Sunday, September 28, 2008

Late Bigby surge

A pretty dank weekend with rain spells and poor light. On the up side, Saturday delivered a nice mixed warbler flock to the front door although photographing anything was a challenge. An hour or so sat on the stoop (front porch) produced:

Orange-crowned Warbler (Garden tick)
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Northern Parula
Nashville Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blue-headed Vireo
Golden-crowned Kinglet (a plethora = more than 3)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Below a few photos including a three piece photofit for the Black-throated Blue Warbler, it just would not sit still.

Downy woodpecker




Chestnut-sided Warbler








Put them all together and what have you got?












Blue-headed Vireo, it looked much nicer in real life than in these photos







On Sunday it was pretty dark for most of the day but around 3pm the light got better, the clouds higher and a small passage of hawks slipped over the house. My standard hawk watching perch is on the back deck roof. The modest totals were:
Cooper's Hawk 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Peregrine Falcon 2
American Kestrel 3
Turkey Vulture 1
Monarch 2
Common Loon 1 (not a hawk!)
And while up there a Brown Creeper made the Bigby list.
Incidentally, if you are not sure what a Bigby is Google it, if you don't know what Google is, oh dear!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Slipping away

The leaves are rapidly turning and the morning chill heralds another Canadian winter around the corner. The birch trees around the house are a daily source of activity, a chickadee means a warbler and, as time is progressing, a warbler means a kinglet. The sky holds Canada Geese as they arrive for the autumn pause, pick up a bit of lead and then on further south to entertain others.

Another sign of autumn is that Canada is having yet another General Election where the competitors have all the appeal of lettuce and wet lettuce at that. This poor country does not appear to have a credible politician anywhere and its a pretty dead cert that, if a famous Hockey player were to stand for whatever party, they would get elected.

Back to the birds. The migration has been steady but not spectacular. As usual a few birds have appeared of interest but this province is pretty much the Cornwall of North America. I have concentrated locally on our immediate area and St-Lazare sand pits. The pits have had a few birds but shorebird habitat is at a premium although Dunlin, Short-biiled Dowitcher and a few Pectoral Sandpipers have popped in.

Below are a few snaps, nothing spectacular but I live in hope.
Hairy Woodpecker, Tennessee Warbler, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Northern Parula, lurking Sharp-shinned Hawk, spectaculer wasp sp.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Bad light but better birding

After a dismal spring migration it is good to see that the autumn is holding fast with tradition and providing some good local birding. Around Saddlebrook Bog, warblers are gathering, commuting garden to bog to garden with the roaming Black-capped Chickadees. By maintaining our garden feeders throughout the year, it guarantees that the local flocks (three at least) pass through the garden at some point, bringing their temporary guests with them.

This morning the first two hours after dawn and the late afternoon in the garden produced the following (in no particular systematic order and a list as much for European readers as anything):

Ovenbird (3)
Magnolia Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Nashvile Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Parula
Black-throated Green Warbler
Pine Warbler
Red-eyed Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Chipping Sparrow
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Scarlet Tanager
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Northern Flicker
American Robin
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk

Below a few shots, mostly from today but including some shots of Hummingbird Hawk-moth, a species which has been subject to local discussion recently.











Tennessee Warbler & Red-eyed Vireo


































Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and an American Painted Lady butterfly.






























Hummingbird Hawk-moth.































Black-throated Green Warbler and lower down the page, Shadow Darner.























Green Darner (below), very spectacular, click on the photo for the full effect.



















A Broad-winged Hawk taking advantage of the brighter weather





Blackpoll Warbler about to terminate a Cherry-faced Meadowhawk

Magnolia Warbler

Lance-tipped Darner. We really need a good dragonfly field guide here in North America!