timely fashion. We birded some more areas that people had checked earlier, had a nice lunch at the local cafe and then waited for the sun to go down before heading home. We get the bird or we don’t. Moving on…
Sunrises andSunsets this week
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday we took a break from birding and had caregiving duties and appointments. The winds were shifting to N and NW for the weekend so we decided to head to Ottawa Saturday in the hopes of adding a Brant to our list. The next two weeks are the prime weeks for flocks of Brant to be flying on the Ottawa River.
We left at our usual 5am Saturday and arrived at Andrew Haydon Park at 10. It was gusty and COLD!. We walked to the shore and I thought I would post on the Discord chat that we were looking for Brant in case anyone saw them. They are not a rare bird in Ottawa at this time of year so many people don’t bother adding them to Discord. Just as I started typing I got a text from Michelle, who lives in Ottawa, that they had Brant at the park. I quickly looked around and saw a group of birders just a bit further along the path, we ran towards each other and she got us on a flock of about 50 out over the river. Thanks again Michelle! We managed some nice scope views before they moved further west and Jerry got a picture of the flock. We stuck around and saw another flock but had nothing closer and a walk around the park did not turn up one hanging around on the grass, which was our hope. Brant was one of the expected species I still had to get, leaving me only 2 left to find – Black-legged Kittiwake and a Purple Sandpiper. Brant was bird #327.
Brant – Ottawa River
We then headed about an hour away to the Alfred Sewage lagoons because they are in the last County we need to bird in. There were at least 2,000 Canada Geese in the lagoons with a few other duck species and I carefully scanned through all of them. I was hoping for a rare goose that might be hanging with the Canada Geese but I did not find any. This year we have now birded in all 50 counties/areas that ebird recognizes in Ontario. YES!
We had a hotel booked in Ottawa and had planned to stay but it was still early afternoon, we had our bird and county, and so we decided to drive home making it a long day of 10 hours of driving. Another day of seeing the sunrise and the sunset from the 401 and eating dinner at 8:30. That decision, though, meant we were in Glen Morris at 9:37 Sunday morning when a discord report came in from Robert Linfield of a Vermillion Flycatcher 50 mins away in Guelph. We were out the door and parking our car at 10:30. The bird was a further 1.5 km away down a trail and I was wearing my dressy clothes as I was heading to Burlington for a date with my granddaughter. We walked/ran the path and arrived out of breath in time to see the bird flying back and forth catching insects.
It was not the stunning red and black of an adult male but the paler colours of a female. This was bird 328, another rarity, and not one I expected. Thank you Richard for staying with the bird until people got there and sending me reports along the way! It was a Lifer for him and his second rare flycatcher he has found. He also found the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher last year at the Butterfly Conservatory. Fantastic finds!
Vermillion Flycatcher
Many birders were on there way, we passed some on our way back out the trail and shortly after we left we heard that the bird had flown out and high over Guelph Lake and it was not re-found again. I was surprised, as these fall rarities often stay within a small area, trying to feed as much as they can and conserving energy by not flying too much. They are almost always doomed birds that will not survive but maybe this one was making an effort to head south or maybe someone will find it again tomorrow.
A crazy week of decisions made that mostly worked in our favour and added 3 more species. Crazy to add that many this late in the year. Oh, and on Saturday while up in Ottawa getting the Brant a single Brant was found in Oakville. LOL! You just never know what or where something is going to show up. If I get the two expected species left I will hit 330, still cannot believe that I have seen that many species. How many more rarities can show up before the end of the year that we can actually get to?
Addendum
The other thing that happened this week from a listing point of view was ebird updated the taxanomic list to conform with the latest changes to the ABA list of bird species. With more and more DNA work being done species are continually being lumped together into one species, with maybe subspecies that do not count or separated into individual species that count. Each year ebird updates in October which can change your year list count. This year two species we see in Ontario were lumped into one species. The Common Redpoll and the Hoary Redpoll were considered two different species but new evidence suggests they are the same species but different sub-species. Both birds will now be known as simply Redpoll. I counted both in January as 2 different species so now according to my ebird list I have “lost” a bird and only have seen 327 instead of 328. The ABA rules for a Big Year though state that you can continue to count the birds that you saw before they were lumped in your year so I will still be showing the right number of 328 on my blog list but ebird will be short one bird now. It would make more sense for them to do this at the end of the year but it is what it is.
Monday was Thanksgiving and we had our family dinner so there was no birding happening and of course it was a beautiful day to bird with nice winds for hawk migration. I joked with Jason in the morning saying that since I wasn’t going to be at a Hawk watch a Swainson’s would go through and just after lunch one went through at Hawk Cliff!! Family comes first, family comes first I kept saying to myself LOL. I’ve missed many birds this year because family absolutely does come first and always will. Now, the Swainson’s Hawk was headed west from Hawk Cliff so if I was really smart I would have headed to Holiday Beach Hawk Watch on Tuesday, near Windsor and west of Hawk Cliff, but we were a bit lazy and late getting up so we went to Hawk Cliff for the day and just after lunch the same Swainson’s Hawk went through over Holiday Beach! Oh why did we not drive the extra hour or so and do the hawk watch there? A mistake that cost me a really good rarity. Future Big Year birders take note! While we were at the Hawk Watch Brandon, an excellent birder decided to do a lake watch on Lake Huron near where we had been the previous week. He ended up seeing an extremely rare Ross’s Gull but did not get pictures and no one else re-found the bird that headed out into the lake. There was a bit of frustration that I missed two in one day. You get the birds or you don’t. And you shake off the misses and move on.
We had a lovely day at Hawk Cliff though and the company was very pleasant. Jerry and I click-counted our way through 2,092 Turkey Vultures for the day and others clicked 422 Sharp-shinned Hawks.
Kettle of Turkey VulturesSharp-shinned Hawk
Two Golden Eagles and Bald Eagles, one Rough-legged, Coopers, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks were all seen as well as Northern Harriers and American Kestrels. A total of 3,187 individual birds were on our list for the day.
Golden EagleRed-tailed HawkRed-shouldered HawkRough-legged Hawk
The winds changed to southwest mid week and shut down most hawk migration and possible pelagic sightings so we switched to duck watching hoping to turn up those Common Eiders we think are still on the lake somewhere. We started at Fifty Point and worked our way along the lake at the various roads and parks with lake access all the way to Van Wagners beach. We spent time sifting through rafts of ducks just off shore looking for the unusual. We had our best views of Black Scoters we have ever had and nice views of Surf and White-winged Scoters too. Off Fruitland Road we found a beautiful male Harlequin Duck still in breeding colours. The picture Jerry took did not do it justice as it was quite a way out but our scope views were very nice. Google what it looks like – a very handsome duck!
Friday, our nephew Roman offered to take us out on his boat for a bit of a lake search. We invited Margaret, Jude and Rick to join us. It was a beautiful calm day but as we headed further off shore a bit of chop came up. We threw some bread out to some gulls that appeared hoping to entice some pelagic species to join in but didn’t see anything noteworthy. Lake Ontario is a huge lake and Roman’s boat is small and slow. We covered a very small area of the lake from Port Weller to Jordan Station. We decided to head a bit closer to shore and saw a number of large rafts of Long-tailed Ducks but didn’t manage to see anything different. This was a bit of an experiment and the consensus was that it would be better to have the boat docked in the Hamilton/Burlington area (we left from Port Weller) and that way we could get into the Hamilton end of the lake where we would be more likely to see rarities. We had a very enjoyable time and will work with Roman to set something up for next fall at the end of his salmon fishing season (Deep6ix Sportfishing).
Captain Roman’s boatbirding_with_rick of Instagram fame!
Saturday afternoon two reports of rarities came in. Yellow-throated Warbler, at the Prince Edward Bird Observatory, 4 hours away and a Tropical Kingbird, in Rossport, 13 hours away. We knew we would head for the warbler first thing Sunday but going for the Kingbird? We have a half-packed suitcase always ready so we threw some stuff in with the idea we would decide in the morning. We also would be only an hour from Presquile PP and a possible Purple Sandpiper. We arrived at the Bird Observatory around 8:30 and had already got a report from Rick that the warbler was there. Thanks Rick! We walked a trail to the lighthouse and there was this beautiful little warbler with a bright yellow throat gobbling up all the bugs from the eavestrough on the lighthouse. Bird #325. A couple of other local birders arrived and we all enjoyed views of the bird for a short while. This was the warbler I missed at Pelee in the spring when we had left the tip to go for the White-faced Ibis and I had figured I would not have another chance at it so it was a nice surprise!
Yellow-throated Warbler
We should have got in our car then and started the drive to Thunder Bay. But we thought we should at least check for the Purple Sandpiper. That involves a bit of a hike and we had to carefully scope the area. We were hoping that during that time we would hear that the Kingbird was re-found and I was hoping that would convince Jerry to go for it. No reports came in though so we decided to at least head up north to Barrie where a Pacific Loon, a bird that we have but don’t have a picture of has been seen regularly. By this time we had discussions back and forth, and back and forth as we birded. Should we go or not go?
Jerry did not think a total of 26 hours of driving over two days was worth the one bird and I could not really disagree. Oh, I wanted to add the Kingbird to my list very badly, but both of us were dreading the drive and time involved. This is supposed to be about fun after all, we reminded ourselves, and it didn’t sound like fun. We headed home instead, disappointed we couldn’t summon the motivation and determination to do the hard stuff required of a Big Year.
We both have “hit the wall” so to speak and are physically and mentally tired this week. It is not just the birding but all the other things happening in our lives right now. Too little sleep or sleep interrupted by phone calls, lots of missed meals. Jerry has driven or been the passenger for 43,000 kms just for birding this year and has recently had to go back on medication for a blood clot in his leg that is getting bigger. He suffered a Pulmonary Embolism in 2022 and driving for long periods is not the best thing for blood clots. His Mom continues to decline faster than we anticipated and requires our input numerous times, every day. Every visit and phone call is heartbreaking.
We are going to take this week to regroup a bit. We have appointments to get additional help with his Mom. We need to relax a bit, get enough sleep and eat well. Birding is our happy place so it will continue but maybe only local. I might combine the next couple of blogs. Only 10 weeks left. Instead of a sprint to the finish of this year it might be a bit more of a limp but it is what it is.
Week 42 1 new species 325 species for the year E&J
Monday we birded a few local areas around Hamilton where Nelson Sparrows are usually found around this time but there were no little orange-faced sparrows hopping about. We knew we were likely early but we are also excited to add another bird to our list so checking these places does not hurt. In the afternoon we did a lake watch as the winds were right and strong but alas nothing much happened. We had views of one Parasitic Jaeger but nothing else.
Mid week was caregiving and more caregiving and household chores that we have ignored for months.
Friday we headed to Keith McLean Conservation Area near Rondeau PP because Nelson Sparrows were finally reported the day before. This is a traditional area for them and it is where I expected to get one this year. We stood around the meadow area for 4 hours hoping to catch a jump up or fly through but again, nothing. Nelson Sparrows are a very skulky bird and so they take patience and time to see one and even more patience to get a picture. It was not helpful that an active Northern Harrier was hunting through the marsh every 15 minutes or so and I am sure was a big reason that we did not see one. The Harrier went right over my head at one point so we got nice photos and video as a consolation prize. This was our 5th attempt to catch up with this species at 5 different spots.
Northern HarrierNorthern Harrier
Saturday Jude found a Nelson’s at the spot we had checked on Monday but we had a full day of watching grandkids, caregiving and dinner with friends so we would try Sunday morning.
Sunday morning we were at the spot Jude had it the day before at 8:25 and we stood and waited, looking, tried a bit of phishing but nothing was moving. We moved a bit up the trail and Jerry spotted a sparrow, as we got bins on it he said Swamp but the sun hit it just at that moment and we both could see the orange on the face! It was the Nelson’s, a very pretty sparrow, that quickly flew back into the reeds. Jerry was a bit upset he had not taken a pic of the bird instead of using bins. We had talked about that being our strategy but we were also a bit frazzled and stressed as we were getting calls from his Mom while we stood there. She was confused and in the middle of a delusion and so I walked away to try and calm her leaving Jerry to try for a picture. He got a great picture with gorgeous detail doing the splits holding on to grass stalks. Another birder showed up, saw the bird but was trying to get a picture too. We ended up seeing the bird many times as it flew back and forth close to the trail and left shortly after to head to his Mom’s. Bird #324.
Nelson’s Sparrow
Only 12 weeks left in the year and there are only 3 expected species left – Brant, Black-legged Kittiwake and Purple Sandpiper. With 362 birds seen in Ontario this year, including those three, I am really hoping for more rarities to show up. I will chase some “expected rarities” by continuing lake and hawk watches and hope we can get lucky at some point. We are still in first place in Ontario with the closest birder at 314, 10 birds behind us. We have seen 89.5% of the birds reported this year and have just crossed 40,000Kms driven and 1,000km walked while birding so far.
Monday the forecast winds look good for a lake watch in Sarnia on Lake Huron so I think we will be heading there to see what that will bring and get a checklist in one more County.
The forecast changed overnight and the winds looked good again for Lake Watching so we headed to Hamilton Monday afternoon and spent 5 hours scoping and chatting with other birders. The winds were quite strong so I was hoping for something good but it was fairly quiet with just a couple of Parasitic Jaegers coming in for a close look at the shore and a Sabine’s Gull later.
Tuesday there was a report of an Ibis up in Cambridge so we went up to see it on the off chance it would be identified as a Glossy and add it to our Hamilton Study Area list. Many of the Ibis’s seen in the fall are juvenile birds and it is very difficult to ID them to either Glossy or White-faced. Pictures were looked at carefully and it was determined to be a Glossy Ibis. That was a bird we chased way back in the spring and drove 4.5 hours to see and now here is one 30 minutes away from our house. But it is a far easier ID in the spring.
Thursday we headed up to the northern Ontario Field Ornithologists Conference instead of attending the southern one in Leamington. We left early knowing that we wanted to bird along the way. I also wanted to get checklists in 2 of the remaining Counties so we were taking a detour to do that as well. A report came in that a Kirkland’s warbler was found in Oakville and of course we were 2 hours into our drive up north. I was starting to think committing to a whole weekend up north might have been a bad idea… We stopped at the Bracebridge Sewage Lagoons to get a checklist in Muskoka County and to see if we could find a Nelson’s Sparrow that had been reported but we did not find the sparrow, many other species of sparrows but not a Nelson’s. We then detoured along highway 60 to Oxtongue Ragged Falls to put in a checklist for Haliburton County. We are down to two Counties left to bird in, at either end of the province, Lambton on Lake Huron and Prescott/Russell east of Ottawa.
Ragged Falls
Next stop was the Powassen Sewage Lagoons to see if we could get better pictures of a Hudsonian Godwit that was reported there. When we got out of the car I quickly checked my emails and saw that 2 Red Phalaropes had been reported an hour before at a lagoon about 80 km away. We got back in the car without looking for the Godwit and made our way to the Warren Sewage Lagoons to find the 2 Red Phalaropes happily swimming about. This is a tough bird to get in any given year so I was happy to have the chance to add it to my rarities list. The Kirkland’s Warbler had not been re-found in Oakville so I was feeling better about my decision to head north.
Red Phalarope
Friday we attended the OFO outings that included bird-banding in the morning and more sewage lagoons in the afternoon. While we didn’t expect to add any birds to our list it was fun to be out with other birders, socialize a bit and learn about the Hilliardton Research and Bird Banding Center. The banders are all volunteers that are excellent at explaining the intricacies of bird banding and identification and then go the extra step to patiently show you how to hold the birds before release.
Net removalLincoln’s and Swamp SparrowReleasing a White-crowned Sparrow
Friday night we were privileged to attend the owl banding at the centre. They band Northern Saw-whet Owls, which we have only heard this year and Boreal Owls which we have not added to our list yet. The weather was a bit warm and apparently owls prefer to migrate in cooler temperatures but they were hopeful we would get at least one owl. The first net check had 2 Saw-whet owls and we were very happy to see these tiny owls, watch the banding process and then the release. The banders work quickly but allow for some photo ops and then a quick release outside where the owls are placed in a tree until their eyes re-adjust.
Northern Saw-whet Owl
The banders then headed to the nets and area where they were calling for Boreal Owls and we waited and waited. A longer wait is a good thing, as it usually means they are carefully untangling owls from the net. When the volunteer banders arrived back they entered the room triumphantly carrying four!!! bags! We have seen a Boreal Owl only once before and the view was not great so it was a fantastic experience to see one close up, take pictures and then both Jerry and I got to release an owl back into the wild. Such a fantastic experience!
Boreal Owl
I need to talk about my decision to add this species to my list because it will be controversial to some birders. Generally, it is frowned upon to add birds that are seen while being banded to your list as your list should be only birds that you or others find in the wild and while they are being banded they are “captive”. The question is when do they technically become wild again? Some birders use the rule where they won’t add the bird while it is being banded but once it is released then it is technically “wild” again and they will add it then. Some will say they have to see the bird fly some distance away or re-find it later to count it and others won’t care either way. The ABA (American Birding Association) suggests the bird not be counted while it is “under the influence of captivity” so the initial release would be part of that. There will be lots of opinions, just as there are lots of birders. Ultimately, it is my list and I have decided to add these wild Boreal Owls that happened to spend some time in human hands but then were released back to the wild in my presence. I plan to still take another trip north in December and will try to get a Boreal Owl to respond to calls that would also count in an effort to satisfy every opinion. Bird #323
Hilliardton Marsh Research and Education Center gets no government funding so they rely on private and corporate donations. Please check out their website https://thehilliardtonmarsh.com/ and consider becoming a member and/or making a donation. The daily bird banding is open to the public in the spring and fall and the owl banding has to be reserved for a fee and is sold out very quickly each year. We have become members and will be making yearly donations.
Saturday we attended more OFO outings and did a bit of a private drive on our own hoping to turn up a Boreal Chickadee that is still on our list as a “heard only” but the forests were pretty quiet. Sunday we headed home early and stopped at the Powassan Lagoons again but did not find anything exciting. In the end the trip up north was the right decision, there were no rarities found at the southern conference at Pelee and the Kirtland’s was never refound but we added two birds to our list.
Next week we will be targeting two more expected species – Nelson’s Sparrow and Black-legged Kittiwakes.
We headed to Grimsby Wetlands early Monday morning hoping the Cinnamon Teal remained and after 30 mins or so of scanning the bulrushes it was re-found! Finally our #320! The duck remained partially obscured for quite a while but eventually moved closer so that pictures could be taken. This is a Western species commonly seen in Alberta or British Columbia and it is quite rare to have them in Ontario so many birders will make the trip to see this duck.
There are over 200 checklists from that hotspot this week and it still remains there and birders keep arriving. There will likely be a few hundred more that will attempt to see this duck. Robert Baumander and Dave Archbell sent me these group shots from our visit. Jerry is shooting from up on a bench for a clearer picture.
taken by Robert Baumandertaken by Dave Archbell
Tuesday we birded Hamilton again mainly because we have had to visit Jerry’s mom almost daily as her dementia symptoms increase. We took another look at Princess Point for the Yellow-crowned Night Heron but again only saw Black-crowned. The winds were right for lake watching but we had our community Lions dinner meeting (we are both members) so we reluctantly headed home. Just past 5:00 a few birders at the lake had 3 Common Eiders fly past! That would be a great bird to add to my list and I was super sad that I missed them. They may be on the lake for a while so we will be looking for these ducks over the next few weeks.
Wednesday we headed to Jerry’s mom’s again and then on to lake watch. Just before we arrived Cheryl and Rob had seen a Pomarine Jaeger, the only Jaeger I have left to see, and shortly after we arrived we had it flying with a Parasitic Jaeger for bird #321. I had to rely on the expert birders to confirm that sighting as I am still learning about Jaegers and the subtle differences between them. This is the first year where I am actually able to tell them apart from the gulls and other birds flying around out on the lake. The day got better as we had a Juvenile Long-tailed Jaeger cruise right by the viewing deck and then an adult with streamers fly past later as well as watching 5-7 Parasitic Jaegers chasing down gulls trying to get food. We also saw distant views of Sabine’s Gulls. A great day on the lake to get all 3 Jaeger species and the Gull as well. I only need Black-legged Kittiwake now but there is always the chance for rarities, like the Eiders, so we will get down there as often as we can with NE winds.
The new viewing deck is finally finished at Van Wagners Beach and while it does not meet all our birding needs it is an improvement on the old deck.
We celebrated the weeks new birds with some yummy appetizers at Oh Bombay in Burlington.
Delicious!
Thursday the winds were again from the NE so we headed down to the lake again, this time we brought his Mom with us and it was nice to see her happy to spend some time outside and watching the goings on at the lake. It was a quiet day for birds, but we had the usual questions from passers-by about what we were looking for. I am happy to explain as long as I am not missing something flying by and there is always the hope that I turn someone new onto birding. We almost always have good conversations and experiences with the people who stop and I am happy to be one of the faces of birding at Van Wagners beach. I even met someone who knows someone from our tiny village of Glen Morris.
Friday morning with NE winds yet again we decided to drive and bird along the lake from Grimsby back to Van Wagners. We were hoping to run across the Common Eiders that had been briefly seen and that area of the lake is a hangout for ducks in the winter months so we thought we would check it out. There were few birds along the lake and we ended up at Van Wagners by 1:30. There were more birders than the previous day including a couple from California that were trying to see their first Jaegers. They ended up seeing a Parasitic and also lifer Sabines Gulls so we were happy to have helped them a bit. We had more activity than the previous day and got onto jaegers fairly quickly then had a lull for a few hours and then things picked up between 4 and 5 with chances to watch a number of jaegers going after gulls and each other. I am getting much better at picking them out even far out in the lake. The amount of time on lake watches has been well worth it.
The winds changed a bit on Saturday and we welcomed a day off to catch up on laundry and household chores. We had 8 cords of firewood delivered this week and we got all that stacked and ready for winter. I started putting some of the porch furniture away as we are not likely to be needing it in the next few weeks. People were still down at the Lake Watch and had Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers and at some point they saw some ducks way off in the distance and took some camera shots that look to be Eiders. The two days I did not do lake watches and eiders were seen! Why is this sooooo hard! LOL!
Sunday we headed back into Hamilton and scoped the lake from all the spots in Burlington where the Eiders had been seen and then back to Van Wagners for the afternoon Lake Watch. The winds were not really good but we saw Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers. I was hoping for Eiders. None were seen even though we hung in there until after 6 when it started to rain a bit. Rain and south winds are in the forecast for the next few days so there might be a bit of a lull in lake watching while we turn our attention to a sparrow – Nelson’s Sparrows should start arriving next week in Southern Ontario. We also have the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) conference next weekend and we will be heading to the northern one instead of Pelee.
