Monday and Tuesday were long driving days with no time to stop for birds. We were anxious to get home having been gone for 7 weeks. A very early Pomarine Jaeger was being seen at Van Wagners Beach in Hamilton and we considered stopping on our way home to see if it was still around but we were soooo tired and the highways for once were really moving well so we opted to get home earlier rather than battle commute traffic if we stopped. The Jaeger was seen that evening of course. I might regret that when we are in miserable conditions in October trying to find one, but there is also a chance to see one out East in September.

Oh, it was good to get home! And the heat was nice too after so many cool blustery days. We spent Wednesday and Thursday doing all the chores necessary after a long trip – groceries, laundry, clearing spider webs. We saw half of our family and visited Babi. Some of you have asked about Jerry’s mom. Babi did reasonably well with us gone, she contacted us many days and we had conversations with her while driving through mountains, on top of mountains, hiking in the woods, walking beaches. Cell service is truly a miracle. She did have a number of falls from not using her walker but with no serious injury so far. Thankfully in her mind she thinks we were away “for a few days” and she usually thinks she has just arrived at the place she is at. We were happy that she was safe and secure and well looked after and that we could travel without repercussions to her health.

Since this is a slow week I thought I would post some things from the trip that did not get into the last blogs.

Outside of Calgary we had this wonderful experience with a Swainson’s Hawk and an Eastern Kingbird. The Kingbirds clearly had a nest near by and perhaps so did the Swainson’s as neither would leave the area. The Kingbird, showing the red/orange crown that is rarely seen attacked the Hawk over and over, landing on its neck and pecking it’s head again and again. The Hawk squawked loudly with each peck and tried flying further but the Kingbird pursued. They went around and around above us for a good 5 minutes or more and Jerry just kept snapping.

The Icefields Parkway should be on everyone’s bucket list and is still the most spectacular way to experience the Rockies. Here are some videos of the drive down the Icefields Parkway to Calgary that still do not adequately portray the true immensity of those mountains.

So we sit at 396 and there are still many species yet to see. We have now seen all 217 of the #1 ranked birds, the common species in Ontario, and we have seen all but 5 of the #2 ranked birds in Ontario. The 5 left are Black Vulture, Redpoll, White-winged Crossbill, Bohemian Waxwing and Dickcissel. I expect to see all of these but the Boreal species might have to wait until the winter months. I still have 14 species to see of #3 ranked birds with most of those being Eastern birds. Some of those we will likely miss because it will be late to see them in September. There are still 12 #4 ranked birds, birds that require a special trip to see or find in Ontario or out East. These #4 birds include the three Jaeger species, Sabine’s Gull, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Shearwaters and Boreal Owl. I also still hope to see some #5-6 ranked birds like the other two Ptarmigan species out East and any rarities that show up in Ontario. The potential is there for another 20-30 birds which sounds crazy to me.

We caught up with the rest of the family and friends over the weekend and will be ready to get back to birding next week. I’ll leave you with a video of our Dusky Grouse “Lifer” that did not make it into the blog last week.

Week 30 0 species added 396 E&J