Common Redpolls - In Essex County? --- YES!

Yesterday while I was at work, I had checked my email at the end of the day and read an amazing bird sighting posted to the local wepbirds google group: Common Redpolls in Essex County ! Again this sighting was posted by local birding phenom Jeremy Hatt.

This morning (saturday) I went to the area that they were being seen (Couture Rd and Concession 9) and didn't see anything other than a Fox! But then, an hour after I left, Donnie M reposted to Wepbirds that he had found the flock again  today. 

It took a while - but after being very patient for perhaps 30 mins to an hour - Karen, Rick and Donnie pointed out distant flocks of winter finches --- Perhaps 60-80 birds. At one point, the flock landed in  a large (oak?) tree next to the road. Much to my chagrin,  many of my photos were unacceptably out of focus. This flock did not provide very nice views for photography --- but I was still delighted to see them.


Common Redpolls are one of my favorite winter finches. From my experience as a birder - I must say that they have been very rare in Essex County. In fact, there was only one other time in the last 10 years that I've seen a common redpoll in Essex, and it was one that I had found at Point Pelee many years ago.

Here's hoping that we see more of these red-headed winter finche beauties before the winter is over.

Good birding!
Dwayne

Birding Algonquin Park in Late June

Algonquin was amazing, we spent three days there during the last week of June as part of our summer vacation. It was our first time there actually!  I can't complain, but again, just like Georgian Bay Islands National Park, it was too wild and undeveloped  for my two kids to really appreciate (or they are just at a bad age 1 & 4). I really wanted to walk the Mizzy Lake Trail in its entirety, but only walked 1/4 of it. The Ontario Field Ornithologists have a great article about this trail here: http://www.ofo.ca/ofo-docs/Mizzy.pdf . The 1/4 of the Mizzy Lake Trail circuit is still 6-8 or so kilometers (round trip), a challenging walk with 35llbs on your back, mosquitoes, biting flies and at times, muddy/slippery/flooded trails. Hardly a bench is offered to a weary hiker, but again, who am I to complain!

West Rose Lake was gorgeous. It offered the best birding as well, with Black Backed Woodpecker, Alder Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher as well as a bunch of warbler, sparrow and blackbird species.

Wolf-howl Pond Algonquin Park

The Amazing Resilience of the American Robin
At times, I would see a bird along the Mizzy Lake Trail, and put up my binoculars to see which majestic boreal species was greeting me. While focusing on the bird, I would anticipate the rareness of this unknown avian species of the north. I would think about driving 11km off the Hwy 60 corridor (along Arowhon Road) into the real wild, then hike 6 km into the deepest depths of the wild, undisturbed Algonquin. As I follow the bird, I wonder... would it be a Ruffed or Spruce Grouse? Gray Jay? Boreal Chickadee or Black backed Woodpecker?  Finally, I focus in on this avian subject and come to realize it was just a Robin....

Brief looks at Black backed Woodpecker
While walking along the Mizzy Lake Trail, I had just passed West Rose Lake, and I was at the end of my walk. I was looking at my map for "Flycatcher Bog" which I think has been filled in with natural forest succession. Giving up and starting to head back, a dark bird flew over my head through the old railway corridor that makes up this part of the path, then the bird flies back into the forest and alights (in the manner that woodpeckers do) onto a trailside tree. I was not sure what it was, but I briskly walked up to the area that it appeared to land in, and after searching for a moment, found it! The woodpecker worked its way up the side of a lichen encrusted tree flashing some yellow into my eyes in the process. Amazed, I realized that this might be the 10th woodpecker species that I've seen in my short apprenticeship of birding. I tried to take a few shots, but just couldn't seem to get focused on the subject. Then boom! Gone!

Diagnostic photo of a Black backed Woodpecker -Lifer!

I don't have to worry about anyone stealing this photo! .... 

10 Woodpecker Species:

1-Downy 

2-Red bellied

3-Red headed

4-Hairy

5-Northern Flicker

6-Yellow bellied sapsucker

7-Pileated

8-Lewis's

9-Red Cockaded

10-Black backed

Do you see it?

Alder Flycatcher...In its northern Alder Swamp habitat... Lifer! (#337)

White Admiral. A colour morph of the Red-spotted Purple butterfly. The Red-spotted Purple lost its white stripes by  mimicking the (bad-tasting) Pipevine Swallowtail.

I was a little disappointed with the butterflies at Algonquin, I mainly walked Mizzy Lake trail and Spruce Bog Trail. I would have walked the old airport fields -at Mew Lake (which is well reputed for butterfly watching), but on my last day, I did not have a park pass to enter those grounds as I drove highway 60 one last time towards Ottawa.

Olive sided Flycatcher - Finally heard the "Quick three beers" call!

Oxtongue Rapids near the West Gate of Algonquin Park
A walk to Oxtongue Rapids at the west entrance of Algonquin Park had some easily seen birds. Winter Wren, Veery, Black throated Blue Warblers came out to great me as I walked the beautiful area.

Veery

The sloping pathway gave eye-level view of local breeders, such as this Black throated blue Warbler.

While on this walk, my wife told me a funny joke that I will share with you. My wife told me that a birch tree was bragging to the trees in the forest about how green it was getting, then from nowhere, an evergreen interupts and says "birch, please" (botany humour?).   LOL... sorry that was bad.

The Fam

After hearing the Olive sided Flycatcher calling "Quick three Beers!" and the Alder Flycatcher calling "Free Beer!"... I felt I should head back to the cabin... and... have a beer!

Good Birding!
Dwayne

Lifer Summary:
Grasshopper Sparrow #335
Black backed Woodpecker #336
Alder Flycatcher #337

On Hiatus...

 

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 over the water we talked about the various birds around Peche Island. Several Bald Eagles were seen, along with four Great Blue Herons, some Swans, and thousands of ducks, mainly Common Mergansers. Some Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead along with others were present. Just as I was about to leave, Kelly pointed out the resident Fox which was trotting way out on the ice! (See photo above. Click photo to see full size. How often does one see a Fox with Mergansers?)

One must ask, how did a Fox get on Peche Island? Was it placed there in some ecological experiment, or did it swim or walk amongst the ice flows? I wonder how long a small island with only a few square KM's of surface area, (mainly Carolinean Forest) will sustain this cunning mammal?

Here, the Fox trots by two Great Blue Herons. Even though Fox is common, its been years since I've seen one! I guess my parents have a small Fox-den in their 5 acre field (in south Windsor) but I'm yet to see that one. Last Winter, instead of a Fox, a Racoon was often seen walking out on the ice looking for Shad fish.


I'm still really excited about seeing the Mountain Bluebird last weekend. What a beautiful bird. Last weeks posting was rushed as I was trying to put something up on my blog before submitting my 'MOBL Yes' posting to Ontbirds.  Photographing this Bluebird was pretty challenging. The bluebird below was about 30m away from the road, and I was in my car photographing them. Some challenges that morning included the fact that the birds were East of the road, so they were backlit. To accommodate, I increased exposure, and had to switch to manual focus because the camera cant really 'sense' a bird 30+ meters away on some corn stubble.

This gorgeous bird is not a lifer for me. I saw several Mountain Bluebirds in the Okanogan Valley this summer,  in what might have been the single best birding walk I've taken in my life. If you didn't read that posting, I recommend following the link. That might be one of my favorite blog entries on this blog, as well as the Lewis's Woodpecker story that precedes it.

Even though its backlit and a poor photo... Isn't it beautiful? Its Sky blue back with grey and white breast along with its calm demeanor make this a pleasure to behold. At one point, the two bluebirds were in a tree close to the road and I could hear them singing... How Awesome.

This range map from Allaboutbirds.org shows where Mountain Bluebirds are typically found. Other range maps in field guides show a little more of the eastward vagrancy these birds tend to do quite frequently (especially in Winter).

Image Source: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_bluebird/id/ac

You may have been wondering why this posting is titled: "Hiatus".

According to Dictionary.com:
hi·a·tus - [hahy-ey-tuhs] noun, plural -tus·es, -tus.

1. a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

So, I'm going to honestly spend the next two months (February & March) focusing on my night-school commitments, and less time birding & blogging. I might try to get out if I have a good chance of seeing a lifer. Blake's posting yesterday which featured Common Redpolls and White winged Crossbills has me thinking of getting out to Rondeau (just as I announce my hiatus). Its tough for me to do this because I've been blogging at least weekly for two years in a row! I feel an obligation to post at least weekly!

Send me an email if you see any winter finches between Rondeau and Windsor! :-)


Good birding,
Dwaynejava