Tuesday Rambles with David - Mill Race Trail, St. Jacobs, ON and Conestogo, ON

07 February 2017

     It was with extra pleasure that we met to embark on our regular Tuesday morning outing, because we were able to welcome Franc and Carol back from Arizona, with an abundance of memories of great birds, but ready to get back into the flow with us again. In addition, Franc was able to resume his role as the "official photographer" of Rambles with David!

     Francine and Jim are still away in Québec and we will not all be together again until the end of the month. It is the leitmotif of my recent birding experiences that this is the most agreeable and compatible group of eight birders ever assembled and I am looking forward to our "Gang of Eight" venturing forth together again.

     We decided to cover the Mill Race Trail in St. Jacobs first, where winter usually holds a nice variety of species and the absence of crowds on a weekday makes for a very pleasant experience.

     There was quite a bit of snow on the ground but the temperature was mild and the walking was easy.

     White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis is a very common species here and along with Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus has lost its fear of humans and readily descends to the hand to take seed.

     It was only recently that I first had a White-breasted Nuthatch feed from my hand, but I have witnessed this phenomenon in a different location since. Red-breasted Nuthatches Sitta canadensis have never been reluctant to approach humans for an easy meal, but the champion of all is the Black-capped Chickadee - and speaking of which..........

     I swear that if I live to be a hundred I will still derive pleasure from this simple act!

     Several American Tree Sparrows Spizelloides arborea were seen and we universally commented on the subtle delicacy of the plumage of this species that fills us with delight from late fall through early spring.

     The day was quite gloomy and the presence of snow at least contributed a little light, but photography was still a bit of a challenge.

     A vivid male Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis no doubt aids the photographer with its bold splash of colour.

     On a sunny day at the end of the month these males will already be singing courtship songs - for a birder one of the true signs of impending spring, whatever the calendar says!
     There was a thin layer of water atop the ice and this drake Mallard Anas platyrynchos looks like it is walking on water!

     Woodpeckers were quite common, with both male and female Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens being frequently seen.

     Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata enlivens any winter walk.

     As has been mentioned in other recent posts American Robin Turdus migratorius is now a common species in winter. While a few birds have always exploited ravines for shelter and prolific berry crops for food, a robin in winter was nevertheless a relative rarity. Now it is commonplace.

     Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura has traditionally been with us all winter, but no doubt they welcome the trend towards overall milder temperatures, since they are prone to frostbitten feet in extreme conditions.

     Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa is a tiny bird that defies logic in spending the winter here and coping with it so well. The great naturalist Bernd Heinrich in his book Winter follows a flock of this diminutive species in the forests of northern Maine and provides great insight into their highly developed adaptations for survival under severe weather conditions, with temperature/wind chill factors sometimes approaching forty degrees below zero. Highly recommended reading!

     When we were almost back at the car Franc pivoted his camera upwards with that sweep of the arm we have all become familiar with, to capture this picture of a juvenile Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii. Not a bad bird to end the walk!

     Franc and Carol patronize a local coffee merchant called EcoCafe in St. Jacobs, where a wide variety of beans from different coffee producing countries can be obtained, with advice on how to store, handle, grind and make coffee. We all had a coffee there and chatted for a while; Franc and Carol replenished their stock. Now I can't wait to visit them so that Carol can make me as fine a cappuccino as you could have in a gourmet coffee house in Italy. And did I mention the biscotti.......or the Slovenian cake to die for!
     Our final destination was the little town of Conestogo where a pair of Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus has successfully fledged young for the past couple of years and is already preparing for this year's breeding season. 
     By the time we got there it was snowing lightly and the light had deteriorated substantially. Nevertheless Franc managed this shot of one of the eagles in flight, as majestic a spectacle as you could ever wish to see.

     The river held only Mallards and Canada Geese Branta canadensis other than for a lone male Common Merganser Mergus merganser.

     Our group broke up knowing that we had seen a fine array of birds and wondering when the first spring arrivals will start to dribble into the area. A month from now will no doubt be a whole different story!