Great Gray Owl | The Ovenbird Blog

Week 23 Part 1-Rainy River Delivers!!!

by Ellen Horak | Jun 4, 2025 | Canada 400

As all our travels begin, we were up at 4am and on the road by 4:30. We love leaving early so the drive through Toronto is empty and fast. We were up in Sudbury by 9am and in Wawa by 3 with a few stops along the way to stretch legs, take a walk and check out birds. We headed to the Wawa sewage lagoons, a favourite birding spot and walked the road across from the lagoons where we saw and then heard our first Alder Flycatcher of the year. We checked the lagoons and I saw a bird that looked different on the fence, at first glance I was thinking a Mockingbird but my bins told me a Western Kingbird! We will, of course see lots of these through the Prairies but it is a nice rarity for Ontario. As the bird flew around Jerry moved down to the road to get some pics of it on the wires and he was distracted by a bright yellow bird flying in the trees across from the lagoons and he took a second look and said to me, “Western Tanager”. I thought he was just mixed up and meant Scarlet but no it was a Western Tanager! Right across from the Western Kingbird. Two rarities to Ontario within feet of each other! I made Jerry show me pics and checked against Ibird Pro because at times like this I almost do not believe my eyes. Yes, the identifications were correct. Suddenly within minutes we had added 3 new birds to our list. A VERY good start to our west trip.

Monday the temperature was 0C and we were on the road just after 6. Within the first hours we saw 3 moose feeding on the side of the road at different spots.

Shortly after that we passed a man who had driven his car off the road deep into the gravel and was clearly stuck. We stopped and offered to call for assistance. There was no cell service there so I got his details and we left him, thinking we would have to go to the nearest town but a few minutes later I suggested I try to call 911 as my phone had said it has satellite. Sure enough it connected to 911 and they connected me to local police so I could relay the information and send out a car and tow truck. We continued on and stopped to bird in a few places along the route. Terrace Bay being one of our favourite. While we added nothing new it is a lovely place to visit.

Red Chair Trail Terrace Bay Lake Superior

The next stop was in Rossport which is merely a drive off the highway through the tiny town and back on again but it has had an amazing number of rarities over the years and we were lucky enough to see a Yellow-headed Blackbird to add to our list and finally saw a Purple Finch in Ontario. We saw one in BC in February and usually would have seen multiple birds in Ontario by now.

Yellow-headed Blackbird (young male without full yellow)

By Thunder Bay smoke from the wildfires north of Kenora was noticeable in the air and the temperature was 30C! We crossed the Central Time Zone line and instantly gained another hour to use for birding LOL. We arrived in Rainy River, in rain, at 5 and settled in to the Walla Walla Inn for a quick supper and then out to bird. We wanted to try for Yellow Rails and Whip-poor-wills for Jerry. Those of you who have been reading the blog from last year will recall the window screens I made for the car to keep mosquitoes out.

Window Screens and Bug Nets – Pic from last year 2024 Rainy River

We really needed them Monday night. The mosquitoes even breached the screens because a magnet came off and so there was much slapping going on in the car as we waited to hear the tic tic of a rail. Nothing. and so we moved on for the Whip-poor-will. Nothing. We knew from last year that we also heard them along the road home and so we opted to head home having lost all patience with the numerous mosquitoes buzzing around us and within a minute we heard the Whip-poor-will almost beside the car. We pulled over, recorded the song and happily went home to bed.

Tuesday morning we were on the same road again at 5am. Because it was only 4C there were few mosquitoes, the opposite of the night before. Still I had my head net on and gloves so no bites for me! Phil joined us and the three of us spread apart a bit down the road to cover a larger area and then listened for the “tapping of rocks together”. That is how the Yellow Rail song is described and indeed it sounds exactly like that. I heard the song and called Jerry and Phil over and then they heard it again. A few minutes later Leo joined us and he heard some further back with his young ears! It was a great start to the day complete with a beautiful sunrise. We headed off for our other targets and by 10:30 we had heard a Connecticut Warbler, seen Sharp-tailed Grouse, a bonus Spruce Grouse I was not expecting to get here, Black-billed Magpie, Brewer’s Blackbird, and great pics of Leconte’s Sparrow.

We took a break at the hotel and Phil stopped by to tell us he and Leo had just found two Great Gray Owls about 20 minutes away. We rushed back out and found one that we spent some minutes photographing and taking videos. Just us and the owl. The owl was preening and looking around for possible snacks showing no signs of stress from us being there. Still, we limited our time and headed back for an early microwave dinner.

After dinner we headed back out to see if the Connecticut’s might still be singing but it was very quiet on the road so we opted to drive a circle and see if the owl was still there. It was, and this time we saw the second one across the road and further back. We took a few more pictures and then headed back and suddenly I saw a lump on a tree and it was another Great Gray Owl!!! Three in ONE DAY!!! CRAZY, that we spent all those years trying to see the first one and now 3 in a day. They are an awesome bird to see, there is something magical about them. Rainy River has delivered and then some. We added 7 species to our Canada list and 9 to our Ontario list. Wednesday we head into the Prairies.

Week 23 Rainy River and a Lifer!

by Ellen Horak | Jun 9, 2024 | Ontario Birds 2024

We left early Saturday and drove to Wawa with a couple of birding stops along the way. In Thessalon we looked for Eurasian Tree Sparrows that we had tried for twice in the winter. Its been a few weeks since they were reported and we found nothing at the two known spots. Wawa is a fav spot to stop on our way west and the Mystic Isle Motel does not disappoint. We birded the Wawa sewage lagoons and Magpie Falls.

At the Falls the woods were full of warblers and we spent some time getting close eye level views of Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Magnolia, Northern Parula and Redstarts. We also heard Northern Waterthrush, Tennessee and Black-and-white Warblers. It was lovely to have these views that we missed at Pelee this year.

Sunday we only drove 5 hrs to Thunder Bay but birded a number of spots along the way hoping to turn up a rarity. We started the day in fog as seems to happen at this time of year along Lake Superior and as we hit some clearer areas we managed to see 1 moose and then further along 2 more moose and then a beautiful Cross fox (a melanistic red fox with black stripes across its shoulders and back).

A lucky start to the day, would it result in being lucky with the birds? I spent the time scanning the sides of the road ever hopeful for an Owl. We stopped at Terrace Bay, Rossport, Hurkett Dock and then we visited the McKellar island Bird Observatory in Thunder Bay and stopped in at Chippewa Park. The birding was hit and miss and we found nothing to add to our list. We visited Kakabeka Falls in the evening but didn’t bird the trails.

Monday we left early and because of gaining an hour we were in Rainy River by 10am. Along the way I spotted a Black Bear but it ran into the bush before we could get a photo. We stopped first at Spruce Island PP, the area where Connecticut Warblers nest and started a slow drive stopping often to hear warblers singing. The selection was great but most birds were only heard because of the thick forest. We used our car window screens that I made in 2022 for our car so we could listen but keep the hundreds of mosquitoes at bay.

We could hear a Mourning Warbler close to the road and got out to find it singing gustily on an open branch on the edge of the road. Jerry was happy to take many pictures and I managed some video too. It was lovely to have such fantastic views of this often secretive bird.

A bit further along we finally heard a Connecticut Warbler. We have yet to see this warbler and it remains on our life list as a heard only bird. We are hoping this trip that will change. Despite walking the road and hanging around listening to it sing we never got it to come closer or managed to see it. We moved on anxious to add more birds to our list and checked out fields where Marbled Godwits often rest but we did not see any. Then we headed to Wilson Creek Road, the known spot for Yellow Rail, Sedge Wrens and LeConte’s Sparrows. We have Yellow Rail already but will try for an early morning to get a recording for our blog and we added Sedge Wren and LeConte’s quite quickly. No photo of the Sparrow as they are another species that is notoriously skulky. We took an afternoon break, had an early dinner and headed back out in the evening to check out the sewage lagoons. I forgot about spraying for ticks and as we walked we could see them jumping on our pants. I must have pulled off 10-20 from myself and Jerry had just as many. We used our lint roller when we got back to the car and it worked quite well. For the next 3 hours we were pulling ticks off of ourselves, my neck, Jerry’s legs, our clothing all while we continued to bird. I cannot forget to spray before we get near any grass out here!

To end the evening we did a dusk watch again on Wilson Creek Road hoping to hear an Eastern Whip-poor-will. As the sun set we were treated to calls and songs from American Bittern, American Woodcock, the wrens and sparrows. We also heard the hundreds of mosquitoes at our window screens trying desperately to get to us. A few made it in but for the most part it was enjoyable to sit and listen without the whine and bites from mosquitoes. And no I was not drunk but couldn’t get the the right angle for my phone LOL – A videographer I am not!

Just as it got dark we finally heard a far off Whip. We drove down the road and made it to a spot where the song was very loud. We listened and enjoyed it for many minutes before starting the drive home.

I was driving on a narrow gravel road, using high beams and we saw a couple of Whips flying up and around the roads. I was watching for animals coming out, birds on the road and other traffic and suddenly I noticed a small lump on the road. I braked hard, it went into the air, and the car hit it and I knew it was an Eastern Whip-poor-will! I was devastated. We checked on it but it was dead. I felt horrible. We went from the high of adding 5 birds during the day to the low of being responsible for a bird to die because of me being out there enjoying the birds.

We got back to the hotel past 10pm and needed to shower and de-tick ourselves. No way was I wanting any ticks in our bed! We fell in to a deep sleep at 11:30 and the alarm went off at 4:30 so we could get to the Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek in hope of getting some pictures.

When we arrived at the Lek in the morning there were no Grouse around. Perhaps we were too late as it was light when we left our hotel and we are not sure what time they actually come into the fields. We did see a Western Meadowlark (the only place in Ontario to get this species) and Jerry got some nice photos in the morning light. We then headed up to the Connecticut Warbler spot again but again it was singing but not coming to the road. We are aware that people use pishing and playback to see and get pictures of these birds but we are not prepared to do this especially at breeding time so we will make numerous trips and hope that one day it will appear before us. We had a large bird flush from the trees and fly up the road ahead of us so we moved up the road as well. It landed in a tree quite a ways up and because of the low light (forest on both sides) it was difficult to make out and as soon as we moved the car it flew into the forest. I wondered if it was a Great Gray Owl, it seemed different from a flying hawk but we are not experts and without a pic or better look we had to let it go. It was a day with thunderstorms and rainstorms and so we moved around a bit trying to avoid the areas of rain and still look for Marbled Godwit and then we drove up to an area where you can often find a Franklin’s Gull (another Western species that shows up here). There were a few fields with Gulls but no Franklin’s. With another storm approaching we decided to head back to the hotel but stopped to check one last field. I scanned the gulls looking for the “different” one, one with a black head and smaller and suddenly, there it was in my bins. We quickly got out the scope to confirm that it was a Franklin’s Gull, not an adult but one with a black head coming in. Woohoo! I had a rarity I was hoping to get up here and bird #307. It always feels better when you find the birds yourself. As Jerry took some hurried pics the thunder and lightening started and we just got back in the car when the rain started.

Heavy thunderstorms with tornado warnings continued and we lost power at our hotel for the next 3-4 hours so our birding day ended although Jerry got out for a quick walk later on. I was content to stay warm inside without lights but at least with a book on my phone to read and catch up on this blog.

Wednesday we started out as we had previous mornings, looking for Marbled Godwit and having no success. We had decided to head an hour further north so we could finally get a birding checklist in one of the last 2 counties in Ontario we have yet to bird. And we wanted to search for a Great Gray Owl. We drove north scanning the roads and fields for Owls and stopped at Caliper Lake PP. The usual mix of warblers were noted and recorded and we had a checklist for Kenora District leaving only one county, Grey County, left in Ontario in which we have not birded. To clarify not for the year, but for all time. Jerry suggested we head a few minutes further north to Nestor Falls and it was there we had a great encounter with a Common Loon right up against the shore allowing us fantastic pics and video.

Finding the birds is one thing but then I want Jerry to get a photo of the bird, and not just a record shot but a great photo LOL. I have a list of photos needed and “better photos needed”. I don’t say it often on this blog but I hope I say it to him enough privately, that he is doing an awesome job! He has the more difficult job, of getting out and waiting for the shot, crouching at weird angles, ignoring swarming bugs, trying to follow fast moving birds etc etc. He does not have a high end camera with a huge lens so the fact that he gets the photos he does with a point and shoot is amazing to me. The Big Year was my dream and I am forever grateful that he bought into it and has not complained (much) of the ride we are on.

Jerry sent out for another “better” photo of a Loon!

We headed back and decided to give the Connecticut Warbler another try as it was on our way before trying for pictures of the LeConte’s Sparrow.

We often talk about the craziness of timing when it comes to birding and what followed was about to be one of those instances – we made the decision to go north for that list, spend the two hours driving north and south again, Jerry suggested going to Nestor Falls, a loon close to shore allowed us great pics and video, we checked for Godwits on our way back to the 619 and we stopped twice and got out of our car to walk listening for warblers and flycatchers hoping to see some to photograph. A thunderstorm was approaching, thunder and lightening could be heard, the wind was picking up and so we returned to our car. Jerry pulled out so I could get in without touching tick infested grass and he drove only a few feet forward at 1:02 pm and a large bird flew out from the left side of the trees and landed in a tree about 40 feet from our car and IT WAS A GREAT GRAY OWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not believe my eyes! My heart was pounding, my hands shaking, we could see it clearly without binoculars but through the windshield. Both of us raised our cameras (thankfully we both had them still on us) and took pics and video and I looked at it through my bins just to enjoy the shear awesomeness of it! It had actually happened! We had our Great Gray Owl! It probably was the bird that flushed yesterday in the same area perhaps nesting nearby. The rain started within seconds of us seeing the owl and within 3 minutes it was a deluge and the Owl hopped deeper into the trees. We sat there stunned and incredibly happy. A three minute encounter we had been waiting 11 years for! The euphoria, the sense of wonder at such a beautiful creature, the thankfulness that we had the opportunity to experience it…there is just something about Owls.

Great Gray Owl through the rain! LIFER #773 for me and bird #308 for the year

Because of the thunderstorms and winds we did not get back out birding again in the evening. We started discussing whether it made sense to stay until Friday or not. The forecast for Thursday was cold, rain and wind again. We had Marbled Godwit left as the bird I still wanted to add and Jerry had not got a photo of LeConte’s or the Connecticut but the chances were slim for both those birds. We decided to do an early morning drive and then decide to stay or leave. A White-winged Dove had been seen in Thunder Bay and I was waiting for an address if the homeowner wanted birders visiting.

Thursday morning we drove our usual route for Godwits but did not see any despite stopping again and scanning every possible field with our bins. It was very windy and cold and the birds for the most part were hunkered down. We opted to head home. I had done some research online for the poster of the White-winged Dove and had sent a message to the homeowner about a possible visit. I heard nothing back as we drove the 5 hours to Thunder Bay where we would have to take a different highway to the Dove. I had an address and we discussed whether we should just show up or not. It was clear the poster did not want people to just show up and I do not feel good about showing up and skulking around someone’s home looking for a bird even if I am on public property. It is a moral dilemma and so we drove on past and headed to Wawa for the night. Hours later the owner contacted me to say the bird was still around so again I probably made a “wrong” decision. It would have added 4 hours or more to a 10 hour driving day and rainstorms might have made finding the bird difficult but still…we probably should have gone for it.

Back last Sunday a Blue Grosbeak had been found in London as we headed north and surprisingly it was still being reported a week later. We decided that on Friday we would head to London first before home and try to add the bird to our list. It was an 11 hour drive through multiple rain storms but thankfully little traffic and we arrived at Komoka PP at 3:54 and had the Blue Grosbeak singing as we got our bins and cameras from the car. So nice when that happens! Bird #309. Seeing it was another story. The bird was in trees in an area behind the parking lot fence with no trail access to the public. We scanned the trees, we looked deep into the trees, we tried to align with where the singing was coming from.

Just after an hour or so of scanning and walking and scanning, I finally had a quick glimpse of the bird as it chased an Indigo Bunting from an area deep in the shadows of the trees. We tracked it a bit and Jerry had a quick glimpse. We continued scanning and looking and over the next hour managed to quickly see it a few more times. Jerry snapped a few photos but was not sure that he had a pic. It was out on a dead tree branch for a bit longer and I had it in my bins but trying to tell others where to look was difficult and Jerry missed that shot. After 2 hours we had to head for home – a very long day and we still had an hour to drive.

When we got home and Jerry looked through his pics he found he had a decent record shot of the Grosbeak! He knew he had a very blurry one but this one was markedly “better” showing the whole bird.

Saturday and Sunday were filled with caregiving duties, laundry and housekeeping chores. For the first time this year I had no “needs alert” emails on Sunday. I have one sparrow (sensitive species) to see and there is a Laughing Gull I have been trying to catch up with along Lake Erie but other than a rarity, I will probably have to wait until August shorebird migration to add more species. I have 12 birds I expect to see in the fall/winter which will take me into the 320’s. Then it will be whatever rarities show up that determine my final numbers. Still plenty of birding left to do though not at quite the pace it has been.

Week 23 8 more species added, 1 new LIFER, 309 species seen J&E