An Eagle or Two.

08 November 2019

     It was Judy who suggested we should go and look for eagles. 

     Sounded like a fine idea to me, so I canvassed the members of our Tuesday group, and had but two other takers, Miriam and Franc. The others had prior commitments or simply did not wish to go.

     The period covering the first two weeks of November is the prime time for southward movements of Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). The winds have to be right, strong north-westerlies being ideal, and Friday's forecast seemed made to order. A consensus was reached; hawk watching we would go!

     Our destination was the aptly named Hawk Cliff, near the lakeside community of Port Stanley in Elgin County, hard by the upland contours of the land as it skirts along the north shore of Lake Erie. The conditions could not have been more perfect, both for migrating raptors and for human observers. At times hawk-watching can resemble nothing so much as an exercise in masochism, undertaken by people otherwise quite normal in their lives. Not so today. The sun shone, the temperature was a mere smidgen below zero, and the winds came as close to perfection as could be.

     Judy was the only one with an intimate knowledge of the area and she found a perfect clearing for us from which to scan the sky. A farmer had very obligingly cleared some of the corn from his field, and that which was left standing gave us a windbreak, and a clear view of the usual flight path of migrating raptors. 

       We set down our chairs and settled in to begin the vigil, warmly dressed, and with a thermos of hot coffee. Barely had our behinds nestled into the seat than Miriam said, "Two hawks coming in." And so began a non-stop movement that was as spectacular as any I have witnessed. Our chairs were not occupied again until lunch time!
     The sky was filled with birds; all the raptors we might hope to see. Additionally, hundreds of American Crows (Corvus brachyrynchos) were moving through and there was activity in every direction. Even when the passage of hawks and eagles slowed for a moment there was a constant stream of Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) which did not abate all day.

    I have to tell you that Judy is a retired anesthesiologist; a profession requiring a calm head and a steady hand. That description bore faint resemblance to "Hawk Watch Judy," who was as giddy as a newly emerged mayfly in summer. "Look here, David," she said, and as I did she yelled, "Oh, look over there." As my eyes pivoted she screamed, "Golden Eagle coming in to the left" - and so on. It was that kind of day. It was hawk watching at its very best.
    Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) were the most numerous of the raptors, and we saw this polymorphic hawk in every plumage imaginable, and in every age class. We saw them high, we saw them low. At times they cruised above our head, and circled lazily: at other times they hurtled through as though they had a thermal to catch.

     Franc, fully expecting the birds to be higher, had taken a monopod and a larger lens than he normally would, and he felt he was hampered somewhat by his choice of equipment. Nevertheless, he achieved results for the record book, high quality images displaying the birds at their best. Ever modest, he demurs at the suggestion that we are mightily impressed with his results. I will let you be the judge.
     The holy grail of raptor watching in southern Ontario is without doubt  Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Sometimes, even with dedicated effort, and freezing hands and feet, with face reddened from the biting wind, and several journeys to renowned locations, you can miss the migration entirely. Today we had five, possibly six individuals, since we were not quite sure whether one bird had doubled back on us.

     For those not familiar with the species, a Golden Eagle derives its name from its golden nape, clearly visible in the pictures above.
     We were all in awe. These birds cut through the winds like a hot knife through butter. They render you speechless with their strength and power. They are indeed royalty and we are but peasants in their presence.
     Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is far more common than in times past, but it does not suffer at all from familiarity. It is an impressive bird by any measure, adult or juvenile.

     Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) is not a species I see frequently during the breeding season, some years not at all, so a cohort of them on migration is always a welcome opportunity.

     As far as I recall we saw but one Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), and Franc managed to get a picture.

     There were small numbers of other raptors, including Merlin (Falco columbarius) and American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), but the main excitement is covered above.
     I wish to express my deep gratitude to Franc for downloading and editing his pictures so quickly. He set aside other files he was working on to get me these images for my blog. To Judy, "Thanks for suggesting the outing in the first place."
     The final shout-out I would offer is to Brian K. Wheeler for his book Raptors of the East which I reviewed for Princeton University Press when it was published last year. It simply is the very best. You need nothing else!



     

Tuesday Rambles with David - West Perth Wetlands, Mitchell, ON

12 September 2019

     Miriam came back early from her stay at a friend's cottage on Lake Huron, so she joined Judy, Mary and me on a visit to West Perth Wetlands at Mitchell, in Perth County.

     It was a little cool, and frequently overcast, but we had a decent morning of birding, although the conditions for photographs were not great, and the birds in general were not close.

     Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) is usually the most common species at this time of the year, and today was no exception. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) was also present, albeit in much reduced numbers, but Miriam managed to get a couple of shots of the two species side-by-side giving an excellent comparison.

     Furthermore, Greater Yellowlegs was far more cooperative than usual and here are a couple of excellent shots of a single bird.

     The yellowlegs have arrived from their breeding territories in the Arctic, but Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) breeds locally, and there were many of them in the wetland, no doubt now preparing for migration.

     We saw also a couple of diminutive Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus), close enough for great views through the telescope but too distant for decent photographs.

     One of the highlights was a group of four Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) all feeding vigorously.

     There were several flocks of both Least (Calidris minutilla) and Semipalmated Sandpipers (C. pusilla), again frustratingly far from the camera, but here is a shot for the record. Least Sandpiper is the world's smallest sandpiper and Semipalmated Sandpiper is only marginally bigger. You can see how large the Kildeer looks by comparison.

     Butterflies were out in force with Monarchs (Danaus plexxipus) being especially noticeable. 

     Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) was hardly less abundant.

     The photographic record of this outing does not do justice to the fine range of species we saw, and it was a very pleasant morning spent with good friends. It has often been said that the best picture is the one in your mind, and we certainly have many of those to savour for as long as we wish to recall them.

Tuesday Rambles with David - The Mill Race, St. Jacobs, ON

22 January 2019

     The six members of our group of eight who are still in the country met for a stroll along the Mill Race, a location with which regular readers have become familiar over the past couple of weeks.

     The temperature was minus 21°C when I got up at 05h:30 and this is what the thermometer on my car registered at 09h:00 when we met at the entrance to the trail.

     We were dressed for the weather, however, and enjoyed an envigorating walk along the trail, all decked out in its winter finery.

     There was a pretty decent complement of birds, but I fear we have few pictures. Miriam, as always, was more than willing to act as photographer, but fiddling with the focus wheel through a layer of heavy mittens is not easy, and more often than not the object of her quest flew off before she was able to get a picture.

     I could go to my files and select pictures from previous expeditions, but it seems more appropriate to provide only what we were able to achieve today, given the cold weather.

     A Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) copes with this weather without difficulty.

     Judy had brought sunflower seed with her and was happy to scatter a little for the birds.

     When it comes to hand-feeding wild birds I think that we are all children at heart, and take great pleasure in having a Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) land on our hand. I am no different in this respect.

     A male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) was puffed up against the cold and presented a striking figure against the denuded branches of trees, waiting out the winter perhaps, as are we, and longing for spring.

     Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) was a very cheery addition to the frigid landscape.

     Some enterprising artisan has put his carving skills to work and has created this appealing artifact on the far bank of the Mill Race.

     As has become our custom of late, we stopped in at the Eco Café in St. Jacobs to have a coffee and refresh a little, before returning to our vehicles.

     On the way back we saw a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) but Miriam was unable to get it in focus before it flew off.

     Before driving away we checked the Conestogo River and this view of the weir gives you a good idea of winter.

     In a prolonged cold spell the entire river will freeze over except in a few spots where the flow is so rapid ice does not get a chance to form.

     Mallards (Anas platyrynchos) seem to take all conditions in stride and handle whatever Mother Nature throws at them.

     

     Jim Huffman, who has an ability, proven time and again, to come up with a rarity, spotted this Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) about 500 metres down the river.

     This species is very rare in winter, with most individuals having long departed for more benign conditions farther south. This bird was a male, and any time I have ever seen a Belted Kingfisher in the winter it has always been a male. One might conclude, perhaps, that the chance to occupy an established territory and be ready for females to return in the spring, is deemed more advantageous than migrating and having to fight for and re-establish a territory to attract a female later on.

     It was a very pleasant walk, in good company, and we were all happy to have shared each other's companionship once again.

    

Northern Parula (Paruline à collier) at SpruceHaven

08 September 2018

     Fall seemed to have arrived overnight and it was cool when Ross, Heather, Judy and I assembled to band some migrant birds. There was a little wind but in the sheltered areas where we locate our nets it was calm, and when the sun came out, even though the temperature never got much above 17°, it was quite pleasant.

     The prize catch of the day was our very first Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) at SpruceHaven, and I mean ever observed let alone caught in the mist nets. 

     This truly beautiful little bird was a rare treat indeed. 

     It breeds in the northern boreal forest with extensive lichen for nest construction and winters primarily in the Caribbean. In fact we have seen this species on each of our three visits to Cuba, where it is common. Small numbers remain on the mainland as far south as Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

     We wish our bird safe passage to wherever it is headed.

     Magnolia Warblers (Setophaga magnolia) are also still moving through and we caught three of them. This is a familiar species but we all still marvel at the sheer beauty of this tiny bird flying all the way to Central America.

     All the neotropical warblers have distinctive undertail patterns and can be identified by that character alone. This is very helpful since the bird is often observed high in the treetops and the underparts are more visible than the upperparts.

     Zonotrichia sparrows are to be expected as we advance towards mid September and we caught our first White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) of the fall.

     House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is a fairly common local species, but surprisingly it is captured infrequently. Today we trapped two of them in the same net.

     This bird is a specialist seed eater and has a large powerful bill.

     A momentary lapse of attention caused Heather a little pain as the bird grabbed onto the the skin between her fingers. All in a day's work I suppose!

     This note is primarily for Phil Slade - Judy brought delicious cinnamon buns she made the night before. I ate two!

     We had planned to band again this morning but it was a mere 9° at 06h:00 with strong, gusty winds - unsuitable conditions for banding. Keep your fingers crossed along with us for propitious weather next weekend and we'll have more to report.

All species banded 08 September: House Finch (2), American Goldfinch (11), Tennessee Warbler (1), Magnolia Warbler (3), Northern Parula (1), White-throated Sparrow (1). Total:  19 individuals of 6 species.

Retraps: Grey Catbird (1), American Goldfinch (1), Common Yellowthroat (1). Total: 3 individuals of 3 species.