This morning, I twitched a Mountain Bluebird that was recently found by Pete Chapman in Shetland Ontario. All week, great Ontbird postings were submitted giving generous information on the location and foraging habits of these female Eastern and Mountain Bluebirds. Luckily, Blake Mann mentioned he was going to see this bird today and I made an effort to meet him on Kerry Rd this morning.
As the postings suggested, the birds were found pretty close to the road on the east side, either perched on corn stubble or in a roadside Cedar or Maple tree. These photos are not that great. I was in my car and looking eastward in the early morning. Again... Backlit Bluebirds!!! On the west side of the road, there was a really close flock of Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs (see photos below).
Below I have three photos of a nice flock of Horned Larks, Snow Buntings and singles of Lapland Longspur in the mix. All three of these birds are not rare, but to me a nice seasonal treat that I only see on a few occasions per year. Can you find the Lapland Longspur?
Dwaynejava
Good timing today.
ReplyDeleteYour photos turned out much better than mine!
BTW, I heard there were WW Crossbills beside the campground at Rondeau this morning!!!
It's an excellent year for vagrants, Dwayne-- glad to know you got to see this Mountain.
ReplyDeleteBlake, your GGOW photos turned out better than mine, so we're even! :^)
ReplyDeleteStuart,as birders, we've been lucky, but as one of your postings recently pointed out, vagrancy is basically a death sentence. Hopefully she makes it. Luckily the MOBL has a friend to tough out the winter. There is lots of Sumac and open water in the area.
Oh that's fantastic, Dwayne! Lots of great birds there.
ReplyDeleteDwayne,
ReplyDeleteNot sure what I was doing this weekend with the camera! Photos have been off the mark. Today's of the Night-heron were fuzzy too. Would have been a great shot, but....
Oh....White-winged Crossbills at Rondeau again today...lol