During week 8 we only birded in our backyard because of weather, illness and condo work. No new species came to the feeders and so our numbers remained the same. 161 for E, 162 for J
The snow started melting the beginning of week 9 and on Monday we finally got out to bird a bit. We headed to Wilkes Dam in Brantford for a walk along the river not expecting to add any birds for the year but open to the possibility of a common species that we need turning up. It was windy but you could feel spring in that wind and there were other birders out as well. It ended up being a bit more of a social event as we ran into local Brant Birders that we have not seen through the winter so lots of chatting, less birding. We added a few species for Brant County and then moved on to Gilkison’s Flats in Brantford. The snow was getting slippery as it melted and the paths made walking difficult. I complained to Jerry that there were no birds and while the sun felt good, the walking was awkward. But once we hit the main path we discovered it had been plowed! I was happy and as we headed down the path I was thinking about what birds we might see. I glanced off the path and saw a rounded shape on a tree branch, different, brown and my heart skipped a beat. A sharp inhale as I pulled up my bins to confirm what I already knew – an OWL! – a Long-eared Owl! and then I realized there was another one on the branch below!. OMG, finding your own Owls is the best experience in birding and I was super excited. While they usually roost in conifers these Long-eared Owls were in tangled branches. Just like that the boring birding day turned into one of the BEST days!
We already have Long-eared Owls on our year list but we needed a picture. Jerry took some pictures and then we moved away down the path as the one owl had woken and moved into his tall/skinny look which I take to mean he is unhappy. The second owl continued to sleep in the few minutes we spent there.
We cannot share reports of owls on Discord to protect them from disturbance but we have a small group of birders in Brant County that I trust as ethical birders and I know would not disturb these birds. I texted the info and location and then we walked further along the path not finding anything else of interest. Andy and Rob arrived and we lead them back to the owls and they spent a few minutes with them and then we left. We went to see Babi for the rest of the afternoon and then picked up our grandkids after school and headed back to Gilkison’s so that Hunter and Hannah could see their first Long-eared Owls!
Late Tuesday a report of multiple Ross’s Geese came in from the Long Point area which was perfect as we had planned to be birding Wednesday and we did not want to have to go through Toronto to get the one that was still being seen sporadically in Pickering. We headed down to the spot and found a field of Sandhill Cranes ( a new year bird) and lots of Canada Geese to scope through.
We found 2 Ross’s Geese far back in the field but moving further back from us. Jerry took some pics but they would not be the best for an ID. We were pretty sure from our scope views that they had a smaller bill and no grin patch and they were smaller than the Canada Geese around them. Still, we wanted better pics.
At the same time as we posted our 2, Sue had 4 further along the road. In the time it took for us to drive around between the two initial sighting spots all the Ross’s flew. We eventually met up with Sue and Henny and had a lovely chat and then went with them to check out some spots they suggested and sure enough we found the Ross’s again, way back again but clearly visible in the scope. We continued into Long Point and walked around Old Cut but just the usual suspects were around. We got a call from Sue that she had refound the Ross’s again east of Port Rowan so we headed there and just before the field she had them in we had a Ross’s Goose fly into a field we were driving past. It landed pretty close to the road but we drove over to Sue’s spot only to realize the white goose there was a Snow Goose. A Blue Morph Snow Goose was also close by. The Ross’s from there must have been the one we had flying into the other field. Jerry took some quick pics of the Snow’s and then we headed back to where the Ross’s was and finally enjoyed close views in the scope and good picture ops for Jerry. After 17 days of not adding a bird, we finally added 2 species.
On Friday we just birded a bit locally and managed to add a few species for our Ontario list and another new year bird, Eastern Bluebird. I’m still one bird behind Jerry, a Sharp-shinned Hawk has not shown up for me YET!
On the weekend we went full out on the condo as we are trying to get it ready to rent by May. Next week we hope that warmer weather will bring some more spring species. Hopefully, spring is around the corner!
Week 9 3 new species added 164 species for E 165 species for J