Holiday Beach on Labour Day Weekend

 I had a wonderful morning of birding on this past labour day weekend.  I had several warbler species as well as flycatcher species.  The photo above shows the lake erie beach dune habitat. 

Holiday beach has the classic lake erie scrub/swamp habitat thay migrants love to visit during migration. I spent two hours sorting through tonnes of birds. These photos are some that I managed to photograph...

As a final note - I have had a new hummingbird feeder that immediately attracted hummingbirds. There are three or four that I see fighting over access to the feeder. Amazingly i have noted that they perch in a tree close to my back deck, affording incredible photos occasionally. 

 

I have also noted two different olive sided flycatchers over the last week or so as well. ... Just from my back yard!

Good birding!

Dwayne

Mid May to late July Sightings

 This Common Nighthawk was seen sleeping along the edge of Black Oak Heritage Park. Its symbolic of your blogger - sleeping on the job of regular postings!

A few noteworthy sightings from mid to late May include the following:

Canada Warbler at Black Oak Heritage Park

Cerulean Warbler at Black Oak Heritage Park

Red Headed Woodpecker at Black Oak Heritage Park

Olive sided Flycathcer(s) at Springarden area within the Ojibway Park Complex

In terms of mid-summer sightings, I didn't see too many noteworthy birds, but --- I did note a Brown Thrasher which may have been a local breeder from my back yard!

Some interesting Lep sightings (these three featured are endangered or threatened species) around my yard include the following:

• Dukes Skipper (Dukes’ Skipper | ontario.ca)
• Little Underwing (Species Little Underwing  - BugGuide.Net)
• Connubial Underwing (Species -Connubial Underwing - BugGuide.Net)

Little Underwing (Vulnerable) - This moth flew into 
our house in early July after my son opened our back sliding door. I caught it with a glass and a greeting card!

Connubial Underwing (endangered)

Duke's Skipper (endangered)

During the last week of July, I went to St John New Brunswick, as well as Portage River New Brunswick - and noted Black throated Green Warblers at a few different spots.  I didn't bird as much as I normally do as the trip was more about my family --- but it was cool to hear and see those warblers while hiking around various areas. An Alder flycatcher caught my attention as well while hiking along the Bay of Fundy Scenic trail.  The two photos provided were simply from my cell phone. I had no camera or binoculars!

I'm going to make an effort to bird around Windsor (S. Cameron Woodlot area) during the fall migration. I have seen some great birds, just by sitting on my back porch and observering in the mornings or evenings. 

 Good Birding (and naturalizing) !

May 7th - Birding Malden Park and Ojibway Forest

I'm unable to take time off at this most beautiful time of year. I'm drooling with jealousy of my friends and birding brethren who are just out birding their hearts out for the week.

Stiff from a 50 hour work week - I go birding at 4pm after work here in Windsor - because a trip to point pelee from Windsor requires a 5 hour time envelope (one hour each way to drive).

Thus --- I have to settle for the Ojibway Complex in West Windsor. It can be surprisingly good at times. It never has the mega-rarities that Pelee typically delivers - but some of the seasonal expected birds can be quite easily seen.

Some highlights from today were:

Scarlet Tanager (Malden Park)
Yellow throated Vireo (Malden Park)

and at Ojibway - a few more warbler species plus a flock of PURPLE FINCHES eating Birch Catkins.

Believe it or not - I rarely see Purple Finches - and when I do its typically females. Today I had a flock of about 15 Finches with 1-2 Males mixed in.

Lets cut it short here. I have to conserve energy for work and... birding.

Good birding,
'Murf

Backtrack Birding & Blogging : Biking at Ojibway Park - May 6th & May 8th 2018

***Editors Note: This was an unpublished posting from May 2018. Its being published in November 2018 so the context of the posting is passed now***

Since I spent the full day at Point Pelee yesterday, I figured I would go to my local forest and tried my luck at Black Oak Heritage Park today.  It was a pretty good trip. I had good looks at Black throated green Warbler, N. Parula, Brown Thrasher, Yellow throated Vireo and one of my favorite birds, a Red-headed Woodpecker!

The interesting thing about the Yellow throated Vireo is that I very clearly heard one  singing in a tree above the path I was driving my bike on. I just stopped my bike, put the kickstand up and immediately saw the Yellow throated Vireo! To my amazement, there was a pair of Vireos in this tree. Were they migrants or a mated pair that are in the process of nesting???

I started this post around May 6th - and had just left it incomplete and unpublished. I've added a photo of a Blue winged Warbler - which I saw at Ojibway just a few days after I took the photos in this posting. I guess if you consider the Pine Warblers, the Rusty Blackbirds, the Cerulean and Yellow throated Vireo that was seen at Ojibway --- it goes to show that there is decent birding to be had right here in West Windsor. I imagine many birds are simply going undetected because there are so few birders that bird the park.


Good birding!
Dwayne

Birding Malden Park During Spring Migration

I birded Malden Park in West Windsor this week on Monday and Tuesday afternoon and was pretty amazed at the density of migrating birds! This park has two small ponds that attract Green Herons year after year which I find pretty amazing! I watched this Heron snap branches off a tree and then carry them back to another to make a nest. Amazing!

Huge numbers of Palm Warblers, Yellow Warblers, and Yellow-rumped are present this week. Amazingly, I noted two Ovenbirds, one Nashville, one Black throated Green and a Wood Thrush! Somehow, Wood Thrushes are a bird I never see, and more often hear singing from a distance - So it was amazing to get a momentary glimpse of one this week.

I'm cutting this posting short for tonight.

Good birding!
Dwayne