Monday, we headed to Niagara Falls to try for a Black-legged Kittiwake and make a concentrated effort for a Black Vulture. We have been in the Falls 3-4 times this year to visit friends and family so our time has always been limited to quick stops hoping to catch sight of one. The vulture that is most common in Ontario is the Turkey Vulture and the Black Vulture is a southern species that is very rare in Ontario. It just happens that a very small population reside in Niagara Falls New York and so any birder in Ontario who wants to add Black Vulture to their list heads to Niagara Falls Ontario and hopes to see the US birds in Canadian airspace or some count them for Ontario if they see them in the US but are standing in Ontario. Because this is a Big Year I wanted to make sure the birds themselves were in Canada.

We arrived at 8am and between scoping for the Kittiwake and looking for the Vulture the time passed. By noon I decided we had to stay the whole day and just keep trying different areas and trying back and forth for the two birds. We made 3 attempts for the Kittiwake, scoping about an hour each time and feel confident that we did not miss it. Basically, we were looking through 40 Bonapartes Gulls for one that looked identical but had a black collar on the neck. Not an easy thing to see with waves and wind but by late afternoon it was very calm and we still could not find a Gull with a black collar. We will have other chances for that bird in the fall and winter. While standing at the Queenston Heights overlook for vultures we had our first Osprey fly over but did not get a picture. Bird #168

Everyone knows the key places to see the vultures, at the Overlook and the Locust Picnic Area, but we were not having any luck so we stopped at a picnic area by the Lewiston Bridge and walked along the river as we had seen a few Turkey Vultures in the area. We saw 6 Turkey vultures on the cliffs of the river and then on the way back to the car I saw a smaller black vulture flying downriver with just the silver tips on the wings. We raced back along the path trying to keep up with it and get pictures. The bird was along the river and hard to determine if it was in Canada or the US. We decided to head back to Locust Grove Picnic Area as we know they roost there and see if it might have tucked in again. No vulture but I suggested we sit for a minute and check what other birds were around and it had warmed up. After sitting for a bit, as we got up to go, a man was moving quickly with a camera through the area and as we watched him a Black Vulture appeared in the picnic area – in Canada! Much excitement, the birder had seen it down where we had and was trying to get pics too. Jerry managed some more pics and suddenly a second Black Vulture appeared as well as another local birder who told us they have seen as many as 6-9 Black Vultures at a time. We were very happy to see two.

And then Tuesday to Saturday was a combination of bad weather, caregiving, spreading wood chips on our garden areas and some social time with our granddaughters and the family. Few new birds were arriving so I felt comfortable to wait it out knowing these are birds that I will eventually come across. Have you all heard that enough over the last 3-4 weeks? Are you all silently yelling at me, “Get out birding!”?

Saturday after brunch with our kids we did a quick drive to Paris Plains Church Road to view the Lapland Longspurs that migrate through each year at this time. We added them to the list a while back but Jerry wanted to get better pics if he could and of the males in breeding colours. There were many birders on the road watching and the birds were not too far away giving nice scope views. Camera pictures were still a challenge as they blend into the corn fields extremely well.

Sunday was a gorgeous day with temps hitting into the high teens and we decided to do a birding blitz before dinner with his mom. We wanted to focus on areas where the birds that have arrived might be. Fields for sparrows, forest for Wrens and Towhees, water for Terns, Egrets and Herons. We started with another trip to Paris Plains Church Road (10 mins from home) for new sparrows and quickly heard a Savannah Sparrow, bird #170, near the spot we had been viewing Lapland Longspurs late Saturday. We searched for a Vesper Sparrow but came up empty again. We know they are there, reports have been coming in, so next time we are by hopefully we see it. We then headed to Dundas Conservation Area on the way to Hamilton and walked the 4km main loop trail that winds up and down the valley giving me 17 floors on my pedometer. It is a gorgeous, strenuous walk. We finally added Winter Wren! It was singing very loudly from some scrub near a stream but we could not see it. Wrens are tiny little birds with big voices and they blend extremely well with the branches they love to sit amongst. Hopefully we will catch up with another one so Jerry can get a picture.

After shedding some layers as the day warmed we headed to Windemere Basin, a water area known for Terns, Egrets and Herons but came up empty. Jerry did get some nice pics of the Tree Swallows that have just arrived and were already choosing nesting boxes.

Next stop was Princess Point where we walked around the water area and had a Caspian Tern fly past – Jerry got a quick pic and then we noticed some swallows and realized that one of them was not a Tree Swallow but a Barn Swallow with its forked tail and dark underbelly. Another new bird! We walked back into the forest around the Point to an area we often have seen Eastern Towhees but they have not arrived to that spot yet. All in all a pretty good blitz day, adding 4 more birds for a total of 6 for the week. Only two real days of birding, one at the beginning and one at the end – bookends.

Next week is a full on birding week, with local birding of marshes and wetlands, Long Point and maybe even Pelee or Rondeau or both near weeks end or weekend. Things are picking up nicely and we are going to be very busy…

Week 14 6 new birds added 173 species seen J&E