Monday we had to be in Hamilton so we went early to Fifty Point and try and do a bit of lake watching to get some common ducks but the winds were coming off the the lake so fast that it was next to impossible to see anything in the waves. So we opted to search some pines for a Northern Saw-whet Owl that are often found in the area but came up empty. We decided to check more sheltered areas along the lake and added species as we went and ended up at LaSalle Marina where the proximity of the ducks makes it easy to get decent pictures. We ended up adding 11 new species for the year, all common.

The next five days were a whirlwind of getting things ready to move Babi into memory care but we managed to see a few species new for the year. On Wednesday we picked up a Northern Mockingbird that is spending its 3rd winter in my brother’s backyard when we dropped some things off. Heading home from the hospital late afternoon we were on Bay Street when a discord report of a Cackling Goose at Bayfront Park came in so we detoured quickly, grabbed our bins and saw the Goose within 15 minutes of the report! One of those great twitches! Jerry added Turkey Vulture on Thursday while I was at home and then I saw one the next day to even us out again. These early months are when it is most likely that we have different numbers because we know the other will see these common species soon enough.

Babi moved into memory care on Friday after a month in hospital and it gave us an immediate sense of relief that it is no longer just us trying to care for her. It will be a huge adjustment for her as she grieves for her apartment and all her precious belongings but we hope that she will eventually enjoy the social aspect of the place.

On Sunday we met up with Jason and Jenny for a walk through Brant Park hoping to find owls. It was a lovely day with some sunshine and warm enough as long as we kept moving. We spread out and wandered through the evergreen trees looking for any tell-tale owl shapes in the trees. Jerry was lucky enough to find 2 Long-eared Owls but they flushed as Crows mobbed them, Jason saw one of them flush but both Jenny and I missed them. We walked further down the road and went back into the trees where we heard Chickadee’s mobbing something and again Jerry got to the spot and saw a Long-eared Owl and I managed to have a quick look at it before it flushed. We stopped looking at that point not wanting to bother the Owl as it was obviously being irritated by the birds around it. We continued our walk and over 4 hours we ended up seeing 28 species, 4 new species for my year list and 7 more to my Brant County list. Jerry missed a couple of birds, Pileated Woodpecker and Red-Shouldered Hawk that the three of us heard so he will be behind me for a bit and I still need to see them as well. We ended the walk seeing a beautiful adult Bald Eagle, one of the pair that nest on the Grand River and Jerry got a lovely picture of it.

We should be able to get out and bird a bit more over the next week and see if we can catch up with some more of the common winter birds that are around. I had hoped to be taking a trip to Quebec for winter owls and ducks but I think that might not happen at this point. We are talking of a trip to Cochrane because the Ptarmigans are back up there this year and it would be easier than trying for them in Quebec. We are also starting to plan a winter trip to BC. More to come next week…

Week 2 20 new species added, no rarities Ellen 85 Jerry 83