tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24122623619838343492012-02-28T21:33:20.303-05:00Birding, Kayaking and Nature loving in Windsor Essex County in Ontario Canada.dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.comBlogger2001100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-78378635240565903552012-02-18T22:42:00.003-05:002012-02-20T22:38:36.772-05:00

Great Egret on the west side of the River Canard Bridge in LaSalle ON. According to the Essex County Ebird Stats, its at least a month early! A recent Ontbirds report from a LaSalle area birder mentioned a Great Egret in Turkey Creek near the Front Rd Bridge. This birder also mentioned a Catbird, Kingfisher and Mockingbird in the area as well. So, having some extra time,  I tried this afternoon

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-38794826699230575062012-02-16T21:48:00.001-05:002012-02-16T22:15:28.099-05:00

Northern Pygmy Owl with Prey. Used with permission. © Tania Simpson One nice winter treat birders and nature enthusiasts get to enjoy (if they are lucky) is the beauty and mystery of owls. Kevin Norris recently proposed an eloquent explanation for the Great Grey Owl that was in Kingsville earlier this year. He told an interviewer from the Toronto Star:  "the owl arrived to share a sort of

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-72839398278610690362012-02-16T21:38:00.002-05:002012-02-16T21:44:30.734-05:00

Well, tonight I wrote a mid-term exam for a course I'm taking right now, and I did quite well!  Last Thursday, I had a major assignment that had 56 questions over 16 pages, so I had no time to post over the last three weeks. A young university student asked me on Tuesday of the assignment due Thursday: "Did you start the assignment yet?"... Start it? I finished it last weekend. I can breath easy

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-33512627548558152602012-01-29T12:05:00.004-05:002012-01-29T15:44:44.802-05:00

 After work on Friday, I stopped by Lakeview Marina. Not much happening this winter compared to the last two years at this time.  Last year, lots of rarities were spotted, but this year, the conditions are much different. Without a scope, I was really unable to find any rarities even though I did try with my 10x42 binoculars. While looking out at the waterfowl, I realized Kelly M was looking out

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-89806921925298484932012-01-21T15:19:00.006-05:002012-01-21T23:38:23.101-05:00

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

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-25637751810884962412012-01-08T21:42:00.003-05:002012-01-08T21:51:17.374-05:00

My last horrah of my Christmas vacation took place last Friday with a trip out to Point Pelee in search of White Winged Crossbills. Where are they??? :-)  I did see a three pack of Owls (Great Grey, Snowy and Screech) along with a three-pack of Falcons (Merlin, American Kestrel and the resident Bridge Peregrines) in my futile search for the Crossbills. It was 50 degrees (F) out (Jan 6th) and

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-46943818497974001282012-01-05T15:45:00.001-05:002012-01-05T15:46:57.488-05:00

On January 3rd this week, I went looking for White Winged Crossbills and came up short at the coniferous stand at  Holiday Beach.  I decided to park at Holiday Beach and walk the nature trail at the entrance gate. The walk gave good looks at the expected wintering birds that included Northern Flickers, Cardinals, Chickadees and Kinglets, but as I approached my car on my way out, a small flock of

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-76945187742452014772011-12-31T15:47:00.008-05:002012-01-05T15:18:29.768-05:00

Wow, this was an amazing year of birding. Even after 2.5 years of birding, I am still learning so much. In fact, I've heard it said that birding really requires an 'apprenticeship' that could last as long at 10 years! This posting attempts to look back at some of the highlights, month by month for 2011. I also want to mention that Jan 1, 2012 will be the official two-year anniversary of "Nerdy

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-48153041660582445502011-12-28T21:59:00.006-05:002011-12-31T16:34:29.046-05:00

Amazing 3.5-minute documentary on the Snowy Owl. Amazing photography, videography and information. If you are reading this blog, you will love watching this. Video: Short eared Owl A recent video I took of a Short Eared Owl eating a mouse. Sadly, I stopped taking video about 30 seconds before it snapped up the mouse and swallowed the 80% of it remaining! I have uploaded this video and ran an

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-51497037593408131992011-12-24T11:53:00.011-05:002012-01-19T22:29:14.359-05:00

***Update: To my knowledge, the owl has not been seen in Kingsville since Jan 8, 2012*** Not satisfied with last night's views of the Great Grey Owl, I drove up to Kingsville again this morning and tried my luck at finding the owl again. As I was driving to yesterday's location, I noted a Snowy Owl on top of a telephone post. I pulled over and took some photos. Nobody was around and it dawned

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-37661402658874321192011-12-23T20:54:00.003-05:002011-12-23T21:19:02.073-05:00

  I was talking to Blake earlier this week about the possibility of having a 5 owl species day in Essex County, and he suggested 6 is possible and has been done! (Great Horned, Eastern Screech, Long Eared, Short Eared, Snowy, Saw-Whet)... So could you imagine 7 species???? This is my third lifer this month, and all three have been owls: Snowy (1), Short eared (2) and now Great Grey (3). Upon

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-17587320908670838692011-12-16T18:33:00.009-05:002011-12-17T22:23:49.416-05:00

 Are you kidding me??? Last weekend's Owl search came up short, so I figured I would try again today after work. An ont-birds posting this week mentioned Short Eared Owls (on Amherst Island) starting to hunt at 3:30 pm, so that gave me some insight on these diurnal birds. I realized last weeks' trip may have been poorly timed with an early afternoon drive.  So, I left work early and drove out to

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-53529101993169682252011-12-15T21:51:00.000-05:002011-12-15T21:51:21.574-05:00

Last Saturday morning, I did a quick birding drive hoping to see Short Eared Owls, but did not find my target species. This drive was similar to last winters posting: Running a Fools Errands. Out near Arner town line, there is some great open field habitat that always gives good views of hawks and other winter birds. Some birds seen include (tundra?) Swans, Northern Harrier, Rough Legged

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-2001509684430315632011-12-14T21:16:00.001-05:002011-12-14T21:18:52.692-05:00

This posting in not about birding, but is still of great interest to me. Below is a video that I've been looking for over the last year or so. You see, many people have come up to me recently and looked me in the eye, and stated, "Global Warming is a Myth". It's a hoax! When I read the "letters to the editor" in the windsor star (I've attached one at the bottom of this posting), I constantly

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-50275504881069497272011-12-03T14:32:00.004-05:002011-12-04T12:40:59.891-05:00

Wow, I have spent the last few weeks reading emailed Ont-birds postings about the incredible birds showing up around Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara. Also, I've been a little sick for the two weeks, and birding has been slow around Windsor. I have walked Malden Park alot looking for Northern Shrikes, but I have not yet seen one this year! It seems that this Winter, there is a Snowy Owl

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-23970701748388407642011-11-22T20:46:00.001-05:002011-11-22T20:50:30.546-05:00

 Its been about a week or two since I've really birded or blogged.... I've been sick with an earache for the last few days and before that, I've been fixing a relentless list of things that have broken down in my home.  Upon the advice of my wife, I went out Saturday to a nearby location, Ojibway Park to get some fresh air. I have been wanting to go to Niagara-on-the-Lake to see the Razorbills

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-47823107833401953482011-11-20T17:03:00.000-05:002011-11-20T17:03:04.507-05:00

This is a cool video that I recently came across in my emails from Cornell University's Ornithology Department. Woodpeckers are my favorite genre of birds, so I want to keep this handy. I would almost go as far as to say that I want to make it a life goal to see this woodpecker with my own eyes. I think that would blow my mind! This video shows some really nice views of this woodpecker

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-8687612394020410732011-11-05T21:06:00.002-04:002011-11-06T09:44:00.508-05:00

Friday after work, I headed out to Holiday Beach for an hour or so of hawk-watching. For some readers that do not know, Holiday Beach is located in the deepest, Southwestern point of Ontario. Hawks migrating from the northern boreal northward are funnelled between lake erie and lake huron (and lake St Clair) and must cross over to Michigan over this small geographic location, Holiday Beach.

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-90802449851996990102011-11-02T23:17:00.002-04:002011-11-02T23:32:37.920-04:00

From the archives (October 2010)... Would you believe that in this unassuming photo: a yellow bellied sapsucker AND and Red-headed woodpecker in the same tree? That might only happen once in a lifetime! Quiz: What Warbler is in this photo?   Life has been busy lately and birding has been slow. I've made some attempts to see Saw-whet Owls last weekend, but no luck. This posting below is one of

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-24761709553261279842011-10-26T23:25:00.002-04:002011-10-26T23:35:38.694-04:00

I stopped by Holiday Beach after work today for a quick 1 hour walk and tower observing. It was really slow this afternoon even though winds seemed favorable for good raptor migration.  But, almost nothing went by this afternoon. Today's Holiday Beach report was emailed out and it was stated that winds were (in the afternoon) "increasing slightly out of the northwest". It made me wonder if NW

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-33638972942377442442011-10-25T20:31:00.001-04:002011-10-25T20:34:35.137-04:00

Imagine, you are on vacation and you hear a bird that you are unfamiliar with. You pull out your smartphone, record the call and seconds later, you have the name and photo of the bird call you were hearing. This is not a distant reality according to this article below. Much like electronic playback of bird calls, this new technology will call into question more ethical implications of being able

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-38989100498398370792011-10-24T21:56:00.003-04:002011-10-24T22:22:42.048-04:00

A few people have asked me since I've started my blog about my digital workflow. Digital Workflow is how each person takes their photos from their camera and then places them onto their computer, and the workflow to post-process those photos and potentially share them via email or on the web on through Flickr or Blogger. For starters, I have a Canon 7D SLR camera with a Sigma 150-500mm OS

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-65775743313920131082011-10-22T21:39:00.006-04:002011-10-22T22:27:29.113-04:00

Its been almost two weeks since I've been birding. Last weekend, I just couldn't make it out and this last week, I was either working or studying for an exam I had to write this morning. I wrote the exam this morning at 9am and drove directly to Hillman Marsh and Point Pelee. Nothing overly exciting although I did get good looks of all the seasonal migrants that are moving through right now.

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-48544819120598849712011-10-15T15:40:00.004-04:002011-10-15T22:20:47.975-04:00

Overall, I really enjoyed seeing this movie. I would recommend it to any of my friends and family, especially those who don't really understand what birding is. Of course, birding isn't competitive for everyone, but this movie delves into that aspect as well. I will put a Spoiler Alert here.  If you have not seen the movie, do not read the remaining paragraphs. The three main characters are Jack

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-24903677161180378092011-10-14T17:24:00.005-04:002011-10-21T23:30:25.048-04:00

There are five Species in this photo... You gotta love shorebirding! Ok, this is my last Comber Shorebirding posting... I promise!!! :-)   I went after work on Thursday this week. It was cloudy but I figured I'd go anyway. I figured shorebirding will give some variety that I am not getting so much of at Holiday Beach's Raptor Festival (aka Hawktoberfest). Anyway, I walked through the muddy

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-82144376565032829862011-10-10T21:13:00.011-04:002011-10-16T14:58:24.108-04:00

Wow... after talking to Blake Mann and Ellen Smout over the weekend, it was suggested that the best viewing was in later afternoon, as the sun setting in the west would give nice front-lit views of some incredible shorebirds. So at about 5pm today, I politely excused myself from Thanksgiving festivities and headed out to Comber for a quick 30-minute birding session. Glad I did... check out some

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-13499978308802619912011-10-08T22:01:00.007-04:002011-10-09T10:20:47.186-04:00

Yesterday, a report from ontbirds mentioned Godwits and American golden Plovers in a field in Comber, which is just south of Stoney Point or Pointe-aux-Roches if you prefer the french name. I did street level mapping of the described area, and even the google street level view of this road shows a huge flooded field with shorebirds on the perimeter! The surface area  of this

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-46043810203909517442011-10-02T16:35:00.005-04:002011-10-02T20:32:19.787-04:00

Sure enough, once last week's low pressure system moved off to the east, trailing north winds followed this counter-clockwise spinning weather system. Birding Point Pelee's West beach towards the tip had fall-out numbers ( 'fallout' is the most overused term of birders, but ya... I said it!) of late season warblers. This posting describes Saturday at Point Pelee and Sunday at Holiday Beach.

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-84372874462684984892011-09-29T20:55:00.004-04:002011-09-30T21:15:45.100-04:00

The Big Year is coming out in mid-October... I think I'll be going to see it on opening night. I joked with my wife that I would wear binoculars... or try this one... I don't know if I've ever considered any of the 2-3 years of birding I've been doing as 'big-years'. But this year, my life list is pretty well my year list. I'm at around 282 birds in my life list and probably 275 for the

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-85626336669825838822011-09-26T21:33:00.002-04:002011-09-28T16:50:37.170-04:00

This last week has been lackluster with respect to birding. Even with several trips to local hotspots, not much was seen. Fall birding is often like this. It is a 'slower burn' than the spring migration and this means some walks that are less birdy than others. Saturday morning, my wife and son visited Holiday Beach and had a chance to see some birds up close as some recently banded birds were

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-45042844858521280162011-09-17T14:35:00.005-04:002011-09-19T22:32:20.127-04:00

I stopped into PPNP this morning for a short birding walk. As usual, I only had a precious two hours to bird the park, so I rolled the dice and decided to walk the Delaurier Path. This path has been really good in the past, especially in the fall because there is lots of edge habitat (forest/field and forest/marsh) as well as several wet sloughs. The area around the sloughs (the elevated

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-74903606330026941712011-09-17T13:44:00.004-04:002011-09-19T22:26:28.425-04:00

I stopped by Holiday Beach today after work (Friday Sept 16th). I figured it would be a good day as I drove down Howard Ave and noticed roadside flags blowing in a Southeasterly direction indicating North-West winds. Also the weather on Friday was dramatically colder which may encourage some movement as well. Upon arrival to Holiday Beach, I started off by scanning the forest edge along the

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-31448355626393490562011-09-12T20:02:00.003-04:002011-09-14T18:35:31.055-04:00

Birding in the Neighborhood    A quick walk to the end of my street this morning (there is a small 2-acre forest there) netted a Warbling Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo (I think), Swainsons Thrush, Black Capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmouse.  I typically don't see Tufted Titmice too much over the summer as they seem to avoid bird feeders and are more secluded in the woods (IMHO). Also, I have not

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-41666166241094199342011-09-11T17:14:00.001-04:002011-09-12T20:55:44.268-04:00

I couldn't help but chase the Parasitic and Long tailed Jaeger's that were at Van Wagner's Beach this Saturday morning. I was going to title this posting: Chasing Jagermeister, the bird, not the shot.  I've never been one to do shots, so I'll just give the basic title above. Anyway, I arrived at Van Wagners Beach at 8:30am and walked the beach for a few minutes. I quickly spotted a Sanderling

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-2270930478925491072011-09-05T20:55:00.001-04:002011-09-05T20:59:14.142-04:00

A little tradition I started two years ago is to basically bird the forested area at Holiday Beach on Labour Day Weekend. I can almost say that the concentration of warblers, vireos and thrushes in this 200m strip of beach is consistently higher than any other place I've birded, including PPNP! (This statement only applies for the first week or two of September.) Today was a little quiet at

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-25161470210305972482011-08-27T16:58:00.004-04:002011-08-27T21:10:30.605-04:00

I woke up early today and did the typical Tilbury/ Hillman Marsh/ Point Pelee circuit with little to show for it! Its hard to beleive that last year at about this time, I saw my 200th bird, the Solitary Sandpiper. I've painstakingly added 78 more species since then... will I make it to 300? :^) Tilbury - As Blake mentioned, the shorebird cell is almost completely dry, just a few square

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-41975372422865037662011-08-17T20:53:00.003-04:002011-08-17T21:03:38.410-04:00

SB Dowitchers were abundant today. Click image for full size view. I went for a little kayak trip to Point Pelee's marsh again on Tuesday. Not much different than usual... In fact, it was pretty well the exact same list of birds from a trip that I took last year at about this time. Its amazing how cyclical nature can be.  I saw the Great Horned Owl that had hatched earlier this year near

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-70168903719795645732011-08-11T12:43:00.016-04:002011-08-13T14:50:59.863-04:00

Yesterday's Ontbirds report from James Holdsworth had reported Western Kingbirds (in Windsor) so this posting attempts to document this great find. James' posting was incredibly detailed and covered plumage, behavior and vocalizations... its worth reading if you haven't read it. James also sent me some photos and gave me permission to repost them. The following four are some that he took:

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-35163634785797443092011-08-09T13:28:00.013-04:002011-09-17T21:25:13.041-04:00

While driving on hwy #3 today, I noticed a large shorebird in a newly excavated area in field about 400m west of Talbot Rd East in Leamington.  I stopped to check it out and wow... American Avocet. I wanted to high-five somebody when I saw this bird, but I was by myself on the shoulder of highway three... lol. I think this is a female Avocet. Female Avocets have a sharp curve near the last 1

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-34336501921763423612011-08-05T16:51:00.007-04:002011-08-05T21:15:45.901-04:00

A recent kayak trip to PPNP had most of the easily seen peeps... Not much different than last week, Semipalmated Plovers and Sandpipers, Least and Spotted Sandpipers were easily seen. Several hundred Black Terns were out in the main marsh area. The highlight of the trip was a first summer Wilson's Phalarope, which completely ignored me and my bright red 16.5' kayak as it foraged the small muddy

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-49927345894630046002011-08-02T16:06:00.003-04:002011-08-03T22:11:43.937-04:00

1-Lady Gaga (the Peregrine Falcon) Euthanized This is old news now (July 12th, 2011), but did you know Lady Gaga (the Peregrine Falcon) was euthanized? There is a sad story that basically boils down to this: The falcon was discovered limping on the ground so she was brought to a local Windsor Vet. They did surgery on her leg which involved using titanium pins and was collaborated online with

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-16777222239255110352011-07-27T21:37:00.006-04:002011-10-19T22:47:08.311-04:00

I've never seen a Five lined Skink before so I figured I would go to Pelee today an try my luck at finding it. I heard that they can be found on the South side of the visitor center (they like the warm bricks) and around the West Beach access paths. I think one thing that prevented me from seeing it earlier is that its size is so small. Its probably only 2" long and quickly run off the west

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-59152801130348928832011-07-27T21:20:00.002-04:002011-07-27T22:13:20.779-04:00

Black crowned Night Heron with Fermi cooling towers in the background Pointe Mouille is about 30 minutes south of Windsor if you were to cross the Ambassador Bridge. There are some incredible shorebirds that show up to this 700-acre manmade wetland. Its interesting to read about how this area was made and how duck hunters, birders and government use this area. According to the US Army Corps of

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-60696195623021573442011-07-24T23:06:00.003-04:002011-07-24T23:34:09.968-04:00

 Banff National Park could be one of the most beautiful places on earth. It was ridiculous! Its a friggen' UNESCO World Heritage Site for goodness sake. But this is a huge park, and I simply focus on 3-4 spots within the park. Lake Louise Morain Lake Bow River Trail The town of Banff Birding in Lake Louise Lake Louise is pretty incredible. We spent two days in the park so the birding is thin.

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-81270475462068495212011-07-24T22:53:00.002-04:002011-07-25T00:00:57.419-04:00

 After being in BC for a week, and enjoying sunny, 78 degree weather in Banff National Park, Calgary was comparatively just another city. I must say I thought it would be nicer than it was, considering the oil boom and low taxes and low unemployment. We had two days in Calgary, hitting the Calgary Stampede along with the Calgary Zoo. We tried to bird the Isherwood Bird Sanctuary which was

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-42006150573381982122011-07-24T22:51:00.000-04:002011-07-24T22:51:52.664-04:00

We stopped in Revelstoke BC which is about an hour or two West of Banff National Park in BC. If the Okanagan Valley is in the middle of BC, Revelstoke is about 3/4 over from the left if that makes any sense. Revelstoke was the only two days of our trip where we had bad weather. Multi-coloured roadside wild-flowers are easily enjoyed in Revelstoke BC Again, birding was not the primary function

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-9926890634642482082011-07-22T13:44:00.005-04:002011-07-24T23:05:29.215-04:00

After seeing Lewis's Woodpecker and California Quail on the previous day, I was excited to get out and bird the Okanagan Valley. I picked up a book from a bookstore called "The Okanagan Valley Birding Trail" which was a beautiful colourful and informative book, put together by people that really love birding. If you go to the area, I recommend getting a copy. I woke up at 5am and headed out to

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-81639918885875571442011-07-21T10:31:00.004-04:002011-11-01T21:01:34.240-04:00

Click image to view full size. Only nature could have come up with these colours! Before embarking on my BC trip, I wrote out a wish-list of birds I would like to see. I came out with a reasonable list of the more common southern BC residents that would likely be around in mid-summer. Out of the twenty birds, I had one bird that I was dying to see... The elusive Lewis's Woodpecker. I actually

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-74769744159129563922011-07-19T22:41:00.004-04:002011-10-24T06:29:39.745-04:00

Esquimalt Lagoon, looking Southwest towards the Juan de Fuca Strait  I've spent the last 10 days traveling around the West coast of Canada... and it was awesome! The trip started off in Victoria BC and continued to Vancouver, then East to the Okanogan Valley, then Revelstoke, Banff National Park and then the trip ended in Calgary Alberta. I racked up about 35 lifers, which was good considering

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-28495808446362861142011-07-08T14:16:00.004-04:002011-07-31T13:06:16.653-04:00

One of my favorite butterfly photographs of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Dense Blazingstar Wildflowers While birding last summer, I realized that there can be some exciting breeding birds to see, but really, birding becomes a little bit static. Many great nature blogs that I was reading, (Burg Birder in particular) focused a little more on butterflies during this time and if some good birds

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-20699071431698266482011-07-07T22:43:00.001-04:002011-07-07T22:43:35.650-04:00

A four-minute video showing an incredible pair of singing-bird pistols made of gold and inlaid with gems sold for $5.8 million at a Christie’s International sale in Hong Kong on May 30, 2011. I'll leave the video to describe what they are... ...LOL! Yours in birding, Dwaynejava

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-90210761570466530242011-06-29T14:13:00.008-04:002011-07-05T15:17:59.898-04:00

Are you kidding me? Wow! Four grassland species in the last two days. I was talking to a birder on Tuesday and he mentioned Bobolink were seen in a local field. I did not believe that these birds were around so when I got onsite, I almost dropped my binoculars when I saw the scene you see above. A blackbird with a white back and beige nape? .... Bobolink.  I've never seen a breeding plumaged male

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-91945898243335353072011-06-27T18:01:00.007-04:002011-06-29T17:03:39.849-04:00

Click photo for larger view A very observant birder (Ken Burrell) made an Ontbirds Posting recently about several Dickcissel (Spiza Americana) in Wheatley and I figured that I would go and try my luck at finding them. I found them quite easily. I had an Ipod on me but found I did not need it, because there were three birds in that area singing: Red winged Blackbird, Dickcissel, and Indigo

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-821424680697562852011-06-24T23:19:00.008-04:002011-06-25T22:28:18.721-04:00

Not much new happening lately. I've visited the bridge area in west Windsor for the last few days and have had a chance to see the flightless, downy Peregrine chicks molt into large, beautifully feathered fledglings. The shots above are of "Lady Gaga" (aka X/64).  She was on a two-storey apartment building next to the bridge. I was only about 20m away on a porch next to the building she was

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-74372975946502715212011-06-19T21:36:00.004-04:002011-06-19T21:54:46.983-04:00

A recent posting by Josh V. (Ontario Birds and Herps) had featured beautiful Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies, a species that I've never seen in person before, so I figured I would go out and see for myself. Sure enough, just minutes after entering the Provincial Ojibway Reserve (across the road from the visitor center) I spotted the Checkerspot. Oddly enough, I saw it again days later at the

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-6199480964289538132011-06-13T20:35:00.005-04:002011-06-18T13:56:55.470-04:00

Even though I was sick this weekend,  I made an attempt to go for a short walk on Sunday and I don't even know if its worth posting with so many awesome birds around. White-faced Ibis have shown up at Point Mouillee (which is closer to Windsor than Point Pelee is) and Willow Ptarmigan was found in Oshawa. Jean Iron's site has some great photos: http://www.jeaniron.ca/2011/willowptarmigan.htm. Luc

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-65531026809700897052011-06-07T20:51:00.003-04:002011-06-08T21:51:22.088-04:00

  Today's paper had an article about two new baby falcons that have hatched at the bridge in Windsor (Lady Gaga and Spitfire). I couldn't help but stop by tonight while going for a riverside walk with the family.  I'm thinking CPF stands for Canadian Peregrine Foundation?  Could the photo below be a Peregrine Falcon with a baby Owl? I wish the falcons would eat some of the abundant Starlings

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-6671736488561028022011-06-06T22:37:00.002-04:002011-06-09T13:42:49.747-04:00

  I was planting tomatoes in my back yard this week and I heard baby birds chirping from a thicket in the back corner of my yard. As I approached, a Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) popped out! Its been an interesting Spring/Early summer. I have not seen a single Hummingbird in my backyard, but I have a Song Sparrow singing its heart out every half hour or so. I think the Latin name for

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-77376556392720922342011-06-02T21:27:00.002-04:002011-06-03T14:49:21.879-04:00

Well, if you are reading this posting, you probably have read that a Yellow Crowned Night Heron was spotted at Malden Park on Wednesday this week. And as usual, I went on a Fool's Errand and went to look for it this morning and later after work. I did not see it of course. I almost don't beleive it was at Malden. I mean really... Four species of Herons at that park??? Blue, Green, Black Crowned

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-39364663477094810822011-05-31T16:43:00.001-04:002011-05-31T16:45:16.729-04:00

A friendly birding couple that I've met through my blog invited me to their neighborhood to see some recently fledged Eastern Screech Owls. Almost like clockwork, they appeared at dusk and stayed within 100m of where we were initially standing (In the middle of a residential street). These three photos I've featured were about as good as I could get in poor dusk lighting and telephoto zooming. I

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-69857413130399165822011-05-30T16:42:00.000-04:002011-05-30T14:43:12.737-04:00

Malden Park is an old municipal garbage dump that has been turned into a beautiful grassy, scrubby park. It has two small lakes (near the Malden Rd Parking lots) that, year after year, attracted Belted Kingfishers and Green Herons as breeders. So, during a recent walk at Malden Park I heard a Belted Kingfisher making its loud laughing call, and saw it flying from one perch to another perch on

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-25700779200555434862011-05-25T20:23:00.000-04:002011-05-25T20:23:28.218-04:00

Well... I can't help but feeling disappointed in this year's migration through our region. Of course, I was unable to actually spend gobs of time... no big days or big weeks. Just like 3-4 hours bi-weekly to various local hotspots. I just didn't see the birds that I saw last Spring, and it seemed like I put more effort into getting out there this season. Some exciting lifers this May have been:

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-36870745069298899692011-05-21T22:04:00.005-04:002011-05-30T14:37:08.158-04:00

The southern-most Racoon in Canada? This is how I feel when I have to get up early! This morning I joined the excellent Ojibway Birders Group (OBG?) led by Paul Pratt.  The morning consisted of a great group of people, keen birders along with fantastic weather .... mix these things together and you're having a great morning. My morning started out late, I did not meet the group at the 8:00am

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-64763633108877071482011-05-21T13:42:00.000-04:002011-05-21T13:42:28.550-04:00

A recent twitter post from Ojibway Park indicated that Indigo Buntings were back on territory at the park, so I figured I would go and see if I could find some. As luck would have it, one of the first trees I inspected had several males chasing each other (possibly in an effort to set up breeding territory). I stood by quietly watching and noticing the birds would often perch on a nearby side

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-34602578215779153302011-05-14T21:10:00.000-04:002011-05-14T21:10:49.065-04:00

My wife and I were wondering what to do this Saturday, I figured trying to ask her to walk a few paths at Pelee. Even though the weather promissed to rain, we went anyway and the rain held off. We walked Tildens Trail which was quiet today when we walked through. I saw a sleeping Common Nighthawk, several Grey Catbirds, some Epidonax Flycatchers as well as a precious few warblers:

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-71008467958235586702011-05-14T17:06:00.004-04:002011-05-15T20:02:09.089-04:00

As of May 13th, I hate to say it, but I did not really hit a really nice pocket of warblers in any of my birding walks. I've seen great birds this May, but never really had that feeling of "wow... I don't even know where to look right now". That all changed after arriving at Hillman. As I had left the shorebird cell, I noted a small vireo in the wooded area between the shorebird cell and

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-77724541855076369882011-05-14T16:56:00.001-04:002011-05-15T15:44:17.867-04:00

As mid-May rolled around, I figured I would spend a day at Rondeau to change things up a little from the normal Pelee routine. I woke up super early and headed out to Rondeau... but at the last minute, I tried to see if my new GPS knew where St Clair NWA was. My query was quickly answered with both good and bad news. Yes, it new the spot, but a surprise was that it took alot of time to get there

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-82856461589336679482011-05-11T14:43:00.000-04:002011-05-15T14:47:07.525-04:00

(Note: this was posted for Wed May 11th, 2011. The labels somehow became corrupted, so a recent fix reposted this as a new posting... I've corrected the date back to the 11th of May) I've made an effort to go to Pelee at least weekly from late April to late May, and during peak season, I even plan on stopping in mid-week. I went to Pelee for about 2.5 hours tonight and spent most of the time on

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-78779386416880259942011-05-07T17:24:00.005-04:002011-05-09T22:36:24.068-04:00

#239 Just a brief posting today. I got up very early today and headed out to Point Pelee with high hopes. It was a little bit of a let-down! I did not see many birds today... well I did, but not as much as one would expect on May 7th. Let's just say that I didn't walk into the visitor center with my 100 species list demanding my 100 species pin! :^) One nice highlight for today was the

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-27093882203295929652011-05-04T22:29:00.007-04:002011-08-09T20:55:11.652-04:00

How rare is an Orange-Variant Scarlet Tanager? I have many photos of this wonderful bird. Here you can see the primaries, secondaries and terts! Scapulars and Coverts are all there in plain view. The Scarlet Tanager was a weird occurrence tonight. An older gentleman waived me over to a spot on Tilden's Trail. I went over and saw this gorgeous, Orange Variant Scarlet Tanager. It was uncanny, it

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-55992493862838514942011-05-03T21:32:00.003-04:002011-05-03T22:58:44.177-04:00

I was reading a posting from the Friends of Point Pelee today about a Yellow breasted Chat that was at Point Pelee, and couldn't resist going to check it out. Surprisingly, I found it with very little wait and with little effort.   This Yellow breasted Chat is lifer #238. How exciting. The yellow-ness of this bird's breast is incredible! Oddly enough, I was only at Point Pelee for about 1.5

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-50553098438483289452011-05-01T23:37:00.004-04:002011-05-02T16:28:19.445-04:00

Do the birding gods hate me? It rained all morning on the one morning I had to bird one one of the best weekends of the year. This May 1st pales in comparison to last years May 1st 2010 outing. On  a more positive note, I got some good looks at Vireos today. If one excludes the weather as a factor, it wasn't that bad a day considering the fact that I had to leave at 11:30 am. Blue headed

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-9745764863089828932011-04-30T20:56:00.005-04:002011-04-30T21:29:21.908-04:00

After work on Friday, I went down to Point Pelee for a Post-work walk on the "Post woods" trail. Its incredible to say this but I've never walked the post-woods trail! I haven't really walked the west beach trail much either. If I birded the tip of Point Pelee, I would often just take the tram back to the visitor center and typically walk Tildens Woods and Woodland Nature Trail.  I had

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-54004047949046526462011-04-24T21:57:00.012-04:002011-04-28T23:16:50.261-04:00

Happy Easter & Earth Day! I just thought I would give a really great link to a Youtube video that Jenna (100 birds in a year blog) posted and I can't help but re-post it: It's only 6 minutes long but very well worth the time. It was produced by the Cornell University Ornithology department on  the one-year anniversary of the BP Gulf Oil spill. Right click link (open in new tab)http://

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-52964079743713151942011-04-22T21:34:00.002-04:002011-04-24T22:46:36.127-04:00

This park is quite incredible. I walked it on Thursday as it was one of the few sunny afternoons we've had in a while. With respect to birding, first half of my walk though was pretty quiet with the exception of a few Goldfinches, Drumming Downy Woodpeckers, and a Golden Crowned Kinglet. The beauty of this forest is really just incredible. Wet sloughs everywhere, creeping vines, old dead trees

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-87069448457612118122011-04-17T21:09:00.002-04:002011-04-17T21:11:48.231-04:00

Today's weather blows/blew (literally and figuratively). 3-5 degrees celcius and 40Km/h winds with gusts of 50-60km. It wasn't fun to be outside. But I went out anyway!!! Hillman Marsh had many Bonapartes Gulls, Terns and Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead and Green winged Teal. Double Crested Cormorants were everywhere! Some shorebirds were out there but I saw them more in flight and was unable to

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-1602136446951388062011-04-13T22:24:00.004-04:002011-04-20T20:21:12.375-04:00

Ruby Crowned Kinglet in a Pussywillow Tree The last two days have been so beautiful out weather-wise, I couldn't help but get out there and take some photos. I have a new camera body and I'm still trying to learn its ways before May arrives. There will come a day where I will go birding without my camera but I guess for now, lots of pictures will be taken! :-) I think the reason I take photos

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-44687669441203089672011-04-10T22:59:00.002-04:002011-04-11T00:05:29.768-04:00

 I did a quick two-hour kayak trip to Peche Island today. It was exciting to get out there for the first time in many months. It was birdy. No lifers or un-expected species but a nice listing of birds. Some firsts for the year etc.  Wood Ducks were seen as well as Hooded Mergansers and Mallards. Many Canada Geese were around as well as some swans. First Belted Kingfisher of the year. Two were

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-27228270694812079932011-04-08T22:37:00.009-04:002011-04-09T21:50:08.632-04:00

I got out of work early today, so I figured I would go to Point Pelee and see whats happening bird-wise. In short: Yellow bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe & Brown Creeper were abundant! My first stop was  ERCA's Hillman Marsh. When I arrived at mid-afternoon the weather was pretty cold, windy and not very good for birding. I noticed the wetland cell had 10+ Great Blue

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-83560224936901067392011-04-07T21:35:00.002-04:002011-04-07T23:16:37.759-04:00

I should keep a list for just my moms house! Just a quick walk after work today... about 1 hour had some decent birds. No big surprises but a good mix in my humble opinion. I also found a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker at Mom's House!!!  I noticed the gestalt on this woodpecker had a 'twist-dabbing' motion in the pecking technique.  How exciting to see this wonderful woodpecker... at Mom's house of

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-2234693534133624452011-04-02T18:33:00.007-04:002011-04-07T23:33:25.203-04:00

 I headed out to Point Pelee this morning with the intention of being home in 5 hours. 2 hours of commuting to and from Windsor and one hour each for Delaurier Trail & the tip of Point Pelee and one hour at Hillman. I was hoping to see some early spring migrants such as Eastern Meadowlarks or Eastern Bluebirds but no such luck today. I did see the great horned owls near the Park entrance (no big

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-8322789365007120742011-03-27T22:01:00.005-04:002011-03-29T17:01:05.092-04:00

Several Phoebes were around at Ojibway. It was nice to see them again! I did not really go anywhere too far this weekend. I basically birded the Ojibway forest area on Sat and Sun for a brief 45 minute walk. Main things seen were Eastern Phoebe, Golden Crowned Kinglet, Tufted Titmouse, Red bellied Woodpecker, Tree/ White Thoated/ Song/ House Sparrows as well as the other regulars (no big

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-56444483572719286622011-03-24T21:47:00.009-04:002011-04-06T20:19:23.413-04:00

This is about as clear a photo I could get with my point-and-shoot camera I've made three local birding trips since my Florida vacation last week and racked up two more lifers in the process. The problem is, I hate birding without my SLR camera. Today, I shot some photos with a little simple point-and-shot camera. I can't help but think how much more detail I would have had with my normal

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-42496303232681523012011-03-17T21:43:00.013-04:002011-12-20T22:31:01.101-05:00

I took a little mini-trip to Florida in the earlier part of this week. I must have seen between 75-100 bird species over the last three days (many were repetitive from last year's trip). Below is a lil' list of lifers and some misses. I've added a few select photos from some of the major parks I visited. ***Lifers Painted Bunting Magnificent Frigatebird Florida Scrub Jay Clapper Rail

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-5092284300575005922011-03-06T15:27:00.009-05:002011-03-08T00:10:52.823-05:00

What a gorgeous day out today! There were several birds singing today at some of the various spots I visited today... how nice! Of course, one of the highlights today was a nice Northern Mockingbird at Ojibway Park. Tom, an Ojibway Park employee informed me that one had been around in a particular area, and sure enough, later on in the day as I was about to leave, it popped up into sight to give

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-42452934360969971432011-03-01T20:44:00.003-05:002011-03-02T22:12:33.267-05:00

I've generally had bad luck with Winter Finches. They these nomadic little birds have graced my presence on two prior occasions, but the previous looks were at a distance and pointed out to me by excellent birders. But today, I had the pleasure of sitting in my parent's back yard and slowly coming to realize that... hey, this isn't just a female House Finch... this is a Pine Siskin! I think

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-33830985189360901932011-02-26T14:24:00.003-05:002011-02-26T15:59:11.954-05:00

With the exciting posting from Blake recently about Common Redpolls near Sarnia, I have been trying to visit Ojibway Park at least weekly. Of course, no Redpolls yet, but, even just the everyday common birds that hang out are nice to see. Below I share a few...  Nice looks at a House Finch... looks like the Spring Plumage might be starting to show up...  I attempted to photoshop the branches

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-5722787401717017632011-02-19T17:02:00.004-05:002011-02-19T18:39:42.820-05:00

This posting is basically me rambling on about the last week or two. Its been a rough couple of weeks for me. I'm still sick! But, I have gone out on occasion for a short drive to Lakeview Marina or a quick trip to the county. I've even gone out to PPNP and returned not having seen much. Yesterday (Friday) I saw my first (for the year) Red Winged Blackbird in Amherstburg. I took some photos but

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-23522447084801332002011-02-05T12:22:00.002-05:002011-02-19T14:03:41.684-05:00

A friend of mine recently mentioned seeing a Short eared Owl at some crossroads in Essex County, and with the sunny weather today (Friday), I couldn't help but drive out to try and see it. My friend described  my attempt to go look for it as "Running a Fool's Errands"... I couldn't help but make reference to this poetic description of my attempt to find this rare bird. Anyway, I went for a

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-27613353241069144652011-01-30T13:46:00.003-05:002011-01-30T23:12:19.657-05:00

My wife is too good to me to let me go out for these occasional mini-birding trips! I was lucky enough to make it out to Point Pelee and Hillman Marsh area today for a quick two hour nature walk.   I ran into a friend of a friend who happens to be a subject matter expert when it comes to owls at Point Pelee. He was driving by me and we spoke for a minute and he agreed to show me the location of

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-805840835020143722011-01-27T17:16:00.005-05:002011-01-29T11:14:03.540-05:00

 I stopped by one of the Marinas in East Windsor today after work in hopes of seeing a recently reported Black-legged Kittiwake. I was only there for about 10 minutes when Karen from the Ojibway Park Nature Center joined me and we discussed the appearance of this elusive bird. We spotted it just seconds after we started discussing its appearance! Too funny. It was only about 30-40m from the

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-65717772387342763842011-01-22T14:44:00.005-05:002011-01-24T20:07:37.857-05:00

Click image for larger view I had some time to kill this morning so I headed out to East Windsor to see if I could re-find the White winged Scoter I saw yesterday. Its funny though, my main viewing area had been the park just east of lili-kazilies on Riverside Dr. I did not see much this morning from that park (with the exception of two soaring bald eagles over Peche Island), so I figured I would

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-53941132876231832832011-01-21T21:16:00.007-05:002011-01-30T23:13:38.025-05:00

Its been so gloomy out lately... Where is the sun? Well, it was sunny this afternoon so I figured I would get out there and enjoy some sun light & some good birds. What a great way to end off the work week! Upon arriving at the Kayak Cove park I noticed a dark black scooter. I was quite sure it was a lifer, and upon referencing my trusty field guide... White Winged Scoter (lifer #222 )!  It was

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-22630655578811115362011-01-15T22:54:00.002-05:002011-08-02T13:22:49.240-04:00

After work Friday (and Thursday) I stopped by Lakeview Marina where Lake St Clair funnels into the Detroit River. Visiting this area has become a January tradition. This posting shows a few selected photos of various ducks and waterfowl. Common Goldeneye is Common!  The ducks (and swans, geese, mergansers) weren't as skittish as they normally were. I guess they are more confident when

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-252507561300371482011-01-13T22:02:00.000-05:002011-01-13T22:02:51.077-05:00

Birding at moms... I've been trying to photograph the Red breasted Nuthatch at my parent's house in good light. It's proven to be very difficult! The Red breasted Nuthatch shows up everyday at around 4pm but has been very skittish. A Sharp Shinned Hawk has been visiting hourly to the yard as well. Old field guide... I find people start to give you birding-related paraphernalia when they learn

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-53080680745798616182011-01-08T12:53:00.011-05:002011-01-30T23:49:03.774-05:00

  It's funny. I went to Holiday Beach almost every Friday after work during the 2010 fall raptor migration and saw pretty well every migrating raptor with the exception of the Rough Legged Hawk. Then, during the Christmas Bird Count at PPNP, I saw one fly by in the distance and finally lifered the bird at #215. The next day, I see a Dark Morph RLH along sanctuary pond... and today I finally

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-72634269844165320602011-01-01T12:12:00.003-05:002011-01-01T22:51:30.026-05:00

I just returned from birding the Ojibway Park area and the Provincial Ojibway Oak Savanah Reserve. This is one of many local areas covered in the Detroit River CBC which covers areas on both sides of the Detroit River. Nothing out of the ordinary was seen but we did hear a Carolina Wren and get good looks at both male and female Hairy Woodpeckers. I'm sure all the reptile lovers will love this

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-3549251216045553772010-12-31T14:08:00.005-05:002011-01-01T22:46:43.927-05:00

Looking Back...  Wow, I've come so far this year in my birding interests. To go from 80 birds in my first year, to 215 in my second calendar year is awesome. Its funny though... why is it taking me this long ??? Some people get 100 birds easily in the month of May on a typical day. There is a young birder in Ontario that is in his teens that has 300+ birds this year! (Travelling allot doesn't

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-26439445608038682372010-12-28T15:00:00.013-05:002010-12-28T23:22:59.394-05:00

I've made a few attempts to go birding in Windsor over the last few days, but really... nothing too special to report! A typical walk at Malden Park or the Ojibway Prairie Reserve resulted in a typical list of birds... American Tree Sparrows, Two Blue Jays, a few Cardinals, Am Goldfinch, Morning Doves, and a White Breasted Nuthatch. Earlier in December, I noted several American Kestrels at Malden

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2412262361983834349.post-27979098066361341782010-12-21T16:18:00.004-05:002010-12-28T16:23:16.956-05:00

*** This is a posting that I started on Dec 21 but did not complete till today*** On Dec 21st (one day after the PPNP CBC), I returned to PPNP because I thought I had lost my ipod in the parking lot.  It turns out upon arriving, I found it in the door of my car... it wasn't lost at all... So I did a quick walk down Tildens Trail... I was there anyway!  About 6-10 Yellow Rumped Warblers flew into

dwaynejavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639672664684581687noreply@blogger.com0