Not the birds I expected

Female White-winged Crossbill

Despite a rather severe head cold, I decided to take advantage of the very nice weather today (7 C) to do a bit of bird watching at lunch. I gave the Burlington Lift Bridge canal a miss today and try some other local birding spots. I ended up with two nice new winter birds, but didn't see the ones I expected to.

I started off at Paletta Park on the waterfront to see if there were any Brown Creepers this time around. I also saw a Tufted Titmouse there at this time last year, but there hadn't been any reports so far this year. It was pretty overcast at this time, but I was also hoping to have another chance to photograph some Golden-crowned Kinglets. Other than Mallards and Canada Geese the only birds I saw were Black-capped Chickadees and Northern Cardinals. I heard some woodpeckers and nuthatches, but they did not put in an appearance.

Two female White-winged Crossbills

Giving up on Paletta I drove down the street to La Salle Marina. The sun came out while I was driving, and as I was passing the Burlington Golf and Country Club I saw a half dozen birds fly into the top of a pine tree. I should point out (to reassure Lynda) that I was not watching for birds while driving. They passed in front of me and I pulled into a parking lot and got out of the car to see what they were. I do not endorse birding and driving.

The birds in question were in the top of a pine tree across the street from the parking lot I pulled into (I believe it was the Burlington Golf and Country Club parking lot). I could see the birds moving around in the top of the tree calling and generally behaving like finches. With the sun out strongly by this time, the birds were very backlit and hard to identify. They were larger than American Goldfinches, but hanging upside-down on the cones feeding. I was fairly sure they were White-winged Crossbills, which I confirmed looking at the pictures afterwards.

Male White-winged Crossbill

This was my second time seeing Crossbills. The first time was just last Boxing Day, but the conditions were not good for photography. They were too distant for the lens I had available at the time and came out very backlit. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a number of my shots today came out well, and are my first good photographs of these birds.

Male American Wigeon

When I made it to La Salle I was hoping to see a Brown Creeper or a Tundra Swan. Tundra Swans were all over La Salle this time last year, but I didn't see any today. The bay was mostly frozen over close to shore with a couple of small pools of open water. Mallards, Canada Geese, Mute Swans, Trumpeter Swans, American Black Ducks, and Ring-billed Gulls were abundant. A little way down the pathway there was a single male American Wigeon. Last winter several pairs hung out at La Salle last winter, and I seemed compelled to photograph them whenever I saw them. We have a screensaver on our computer that randomly displays a picture for 20 seconds, and Wigeons are very well represented due to the number of photographs they are subject in.

Another life gull

Golden-crowned Kinglet

After coming back from fabulous weather in Florida, I am finding it very hard to go birding in the sub-zero temperatures here at home. I have effectively ruined my cold-tolerance by spending a week is sunny hot weather, but I have managed to get out a couple of times.

First I went to Paletta Park in Burlington and walked around the woodlot. The paths were extremely icy in places, so I spent more time watching my feet than I did watching for birds. I was particularly on the look out for an American Treecreeper, which was abundant there last winter. After getting halfway through the lot and only seeing a few Black-capped Chickadees, I came across a bit of a surprise. Two beautiful Golden-crowned Kinglets were darting about the undergrowth beside the path. These tiny birds are surprisingly unconcerned when approached, so it was possible for me to get a couple of good shots on this dull day, although I had to throw away quite a few shots of empty twigs where only moments ago a kinglet sat.

Iceland Gull

I made it down to the Burlington Lift Bridge canal once last week, and it was windy and cold enough that my cheeks were bright red and tear stained when I got back to my car. There wasn't too much ice left on the bay, and the walkways were almost entirely clear of snow - quite a difference from when I was last there before my vacation. The number of ducks was down quite a bit with good numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers and smaller groups of White-winged Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks. I didn't see any eagles on the ice or anything particularly remarkable at the bay end of the canal.

As I was walking to the lake end of the canal and noting how far the wind carried me if I jumped straight up (about 15 cm) I saw the groups of Rock Pigeons were flying about like mad. Chasing after them was a Peregrine Falcon and I got a couple of pictures as he/she flew into the wind above me.

Iceland Gull

Halfway between the bridge and the lake end of the canal was a single gull swimming just off the walkway. Judging by his/her size and lack of black on the tail feathers I guessed that this bird was probably an Iceland Gull, which I confirmed was a first winter when I got home. Down at the very end of the canal the gull flew a couple of circles over me and I was able to get a couple of good shots while he/she was flying into the wind.

It was an overall dull day, and I was decidedly unimpressed with my falcon shots when I got home, but adding another gull to my life list brightened the day considerably. I am fairly sure I saw an Iceland Gull a few weeks prior to this sighting, but I wasn't able to confirm it with the photos I took that day when I got home. This was a much better sighting, and I am just as happy to have waited and made sure before adding the gull to my list.

Disney World Birds

Limpkin

We recently came back from a week-long vacation in Florida. We spent our time at Disney World staying in the All-Star Sports Resort (the only value resort with room available while we were down). The weather was gorgeous, with highs between 25.5 C (78F) and 28 C (82F) each day and only a couple of very light showers on the Friday. Crowds were a different matter, this being our most crowded trip to date, but it didn't overly hamper our vacation.

I wasn't able to do much dedicated birding despite having borrowed an awesome birding lens for the trip. This was partly due to my SLR camera case hanging by a thread by the end of the vacation so we only carried a point-and-shoot for the last couple days. Our days were spent enjoying the parks as a family and swimming at the hotel. I was able to get out early a few mornings to walk around the area near our room, which was more fruitful than I expected as I will explain soon.

A pair of Limpkins

The birding began on the bus ride from the airport to the hotel. My very first Florida bird this year was a Wood Stork at a pond just outside the airport. Wood Storks have eluded my photographs thus far despite seeing many on this trip. I have always been in a moving vehicle (not driving) when I see them. I also spotted Anhingas, Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vultures, Great Egrets, and White Ibis on the bus ride.

Great Blue Heron

I was impressed with the location of out hotel room. It wasn't too far from the front desk/concessions/transportation but it was completely surrounded by woods and ponds. On the very first morning at about eight we saw one of my favourite birds right outside our room - a Pileated Woodpecker! I was so busy taking pictures of the unexpected Pileated that I apparently missed my only opportunity at a Redheaded Woodpecker, which would have been a life bird for me.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

The very next morning there were two Pileateds outside our room, and I got my best pictures ever of this bird. Strangely, the two birds were males and Pileateds are supposed to be very territorial. Perhaps they were just wintering in Florida and were not territorial because they were not breeding. Pretty much every morning there were Red-bellied Woodpeckers outside our room as well, and once a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The Red-bellieds were all over the campgrounds where my parents were staying as well, along with Downy Woodpeckers and (while I wasn't there) Redheaded Woodpeckers.

Roseate Spoonbill - Not wild

My only life bird came in the form of a foursome of Wild Turkeys seen at the roadside near the campground. I have seen Turkey before, but not while I was listing. This was again from a moving car, so I didn't get any pictures. Not the most impressive life bird on a vacation to Florida, but considering the small amount of birding I did it isn't too surprising that I didn't get anything better.

Ostrich - Not wild

My best birding experience of the vacation came one morning a couple of days before we came home. While Erin and Finn slept I got up at about seven to have a look around the hotel. As sunrise was right around seven at that time it was none too bright, especially using a long lens, but I decided to go anyway. At a pond about 100 m from our room there was a Great Blue Heron walking along the opposite side. I got quite a few blurry pictures but also a couple of clearer ones, including one with his/her reflection in the pond. Erin says this is her favourite bird picture from the vacation. What made this my favourite experience - however - came from a pond 100 m to the other side of our room.

Painted Stork - Not wild

While at this pond looking for an Anhinga I had seen earlier in the week I happened to spot a pair of nondescript wading birds across the pond. I took some photos from right where I was (as is my habit when I see something interesting in case it flies away in the next few seconds or as I try to get closer) and then looked around to see if I could get any closer. They were making their way toward the far end of the pond from where I was standing, but were walking ever closer to my hotel wing. I walked over to my end of the pond and lost sight of them as there was heavy undergrowth around the sides of the pond.

Pileated Woodpecker

As I came to the stairwell right under my hotel room I realized that if I were lying in bed I would be about 10 m from the birds (albeit one floor up). I was pretty sure at this time that the birds were Limpkins and as I photographed they continued to walk toward me. They were making their way through some thick green weeds at the waters edge, and at one point one of them caught something of a considerable size, possibly a large snail. The one that caught the snail walked up onto the bank and the other joined him/her there. After a minute or so the one that caught the snail came back into the water and continued toward me as the other stayed up on the bank for a few more minutes apparently finishing the meal. After I felt I had enough pictures I walked away to look for woodpeckers and heard a crashing and a wailing cry. One of the Limpkin had flown up into a tree beside the pond and was calling out but flew away as I came back. The other Limpkin walked away and up onto the bank across the pond.

Common Moorhen

Animal Kingdom is a good place to take pictures of birds, although not birds you can count on a list of birds seen in the field. It is a challenge to take photographs from the safari ride, since it is on an extremely bumpy (realistic?) track, the car doesn't slow down or stop very often, and it is usually the bigger animals that people want to see. I did got some shots of Helmeted Guineafowl (blurry), Painted Stork, White-breated Cormorant, Pink-baked Pelican, and some other birds that I have little chance to see in the wild.

Pileated Woodpecker

The other odds and sods are: a few Bald Eagles, American Coot, Black Vulture, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Mallard, Pied-billed Grebe, Redish Egret, Common Grackle, and Boat-tailed Grackle. Still no Purple Gallinule, but I was so confident I would see a Common Moorhen in the World Showcase Lagoon I said I would not leave Epcot unless I saw one. The entire day I didn't see a single Moorhen until we were about to leave and my dad pointed one out under a bridge. The pictures in the blog entry are in no particular order because I uploaded them in a strange way. Despite having a program and a dedicated "2009 Florida List" to keep track of the birds, I did not list properly during the vacation. It was definitely a family vacation and not a birding vacation, and that is okay with me. The fact that I was able to see so many birds, have a couple of really great birding experiences, and add a life bird are enough for me.

Pomarine Jaeger: New Life Bird

Great Black-backed Gull

It has proved fruitful for me to brave the cold, raw winds at the Burlington Lift Bridge this winter. Last week I again added a life bird at that locale - though I did not realize it right away.

I was watching the ducks and gulls at the canal as I often do on my lunch hour, and was particularly admiring the gulls. I got some of my best shots of a Great Black-backed Gull and was keeping an eye out for the Glaucous Gull or any other unusual gull or duck. The bay was a lot more free of ice than it had been earlier in the week and was no longer pushing ice through the canal and out into the lake.

Great Black-backed Gull

I tend to have more luck at the lake-end of the canal than the bay-end, so I was out by the lighthouse on the Hamilton side. With no ice coming through the canal the ducks and gulls weren't quite as close-at-hand as they had been last time I was there, but I managed to get some goos shots of a Black-backed swimming and flying fairly close by.

I was just looking at a group of gulls floating quite some distance out into the lake, when they all of a sudden flew up and into the canal as a group. The behaviour was different than when the Snowy Owl scattered the gulls earlier this winter - they didn't seem scared but there seemed to be something they didn't like or they just all felt it was time to come in closer. A few seconds later I saw something flying in over where the gulls were. Through my lens the body looked dark - much darker than I had ever seen on a gull, even a juvenile one.

Pomarine Jaeger

At first I thought it might be a juvenile Bald Eagle flying over to the bay to try its luck at fishing, but the beak was all wrong and though its wings were broader than most gulls, they weren't an eagles wings. I watched and photographed as the bird flew a circle over the canal, then flew off over the bay. It came in for one more flight over the canal, then flew off over the bay toward Hamilton.

I watched as it flew off, then looked at the pictures on my camera to see what it was. I was a bit disappointed to see that it looked quite like a gull in my camera and made a note to show it to Ron and Lynda when I got home. I forgot to show it to them that night, and though I meant to show it sometime on the weekend it slipped my mind as well

Pomarine Jaeger

Yesterday a report came in that a Pomarine Jaeger had been sighting off a beach in Hamilton, apparently driven in by East winds on the lake. Ron and Lynda forwarded the email to me, as they do when there is something interesting in the area, and that reminded me of my recent sighting. I sent an email back to the effect of "you won't believe it, but I think I saw this bird last week" and Ron agreed to look at my pictures when I got home.

Unfortunately my photographs were a bit distant, but after zooming in and looking at all the angles we agreed that it was indeed the Pomarine Jaeger, albeit an immature one. Apparently the Parasitic Jaeger (which I haven't seen) is much more common around here, and the Pomarine is relatively rare. I borrowed a lens yesterday that gives me an extra 100mm (which is huge when trying to photograph birds) and add Vibration Reduction to the mix, so I am going to attempt to get some better pictures this week. I am pleased with the pictures from an identification stand point, but it would be nice to some better ones to display.

Backyard Birding

Black-capped Chickadee thinking I have seeds

In our area it is very rewarding to keep a feeder or two in the yard, especially during winter. We have two feeders in the back yard and one at the side and attract quite a few birds. Normally it is just the usual suspects - House Sparrows, House Finches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees and the like for us - but once and a while something out of the ordinary comes in.

Ron keeps a backyard list, and I should find out how many species are on it. There have been a number of singularities this winter that keep yard watching interesting. One day soon after New Years I saw a single Blue Jay come to the feeder two times, but it hasn't been back since that we have seen. We have been frequently getting a single Oregon Junco - still counted as a Dark-eyed Junco, but different from the Slate-coloured Junco normally seen in these parts.

Black-capped Chickadee about to fly away

Occasionally we will see a couple of Pine Siskins come to the feeders, which are common enough in the area this winter due to an irruption from the North but usually not much seen down here. Ron saw a single Common Redpoll at the feeders - something I haven't seen before at our house but saw a few days earlier at La Salle Marina.

My parents have a number of feeders at their house, which is not even a 10 minute drive from our house, and the species distribution is startlingly different. They live near a fair-sized woodlot in an older neighbourhood, which probably accounts for the differences. Since the winter began they have been inundated with Siskins, House Finches, and American Goldfinches to a much greater extent than we have. They hardly - if ever - get a House Sparrow, which is our most frequent visitor.

Dark-eyed Junco taking off

For a couple of days last week a roving flock of winter American Robins were feasting on berries in the woods beside their house. How are we supposed to tell when Spring is coming if the Robins never leave? Red-breasted Nuthatches and White-breasted Nuthatches along with Downy Woodpeckers will often times come for the odd seed or to feed on suet, but I don't think we have ever had those in our yard.

The pictures accompanying this post were taken at La Salle Marina last week, but are fairly representative of the types of pictures possible with backyard birds. My issue with photographing birds at feeders are twofold: usually the photos are taken through a window (making it harder to get a nice clear shot), and the pictures don't look quite as natural if the bird is sitting on a feeder. The latter problem can be solved by providing a bush or some sticks for the birds to perch on near the feeders, which also gives the photographer a good idea of where to train the camera while waiting for birds to come in.

Northern Cardinal posing

Northern Cardinals, like Juncos, seem to be more comfortable eating on the ground and will more likely be seen under feeders than on them. Birds like finches and grossbeaks happily oblige them by dumping seeds on the ground while looking for one to their liking. Squirrels will also knock a good number of seeds out jumping on to a feeder.

While it is nice to watch the common birds at a feeder, I think it is the unusual or unexpected birds that keep it interesting. The Redpoll at our feeder had me looking for days to see if it would come back. Earlier in the winter my parents had a Carolina Wren come to the feeder a couple times while I was there that kept me alert for a while. A large group of feeding birds is also a good place to - sadly - see hawks. There is a Cooper's Hawk and a Red-tailed Hawk that hang out in the woods at my parents, although the latter is apparently more interested in squirrels.