North Shore Nature

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch roundup: Feb 3, 2012 update

2012-02-03T01:14:00.000-08:00

With the report of so many Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches showing up north of Lake Superior, I thought I'd keep a running tally for the greater Great Lakes region. Some of the following is cribbed from earlier blog postings. I will update this with new sightings or status changes to known birds.

[February 3rd update] Presently there are single GCRFs visiting feeders the communities of MacDiarmid and Rossport, in the Thunder Bay District. With the inclusion of two sightings from neighbouring jurisdictions, the total for this fall-winter season is now seven (MN: 1; MB: 1; ON: 4; NY: 1). Five of these birds were discovered at feeders. The remaining two were encountered and briefly observed in the field under more natural circumstances.

Here's the listing, starting with the most recently found:

Jan. 24, 2012 - Feb. 3, 2012. Rossport, Thunder Bay District, ON. Seen at two neighbouring feeders operated by Marco Tremblay and Gord Smith. Now, a steady mid-day visitor at Gord Smith's. [Nominate tephrocotis or interior subspecies.]

Rossport, Thunder Bay Dist. Courtesy of Gord Smith.

Rossport, Thunder Bay Dist. Jan. 24, 2012. Courtesy of Marco Tremblay.

Jan. 10, 2012 - Feb. 3, 2012. Rocky Bay - MacDiarmid, Thunder Bay District, ON. Visiting feeder of Agnes and Harold Michon. [Nominate tephrocotis or interior subspecies.]

MacDiarmid, ON. Thunder Bay Dist. Jan. 23, 2012. Courtesy of Greg Stroud

Jan. 4 - Jan. 5. 2012. . Geraldton, Thunder Bay District, ON. Visiting feeder of Terry and Alain Saindon. [Hepburn's littoralis or coastal subspecies.]

Geraldton, Thunder Bay Dist. Jan. 4, 2012. Courtesy of Terry Saindon.

Nov. 22 - Nov 24, 2011. Lappe, Thunder Bay District, ON. Visiting feeder of Gene Kideres and Barbara Horth. More photos and description here. [Hepburn's littoralis or coastal subspecies.]

Lappe. Thunder Bay Dist. Dec. 24, 2011. Courtesy of James Barber.

Oct 27, 2011. Bear Island Lake, St. Louis Co., MN (about 150 km west of Thunder Bay, ON). Seen briefly on a beach in the company of Snow Buntings by Deb Falkowski. [Nominate tephrocotis or interior subspecies.]

St. Louis Co., MN. Oct. 27, 2011. Courtesy of Deb Falkowski.

From neighbouring regions:

High up in the Catskills, a hiker photographed a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch on Dec 22, 2011. This represents the first documented record for New York State. [Nominate tephrocotis or interior subspecies.]
Manitoba's first GCRF of the season had been attending a feeder in December but wasn't positively identified until Jan 1. As of Feb. 1 the bird was continuing to be a daily visitor, much to the pleasure of many Manitoba birders. [Nominate tephrocotis or interior subspecies.]

Kenton, MB, Jan. 2012. Courtesy of Carole and Murray Sangster.

excellent photos

And while we're talking about recent records of the species, it's worth noting that on March 16, 2011, a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch stunned itself against a window in Nobel, Parry Sound District, Ontario. Fortunately Edie Outram-Verite took a photo before the bird recovered and flew away. It wasn't seen again. This will be the 16th documented occurrence for the province and one of very few sightings outside of NW Ontario. [Nominate tephrocotis or interior subspecies.]

Nobel, Parry Sound Dist. March 16, 2011. Courtesy of Edie Outram-Verite.

More about identifiable GCRF subspecies, from an earlier posting.

Acknowledgements: Many thanks to the following people who shared their photos: James Barber, Deb Falkowski, Agnes and Harold Michon, Edie Outram-Verite, Terry and Alain Saindon, Carole and Murray Sangster, Gord Smith, Greg Stroud and Marco Tremblay.

Big Year birders visit Pukaskwa National Park and beyond

2012-01-26T18:26:00.000-08:00

A Big Year is an informal competition among birders to see who can see or hear the largest number of species of birds within a single calendar year and within a specific geographical area. Wikipedia.

Josh Vandermeulen and Barb Charlton.

The phenomenon of the Big Year, with all of its excesses and eccentricities, has inspired a 2011 Hollywood movie (available on DVD Jan 31st!) and a sub-genre of travel literature.

The all-time total number of species recorded for Ontario stands at 486: many of these are vagrants which have occurred only once or twice before. In recent decades, a small number of mega-motivated Ontario birders have taken up the Big Year challenge. Seeing more than 300 species in a year is no mean feat. Glenn Coady's 1996 record of 338 - a total boosted by an unprecedented number of hurricane-borne waifs - remains unbeaten.

A target species

In 2011, Barb Charlton of Flamborough twitched a very impressive 322 species. Her friend, Guelph birder Josh Vandermeulen, has commenced a 2012 Big Year. The two - a Big Year veteran and a Big Year rookie - are now in the midst of a precisely calculated swing through northwest Ontario with their sights set on specific rarities and more common species unique to the boreal forest. A particular attraction was the pristine spruce-lichen forest of Pukaskwa National Park which provides excellent winter habitat for Spruce Grouse, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee and many "winter finch" species.

Owling with Josh, Barb & Martha

This week Josh and Barb spent some time at Pukaskwa and in the Town of Marathon. We joined them on daytime and nighttime snowshoeing treks as they sought out new species for the year. We had a great time. They were gracious guests and their enthusiasm for nature, Ontario and meeting people is infectious.

I won't say what Josh and Barb did or didn't see in the area because the story is really Josh's to tell. Fortunately, he updates his blog frequently.

We look forward to following the journey through 2012.

Good luck Josh!

Follow Josh's Big Year pursuit on his blog, Ontario Birds and Herps.
Read more about Josh's Big Year plan in this article from the London Free Press.

A funky looking redpoll

2012-01-24T13:26:00.000-08:00

This pale stranger showed up today...

[click on image to enlarge]

Learn about leucism and albinism in birds.

Photo1 and Photo2 of a similar redpoll seen near Ottawa.

And another from the UK.

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch continues in MacDiarmid (and some other winter finches)

2012-01-23T18:08:00.000-08:00

The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch continues to be a regular visitor to a feeder in Rocky Bay-MacDiarmid, beside Lake Nipigon. Many thanks to Greg Stroud for sharing this awesome photo, taken this afternoon.

[click on image to enlarge]

MacDiarmid, ON. Courtesy of Greg Stroud

Closer to home, the feeders are hopping with Pine Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins and various redpols.

A good winter for American Three-toed Woodpeckers

2012-01-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

The American Three-toed Woodpecker is one of the least studied birds of the boreal forest. Typically I see none along the north shore between April and October. In the winter, on still, cold days, I can usually find them in any of several mature spruce-dominated forest tracts between Marathon and Pukaskwa National Park.

In a previous post I discussed their specialized feeding behaviour. The sound of a foraging bird methodically flaking the outer bark off a beetle-infested spruce trunk is distinctive. Keying in on this sound is the most effective way of finding the species.

The birds are not especially wary and they can sometimes be approached closely. Getting a decent photograph is another matter. They inhabitat a shadowy, twiggy, lichen-adorned realm where often only a portion of the bird is visible.

Here are some photos of male woodpeckers I've seen this winter. The first is from the Town of Marathon, on December 16, 2011. I was scouting a friend's backyard feeder in advance of the Christmas Bird Count and I heard the bird tapping from the green space behind his lot.

From today in Pukaskwa National Park, this was the most visible of several American Three-toed Woodpeckers I found actively foraging in the afternoon. There were also several Black-backed Woodpeckers active in the same area.

"Greater" Common vs. "Southern" Common Redpoll subspecies - comparison of female plumage

2012-01-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

Here is a comparison of typical female-type "Southern" Common Redpoll and the "Greater" Common Redpoll, that is:

"Southern" Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea flammea)
"Greater" Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea rostrata)

Compared to the more frequently observed "Southern" Common Redpoll, the "Greater" Common Redpoll:

is ~10% longer and ~25% heavier
has reduced pale feather edgings
has darker, bolder, more extensive streaking on flanks and undertail coverts
has more extensive black on the face
has darker auriculars, nape and back
has a proportionately longer tail
has a proportionately heavier bill (not apparent in these photos)

[click on images to enlarge - note that in the third image, the birds have traded places]

Acknowledgment: Thanks to Ron Pittaway and Michel Gosselin for their comments on an earlier version of this posting.

Related resources:

From Ron Pittaway

1992. Recognizeable Forms: Redpolls. Ontario Birds 10 (3):108-114 [pdf].
Redpoll Challenge: four subspecies [an excellent summary and description of the four recognizeable subspecies found in Ontario].
Photos of Hornemann's Hoary and Greater Common Redpoll.

From David Sibley

Peer reviewed

Knox, Alan G. and Peter E. Lowther. 2000. Hoary Redpoll (Carduelis hornemanni), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/544 doi:10.2173/bna.544,
Troy, D.M. 1985. A phenetic analysis of the redpolls Carduelis flammea flammea and. C. hornemanni exilipes. Auk 102: 82-96 [pdf].
Wetherbee, O.P. 1937. A study of wintering Hoary, Common, and Greater Redpolls, and various intermediates or hybrids. Bird-Banding 8(1): 1-10 [pdf].

Other

Brinkley, E.S., Buckley, P.A., Bevier, L.R. and A.M. Byrne. 2011. Photo Essay: Redpolls from Nunavut and Greenland visit Ontario. North American Birds 65(2): 2-11 [pdf].
From Jean Iron, excellent photos of Common Redpolls and Greater Common Redpolls.
Excellent in-hand comparisons of Greater and Southern Common Redpolls from Toronto, taken by Seabrook Leckie.

Crossbill trio

2012-01-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Seen foraging on fallen spruce cones in a residential yard. Part of an impressive assemblage of irruptive "winter finches".

[click on images to enlarge]

A feast of Mountain-Ash in the Town of Marathon

2012-01-15T05:47:00.000-08:00

A bumper crop of Mountain-Ash, and to a lesser extent ornamental crab-apple, fruit has attracted thousands of Pine Grosbeak, Cedar Waxwing and Purple Finch to our community.

[click on images to enlarge]

"Hornemann's" Hoary Redpolls and other yard birds

2012-01-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

A half an hour after sunset yesterday I looked out at our feeder hoping to see the Northern Flying Squirrel that's been a frequent visitor to our platform feeder. Instead I saw a lone, large pale white redpoll foraging below. I quietly stepped into the yard and snapped a photo from a distance of about three metres. This of course was a male "Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll, perhaps the least observed of the four subspecies of redpoll in North America.

During the winter of 2010-2011 we had an excellent opportunity to study and compare all four taxa. With the arrival of this 'snowball' we again have both subspecies of Common Redpoll and Hoary Redpoll, that is:

"Southern" Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea flammea)
"Greater" Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea rostrata)
"Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni hornemanni)
"Southern" Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni exilipes)

[The story of last winter's invasion by diverse redpolls into northern Ontario was featured, in the format of a 'photo salon', in the winter issue of North American Birds. The article is available here (pdf). It provides a thorough review of the finer points and limitations of redpoll identification.]

This morning, the male Hornemann's Hoary Redpoll was back, this time among other redpolls, Purple Finches, Evening and Pine Grosbeaks. Although I wasn't able to get any great photos through our kitchen window, I snapped a couple that show the larger size of the Hornemann's Hoary Redpoll - the larger size is critical to distinguishing this subspecies from the smaller exilipes Hoary Redpoll.

The three birds in the foreground, from left to right, are (1) "Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll (m), (2) Purple Finch (f) and (3) "Greater" Common Redpoll (f?).

[click on images to enlarge]

Here are a few more shots from our yard from today and yesterday.

Another view of the Hornemann's Hoary Redpoll.

In the last week we've seen a huge influx of Pine and Evening Grosbeaks into the town of Marathon.

Northern Cardinal at the northern limit of its breeding range in Ontario.

A female White-winged Crossbill checked out all of the offerings.

A male flammea or "Southern" Common Redpoll.

A proven method of preventing cats from harming wildlife...

Another (Hepburn's) Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch in the Thunder Bay District

2012-01-09T18:50:00.000-08:00

[The previously displayed content of this post has been incorporated into an open-ended, broadly scoped account of extralimital occurrences of GCRFs in eastern North America during the fall-winter-spring of 2011-2012.]

http://northshorenature.blogspot.com/2012/01/gray-crowned-rosy-finch-roundup-jan-15.html

[click on image to enlarge]

Photo courtesy of Terry Saindon

Christmas Mockingbird in Manitouwadge

2012-01-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

This Northern Mockingbird made a brief, one-time appearance in Virginia Thompson's Manitouwadge yard on Christmas day. While the species is seen annually in the Thunder Bay District, it is scarce inland from Lake Superior.

Photo courtesy of Virginia Thompson

Thanks for sharing the photo Virginia!

White-winged Crossbills in our yard

2011-12-22T03:33:00.000-08:00

Results of the Dec 18, 2011 Marathon Christmas Bird Count

2011-12-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

IN BRIEF: Decent weather, better-than-average participation, minimal snow cover and abundant forest food crops resulted in record high counts for the total number of individuals, number of species, and for 17 particular species. No new species were added.

IN DETAIL: Weather: winds light to moderate, temperatures ranged from -10C to -5C, sky overcast, isolated snow flurries off the lake.

Participants: Nine field parties and five feeder watchers.

The Highs: (previous HCs derived from the 36 CBCs held since 1958)

Species: 43 (40 in 2001)
Individuals: 4338 (2763 in 1994)
________________
Bald Eagle: 9 (4 in 2003 and 2008)
Merlin: 2 (1 in 2005)
Wilson's Snipe: 3 (3 in 2010)
American Three-toed Woodpecker: 2 (2 in 2009)
American Crow: 118 (45 in 1990)
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 115 (89 in 2003)
Brown Creeper: 4 (3 in 1994)
Golden-crowned Kinglet: 9 (5 in 2010)
European Starling: 150 (112 in 1973)
Northern Cardinal: 7 (6 in 2010)
White-crowned Sparrow: 1 (1 in 2001, 2006)
Harris's Sparrow: 2 (1 in 1992, 1996, 1999)
Snow Bunting: 16 (8 in 2008)
Purple Finch: 174 (107 in 2003)
White-winged Crossbill: 668 (343 in 2003)
Common Redpoll: 956 (794 in 2008)
Pine Siskin: 350 (32 in 1973)

Additional count week species: American Robin: 1; House Sparrow: 1

Many thanks to all who participated and to the Friends of Pukaskwa National Park for donating a door prize for the compilation dinner.

Addendum (by request) - the complete count:

Long-tailed Duck - 1
Common Goldeneye - 9
Bald Eagle - 9
Merlin - 2
Ruffed Grouse - 1
Wilson's Snipe - 3
Herring Gull - 262
Glaucous Gull - 3
Rock Pigeon - 2
Mourning Dove - 15
Downy Woodpecker - 24
Hairy Woodpecker - 4
American Three-toed Woodpecker - 2
Pileated Woodpecker - 3
Gray Jay - 8
Blue Jay - 4
American Crow - 118
Common Raven - 331
Black-capped Chickadee - 181
Boreal Chickadee - 13
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 115
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Brown Creeper - 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 9
Bohemian Waxwing - 125
Cedar Waxwing - 424
Northern Shrike - 1
European Starling - 150
Northern Cardinal - 7
White-throated Sparrow -1
White-crowned Sparrow - 1
Harris' Sparrow - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 35
Snow Bunting - 16
Common Grackle - 1
Pine Grosbeak - 266
Purple Finch - 174
White-winged Crossbill - 668
Common Redpoll - 956
Hoary Redpoll - 2
Pine Siskin - 350
American Goldfinch - 2
Evening Grosbeak - 34

Count Week:
American Robin - 1
House Sparrow - 1

Seen daily on Highway 627

2011-12-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

Eastern Towhee in Sioux Lookout

2011-12-12T06:39:00.000-08:00

A rarity at any time of year in northern Ontario, this male Eastern Towhee has been visiting a feeder in Sioux Lookout in the Kenora District since November 20th. Many thanks to Marlie Squires for sharing the sighting.

In Longlac, Thunder Bay District, an even more unusual Spotted Towhee continues to visit the feeder where it was first seen on November 12th.

[click on images to enlarge]

Eastern Towhee photos courtesy of Marlie Squires

Join in the December 18th Marathon Christmas Bird Count

2011-12-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

On December 18, volunteer naturalists will conduct Marathon's annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Birders of all skill levels are welcome to help count birds within a 12 km radius of town, which includes the communities of Heron Bay and Pic River. Some parties will range out into the bush on skis and snowshoes while others will stay close to their vehicles, counting birds along the roadsides.

Residents who maintain bird feeders will contribute by keeping a tally sheet of the species visiting their yards. All participants are encouraged to attend a fun and informal chili dinner at 5:30 pm during which bird numbers will be totaled and stories and photos will be shared.

Spruce Grouse at mouth of Pic R.

The CBC is the longest running Citizen Science survey in the world. Data collected by tens of thousands of participants throughout the Americas are used by scientists to help monitor our bird populations. In Canada, the counts are administered by Bird Studies Canada. CBC participants (other than children under 18 and those conducting back yard feeder watches) contribute to Bird Studies Canada a $5.00 fee to help offset the cost of administering the program (details here).

Marathon Count Circle
Marathon residents have participated in most years since 1973. Over all years a total of 85 species have been recorded but for each year the average is 25 and no two years are the same. While a handful of common species - Herring Gull, Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee and European Starling - are seen every year, waterfowl, raptors and winter finches are less predictable. Each year turns up a few surprises. Bald Eagles are now commonly sighted in Marathon throughout the year but they only began appearing on the CBC in 1994 as the continental population rebounded following the implementation of restrictions on the use of organochlorine pesticides.

Northern Cardinal, a very common species in the south, started appearing on our CBC in the late 1980s reflecting an ongoing northward expansion of its range.

Northern Cardinal in Marathon

How to Get Involved

Those wishing to participate in this year's CBC should contact Martha Allen at 229-1319 immediately. Martha will assign each person to a team covering a particular section of the count circle. Those conducting feeder watches will be given a tally sheet for birds visiting their back yards.
In the morning, each bird counting team will assemble before heading out to count birds in their assigned areas.
(Optional) Bird counting teams will meet up with each other at noon at Rumours Coffee House & Deli in the Superior Place Mall (2 Ontario Street) to warm up and trade stories before heading back out for the afternoon.
Tally sheets should be dropped off at 8 Steedman Dr. around 5:30 pm. All are welcome to stay for a bowl of chili, a slide show and a draw for a prize donated by the Friends of Pukaskwa.

Harlequin Duck at Pukaskwa National Park

2011-12-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

Parks Canada staff photographed a stunning male Harlequin Duck off the Manito Miikana peninsula in Pukaskwa National Park today. The bird was found swimming along a very exposed, steep rocky shore - typical wintering habitat for the species.

The Harlequin Duck is considered rare in northern Ontario and 2011 has been a better than average year for sightings in the Thunder Bay District. This fall others have been seen on the Nipigon River (one on Oct 22), at the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory on the Sibley Peninsula (two on Oct 22) and in the Kam River in Thunder Bay (one on Nov 11).

Harlequin Ducks have been sighted in the park a few times before.

Park visitors should note that entrance gate is closed for the season. All access is on foot.

[click on images to enlarge]

Photo courtesy of Parks Canada

December 10 update: We hiked in to the park and enjoyed watching the Harlequin Duck bobbing around in the surf.

View Larger Map

American Three-toed Woodpecker

2011-12-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

I heard this bird foraging deep in a stand of spruce from a distance of 50 m or so. It and a Hairy Woodpecker were today's additions to my 2011-12 north shore winter bird list.

[click on image to enlarge]

White-winged gulls at the Town of Marathon landfill

2011-12-03T17:09:00.000-08:00

Gull viewing conditions at the town landfill were better than usual today - the gates were open and several hundred gulls were present and cooperative. These birds have become habituated to the dump trucks, graders and bulldozers associated with the operation of the landfill. They slowly walked out of the path of my truck as I slowly drove, about 10 metres at a time, through the loafing flock. If I had been on foot, I wouldn't have been able to get closer than 100 metres or so without flushing them.

Almost all were mature Herring Gulls.

[click on images to enlarge]

Can you spot the Glaucous Gull?

Adult Glaucous Gull

Another angle - note the short primary projection

Usually two or three Glaucous Gulls overwinter in town. Iceland Gulls are less common. This sharp looking first cycle bird was the first we've seen this autumn.

First cycle Iceland Gull

First cycle Iceland Gull. Note the longer primary projection.

Winter birding begins!

2011-12-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

A few of today's sightings:

[click on images to enlarge]

Harris's Sparrow in Marathon.

Black-backed Woodpecker in Pic River.

Pine Siskin in Pic River.

Here's today's tally - 20 species. I'm guessing we'll see about 40 species along the north shore between Dec. 1 and Feb. 29. The cumulative total can be seen in the sidebar.

Bald Eagle
Herring Gull
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
Gray Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
European Starling
Harris's Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Pine Grosbeak
White-winged Crossbill
Purple Finch
Common Redpoll
Pine Siskin
Evening Grosbeak

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch hotspot in Thunder Bay - Nov 24 update

2011-11-23T07:01:00.000-08:00

These striking images came courtesy of Brian Ratcliff. This Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch appeared yesterday (Nov 22, 2011) at the feeder of Barbara Horth and Gene Kideres, in Lappe, about 20 km NW of Thunder Bay. Brian noted that Barbara and Gene hosted another Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch 17 years before, from December 28, 1994 to January 11, 1995. At that time, it was only the third documented occurrence for Ontario. Since then about a dozen additional records, mostly from the Thunder Bay District, have been added.

[click on images to enlarge]

GCRF at the Kideres, November 22, 2011. Courtesy of Brian Ratcliff.

Within the range of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch several distinct subspecies have been recognized. Most of the birds that stray to the Great Lakes region are of the widespread, nominate tephrocotis or interior subspecies. This most recent individual, with its mostly gray head, appears to be of the littoralis or Hepburn's subspecies that breeds on the Pacific slope from Alaska to northern California. A rarity within a rarity (for Ontario)!

Range map of "Hepburn's" Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, ex. Montana Natural Heritage Program.

Here is a photo another GCRF that visited the Thunder Bay District. Note the more restricted gray area on the head indicating that it is of the nominate tephrocotis or interior subspecies more frequently seen in eastern North America.

[click on image to enlarge]

Town of Marathon, March 13, 2010. Photo courtesy of Nick Escott.

This excellent photo taken in Washington State by Joseph V. Higbee shows the the interior and coastal subspecies side-by-side (on roof of feeder).

[click on image to enlarge]

Interior and coastal subspecies in WA. Photo courtesy of Joseph Higbee

An interesting and well illustrated discussion of the interior and coastal subspecies of Leucosticte tephrocotis can be found here on Aaron Lang's Birding Alaska website.

Nov 24 update: Brb and Gene reported that the Gray-crowned Rose-Finch was present through the 23rd and 24th and ate ravenously. James Barber visited and was able to get some additional photos.

[click on images to enlarge]

Kideres' yard, Thunder Bay, November 23 and 24, 2011. Courtesy of James Barber.

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to Barb Horth and Gene Kideres for sharing the news and welcoming birders to see the Rosy-Finch, this month and in 1994! Also, thanks to Joseph Higbee (more great photos here), Brian Ratcliff and James Barber for sharing their photos.
Range map: Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Hepburn's) — Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis. Montana Field Guide. Montana Natural Heritage Program and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Retrieved on November 24, 2011, from http://FieldGuide.mt.gov/detail_ABPBY02033.aspx.

Nashville Warbler in the snow

2011-11-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

I was surprised to find this very late Nashville Warbler very actively foraging in our snowy yard this afternoon. I observed it for several hours as it hopped around the bases of our compost bins and bird feeders. While the temperature hovered around freezing through the day, it dipped to - 17°C a few nights ago.

[click on images to enlarge]

Update: Last seen in our yard of November 25th.

Varied Thrushes and some other Saturday sightings

2011-11-19T13:32:00.000-08:00

Gregg Kendall turned up a Varied Thrush this morning at Mission Marsh in Thunder Bay and was kind enough to share his great photos.

[click on images to enlarge]

Varied Thrush at Mission Marsh. Nov. 19, 2011. Photos courtesy of Gregg Kendall.

This morning Brian Ratcliff drove to Pearl, east of Thunder Bay, to observe a male Baltimore Oriole that's been visiting a feeder. Brian arrived to learn that the oriole was last seen on thursday, Nov. 17., and that another "orange-breasted" bird was in the area. Sure enough, a crisp male Varied Thrush appeared. Including Gregg's Mission Marsh bird, this makes three individuals reported through NWObirds this autumn.

Varied Thrush at Pearl River. 19 Nov 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian Ratcliff.

We've seen activity pick up at our backyard feeders since the recent snowfalls. Today I scouted some of my neighbourhood feeders and I was pleased to find very late White-crowned and Harris's Sparrows. We'll make an effort to re-find them on the Marathon Christmas Bird Count on December 18th.

I also observed two Hoary Redpolls, in a flock of 50 or so Common Redpolls, feeding in a White Birch on a residential street in Marathon. Throughout the afternoon noon I heard flyover White-winged Crossbills, Pine and Evening Grosbeaks.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Gregg Kendall and Brian Ratcliff for sharing their Varied Thrush photos.

A rash of vagrant birds in the western Great Lakes - Nov 21 update

2011-11-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Over the last few weeks birders in the western Great Lakes states have been enjoying an amazing parade of rare vagrant birds.

Minnesota birders turned up Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Tropical/Couch's Flycatcher, Scott's Oriole and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch.

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. St. Louis Co., MN. Photo courtesy of Deb Falkowski

Almost all of the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch sightings in the Great Lakes region have occurred at feeders. The recent Minnesota bird; however, was spotted on the shore of Bear Island Lake, about 150 km. west of Thunder Bay, ON, on October 27. Like the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch that showed up here last year, it was a free-ranging individual associating with Snow Buntings.

The Scott's Oriole was sighted a few days later (Oct 30) in a crabapple tree in Grand Marais - tantalizingly close to the Canada-US border!

Just to the south in Illinois a Sage Thrasher, was a highlight.

Sage Thrasher. Montrose Point, IL. Nov 1, 2011. Photo Courtesy of Matthew Cvetas.

Recent discoveries in Wisconsin include Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, and Inca Dove, a state first.

[click on images to enlarge]

Vermilion Flycatcher. Rock County, WI. Nov 18, 2011. Photos courtesy of Dave Freriks.

Inca Dove. Mequon, WI. Nov. 5, 2011. Photo courtesy of Rita Wiskowski.

Western Tanager. Lincoln Co., WI. Nov. 2, 2011. Photo courtesy of Mary Backus.

More photos and details can be found on the eBird Wisconsin page where the authors plausibly speculate that these birds got caught up in a westerly weather flow and then stopped when they encountered the big waters of Lakes Superior and Michigan.

So what about the Thunder Bay District here in Ontario? Hands down, the most exciting report so far is that of a Clark's Nutcracker that made a one-time visit to a backyard feeder in Thunder Bay on October 25. Efforts to relocate the bird in the Vickers Heights neighbourhood were unsuccessful. If accepted, this will be only the third Ontario record for this montane corvid.

The volunteers at the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory have an impressive record of encountering rare vagrants in the fall - notables include Violet-green Swallow (Oct. 28, 1992) and Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher (Sept. 30, 2010). As yet I haven't heard of anything unusual at The Cape this season.

On November 5th the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists held its annual Fall Round-up. From dawn-to-dusk birders along the north shore tallied species at favourite spots from the Minnesota border to Thunder Bay, eastwards through Nipigon/Dorion, Terrace Bay and Marathon. I'm sure I wasn't the only participant excited at the possibility of someone turning up a rarity. Sixty-two species were seen but alas, nothing exceptional.

So what's next? Well, it looks like we're in for a very good winter finch season and I'll continue to enjoy the conspicuous flocks of Pine and Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls and White-winged Crossbills. They'll likely stick around, given the abundant crops of their favourite foods. And as for rarities in this corner of Ontario, well you never know...

Update: A few new stellar western strays have turned up Illinois and Wisconsin in the recent days:

November 10 - a Mountain Bluebird was found during the autumn hawk watch at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, Illinois.

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Mountain Bluebird. Zion Illinois. Nov 10, 2011. Photo courtesy of Matthew Cvetas.

November 12 - a Brewer's Sparrow was found at Northerly Island in Chicago.

Brewer's Sparrow in Chicago, Nov 12, 2011. Photo courtesy of Josh Engel

November 11 - a White-tailed Kite was observed foraging over Crex Meadows in Burnett County Wisconsin.
Nov 12 - a Broad-billed Hummingbird showed up at a feeder in Mequoun, WI, photos here.
Nov 12 - a Lucy's Warbler was photographed at Whitefish Point, MI, photos here.
Nov 21 - a Selasphorus Hummingbird (possibly a Broad-tailed, a would-be state first) was photographed at a feeder in Oak Park, IL, photos here.

Acknowledgment: Many thanks to Rita Wiskowski, Matthew Cvetas, Josh Engel, Mary Backus, Dave Freriks and Deb Falkowski for sharing their photos.

A few new arrivals...

2011-11-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

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Evening Grosbeak in Marathon

Greg Stroud and John Schelling turned up a Snowy Owl at the Chippewa Landfill in Thunder Bay today.

Photo courtesy of John Schelling

Some recent mammals

2011-11-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

A Least Chipmunk readying for winter (Oct 27).

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A surprisingly rare sighting (for us) of a White-tailed Deer, though we frequently see their sign. I only had fleeting looks at this impressive buck along the CPR tracks in town today. They are much more common between Nipigon and Thunder Bay.

We turned on our backyard lights to view the fresh snow this evening and saw this Northern Flying Squirrel on our feeder.

A backyard Lynx from Thunder Bay, courtesy of Allan Gilbert.

Cackling Geese at the Marathon High School

2011-11-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Last fall we enjoyed the stopover of a trio of Cackling Geese at our local Canadian Tire.

Yesterday, a pair of Cackling Geese dropped in on the playing field of the local high school. One of the birds is of the typical pale-breasted "Richardson's" type we expect to see as a migrant in NW Ontario. The other is slightly smaller with a darker breast and much larger white cheek patch - interesting couple.

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Happy Hallowe'en!

2011-10-31T16:24:00.001-07:00

Meeting of mammals at Dinorwic Lake

2011-10-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

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Courtesy of Ellen Riggins.

"Winter" finches and tardy migrants

2011-10-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

Redpoll flocks are everywhere. Many are taking advantage of the bumper crop of White Birch seeds. Many more can be seen migrating along the Lake Superior coast, from SE to NW. I saw the first flocks, numbering ~140 individuals, on October 13. On the morning of the 18th I tallied ~1250 redpolls migrating westward. Since then they have been ubiquitous. Today I spotted a Hoary Redpoll, a very pale male "exilipes", feeding in a birch with a dozen or so Common Redpolls.

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Common Redpolls feeding on Birch Seeds.

Since late spring we've grown accustomed to very good numbers of White-winged Crossbills that have taken advantage of the abundant crop of White Spruce cones. Along the north shore, males could be heard singing through the summer. In the last month, WWCR numbers have grown and have been joined among the cones by Pine Siskins.

White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskin, Marathon, Oct 27.

Northern Shrikes are more conspicuous this autumn. I saw three this afternoon. All were chasing redpolls.

Northern Shrike at the Pic RIver, Oct 25.

A few interesting late-to-depart passerines have shown up in recent days.

Brown Thrasher in Heron Bay, Oct 25.

Black-throated Blue Warbler at Marathon, Oct 27.

Lastly, in nearby Manitouwadge a female Eastern Towhee - a real rarity in northern Ontario - showed up in Tammie Hache's yard today [thanks for the use of your photo, Tammie!]

Eastern Towhee in Manitouwadge Oct 27. Tammie Hache

Varied Thrush at Dinorwic Lake

2011-10-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

Ellen Riggin shared a few photos of a Varied Thrush she found yesterday at Dinorwic Lake (between Ignace and Dryden). Thanks for sharing the photo Ellen!

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Varied Thrush, October 18, 2011. Photo by Ellen Riggin.

Rock pool herbfield south of Marathon

2011-10-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

With cold, wet, blustery weather in the forecast, we spent an hour or so clambering among the rocks and pools on the coast about six kilometers east of Marathon. Overhead we watched/heard migrating flocks of 30 to 50 Common Redpoll flying westbound along the coast.

The rocky shore of the north shore hosts rich communities of lichens and arctic-alpine disjunct plants.

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A Least Chipmunk (Eutamias minimus) was alarmed by our presence.

We found this stripey-legged dragonfly nymph - a Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) - in a rocky splash pool. It will likely emerge as an adult next summer after having completed a larval phase lasting three or four years.

This distinctive foliose lichen is Orange Rock Posy (Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca).

Some autumn bird notes ♩ ♬ ♪

2011-10-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

I spent an hour birding along the CPR track near Coldwell this morning. The abundant Mountain Ash fruit in our area is drawing flocks of American Robins. [We can probably expect decent numbers of fruit eating birds - both waxwings, American Robins and a Townsend's Solitaire or two - to overwinter on the north shore.] In with the AMROs was a pair of Eastern Bluebirds, my first of the autumn.

A half a dozen Boreal Chickadees were active in the alders beside the tracks - one perched obligingly on the trackside wires.

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On the opposite side of the tracks a Northern Shrike chatted away, sounding like a harmless budgie.

Thanksgiving in Nipigon

2011-10-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving with friends in Nipigon and enjoyed some great hospitality, a little (salmon) fishing, some birding at Hurkett Cove Conservation Area, and hiking at nearby Ruby Lake Provincial Park. As it has been for weeks, the weather was unseasonably warm.

Shorebirds were scarce, despite the availability of so much great habitat. At the mouth of the Wolf River we found four Black-bellied Plovers and a lone Wilson's Snipe.

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Along the road to Hurkett Cove we encountered lots of Rusty Blackbirds, American Robins and Pine Siskins. We also pished up four warblers - Yellow-rumped, Palm, Orange-crowned and Cape May - the last species being somewhat late for our area. Nearby were two Fox Sparrows and a Black-backed Woodpecker.

Orange-crowned Warbler

By late morning a few dragonflies were active. We saw Saffron-winged Meadowhawk in the parking lot and at the edge of the wetland, Black Meadowhawks were ovipositing. As a mosaic darner flew by me I was able to catch it by hand - a feat made possible, not by my cat-like quickness, but rather by the tattered and aged condition on the insect, a female Canada Darner. This is a late date, by more than a month, for the Thunder Bay District.

Next we headed east to Ruby Lake Provincial Park where we hiked up to the spectacular east rim of the diabase cliffs overlooking the lake.

Of interest was the plant community of the cliff edge. The Fragrant Shield Fern (Dryopteris fragrans) was new to me.

Here's our bird tally as processed through eBird.

Hurkett Cove Conservation Area, Thunder Bay, CA-ON
Oct 10, 2011 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
7.0 kilometer(s)
48 species

Canada Goose 35
American Black Duck 1
Mallard 4
Northern Pintail 1
Bufflehead 3
Common Goldeneye 2
Hooded Merganser 1
Common Merganser 25
Ruffed Grouse 1
Common Loon 1
Bald Eagle 1
Black-bellied Plover 2
Wilson's Snipe 1
Bonaparte's Gull 17
Ring-billed Gull 12
Herring Gull 10
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Black-backed Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Gray Jay 4
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 1
Common Raven 6
Black-capped Chickadee 24
Boreal Chickadee 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 18
Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 25
American Pipit 2
Cedar Waxwing 10
Lapland Longspur 12
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Cape May Warbler 1 Smudgy HY bird - all field marks seen
Palm Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 13
American Tree Sparrow 6
Savannah Sparrow 4
Fox Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 8
Dark-eyed Junco 18
Rusty Blackbird 65
Purple Finch 2
Pine Siskin 35
American Goldfinch 6

American Golden Plover in Peninsula Harbour

2011-09-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

In the Marathon area, where shorebird habitat is widely dispersed, sixteen is a good count for any particular species. That was the total of two flocks of American Golden Plovers I found resting on the rocky shore of Peninsula Harbour today.

Other new arrivals include American Pipits and Orange-crowned Warblers.

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Day trip to Oiseau Bay, Pukaskwa National Park

2011-09-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

Oiseau Bay is one of many spectacular coastal features in Pukaskwa National Park. It's accessible by paddling or by hiking from Hattie Cove. We hired Keith McQuaig, the local marine operator, to run us - Martha, Martha's parents and me - down to the area to spend the afternoon. Oiseau's features include a kilometer long sandy beach, significant fen habitats, extensive swales between dunes and several very rare plant species, including Pitcher's Thistle.

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Keith's Boat departing Oiseau Bay

Beach and swale

Extensive swale at the edge of the coastal trail

Martha's father approaches Oiseau Creek

Oiseau Creek, near outlet

Rocky headland at north end of beach

In-laws on the beach

One of several Semipalmated Plovers observing our picnic

Adult American Golden Plover with an injured leg

Sedges, possibly Carex viridula, growing beside swale.

Male Sedge Darners (Aeshna juncea) were active along the swale edges.

Shorebirds at Neys Provincial Park

2011-09-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

I stopped in at Neys Provincial Park for an hour or so.

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View of Neys Beach from Prisoners' Cove

An unexpected treat was the sight of an Osprey (not terribly common on the north shore) snagging a good sized fish (Pink Salmon? Lake Whitefish?) off the mouth of the Little Pic River.

There were few shorebirds- just a single Killdeer, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper and a trio of Sanderlings.

It's getting late in the season for dragonflies. I saw only a few Shadow Darners and Common Green Darners on the beach.

White-winged Dove in our Marathon yard

2011-09-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

A White-winged Dove showed up in our yard yesterday and is present today.

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Sept 6 update: The White-winged Dove has fallen in with our gang of Mourning Doves and together they sunbathe, roost, feed and drink, thus providing a great opportunity to compare these closely related species.

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Of approximately 35 occurrences in Ontario, ten have been documented from the Thunder Bay District for all months between April and November (see below), according to OBRC records. Remarkably, perhaps, four of these have shown up at the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory.

April 26-27, 1986. Thunder Bay.
August 16, 1995. Thunder Cape.
June 27 - July 1, 2001. Lappe.
June 14 - 19. 2003. Kakabeka Falls.
October 13, 2006. Thunder Cape.
August 15 - September 3, 2006. Rossport.
November 15-28, 2007. Manitouwadge.
May 27, 2008. Thunder Cape.
May 22-23, 2009. Thunder Cape.

WWDO at Thunder Cape, May 22, 2009. John Woodcock.

For a species that is non-migratory through most of its breeding range in the southern US, central America and the Caribbean, it is a surprisingly regular vagrant to the north and particularly, to New England and the Maritime provinces.

A gallery of vagrant White-winged Doves from Surfbirds can be viewed here.

New to the Thunder Bay District...the Spot-wing Glider (with notes on the Wandering Glider)

2011-09-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

The recently compiled odonata checklist for the Thunder Bay District was derived from more than 1700 records involving 63 dragonfly and 18 damselfly species. The dragonfly total increased by one on August 12 thanks to Haliburton naturalist Ed Poropat.

As Ed describes it:

The Glider was caught during the late morning hours of Friday, August 12. While camping at Neys, I needed to go out to the park store to pick up some ice. On my way out of the park near the highway, I remembered there was a large open field adjacent to the tracks, just east of the entrance road. I believe this field is mowed by park staff. I zipped down there for a quick look, mostly for darners and butterflies. There was very little flying....a few Variable Darners, several meadowhawks, and a handful of leps including a Western White, Atlantis Fritillaries, and some European Skippers. As I was preparing to depart, I spotted a larger "reddish" looking ode flying quickly toward me. I swung and remarkably captured it as it went tearing by about a meter above my head! Upon opening the net, I was very surprised to find the Glider. It was photographed and immediately released. I figured it was a good record but had no idea it was a first for the district! Interestingly, Spot-winged Gliders have turned up on the James Bay shoreline this summer near Moosonee. Perhaps the very warm summer further ignited their already vagrant tendencies and pushed them north of their known range?

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Spot-wing Glider from Neys Provincial Park. Photo courtesy of Ed Poropat.

Many thanks to Ed for sharing the photo and the story behind it.

Closely related to the Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea) is the Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens). The Wandering Glider is a very wide ranging skimmer known from all continents except Antarctica. It is an irreuglar, sometimes common migrant to southern Ontario but until last year it had only been observed twice in our district: in 1999 and 2001, in Shesheeb Bay on the Black Bay Peninsula and at the Pigeon River, near the Minnesota Border. Last summer (2010) I observed a third Wandering Glider flying up and down a beach at the Prairie River Mouth Provincial Nature Reserve.

During this summer (2011), between July 22nd and August 27th, I observed Wandering Gliders on five dates near the shore of Lake Superior, between the Black Bay Peninsula and McKellar Harbour, east of Terrace Bay. In most cases, they have been flying over open water, more than three metres above the ground. They tend to fly quickly and they're next-to-impossible to photograph. Usually they fly well out of net range. An exception was a female I caught foraging over a bog on the Black Bay Peninsula on July 24th.

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Female Wandering Glider near Red Rock, July 24, 2011.

On July 2, 2011, Rob Foster and Darren Elder enountered another Wandering Glider near Lake Superior during The Dragonfly Dash, a Thunder Bay Field Naturalists' field trip to the Pigeon River watershed.

New to me...the Zigzag Darner!

2011-09-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Brandon Holden's account of the darners he encountered late last month at Netitishi Point on the James Bay coast, I headed out to a favourite peatland along the Trans-Canada, about a half hour NW of Marathon. The weather wasn't ideal - increasingly overcast with temperatures in the high teens.

The peatland is small, only about a square kilometer, and the treed area, about 2/3 of the total, was logged about five years ago. The most low-lying portion is open, treeless fen and this was my destination today. As I bush whacked through the slash piles and dense thickets of black spruce and cedar, I was not encouraged by the scarcity of insects on the wing. I flushed a few Black Meadowhawks (Sympetrum danae) and a lone Lake Darner (Aeshna eremita). The only damselfly I saw all day was a single Spotted Spreadwing (Lestes congener). By the time I reached the open fen, the sun had disappeared behind a huge bank of clouds.

I sat down atop a mossy hummock and took note of the interesting flora. While chewing on my sandwich I was cheered by the reappearance of the sun. A blue-ish darner flew low past me before hovering over a small shallow pool among the sedges. The fly-by impression was that of a smallish mosaic darner with a bright, almost luminescent, blue abdomen contrasting with a black thorax.

I netted it and was delighted, but not surprised, to be holding my first Zigzag Darner (Aeshna sitchensis). Over the next hour, I caught and released several more (all males) and observed perhaps a dozen individuals exhibiting the characteristic low, undulating flight over and between pools …puddles really. Several perched on the shrubs and grasses - none on the ground, a habit often reported in the literature.

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In the hand I noted some of the Zigzag Darner's distinctive features - the thin squiggly stripes on the sides of the thorax, the unmarked dorsal surface of the thorax, the dark clypeal suture and the concave base of the dark "T" on the top of the head. [The base of the "T" forms a straight line on the closely related Azure Darner (A. septentrionalis) of the northern boreal forest.]

It was also interesting to note that the more abundant mosaic darners - Canada (A. canadensis), Lake (A. eremita) and Interrupted (A. lineata) - were inactive on this relatively cool afternoon.

Ontario is home to about 170 species of damselfly and dragonfly and fewer than half of these have been documented from the Thunder Bay District. Many of those I have yet to see are, like the Zigzag Darner, uncommon denizens of bogs and fens. Who knows what the next trip will turn up?

Canadian odonata enthusiasts will welcome the recent publication of Dragonflies and Damselflies in the hand: An identification guide to boreal forest odonates in Saskatchewan and adjacent regions. This slim, attractive volume is available from Saskatchewan Nature.

Hutchings, G. and D. Halstead.2011. Dragonflies and Damselflies in the hand: An identification guide to boreal forest odonates in Saskatchewan and adjacent Regions. Special Publication #29. Nature Saskatchewan, Regina.

Shorebirds at Penn Lake Park

2011-09-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

I did a quick check of Penn Lake for shorebirds this morning and was pleased to find the following:

Least Sandpiper 3
Pectoral Sandpiper 1(photo below)
Stilt Sandpiper 1
Killdeer 1
Semipalmated Plover 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Wilson's Snipe 1(photo below)

[click on images to enlarge]

Chain-dotted Geometer in open fen

2011-09-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

I came upon this somewhat worn Chain-dotted Geometer in an open fen along the Trans-Canada Highway yesterday. Distinctive features of this male include the highly pectinate antennae, yellow head and tegulae and checkered wing margins.

According to Bug Guide the larvae "feed on a variety of shrubs and trees: alder, bayberry, birch, blueberry, bog laurel, cranberry, fir, huckleberry, leatherleaf, maple, oak, pine, poplar, sweetfern, sweet gale, tamarack, white cedar, willow."

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Rock pools, ancient crucibles of life

2011-09-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

A common feature of our rocky coastline are the innumerable rock or splash pools. These pools vary greatly in size, depth, exposure and nutrient status so not surprisingly they present a range of opportunities for aquatic animals. At this time of year, the pools are teaming with larval salamanders, small crustaceans, dragonfly nymphs, snails and myriad other invertebrates - fascinating places for naturalists to explore.

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Baird's Sandpiper at Cummings Beach

2011-08-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I caught a quick glimpse of three Baird's Sandpipers flying by in the company of a half a dozen Least Sandpipers. These are the two peeps we see most frequently in August and September. Today, a lone Baird's Sandpiper foraged beside the boat launch at Cummings Beach.

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Shorebirds near Pukaskwa National Park

2011-08-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

As one drives south on Hwy 627, just before the bridge over the Pic River, the "s-curve pond" comes into view. Today it held a nice group of southbound shorebirds - Stilt Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitcher.

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Out-of-season Long-tailed Duck in Peninsula Harbour

2011-08-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

For the first time in a few months I walked along the shore of Peninsula Harbour this afternoon hoping to turn up a few shorebirds. There were a few Lesser Yellowlegs and a Killdeer. Less expected were an American Coot - only the third I've seen on the north shore - swimming off the break wall beside the decommissioned paper mill, and nearby, a male Long-tailed Duck, beached beside a Red-breasted Merganser family.

Last summer, a male Long-tailed Duck similarly spent the summer here.

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Great Egret at the mouth of the Pic River

2011-07-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

Wayne Michano and Derek Bedford spotted a Great Egret feeding on the shore of the Pic River this afternoon at around 5:00 pm. Martha Allen was able to get a few photos as the bird flew from the north to the south bank, just south of the Hwy 627 bridge.

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Two snaketails

2011-07-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

The current spell of hot muggy weather brought an end to the garden stunting weeks of cool, foggy weather. Many of our resident dragonflies have emerged en masse. Among my favourites are the snaketails (genus Ophiogomphus).

Here are males of two species I encountered over the last week.

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Riffle Snaketail, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Algoma District.

Boreal Snaketail, Dead Horse Creek, Thunder Bay District.

While they are attractive and a challenge to get close to, it is perhaps their preferred habitat that most appeals to me. Along the north shore they are found in many of the rocky streams and rivers that empty into Lake Superior, habitat they share with our native brook trout.

Painted Bunting in Marathon

2011-07-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

On July 12, Bob Ellis noticed an unmistakeable male Painted Bunting visiting his backyard feeding station on a quiet residential street in Marathon. Bob, who took up birding in his retirement, immediately recognized the species - one he'd seen before in Florida - and promptly alerted Brian Ratcliff in Thunder Bay. Brian then relayed the information to the birding community in northwest Ontario.

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I called Bob to see if he'd seen the bird again and he enthusiastically described its habits following a second sighting only this morning. Apparently the Painted Bunting is keeping company with a flock of Pine Siskins but, unlike the siskins which are feeding out in the open, the Painted Bunting prefers to feed very discretely in the shadows beneath a small artificial spruce tree around which Bob scatters mixed seed.

He invited me over to watch for the bird from his back deck and only a half hour or so after I arrived the Painted Bunting materialized exactly as Bob described. It foraged on the ground, always in the shadows, for about five minutes allowing me to take a few documentation photos.

Thanks Bob for sharing the sighting!

[Update: July 16th. Greg Stroud reported seeing the bird late this morning in the usual place]
[Update: July 17th. Nick Escott and Brian Moore saw the bird at noon]
[Update: July 18th. Bob Ellis reported the bird is still present]

[click on images to enlarge]

There are about 25 records of Painted Bunting for the province and only a few from the Thunder Bay District. Any Painted Bunting sighting is of interest to the Ontario Bird Records Committee.

Here are the records I'm aware of for northern Ontario, in chronological order:

May 12-14, 1995. Keewatin, Kenora District, adult male
May 5, 1998. Thunder Cape, Thunder Bay District, definitive alternate male;
May 6-11, 1999. Kenora, Kenora District, definitive alternate male;
June 1, 2003. Vickers Heights, Thunder Bay District, definitive alternate male;
May 22-(ca)26, 2003. Moose Factory, Cochrane District, definitive alternate male;
April 29-May 3, 2004. Long Point Lake, Timiskaming, definitive alternate male;
May 26, 2006. Lake Nepahwin, Sudbury District, definitive alternate male;
May ?, 2010. Rossport, Thunder Bay District, female;
August 5, 2010. Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma District, female.

Perhaps the northernmost record for the species is the following:

June 12, 2009. Akimiski Island (Qikiqtaaluk Region of the territory of Nunavut), definitive alternate male.

The breeding range of the species is comprised of disjunct east and west populations and extends no farther north than the state of Kansas.

Breeding range (from http://www.paintedbuntings.org)

Most Ontario sightings occur in May and early June and one could reasonably suppose that these birds represent northbound migrants that have overflown their southern breeding range. Mlodinow and Hamilton (2005) reviewed extralimital records for North American and noted the same pattern at a regional scale:

The pattern of Painted Bunting vagrancy across the mid-continent is strikingly uniform. Most reports (136 of 174, 78%) from this region come from the spring period. East of the Mississippi River, there is also a small fall/winter peak, with most birds first found between early October and mid-December.

Thus, the mid-July date of the Marathon occurrence is unusual among northern Ontario sightings and at a larger, mid-continental scale [although perhaps no more unusual than the August 5th, 2010 record of a female in Sault Ste Marie]. Could the Marathon bird represent a spring vagrant that never got back on track? Perhaps, but Mlodinow and Hamilton (2005) also note that "fall migration is evident in the western population from mid or late July through October" and that adult males are the first to leave the breeding areas. Alternatively then, the Marathon bird may represent a disoriented post-breeding migrant.

Reference:

Mlodinow, S. G., and R. A. Hamilton. 2005. Vagrancy of Painted Bunting (Passerina ciris) in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda. North American Birds 59: 172-183 (pdf).

Back yard feeder update

2011-07-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Although we've been enjoying visits by Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, American Goldfinches and newly fledged, stubby-tailed White-throated Sparrows, we decided about half an hour ago that the 2010-2011 winter bird feeding season is over.

[click on image to enlarge]

Common Raven nestlings

2011-06-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

I came upon a raven nest in the trestle of the C.P. Rail line crossing the Pic River, east of Marathon. The photos were taken from between the railway ties. The large stick nest was situated about two metres below the tracks.

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Northern Mockingbird at Penn Lake Park, Marathon

2011-06-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

This morning, a Northern Mockingbird was quietly foraging for insects in the short grass at the edge of Penn Lake, in the Town of Marathon. Although they occur in our region every year, this was the first I've seen in northern Ontario.

[click on images to enlarge]

Orchard Oriole in Marathon

2011-06-02T04:40:00.000-07:00

A few minutes ago this first year male Orchard Oriole paused in our yard after briefly exploring the oriole attractants at our feeding station. It disappeared after I snapped a few quick shots.

Orchard Orioles are unusual on the north shore. Until the spring of 2009, the Ontario Bird Records Committee had confirmed only three sightings in northern Ontario. Between May 14th and May 29th of 2009, a rash of OROR sightings, five of them, were reported from the Thunder Bay District.

Two days ago (on May 31st) another first year male OROR was banded at the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory (via NWOBirds)

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Updated at 8:00 am:

The oriole returned to sample a fresh dollop of grape jelly

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I̶c̶e̶l̶a̶n̶d̶...err, Thayer's Gull at Marathon landfill

2011-06-01T03:41:00.000-07:00

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This gull was in the company of a few hundred Herring Gulls at the Marathon landfill site on Penn Lake Road this afternoon. My first thought was first year Iceland Gull.

Alan Wormington and Kirk Zufelt made the case for Thayer's Gull. Their comments may be of interest to others:

AW:

I need to see the spread tail and wing, but this could just as easily by a Thayer's Gull. In fact, it looks identical to a Thayer's Gull that was at Point Pelee about 10 days ago. Could be the same bird! Of all the large gulls, first-year Thayer's and Lesser Black-backed retain an all-black bill the longest. This appears to be the situation here. By now Iceland could / should have some paleness starting at the base of the bill.

If the bird was an Iceland, then the wingtips would be immacualte white. First-year birds can have varying amounts of light brown in the wingtips, but since the bird is sun-bleached any such darkish markings would have disappeared long ago. But brown coloration is still present in the wingtips, which also suggests Thayer's since juveniles have very extensive brownish wingtips and this would be slow to vanish even if severely sun-bleached. Also the darkness on the chest also looks more like Thayer's.

KZ:

The bird is certainly a first going into second cycle Iceland or Thayer's or intergrade. I concur with Alan on the bill issue but would add that the head shape (Herring Gull-like kinda blocky looking) and bill size seems much more Thayer's Gull like- while Iceland tends to have a rounder "dove-like" head. It would be rather difficult to be absolutely definitive in a very worn bird like this but I would definitely be leaning fairly strongly towards Thayer's.

Thanks, Alan and Kirk, for sharing your expertise.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (180 km) across the water

2011-05-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

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Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Copper Harbor, MI courtesy of Max Henschell

Some interesting birds are turning up around Lake Superior. On May 12, this Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was found at the Copper Harbor Wastewater Treatment Plant near the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula (a mere 180 km sw of Marathon). Thanks to Max Henschell for sharing the photo. You can see more of Max's photos of rarities from Michigan's upper peninsula here.

Closer to home, we're enjoying a slow trickle of more familiar migrants. Saturday's Friends of Pukaskwa/Thunder Bay Field Naturalists bird walk in the Town of Marathon turned up seven warbler species: Tennessee (1); Orange-crowned (2); Nashville (3); Northern Parula (1); Cape May (1); Yellow-rumped (14); Black-and-white (2). The male Cape May Warbler, perched at eye level in the sun, provided great views for the birders standing only six metres away.

A total of 39 species were tallied. The only shorebird seen was a Solitary Sandpiper at Penn Lake. The four Lapland Longspurs were perhaps notable.

Meadowlark, Baltimore Orioles and some other migrants

2011-05-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

This afternoon in the Town of Marathon I found a Meadowlark (unknown sp.) as well as Yellow-rumped (10), Palm (1) and a Nashville (1) Warblers.

Yesterday a Clay-colored Sparrow joined White-crowned (~20), Chipping (~15), White-throated (~10), Lincoln's (3), Song (2), American Tree (1) and Savannah (1) Sparrows in our yard where, today, we also saw our first-of-season Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1) and Baltimore Oriole (1).

Baltimore Oriole in our Marathon yard.

From nearby Terrace Bay, Valerie Gerlach also reported a Baltimore Oriole and an Indigo Bunting, present for the last two days.

Baltimore Oriole in Terrace Bay courtesy of Valerie Gerlach

Least Tern in Atikokan!

2011-05-11T17:35:00.000-07:00

Dave Elder of Atikokan (Rainy River District) made an amazing find on May 10 while paddling in Sawmill Bay of Lower Steep Rock Lake, about 3 km. west of Atikokan.

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Photo courtesy of Dave Elder

Dave writes:

It was a “found bird” first seen after a 3km. walk down train tracks, a walk back, get another guy, load the canoe, paddle across a lake and miracle of miracles, find the bird again. Seriously lucky!

If accepted by the Ontario Bird Records Committee, this will be only the fifth record for Ontario and the first for northern Ontario.

In the North American interior, the Least Tern nests in small numbers in the upper Mississippi basin, along the Missouri River. The closest population, about 100 breeding pairs, is in North Dakota, ~740 km to the WSW of Atikokan.

Congratulations on the great find Dave!
_____________

Related:

Least Terns in North Dakota. North Dakota office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Clay-colored Sparrows

2011-05-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

Today, our backyard assemblage of migrating sparrows - Song, Lincoln's, American Tree, Chipping, Savannah, White-throated and White-crowned - was joined by this handsome Clay-colored Sparrow.

[click on images to enlarge]

A bike ride through Neys Provincial Park

2011-05-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

I swung through Neys Provincial Park for a few hours this morning. The gate was closed so I was obliged to cycle from the CPR tracks down to the beaches (about 4 km). The woods were full of the songs of kinglets (both species) Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows. Four Palm Warblers brought the warbler species count to an unremarkable two.

Mottled Snowshoe Hares and female Ruffed Grouse foraged along the roadsides. Male Ruffed Grouse could be heard drumming from within the forest at several places.

[click on images to enlarge]

A nice surprise was a male American Three-toed Woodpecker that was noisily foraging on a spruce trunk in the camp ground (site 80e if you must know). I don't see many of these outside of winter.

Here are the bird totals as processed through eBird.

Location: Neys Provincial Park
Observation date: 5/10/11
Number of species: 29

Bufflehead 5
Common Merganser 2
Ruffed Grouse 8
Common Loon 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Broad-winged Hawk 3
Ring-billed Gull 3
Herring Gull 2
Mourning Dove 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
American Three-toed Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
American Crow 12
Common Raven 3
Boreal Chickadee 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 13
Golden-crowned Kinglet 10
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 35
American Robin 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 18
Palm Warbler 4
Chipping Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 17
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Pine Siskin 1

More new arrivals

2011-05-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

At last it's starting to look and sound like May. In our yard this afternoon a Rose-breasted Grosbeak joined a flock of (100+ and growing) Purple Finches.

[click on images to enlarge]

Yesterday at the mouth of the Pic River there were 30 or so Green-winged Teal, a pair of Blue-winged Teal and two male Redheads. On Heron Bay Road there was a lone Broad-winged Hawk

A Greater Yellowlegs was the only shorebird evident in Peninsula Harbour yesterday morning.

Iceland Gull in Peninsula Harbour

2011-05-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

After being away in the US southwest for the last few weeks, I'm just getting caught up with the changing season here on the north shore. The most unusual bird I found today was a first spring Iceland Gull in Peninsula Harbour in the Town of Marathon.

[click on image to enlarge]

Winter meets spring, at last!

2011-04-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

This morning, a lingering "Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll in our yard found itself in the company of flush of new arrivals.

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Some recent spring arrivals in Marathon

Canada Goose (37) - 04/12
American Black Duck (2) - 04/13
Mallard (2) - 04/12
Ring-necked Duck (11) - 04/13
Bufflehead (3) - 04/13
*Common Goldeneye (8) - 04/13
Hooded Merganser (1) - 04/11
Common Merganser (3) - 04/11
Turkey Vulture (1) - 04/11
*Bald Eagle (1) - 04/11
Northern Harrier (1) - 04/11
American Kestrel (1 + 1) 03/22, 04/12
Merlin (1) - 04/13
*Wilson's Snipe (3) - 04/13
American Woodcock (1) - 04/12
Ring-billed Gull (37) - 04/13
*Herring Gull (280) - 04/13
*Glaucous Gull (1) - 04/10
*Mourning Dove (4) - 04/13
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1) - 04/09
*Downy Woodpecker (2) - 04/13
*Hairy Woodpecker (2) - 04/13
Northern Flicker (1) - 04/11
*Pileated Woodpecker - (2) - 04/11
*American Crow (12) - 04/13
*Common Raven (46) - 04/13
*Black-capped Chickadee (2) - 04/13
*Red-breasted Nuthatch (1) - 04/13
*Brown Creeper (1) - 04/13
Winter Wren (1) - 04/13
American Robin (1) - 04/12
*European Starling (45) - 04/13
American Tree Sparrow (12) - 04/13
Fox Sparrow (2) - 04/13
Song Sparrow (5) - 04/13
*Dark-eyed Junco (65) - 04/13
*Northern Cardinal (2) - 04/12
Common Grackle (2) - 04/13

*Species present through the winter

Lake Whitefish from Lake Superior

2011-03-31T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is a Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) caught through the ice on Lake Superior, yesterday. The presence of an adipose fin (between the dorsal and the caudal fins), among other characters, indicates its close relatedness to other salmonid fishes of which we also caught (in the same area) Rainbow Trout, Coho Salmon and Lake Herring.

All of these species feed heavily on Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax), an invasive forage fish in Lake Superior.

This is one of my favourite fish to eat.

Glaucous Gull in the Town of Marathon

2011-03-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

This Glaucous Gull was in the company of 50 or so Herring Gulls in Marathon today. Nearby I saw two Snow Buntings and an American Kestrel - new birds for the season.

[click on image to enlarge]

Redpolls swarm our yard after the storm

2011-03-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

As seen in our yard today (make sure your volume is turned up!)...

Birds about town...

2011-03-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

There hasn't been much change in recent weeks. The are still good numbers of Common and Hoary Redpolls around town. Dozens of pairs of Herring Gulls are staking out territory on Skin Island, in Peninsula Harbour.

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Bohemian Waxwings

"Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll

Here are today's sightings as processed by eBird:

Location: Marathon, Ontario
Observation date: 3/10/11
Number of species: 16

Bald Eagle 1
Herring Gull 275
Glaucous Gull 4
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Common Raven 65
Black-capped Chickadee 3
European Starling 2
Bohemian Waxwing 20
Northern Cardinal 3
Pine Grosbeak 16
Common Redpoll (flammea) 92
Common Redpoll (rostrata) 9
Hoary Redpoll (exilipes) 13
Hoary Redpoll (hornemanni) 3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/canada)

Black-backed Woodpecker at Dorion

2011-03-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Susan Fagan for sharing this photo, taken today near Dorion.

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Thin ice on Peninsula Harbour

2011-03-06T11:56:00.000-08:00

American Marten in Pukaskwa National Park

2011-02-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

[click on image to enlarge]

Photo courtesy of Wayne Michano

Northern Hawk Owl at Rossport

2011-02-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

This evening we noticed this Northern Hawk Owl along Hwy 17, near the Rossport turnoff, about 110 km west of Marathon.

Return of the Northern Shrike

2011-02-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

A scattering of redpoll feathers on top of the fresh snow suggested a very recent kill. Soon after I spotted a young Northern Shrike, half-concealed in the spruce tree outside our kitchen window.

For about twenty minutes I watched it preen and eye the nearby finches. Moments before launching itself at a redpoll, the shrike assumed a more horizontal posture and took on a longer, sleeker appearance.

[click on images to enlarge]

Notes on the European Starling in a northern Ontario town

2011-02-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

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S is for Starling

Over the last month we've grown accustomed to the diverse flock of Common and Hoary Redpolls in the yard. I've also kept an eye on overwintering gulls - a few hundred Herring with several Glaucous - and from week-to-week there's not much change. With so little news, it's a good time to write a few words about an even more constant feature of our local bird fauna - the European Starling.

I was prompted to do so by Verlyn Klinkenborg's lyrical column in today's New York Times in which he shares some thoughts about the starlings on his rural property somewhere in New England. Like Mr. Klinkenborg, I find myself watching the starlings even when when our feeders are festooned with less common and more brightly coloured winter finches.

Mr. Klinkenborg also notes that their reputation for out-competing native species for nest sites in tree cavities - "they have de-nested billions of birds" - isn't matched by their behaviour in his yard where "they fight all the time, yet only with one another."

We see the same thing - our starlings seem perfectly content in mixed company.

Our winter starling flock has had an oddball in its ranks - a male Brown-headed Cowbird - for several months. Though they are superficially similar black birds, they are not kin. Cowbirds are Icterids, a New World lineage that includes orioles, meadowlarks, grackles and oropendolas. The European Starling is of course a wildly successful transplant from the Old World and is closely related to the mynahs. Another distinction is that Brown-headed Cowbirds almost never overwinter in northern Ontario. This one is in the close company - generally in the midst - of a gang of accepting starlings.

Brown-headed Cowbird (centre) roosting with European Starlings

Lots of birds use the suspended suet log. Gray Jays, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees are frequent and all are quick to vacate on the arrival of a woodpecker - even the diminutive Downy. The starlings aren't so fearful and will continue to feed, perhaps warily, only inches from a Pileated Woodpecker.

In addition to suet, the starlings eat pretty much anything we offer - millet, shelled peanuts, sunflower, niger (swallowed by the mouthful if offered in an open container!), cracked corn and all kinds of fruit. During mast years, they readily exploit the abundant native Mountain-ash crop along with American Robins, Common Ravens, American Crows, Gray Jays, Pine Grosbeaks and both waxwings. Perhaps this wide dietary breadth enables the starling to thrive in northern towns where Rock Pigeons and House Sparrows are absent.

Michael Cadman (in Cadman et al., 2007) summarized the history of the European Starling in Ontario. Following their introduction to New York in 1890, they were first found nesting in Ontario in 1922. Their range continued to expand northwards and they were recorded on the first Christmas Bird Counts conducted in Marathon and Thunder Bay in the 1950's (CBC historical data). Presently they are found in most northern Ontario settlements. They have also been observed breeding on a radar installations in northernmost Ontario, on the Hudson Bay coast at Cape Henrietta Maria, some 200 km from the nearest settlement (Cadman 2007).

Photo courtesy of Clyde Barrett

Historical Christmas Bird Count data also reveal a continuous occupation of the Town of Marathon by European Starlings since at least 1958. Scarcely a day passes when I don't see a at least a few starlings around town, although I've never seen more than 100 or so birds at once. They breed here but I have no idea if we see the same individuals in the summer and winter - the species is partially migratory.

There's a lot more to say about European Starlings and much we have yet to learn. Their vocal mimicry is extraordinary and in certain lights, they are strikingly beautiful.

The final word goes to Mr. Klinkenborg:

It would be nice if starlings came in ones and twos and were more like the cardinal in demeanor. We would see the ornateness of their feathering, which reminds me of the marbled endpapers of well-bound books. I’ve used starling hackle feathers for tying trout flies, and each one is a bit of the night sky with an iridescent galaxy shining near the tip.

Wood Engraving by Eric Fitch Daglish

M. D. Cadman, D. A. Sutherland, G. G. Beck, D. Lepage, and A. R. Couturier, Eds. 2007. Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario 2001–2005. Bird Studies Canada, Environment Canada, Ontario Field Ornithologists, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ontario Nature, Toronto, Ontario, xxii + 706 pp. [available here]
Verlyn Klinkenborg. The Mob at the Feeders. New York Times. 13 February, 2011.
Wood Engraving by Eric Fitch Daglish (1892-1966), reproduced here with the kind permission of Stephen Daglish.
Photo of winter starling pair taken in Newfoundland, courtesy of Clyde Barrett.
Christmas Bird Count data accessed here.

Gray Jay

2011-02-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

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Some mid-winter backyard feeder birds

2011-02-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

For the first time, we're participating in Project Feeder Watch. If you don't already know, this citizen science initiative monitors trends in the populations of North American birds visiting feeders during each winter season. It's administered by the Cornell lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.

Accordingly, we've been counting the visitors to our feeders at fortnightly intervals.

[click on images to enlarge]

Regulars at our feeders these days include up to six Mourning Doves, scores of Common and Hoary Redpolls, a few dozen Pine Grosbeaks, a dozen or so European Starlings, a Pileated and two or three each of Downy and Hairy Woodpecker, a Red-breasted Nuthatch, a few Gray Jays and Common Ravens, a few pairs of Black-capped Chickadees and an occasional Boreal Chickadee, four-to-six Northern Cardinals, two Dark-eyed Juncos and an irregular Brown-headed Cowbird.

I was surprised to find a female House Sparrow visiting a feeder in nearby Heron Bay a few days ago. Believe it or not they, like Rock Pigeons, are scarce in these parts.

"Greater" Common Redpoll?

2011-01-29T06:04:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure that this large male Common Redpoll is of the rostrata subspecies - larger, heavier billed and more boldly striped than the more common southern or flammea subspecies. I came upon this lone bird at the Marathon Cross-country Ski Club.

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Lake Superior in the Town of Marathon on a chilly morning

2011-01-28T18:54:00.000-08:00

This is the view from Pebble Beach this morning. The steam off the lake is typical in the winter when the air temperature drops below -25 C.

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Daily visit by Pileated Woodpecker

2011-01-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

This female PIWO is a daily visitor. She doesn't seem at all bothered by temps in the -30's (C). Photos taken through our kitchen window.

The log is also visited by Black-capped Chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and European Starlings.

[click on images to enlarge]

Shrike!

2011-01-23T07:01:00.000-08:00

The growing redpoll flock in our yard has not gone unnoticed by a couple of Northern Shrikes. I have seen a few chases but no captures. This brown tones indicate that this is a first year bird.

[click on image to enlarge]

Last week, nature blogger Penelope in Northfield, Minnesota caught a few great action shots of a dapper adult (grey, black and white) Northern Shrike wrangling a vole.

Small mammals at the bird feeder

2011-01-21T03:56:00.000-08:00

While birds are our most conspicuous backyard visitors, the snow reveals signs of a community of mammalian visitors we seldom see. Often we find tiny tracks and a network of tunnels just under the surface. In their yard, our friends Christine and Kyle found similar tunnels, and the tunneler, active in broad daylight last weekend. We were all surprised to learn that the tunneler wasn't a rodent. Instead, it was a Northern Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicauda)!

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Northern Short-tailed Shrew. Photo courtesy of Christine Drake

Northern Short-tailed Shrew. Photo courtesy of Christine Drake
Northern Short-tailed Shrew. Photo courtesy of Christine Drake

Armed with poison-secreting salivary glands, Northern Short-tailed Shrews are well-known predators of small rodents and invertebrates. They are also known to eat bird seed and are commonly encountered in the vicinity of bird feeders.

One consequence of concentrated small mammal activity in the yard is the attraction of larger predators, as Jo-Ann Ecker of Woodstock, Vermont observed after a snow storm on January 12th. Jo-Ann wrote:

Our Barred Owl waits for white footed mice and voles to appear. I am sure he is successful or else he wouldn't come back.

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Barred Owl. Photo courtesy of Jo-ann Ecker

A few years ago, Martha spotted an intact Barred Owl pellet lying beneath a Hemlock in the woods, beyond our yard. When we teased it apart, we found the remains of at least three small mammals.

Two of the partial skulls and a single mandible are from shrews (family Soricidae) of the subfamily Soricinae, also known as the red-toothed Shrews. The reddish colour is the result of iron deposited in the tooth enamel.

The first and third partial skulls are likely from a Northern Short-tailed Shrew. The second (middle) skull is likely from a Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). These two widespread species are common in the area, although the shrew is approaching the northern limit of its Ontario range on the the north shore of Lake Superior.

Just to the south of us, in Northfield, Minnesota, fellow nature blogger Penelope has been documenting the behaviour of a Northern Short-tailed Shrew under her bird feeders.

Here is an excellent series of photos and description of the discovery of a Northern Short-tailed Shrew skeleton in a Saw-whet Owl pellet at the Lake Erie Metropark (MI).

Many thanks to Christine Drake and Jo-Ann Ecker for sharing their terrific photos.

Two Common Ravens and a Pine Grosbeak - birds with a circumboreal distribution.

2011-01-20T17:14:00.000-08:00

[click on photo to enlarge]

This is a very typical scene in our backyard. It includes two species (Common Raven and Pine Grosbeak) and a distinctive genus (birch - Betula) which can be found together in Canada, Greenland, Scotland, Finland, Russia, Mongolia and China and elsewhere.

Sharp-tailed Grouse on the Black Bay fen

2011-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

Greg Stroud toughed it out a -32 C windchill last Saturday (Jan 15) and turned up five Sharp-tailed Grouse. Thanks for sharing the pictures Greg.

More on the Black Bay Fen here.

[click on images to enlarge]

Common Redpolls in the storm

2011-01-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

The Redpolls seem to be holding their own in the current blizzard.

Pine Grosbeaks get their fill

2011-01-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

[click images to enlarge]

"Hornemann's" Hoary and "Greater" Common Redpolls

2011-01-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

During the December 19th CBC we tallied a total of only eight Common Redpolls at two different feeders. Since then the redpoll scene has become more interesting. As noted in my last post, the backyard flock has grown and at times Hoary Redpolls appear to outnumber Common Redpolls.

A few days ago an unusual male Hoary Redpoll showed up in the late afternoon. It was much larger than the abundant Common Redpolls and 'exilipes' Hoary Redpolls in the yard - in particular, its large, heavy body made the head seem disproportionately small. This is a key characteristic of Hornemann's Hoary Redpoll, the rarest of the recognizable redpoll subspecies in Ontario.

[click on image to enlarge]

I took a quick burst of photos through our kitchen window and while viewing them later on the laptop, I noticed a couple of very large, heavily streaked Common Redpolls in a few of the frames - Greater Redpoll (Acanthis flammea rostrata)!

numbers refer to subspecies listed below

Accompanying the Hornemann's Hoary Redpoll and the Greater Common Redpoll was the more common (and smaller) "Southern" Common Redpoll.

In the larger flock in the yard were ten or more "Southern" (exilipes) Hoary Redpolls (see previous post).

Thus, I was fortunate enough to observe the four Ontario redpoll subspecies in the yard that day.

As numbered in the previous images, these recognizeable subspecies are:

"Southern" Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea flammea)
"Greater" Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea rostrata)
"Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni hornemanni)
"Southern" Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni exilipes)

Here are a few more photos from the series. Again note the pallor and large size of the "Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll in the centre. Also, note the similarly large size and dark streaking of the "Greater" Common Redpoll in the rear.

[click on images to enlarge]

I sent the photos off to noted winter finch prognosticator Ron Pittaway. He and Michel Gosselin (Canadian Museum of Nature) confirmed the ID's. In print and in on-line publications, these two ornithologists have done much to advance our understanding of redpoll taxonomy and diversity in Canada. David Sibley has also made some great contributions to the subject. Please check the related resources (below) for a wealth of (mostly) on-line materiel.

Ron offered the following comment which may help to lessen confusion when we discuss redpoll subspecies:

Hornemann’s Redpoll and Greater Redpoll are the English common names used by the AOU when subspecies had official common names and I encourage their use today with the interest in recognizable forms. You may here some birders calling both subspecies as Greenland Redpolls, which is confusing and misleading. Both Hornemann’s and Greater Redpolls breed in Canada and the birds we get are mostly from the Canadian Arctic.

A final note on Hoary Redpolls currently in the Marathon area.

Yesterday (January 9, 2011) I walked through some of the scrubby bush beside the mill in Marathon and I came upon a flock of about 20 redpolls feeding on Green Alder seeds.

The birds were very focussed on their foraging and this allowed me the chance to observe most of them at close range - all of the 13 I could see were unambigously pale "Southern" (exilipes) Hoary Redpolls.

More photos of redpolls (including several more of the "Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll) from our yard in January of 2011.

Postscript: The story of the invasion by diverse redpolls into northern Ontario during the winter of 2010-2011 - in the format of a 'photo salon' - was featured in the winter issue of North American Birds. The article is available here (pdf).

It provides a thorough review of the finer points, and limitations, of redpoll identification.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Ron Pittaway and Michel Gosselin for commenting on the redpoll identities in the above photos. I'm also grateful to Pete Read and Nick Escott for pointing out that one of the numbered birds in an earlier graphic was likely a CORE, not a HORE. This has been corrected.

Related resources

From Ron Pittaway

1992. Recognizeable Forms: Redpolls. Ontario Birds 10 (3):108-114 [pdf].
Redpoll Challenge: four subspecies [an excellent summary and description of the four recognizeable subspecies found in Ontario].
Photos of Hornemann's Hoary and Greater Common Redpoll.

From David Sibley

Peer reviewed

Knox, Alan G. and Peter E. Lowther. 2000. Hoary Redpoll (Carduelis hornemanni), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/544 doi:10.2173/bna.544,
Troy, D.M. 1985. A phenetic analysis of the redpolls Carduelis flammea flammea and. C. hornemanni exilipes. Auk 102: 82-96 [pdf].
Wetherbee, O.P. 1937. A study of wintering Hoary, Common, and Greater Redpolls, and various intermediates or hybrids. Bird-Banding 8(1): 1-10 [pdf].

Other

Brinkley, E.S., Buckley, P.A., Bevier, L.R. and A.M. Byrne. 2011. Photo Essay: Redpolls from Nunavut and Greenland visit Ontario. North American Birds 65(2): 2-11 [pdf].
From Jean Iron, excellent photos of Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls and Greater Common Redpolls.
Excellent in-hand comparisons of Greater and Southern Common Redpolls from Toronto, taken by Seabrook Leckie.
Great photos of a Hoary Redpoll taken in early January in nearby Hasty Brook, Minnesota.
If you're not yet confused and you can't get enough, check Andy Warr's detailed overview of redpoll subspecies (most of which we share) found in the UK.

Hoary Redpolls

2011-01-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

We're back in Marathon and thanks to our friend Nancy, who tended our pets and feeders while we were away, our yard is full of winter finches. During our absence, the flock of Common Redpolls grew from six to about thirty, plus four or five Hoary Redpolls.

[click on images to enlarge]

Happy New Year to all!

Varied Thrush (near Kitchener)

2010-12-24T09:20:00.000-08:00

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Female Varied Thrush near Kitchener, Dec 24th.

A handful of Varied Thrushes have been reported from Ontario in recent weeks - several from southern and eastern Ontario and one from the north shore, near Rossport. We looked for but didn't see the Rossport bird a few weeks ago.

Other VATHs have been seen recently in the American midwest - Michigan (Mason Co., Dec 14; Barry Co., Jan 1) and Wisconsin (Waushara Co., Dec 20; Door Co., Feb 11); Illinois (Dekalb Co, Jan 14).

A more extraordinary occurrence was that of a male observed November 10-15 at Netitishi Point in southern James Bay by Alan Wormington and Brandon Holden.

Further east a female has been wintering in New York City's Central Park since late November.

This morning, we photographed a female which has been coming to a feeder near Kitchener since December 14th. There's a nice write-up on this bird in the local paper and some terrific photos on a K-W bird sightings message board.

[Update: The bird's ongoing visit was profiled in the January 23rd Kitchener Record.]

More excellent photos were taken Feb 10, 2011 by Jean Iron.

Female Varied Thrush near Kitchener, Dec 24th.

I expect more Varied Thrushes will show at feeders across the province in the coming weeks.

We gave some thought to the visitations of Varied Thrushes on our old central Ontario blog.

Barred Owl near Wawa

2010-12-22T18:43:00.000-08:00

We came upon this handsome owl along the highway northeast of Wawa this afternoon.

Unofficial results of the 2010 Marathon Christmas Bird Count

2010-12-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

The Marathon Christmas Bird Count was conducted on December 19, 2010. Mild temperatures (-8 C to -4 C) and light winds made for a great day to be outdoors. Eleven bird counters contributed to a total of 14 hours tallying birds in the field. Additional watchers monitored seven backyard feeders in Marathon and Heron Bay.

A total of 834 individuals of 32 species were observed. An additional two species [Long-tailed Duck (33) and Brown-headed Cowbird (1)] were seen during the count week which ends at midnight on Wednesday Dec. 23. [Please let us know if you observe any additional species before then.] The final, official results will be submitted to Bird Studies Canada and the National Audubon Society shortly after.

The complete tally is appended below.

No new species were recorded; however, record high counts (HC's) were tallied for the following:

Wilson's Snipe 3 (previous HC of 2 in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007)
Pileated Woodpecker 4 (previous HC of 3 in 1994)
Blue Jay 27 (previous HC of 9 in 2009)
Golden-crowned Kinglet 5 (previous HC of 2 in 1995, 1999, 2001)
Fox Sparrow 2 (previous HC of 1 in 2007, 2009)
Northern Cardinal 6 (previous HC of 5 in 2007)

Fox Sparrow in Heron Bay

Singles of other unusual species (seen in five or fewer of the previous 33 CBCs) included Red-breasted Merganser, Rusty Blackbird and Red-winged Blackbird.

Notably absent were American Robin and waxwings of either species - this is likely attributable to the poor crop of Mountain-ash fruit in our region.

Many thanks to all who participated and especially to those who fought off cold and flu symptoms through the day. We are also grateful to The Friends of Pukaskwa who donated a bird guide drawn as a door prize at the compilation dinner. Nolan (again) won the door prize but generously gave it to Nancy [nicely done Nolan]. Thanks also to Brian Hyshka of the Town of Marathon for enabling access to the landfill site.

We wish you and your families good health, safe travels and happiness in the coming year.

Michael and Martha
(count compilers)

The Complete Tally

Common Goldeneye 8
Red-breasted Merganser 1
Ruffed Grouse 1
Bald Eagle 1
Wilson's Snipe 3
Herring Gull 273
Glaucous Gull 3
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 16
Downy Woodpecker 14
Hairy Woodpecker 10
Black-backed Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 4
Gray Jay 15
Blue Jay 27
American Crow 7
Common Raven 171
Black-capped Chickadee 106
Boreal Chickadee 8
Red-breasted Nuthatch 8
Golden-crowned Kinglet 5
European Starling 56
Fox Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 6
Northern Cardinal 6
Red-winged Blackbird 1
Rusty Blackbird 1
Pine Grosbeak 80
Purple Finch 1
Common Redpoll 8
Evening Grosbeak 1

Count week extras SO FAR: Long-tailed Duck, Brown-headed Cowbird

Northern Shrike drops by

2010-12-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

A Northern Shrike visited our backyard feeder this week. It sat on one of our feeding stumps for about five minutes and watched the agitated mob of Black-capped Chickadees and Pine Grosbeaks in the branches overhead.

[click on images to enlarge]

Somewhat related is David Sibely's excellent, systematic analysis of the identification of a shrike that recently appeared in Long Island, New York. If you think differentiating Loggerhead Shrike from Northern Shrike is simple and straight forward, you might want to think again. You'll find the article here.

Join in the December 19th Marathon Christmas Bird Count

2010-12-10T10:42:00.000-08:00

On December 19, volunteer naturalists will conduct Marathon's annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Birders of all skill levels are welcome to help count birds within a 12 km radius of town, which includes the communities of Heron Bay and Pic River. Some parties will range out into the bush on skis and snowshoes while others will stay close to their vehicles, counting birds along the roadsides.

Residents who maintain bird feeders will contribute by keeping a tally sheet of the species visiting their yards. All participants are encouraged to attend a fun and informal chili dinner at 5:30 pm during which bird numbers will be totaled and stories and photos will be shared.

The event is sponsored by The Friends of Pukaskwa National Park who will provide a prize to each participant as well as a door prize to be drawn at the compilation dinner.

Pine Grosbeak. December 10, 2010.

The CBC is the longest running Citizen Science survey in the world. Data collected by tens of thousands of participants throughout the Americas are used by scientists to help monitor our bird populations. In Canada, the counts are administered by Bird Studies Canada. CBC participants (other than children under 18 and those conducting back yard feeder watches) contribute to Bird Studies Canada a $5.00 fee to help offset the cost of administering the program (details here).

Marathon Count Circle
Marathon residents have participated in most years since 1973. Over all years a total of 85 species have been recorded but for each year the average is 25 and no two years are the same. While a handful of common species - Herring Gull, Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee and European Starling - are seen every year, waterfowl, raptors and winter finches are less predictable. Each year turns up a few surprises.

Bald Eagles are now commonly sighted in Marathon throughout the year but they only began appearing on the CBC in 1994 as the continental population rebounded following the implementation of restrictions on the use of organochlorine pesticides. Northern Cardinal, a very common species in the south, started appearing on our CBC in the late 1980s reflecting an ongoing northward expansion of its range.
Northern Cardinal and Chipping Sparrow

How to Get Involved

Those wishing to participate in this year's CBC should contact Martha Allen at 229-1319 immediately. Martha will assign each person to a team covering a particular section of the count circle. Those conducting feeder watches will be given a tally sheet for birds visiting their back yards.
In the morning, each bird counting team will assemble before heading out to count birds in their assigned areas.
(Optional) Bird counting teams will meet up with each other at noon at Rumours Coffee House & Deli in the Superior Place Mall (2 Ontario Street) to warm up and trade stories before heading back out for the afternoon.
Tally sheets should be dropped off at 8 Steedman Dr. around 5:30 pm. All are welcome to stay for a bowl of chili, a slide show and a draw for a prize donated by the Friends of Pukaskwa.

Horned Lark. December 10, 2010.

A winter visit to the Black Bay fen, near Nipigon

2010-12-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

In late May we visited the Black Bay Peninsula near Nipigon. Our access point was via the Everard Road, which runs south from Hwy 17-11 (Trans-Canada) just west of Nipigon.

We returned today, following reports of abundant snow in the Nipigon area. There was lots snow but the semi-frozen state of the underlying peatlands discouraged us from putting on our skis. Instead, we tramped through knee-deep snow in our winter boots which regularly punched through the crust into muddy water. Despite the tough slogging, we had a great time.

A highlight was one (or were there three?) Northern Hawk Owl we saw a widely separated points along our hike. Overhead, a light morph Rough-legged Hawk hovered in search of rodent prey. We heard two Sharp-trailed Grouse calling although we were unable to locate them in the dense spruce-cedar-birch stands.

We look forward to returning with snowshoes to explore a larger portion of the wetland.

[click images to enlarge]

**********
Related information:

Profile of the Everard Fen from the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists.

Sandhill Crane remains at Marathon dump (December edition)

2010-12-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

For at least six weeks, a Sandhill Crane has been present at the Town of Marathon dump on Penn Lake Road. It can often be seen foraging through household trash in very close quarters with Common Ravens, American Crows, Herring and Glaucous Gulls and Bald Eagles.

Sandhill Crane, Common Raven, Herring Gull and Bald Eagle

According to Tacha et al.'s (1992) synthesis, the diet includes berries and small mammals, nestling birds, snails, insects, and cultivated grains (wheat, corn, barley sorghum) when available. The authors don't reference the scavenging behaviour we've observed here.

Today, I observed the bird take off, circle and then land and after I approached to within 50 m. It appeared healthy and strong and we continue to wonder why this bird didn't migrate with the southbound flocks that passed through in September.

[click on images to enlarge]

***********
Reference

Tacha, T. C., S. A. Nesbitt and P. A. Vohs. 1992. Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/031/articles/introduction

Some yard birds

2010-12-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Some bird notes ♩ ♬ ♪

2010-12-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

The Sandhill Crane frequenting the Penn Lake Road dump was seen daily until yesterday (Nov 30).

I flushed a single Wilson's Snipe from the well known "snipe seep" today.

Two Glaucous Gulls (a first year and an adult) joined the throng of Herring Gulls at the Penn Lake Rd. dump.

One of two Glaucous Gulls at a the Marathon dump (Dec 1)

I've seen fewer Bohemian Waxwings in town this week - most recently two yesterday (Nov 30) feeding, as usual, in an ornamental crabapple tree.

An American Three-toed Woodpecker was seen high up in a well-flaked White Spruce tree beside the Green Trail at the Marathon Cross-country Ski Club (Nov 27).

A late-ish Rusty Blackbird was feeding in a wetland beside Peninsula Harbour (Nov 29).

Attending a feeder in Heron Bay this afternoon (Dec 1) were: Blue Jay (7); Gray Jay (1), Red-breasted Nuthatch (1); European Starling (4); Pine Grosbeak (8); Evening Grosbeak (1); White-throated Sparrow (2); Fox Sparrow (1) and Red-winged Blackbird (2 juvenile males).

Fox Sparrow at a feeder in Heron Bay (Dec 2)

One of two White-throats at a Heron Bay feeder (Dec 1)

One of two Red-winged Blackbirds at a Heron Bay feeder (Dec 1)

Flocks of 12 - 50 Common Redpoll continue to been seen in Marathon adjacent areas. All were fly-bys or were feeding on the seeds of White Birch and Green Alder. Today (Dec 1) I found a bright male exilipes Hoary Redpoll in a flock of a dozen Common Redpolls feeding in Green Alder beside Peninsula Harbour.

Bohemian Waxwings visit fruit tray

2010-11-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

We had some success attracting waxwings to a feeding tray in our backyard. The fruit is a wide variety of mostly wild-collected varieties [Arctostaphylos, Cornus (3 species), Viburnum, Vaccinium (4 species), Rhus, Rubus, Rosa, Ribes, Vitis, etc.]

We hung some pruned, fruit-bearing crab-apple twigs above the feeder to serve as an attractant.

[click on images to enlarge]

Sights along the Trans-Canada Highway

2010-11-25T10:53:00.000-08:00

I just returned from an unplanned trip to southern Ontario. Here are a few of the sights from the return drive along the north shore, between Batchewana and White River.

[click on images to enlarge]

Horned Grebe at Batchewana

Bohemian Waxwings at White River

more Bohemian Waxwings at White River

Common Redpoll

Yard birds

2010-11-20T07:46:00.000-08:00

A surprising male Brown-headed Cowbird (Oct 20)

A few recent weather events brought changes to the birds visiting our yard. The Oct 26-27th storm brought about the departure of most American Robins, American Tree Sparrows, Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings. The only sparrows visiting our yard are two Dark-eyed Juncos.

Flocks of up to 40 Common Redpoll pass through the yard daily, feeding on white birch seeds. They've yet to discover our feeders. A trio of Pine Grosbeaks has and they are fairly constant. Other regulars include a Red-breasted Nuthatch, two Hairy Woodpeckers, five American Crows, one Common Raven, one Gray Jay, two Blue Jays and up to 10 Black-capped Chickadees.

A small, quarrelsome flock of Northern Cardinal has grown to four - as many as any of us can recall seeing together in this small town, at the very northern limit of its geographical range.

Also unexpected was the arrival, with a suet-loving flock of 20 or so European Starlings, of a Brown-headed Cowbird and a Common Grackle. Will they overwinter?

Unfortunately, the female Red-bellied Woodpecker that struck our window last Tuesday (Oct 16) didn't survive. The specimen is being sent to the Royal Ontario Museum.

Our friend Tammie Hache, a.k.a. the Bird Lady, in nearby Manitouwadge keeps a close eye on her yard visitors. Many look forward to her weekly updates in the Manitouwadge Echo. In cooperation with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and Project Feederwatch, Tammie and Ben will be hosting a live feeder-cam in her yard this winter. Read more here.

Heron Bay to Thunder Bay by water

2010-11-17T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today I helped crew the Melissa June on a run across the north shore. We set out at first light and covered 233 km in six hours and 11 minutes. The 30 foot aluminum catamaran provided a smooth ride over one meter swells at an average speed of 34 km/h. We saw a handful of Herring Gulls and eight Black Scoters but otherwise, very little wildlife.

Here's our GPS track - zoom in to get a sense of how rugged and interesting the coastline is. I look forward to doing this trip (in August!) by kayak.

View T-Bay Trip in a larger map

Our course took us past several light houses - Slate Islands, Porphyry Point and Trowbridge Island Light.

Slate Islands Light

Trowbridge Island Light

The most memorable aspect of the trip was viewing the always impressive Sibley Peninsula and Sleeping Giant from the water.

Approaching the Sibley Peninsula from the east

Thunder Cape Bird Observatory

Sheer west face of the Sleeping Giant

Many thanks to Keith and Melissa McCuaig for having me along.

Cattle Egret in Wawa

2010-11-17T07:27:00.000-08:00

Fritz Fischer found a Cattle Egret feeding in tall grass at the corner of Churchill and Algoma Streets in Wawa on November 12.

Thanks for sharing your photos Fritz.

From NWObirds, Sue Bryan passed on reports of Cattle Egrets from the Thunder Bay Conservatory: a single on Oct 31 and a pair on November 3.

Red-bellied Woodpecker at Marathon

2010-11-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

[click on images to enlarge]

A female Red-bellied Woodpecker showed up in our yard today. The Thunder Bay District lies well north of its known breeding range. Unfortunately, it stunned itself against a window moments after I took the first photo. Hopefully it will recover.