Thursday, May 24, 2018

Francine requests, we deliver.

22 May 2018
Pinery Provincial Park,
Lambton Shores, ON

     Francine, for some time, has been asking that we take a trip somewhere that she can see Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), the latest bird of her dreams. We had initially planned to go to Rondeau Provincial Park last week, but we got rained out, and there was quite serious flooding in the park in any event.
     So we opted for Pinery Provincial Park where this species, along with a couple of other regionally significant species, is known to breed.
     Mary is away in Europe on a cycling trip, but Judy came over just before 07h:00 and we set off from home. Franc and Carol picked up Jim and Francine and they left around the same time. 
     We met just past the park entrance. It was cool but not unpleasant; a tad cloudy, but with light still adequate for photographs. We started our day at the Visitor Centre where most of us took advantage of the washrooms, and checked out the birds at the well-stocked feeders and in the surrounding woodland.
     A Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) announced its presence by continually repeating its rising "whee-eep" call, a sound we would hear oft repeated during our day in the park.



     A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) was defending a territory and yielded to no one.




     It gave us all pause to contemplate the epic journey this tiny gem weighing a mere 3 grams has made from Central America to breed here in Ontario. According to The Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 5 there are 328 species of hummingbirds, all in the Americas, and this is the only species we regularly see in Ontario. How fortunate we are to spend our summer with this jewel.
     Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) is not an uncommon species, but due to its habit of skulking in dense undergrowth and coming into the open for brief forays only, it is not a bird I see often. The Pinery seems to be the best place of all to see this species and a couple were active at the feeders.




     Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina) were common there too, feeding on the ground underneath the feeders, and squabbling with each other as birds are wont to do.





     A male and female American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) obligingly perched together on the same feeder. 



     A Brown-headed Cowbird (Moluthrus ater) came to get its share of the bounty.



     Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla) is a delicately plumaged emberizid, often partly hidden when observed, so it was delightful to see one in the open at the feeders.




     This was not to be our final encounter with this species and you will see the remarkable sequence that Franc captured a little later on.
     Judy had checked with one of her contacts who knows Pinery Provincial Park well and was informed that at least three breeding pairs of Red-headed Woodpeckers are known from The Heritage Trail, so we made that area the focus of our efforts.



     The open Oak Savannah woodland, characteristic of this area along the  southern shore of Lake Huron, is a very pleasant area to explore.




     Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) was there to be enjoyed.



     Poison Ivy to be avoided!



     Great Crested Flycatchers were hardly ever out of earshot and several were  in clear view. 



     Francine is blessed with an "enthusiasm gene" and part of this trait manifests itself in her penchant to have a conversation with the birds, so she was often heard to say, "Good morning Mr. Great Crested," or other similar expressions of affectionate salutation. I have no doubt that the birds appreciated it.
     Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is not a common bird in Ontario, but The Pinery harbours a robust breeding population and we saw it frequently. I don't think any of us quite appreciated the amazing range of vocalizations of this species. I certainly didn't.




     We were getting towards the end of the trail and it was approaching lunch time, when I spotted a Red-headed Woodpecker fly into a tree, its white wing patches a veritable semaphore, but I lost it in the foliage. Within minutes, however, it flew to another tree and perched briefly in the open. Miriam got her binoculars on it, but unfortunately no one else did. Francine was disappointed, but bravely said, "I'm glad that you got to see it," and we left to find a picnic table where we could eat the copious quantities of food and drink we had all brought from home.
     A discussion ensued as to where we should go to next and it didn't take long to arrive at a consensus that we should give The Heritage Trail another try. It had been very active in the morning and we felt that this was the trail for the woodpecker.
     Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula) were quite common and Franc got great shots of both an adult male and a first summer male.




          A Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius) was a lifer for many of our group.



     Suddenly, a Red-headed Woodpecker was there right in front of our eyes, It moved, perched, flew to a nearby branch, its white wings flashing, perched again and nodded a greeting to Francine. 




     She replied effusively as befits such a momentous event, accompanied by a little victory dance I believe, and hugs all round. Before the day was out we would have two more sightings so her rapture was magnified.
     We did not really expect to see Field Sparrows in the forest, but there they were. It became obvious very quickly that they were a pair and ardour was the order of the day for them. Franc captured this remarkable copulatory sequence.









     In the final shot as the male is released from his ecstasy you can even see the cloaca. Were I a smoker, I would have lit my cigarette slowly and inhaled deeply in celebration of this tryst.
     Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) was seen several times.




     The incessant song of the Tennessee Warbler (Leiothlypis peregrina) was a constant background sound and there were many individuals present in the woodland.




     Judy and Miriam were having an invigorating conversation about the songs of various species, their similarities and differences, and I am sure they both learned a good deal, and reinforced their earlier knowledge of the song and calls of familiar birds.
     A Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) is always a delight.



     As is a Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata).



     Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) is a hardy bird and is generally the first tyrant flycatcher to arrive from the south, but I had not seen one earlier this year.




     I mentioned earlier that I was surprised to see Field Sparrows in the woods and I was equally surprised to find this male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) in this habitat.



     Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoenecius) are especially fond of marshes but can be found in many other vegetational zones too - witness this female.



     It was time to leave and we decided to make one last stop at the Visitor Centre. On the way we spotted a half dozen Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) and Miriam managed this quick shot as they scurried off into the undergrowth.



     We needed a bathroom stop before leaving the park and I visited the bookstore where I bought a copy of Tim Birkhead's latest opus, The Most Perfect Thing - Inside (and Outside) a Bird's Egg. Great book! If you don't have a copy rush out and get one.
     We hugged each other as we always do, well satisfied with a "walk in the park" and left for the hour and a half (or thereabouts) drive home. I am sure that Francine was wracking her brain the whole way to think of the next bird she wants to order up!

All species 22 May: Canada Goose, Turkey Vulture, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Grey Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, House Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Black-and-white Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, American Redstart, Magnolia Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Pine Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Grackle, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Cardinal.  Total: 42


David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

44 comments:

  1. The birds a magic and the photographer certainly did a beautiful job..well done.

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  2. Glad she got the woodpecker and much more besides..........

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  3. What an awe-inspiring day. I would have been doing rather a lot of happy dances.
    Some time ago I was given a CD of the calls and songs of the birds of our local area which I am finding educational and delightful.

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  4. Hello David,

    Wonderful photos and birds. The hummingbirds are so pretty. I love the wild columbine. So pretty!

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  5. Hari OM
    My word, that was quite some outing!!! The woodpecker an absolute delight - even from this far away. Whilst in India, I overheard so many visitors pointing to the sunbirds there and gushing over the 'hummingbirds'... eventually I gave up trying to correct them. They are beautiful and delicate and balletic and I wish we had something similar in the UK. YAM xx

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    1. Hello YAM: I have heard similar conversations myself, and while sunbirds fill a similar niche and have overlapping behavioural characteristics they are not hummingbirds. Pretty spectacular though!

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  6. I don't remember those Chipping Sparrows having such a vivid cap colour. It does look very bright. Your team had a very special day out David. The photos today are almost without exception very, very good. It is almost unbelievable how those hummingbirds thrive in Canada but then I guess you have settle summers. It is not so surprising that hummingbirds could never survive a typical British summer even though our two latitudes are so close together.

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  7. Hello, congrats on your Red-headed woodpecker sighting. They are beautiful. I love all your birds and photos. Neat captures of the sparrows. I love the hummer. Great report and post.
    Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!

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  8. A super post with wonderful images - I shared everyone's excitement at the Red-headed Woodpecker sighting :) You do get some super species in your part of the world and I so enjoy seeing them.

    I read the Tim Birkhead book recently and agree it is very good and well worth reading.

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  9. Hi David.

    What beautiful birds you have seen.
    The Woodpecker and hummingbird are totally super.

    Groettie from Patricia.

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  10. Hello David!
    Great post and stunning pictures!
    Such beautiful birds! My favorite is the Hummingbird!
    Have a lovely weekend!
    Dimi...

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  11. Well, I was going to comment on all the gorgeous birds -- most of which I've never seen before and then thought my favorite would be a common one to me, the field sparrow by those evergreen branches, which is just a striking photo, all the more so for the plainness of the bird.

    OK, then you wowed me with Franc's series. That is something I have NEVER seen before and I am amazed at both the magic of it and Franc's skills. Hat's off!

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  12. So good to see my Eastern favs in your post. I hope they will be training the fledged young when I return home and I know the Carolina Wrens will probably be on their 3rd brood by then. A great checklist for your field trip!

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  13. What a fantastic selection of birds and the Woodpecker is stunning, I'd have done a victory dance too!

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  14. For me it was another great outing and I think we should certainly visit the Pinery annually.

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  15. Hello David,
    Wonderful series of beautiful birds.
    I find photo 2, 20 and 24 really beautiful.
    Best regards, Irma

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  16. What a remarkable selection of pictures, David! The outing to Pinery Provincial Park was more than rewarding. The possibility to observe so many beautiful birds on the same day is amazing!

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  17. I'm so pleased that you got your Red Headed,stunning bird,love Woodpeckers,looks like a fantastic place to watch birds,and you certainly got some outstanding birds,I would be over the moon to notch up 42 birds.
    Superb photography to finish the day off,makes a perfect day.
    Take care.
    Regards John.

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  18. Hi David,
    Another of your wonderful visits out, this time with an only slightly depleted group.
    Again you have some great images thanks to Miriam and France.
    A most striking of birds the Red-headed Woodpecker, wonderful to find what you are searching for.
    The hummingbird is another beauty.
    All the best to you both, John

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  19. I love that Baltimore Orioles it is gorgeous and so glad Francine got to see that spectarculer Red-headed Woodpecker. Have a great weekend, Diane

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  20. Que maravilha de colecção!
    Adoro!

    David, iniciei à pouco tempo a observação de aves e estou muito entusiasmada. O respeito pela biodiversidade está sempre presente e tento saber mais sobre cada espécie.



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  21. What a collection of birds, beautiful David.

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  22. Beautiful birds, great shots.
    Have a nice weekend
    Greetings
    Maria from
    Divagar Sobre Tudo um Pouco

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  23. Un reportaje muy interesante, me han gustado mucho todas las fotos en especial la del Archilochus colubris, y la cópula de los gorriones, me fascinan estas aves. Enhorabuena David, un fuerte abrazo desde Cantabria.

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  24. I have to say that Red-headed Woodpecker was certainly worth a few dance steps! What a beauty! How can anyone be anything but awed and humbled in front of such a lovely creature. As for my next bird? I'm still thinking about the Virginia rail and the Short-eared Owl... What do you think? ;)

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  25. Hi David ... wonderful baker's dozen x ? number of different species ... amazing to see - loved all the photos. So glad Francine got her woodpeckers - they are magnificent ... we had two trying to peck into the house - it's wood ... and then the hummingbirds are always around ... lots of birds to see up here ... so glad you had that happy trip - cheers Hilary

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  26. It is verrry hard to say which is my favorite!! All your birds are so beautiful
    I get to know that we have various beautiful birds on our planet.
    Wonderful day to you!

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    1. A wonderful day to you too, Tomoko. You have many incredible birds in Japan. I would especially love to visit Hokkaido in the winter to see the eagles and the cranes. Maybe one day.............

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  27. Hi David,
    You have visited another great nature reserve. What a variety of brightly coloured birds. These are the places nature lovers want to go to. A pity that it isn't just around the corner for me. I really like you see these posts with so many birds I did not know they were existing.
    Greetings, Kees

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  28. There was great suspense in this post. All the birds are wonderfuly but will Francine get her wish? Phew, she finally did - and I understand her infatuation.

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  29. Återigen, en imponerande serie med fantastiska fågelbilder! Jo, jag vet att det är särdeles svårt att fotografera rörliga fåglar, mina blommor sitter stilla i alla fall.

    Jag läser att du blir berörd av den lilla kolibrin som kommer till er så långväga ifrån. Jag får nåstan tårar i ögonen när den svarvita flugsnapparen anländer till oss den första maj. Denna lilla fågel övervintrar i tropiska Afrika och varje vår landar den i vår trädgård, helt otroligt och jag tänker varje gång att hur länge skall den lilla fågeln orka flyga denna sträcka över torr öken som ständigt brer ut sig. Naturen är så fantastisk!

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    1. You are right, Gunilla, nature is amazing in every way.

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  30. Wow, what have you photographed beautiful colorful birds again David.
    Wonderful to see.
    Greetings Tinie

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  31. Oh gee, what a post!
    Yours and Franck's pics are fantastic, what an amazing array of birds you saw in that area!
    The Baltimore Oriole and the Red-headed pecke rand the sparrow mating are great!
    Congrats, keep up with those outings, a real delight!
    Abrazos a los dos y un buen domingo amigos ;-)

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  32. Hi David!!!. .Beautiful series of pictures Congrats..

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  33. So wonderful to see such a variety of birds.
    Every photograph was a joy to see.
    Thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  34. Adorable little birds, beautiful captures David.
    Have a lovely day!

    Ida

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  35. Once again, gorgeous photos! And how fortunate you were able to see the very bird you went looking for. I used to see red headed woodpeckers a lot, even in our yard, growing up in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but in recent years they have become hard to find. When I moved to South Carolina I was excited to see that they are thriving here -- on golf courses! A couple courses here along the coast are well known for all the rh woodpeckers swooping between the golfers.

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  36. Francine has the best friends delivering her request on order!! We do see that woodpecker here occasionally (even right here in the resort) but if I had the kind of friends she has I have a whole other list of birds I'd order up! Your birding excursions always make me smile -- the pictures are great and the words are even greater!

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  37. Magníficas imágenes de esa reserva, me gusta mucho el paisaje con el sendero por el bosque. Las aves una belleza, buena diversidad de especies, me gustaron mucho el pájaro carpintero, Catharus ustulatus, la cópula de los Field sparrows, hummingbird and Icterus galbula

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  38. i could honestly look at these pictures for hours!! such beautiful variety of birds, the coloring and feather detail is exquisite. the action shots are wonderful and even though i see them here, the blue bird was my favorite!!!

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  39. Ohhhhh ........ this is really great to see David again.
    I am really (healthy) jealous of all these beautiful birds with their fantastic colors! And sure enough ... you also put down a part 18+. Watch out because the privacy law has just entered whahahahahaha .......

    Dear hello, Helma xo

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