A Snowy Owl (Harfang des neiges) and Other Birds

29 November 2020

     Miriam and I were deciding where we would go for a walk on an uncharacteristically sunny November day, when a telephone call from Jim and Francine announced that they had located their first Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) of the season. They gave us precise directions to its location, and since Miriam finds this species enigmatic above all others, our die was cast. We got in the car and headed for Wellington County.

     The bird, a handsome female, was exactly where Jim and Francine had found it.

     The temperature hovered around seven degrees, and without a speck of snow to act as camouflage, the bird was not difficult to see.

     It was constantly surveying its surroundings, no doubt looking and listening for rodent prey. Owls are able to swivel their heads 270 degrees, and it would go from appearing to look right at us, to showing the back of its head.

     It preened a little, paying attention to all its feathers, including those down on its feet.

     Birds are known to be able to sleep with one eye open, as this owl seemed to do so from both the right and the left, while still being alert to any sign of danger.

     We watched the bird for about a half hour; finally Miriam reluctantly agreed that we should move on. 

     I don't think she can ever get enough of a good thing!

     This sighting was actually on the rural road where Miriam lived on a farm during her early childhood, not far from the Conestogo Dam to where we headed next.

     Before getting to the dam proper we pulled off on a wide shoulder to scan the reservoir.

     The dominant species on the water was Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) and the number was simply staggering.

Common Merganser ♂

Common Merganser ♀

     Males clearly outnumbered females, by a substantial margin, and we estimated that a thousand or more individuals was a conservative count. The following pictures will convey an impression of the density of mergansers present, and there were other species alongside them too.

     It was a grand spectacle that we enjoyed immensely.

    We saw only one Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), but it is more than likely that we missed a few others, intermingled in the ever-moving mass of mergansers.

     Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) were abundant.....

     ..... as were Canada Geese (Branta canadensis).

     And they seemed to enjoy the same stretch of shoreline together.

     A Mennonite buggy passed by us, bespattered and in need of a good clean. That chore will doubtless be added to someone's list of tasks once the sabbath is over.

     Downstream from the spillway there were groups of ducks and gulls.

     Mallard (Anas platyrynchos) was the commonest duck, although some mergansers sought their company, away from the mass of their congeners on the other side of the dam, and a small group of American Black Duck (Anas rubipres) remained aloof, too far out for a photograph.

     Ring-billed Gull was far and away the most common larid, but small groups of American Herring Gulls (Larus smithsonianus) made their presence known too.

     Sub-adult gulls of various ages and of different species seemed to favour each other's company.

     In years past I have seen both Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) and Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) at the Conestogo Dam, but try as I might today, I was unable to detect either of these species of any age. Perhaps it is a little early and as winter advances they may show up.

     Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) verge on predictable here and no sooner had Miriam and I expressed surprise that that we had not seen one, this individual came into view.

     The plumage gives every indication that this is a bird fledged this year.

     There is no shortage of prey at the Conestogo Dam and Reservoir, both fish and ducks being in great supply, with ample conifers for roosting, so this bird has the potential to grown strong and healthy as it perfects its hunting skills. 

     May it live long and prosper.

Ring-billed Gull (Goéland à bec cerclé)

     It seems to me that gulls in general get a bad rap, and are less appealing to some birders than other species. They also seem to engender feelings of indifference at best, hostility at worst, from the wider public. Small, cute and colourful always seems to outweigh other factors, but that is a pretty shallow judgement when you think about it.

       Is this not a handsome bird?

      Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) is the most common gull in this area for most of the year at most locations. On a slow day of birding one can count on a few gulls to brighten up the day, wheeling overhead or following a farm tractor eagerly feeding on the exposed invertebrate prey, all the while filling the air with their cries.

     To share your day with a gull is a fine thing.

     These juveniles seem content to stay together while learning how to cope with life; discovering in fact what it means to be a gull.

      They have much to learn, and sadly, as is true for most species, many will not make it. Hazards are legion for these young birds from foxes on the ground, to falcons in the air, to witless humans with guns.

     Those that survive the various perils they face will morph into handsome adults.

     I hear the common pejorative terms for gulls more often than I care to, and it is time someone came up with something more creative than shithawk, sometimes drawn out to shitehawk, or aerial rat. 

     And this from the species that has polluted and despoiled the Earth and its oceans beyond recognition.

     There is more than a little irony that we label gulls aerial rats when they are feeding on the very trash that we have dumped in every corner of the planet. 

Yesterday, I parked my car on Beaver Creek Road to check out the birds on Laurel Creek reservoir, and the pull off at the side of the road was littered with fast food containers, both styrofoam and plastic, plastic drink cups, plastic straws and plastic bags. And we call gulls aerial rats? And then, by the way, tossed over the culvert into the water, our source of drinking water, was an area rug (I would estimate 9' x 12') and a scooter. Yup, we really have the right to criticize other species!

     Interestingly, I recently read a study that indicated that while gulls may eat our discarded French fries and doughy white bread, they feed their offspring only nutritious food that the young need to develop correctly. Humans who eat junk food exercise no such discrimination and feed their growing children the same inadequate diet. The rise in obesity in North America is more than alarming, with grossly overweight people seriously lacking in basic nutrition.

     This adult bird in winter plumage looks like it has eaten well.

     And this individual in first winter plumage has a healthy demeanour to it.

     Even on the coldest winter's day, when we are shivering and pulling our toques down over our ears, and wishing we had worn an extra layer of clothing, the gulls are unfazed by it all, and brighten up the chilling bite of an Ontario winter.

     In every phase of its plumage a Ring-billed Gull is a handsome bird.

      In fact to my eye, it is uncommonly beautiful and merits the close attention of everyone. Perhaps if you take the time to understand a little more of its lifestyle you may come to appreciate it - who knows even learn to love it as much as I do. 

     I am listing below the books on my shelves devoted exclusively to gulls (not including books on seabirds, field guides etc) in the hope that something might appeal to you and stimulate a desire to learn more about this wonderful bird we all share. It would be a great way to spend your Covid confinement!

Gulls Simplified, Pete Dunne and Kevin T. Karlson, Princeton University Press (2019)

Gulls, A Guide to Identification, P. J. Grant, Academic Press (1997)

Gulls of the Americas, Steve N. G. Howell, Jon Dunn, Houghton Mifflin Company (2007)

Gulls of the World, Klaus Malling Olsen, Princeton University Press (2018)

Gulls of Europe, Asia and North America, Klaus Malling Olsen and Hans Larssson, Christopher Helm London (2003)

 

    

Regulars and a Rarity

04 June 2020
River Song Banquet Hall, St. Jacobs, ON

     The nest of Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) at this location is perhaps the most accessible in all of Waterloo Region and is tailor-made for photography. As usual an adult was on the nest when we visited, panting in the hot summer sun, protecting her nestlings.

 Three Bridges Road, St. Jacobs, ON

     There are a number of nest boxes along Three Bridges Road, erected by farmers interested in conserving nature alongside their agricultural operations, and some installed by bluebird volunteers.

     This nest box at the Mennonite meeting house is occupied by Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and the female sitting on the eggs perhaps decided to take a short break.

     Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) is a bird that has captured everyone's attention, and its return to relative abundance in recent years is a testament to the hard work of many people drawn from every walk of life, united in their love of bluebirds.

     The blue of the male is enchanting.

     The female is somewhat muted by comparison. I am not quite sure why this dimorphism has developed in this species; as a cavity-nester she has no need of inconspicuous plumage at the nest.

     The sky seemed alternatively threatening and benign.

     Ultimately benign won the day and everywhere was green and lovely.

06 June 2020

Three Bridges Road, St. Jacobs, ON

   

     On the outward part of my trip I noticed two Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) circling on the thermals, but descending all the time. Finally they landed and had evidently discovered food. The carcass of whatever they had located was small, and I could not make out what it was, the birds being at some distance from the road.

     One of the two took off and left the other to enjoy the feast.

     A couple of Killdeer in the next field (Charadrius vociferus) seemed to be getting along without squabbling so perhaps they were a pair.

     On the way back home, I glanced over to where I had seen the Turkey Vultures earlier, and two Bald Eagles (Haliaaetus leucocephalus) had taken their place, equally intent on feeding on whatever creature had met its demise in the field. One departed almost immediately after I stopped the car, but the other continued to feed for several minutes, and finally left carrying part of the carcass in its talons, shielded from the prying eyes of a nosy human, perhaps.

07 June 2020

Killbear Storm Water Management Area, Waterloo, ON

     The banks of this humble little pond have become heavily overgrown and it is a bit of a chore to get to the water's edge. There were few birds, but I was delighted to see this Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens).

     A few loud plops indicated that others had leaped into the water to disappear from view, but I believe the following individual is also a Northern Leopard Frog, albeit of browner colouration.

07 June 2020

SpruceHaven, St. Agatha, ON

     The Yellow Pond-lilies (Nuphar variegata) are beginning to emerge and even at this early stage are delightful.

     Soon they will cover the surface of the water almost completely and will provide a highway for the Green Herons (Butorides virens) to trip the light fantastic across them, an evocative and long-remembered sight for all who experience it. 

     Our success with the nest boxes erected on behalf of the WRN Teens continues unabated. Out of six boxes, one has Tree Swallow eggs, and two have Tree Swallow young.

     The nest box occupied by Eastern Bluebirds now contains five eggs, and incubation is well underway.

     A fifth nest box previously unused due to a door that did not fasten has been repaired (by Jim Huffman, without whom we would be sorely bereft) and now contains a nest, almost complete, but I am not sure of the species to whom it belongs. 

     I waited for a while, at a respectable distance, to see whether the builder would return to the box, but that didn't happen, so the mystery remains. I hope that by Sunday, when I check again, the nest will have been completed and eggs laid, and that will solve the mystery.

     The remaining nest box appears to have been used by a bird as a roost, overnight perhaps, for it contains bird droppings. I had nothing with me to clean out the box but I will be sure to take along a tool to do so, and perhaps we will be able to attract nesting birds to that box too. That will be six for six and you can't do much better than that!

     When I checked one of the Tree Swallow nests, the female refused to budge as you may see below.

     I closed up the box and then she left! A quick check revealed hungry chicks who mouths opened as I passed my finger in front of them. Given the prodigious growth of young passerines they should be "real" little Tree Swallows by Sunday.

08 June 2020

Columbia Lake, Waterloo, ON

     Herein lies the rarity mentioned in the title to this post,

     An American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorynchos) touched down at Columbia Lake, and stayed for at least two days that I know of. 

     This species breeds across vast swathes of western North America, and there is a substantial colony straddling the area of SW Ontario and SE Manitoba - but that is as close as the bird normally gets to here.

     Everyone who saw it was no doubt delighted.

     A couple of Killdeer barely registered on the same excitement scale!

10 June 2020

     Today was a bit of an adventure for Miriam and me. 

     Miriam decided, for the first time since Covid-19 restrictions were imposed, to have three of her girlfriends over for lunch on a hot, sunny day, eating out on the patio with chairs suitably spaced, and all sensible precautions observed.

     I decided to enjoy a full day of birding at favourite locations I have not visited since the Coronavirus hammer was dropped. 

     It was a successful and enjoyable day for both of us.

DesJardins Canal, Dundas, ON

     I have been unable to fathom exactly what misfortune befell this Ring-billed Gull (Larus delarensis).

     Its feathers are in state of disarray, and I am not sure whether it has somehow impaled itself on a plastic straw, that indispensable accoutrement of western civilization, to be tossed away at random by all and sundry, but the bird was distressed. My attention was momentarily distracted by a wail from a child, and when I turned back to the bird it was flying away with somewhat laboured flight.

     A research project has been initiated since I last visited DesJardins and seems to involve Tree Swallows.

     A huge number of boxes have been installed, at least some of which have been successful as you may see.

     A substantial skein of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) passed by overhead.

     Someone with an eye for decor, a frustrated designer maybe, or a child with a sense of whimsy had decided that feather decoration was needed and every single fence post was the beneficiary of these creative urges.

     In an admirable display of consistency each feather was pretty much a replica of the others, courtesy of shedding Canada Geese.

     Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus) bloomed in profusion.

Bronte Harbour, Oakville, ON

     The star attractions at Bronte Harbour are Red-necked Grebes (Podiceps grisegena) that have bred there for several years. Whether this will continue in 2020 is a bit of a question based on what I saw. The male was ardently pursuing the female and bringing gifts of nest building material, and she showed not the slightest interest. Two tires have been set out for the birds as is customary, but neither one showed any evidence of occupancy.

     I took a couple of pictures of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) just to prove to Valerie (https://bastelmania-craftattack.blogspot.com/) that a few still reside in Canada; she thinks they have all moved to Germany.

     I counted nineteen Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia), some diving in pursuit of fish, but mostly loafing along the breakwater.

     They were joined by a couple of Double-crested Cormorants.

A.E. Crookes Park, Mississauga, ON

     The park was well patronized by citizens confined too long, and anxious for sun and fresh air, but I did not see anything overtly foolish taking place.

     The high point of this visit was to see American Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) industriously building nests. 

     As an unintended consequence of children playing at the water's edge, with those quintessential necessities for a visit to the beach, a bucket and spade, there was lots of mud for the swallows to gather for nest construction. It is too bad that such serendipitous synergism does not occur more frequently.

     I could not fail to notice many House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) closely observing the Cliff Swallows at work, and it was difficult not to wonder whether upon completion of their nests these industrious little swallows will see them usurped by aggressive sparrows, as happens all to often. I earnestly hope not.

A. E. Crookes Headland, Mississauga, ON

     At the nearby headland more Cliff Swallows were building nests, providing a rare opportunity to observe this activity at close hand.

Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto, ON

     There were many people in the park, but once again I did not see any rampant disregard for social distancing requirements.

     A couple of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) were resting on the bank, trying to escape the heat one might imagine as the temperature soared up to thirty three degrees.

     Finally they decided that a paddle in the water might be even cooler, and certainly more refreshing!

     The Ring-billed Gull shown below looked far more wholesome than the unfortunate individual I photographed this morning.

     When I returned home Miriam and I had a glass of wine together, and dinner, and agreed that it had been a fine day for each of us. Perhaps this is the start of a slow retreat from enforced confinement. One can only hope so!