Weekend of birder's discontent...

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 identify them.

 

Louisiana Waterthrush (lifer #235) on Point Pelee's Woodland Nature Trail. Terrible photo. I know. I had about three fleeting seconds to see this bird and 2.75 of those seconds were with me fumbling with my camera. Thanks to Blake for finding it on Friday.

 

Blue Winged Teal were in the North Dyke ditch. (behind Phragmites)

 I also saw a Northern Flicker clinging to a telephone pole in the onion fields as well. I think it was tired of trying to fly in 60 KM/H winds.

This was about all I saw in the Redbud Footpath today.

Ojibway Park (from earlier in the week)

I took this photo of the moon while searching for american woodcock this week. It may be the only good photo in this particular posting!

I made a few more (final) attempts to see an American Woodcock this week but left each evening disappointed. I figured I might photograph the moon as its pretty easy to photograph. It is well lit and not moving and simple to maintain focus on.

The Ojibway Prairie has the same birds as I've been blogging about all week, but during my last walk, I saw two separate Garter Snakes. One had a red stripe on it, but I did not get a photo of it.

I followed up on a recent Ojibway Park posting about an Eagles Nests at the foot of Laurier Drive and found it. The two photos below give some context of the nest from mainland.

Ring Billed Gulls are a "blog" lifer (I've never posted or tagged this species). There are several species I have not photographed or tagged because of their common-ness.  American Crows for example are a bird that I see all the time, but have not bothered to photograph or tag.

Well, next weekend promises to be better. It can't possibly be worse than this weekend.  I will even go to Kopegaron woods and see the spring flowers from this ecological gem of a forest. It's one of the few areas in SW Ontario that did not get logged. Another location I plan on visiting will be Colasanti's... I keep forgetting to pick up some of their cinnamon doughnuts.

Good Birding,
Dwaynejava

Solitary Sandpiper...Life list bird #200!

Solitary Sandpiper at Ojibway Park... the 200th bird on my life list!

I stopped by Ojibway tonight for a quick walk between 7-7:30pm. There wasn't too much happening bird wise... a few BC Chickadees, WB Nuthatches and many American Goldfinches were hanging out near the feeders.  On the way out of the park, I was walking along the pond and saw/heard a shorebird that looked like a spotted sandpiper. I took a few shots and noticed a major white eye ring and spotting on its back as opposed to barring... Awesome! Solitary Sandpiper!

I stopped by Holiday Beach last weekend with my wife and son and it was pretty quiet. Bob P was manning the tower and informed me that a Yellow Breasted Chat was skulking in the bushes/trees adjacent to the tower. He also pointed out an Osprey that was flying over Big Creek. We stopped by the banding station and watched the biologist weigh and band a Red Eyed Vireo and Empidonax Flycatcher.

Osprey at Big Creek in Amherstburg. Note the duck on the water.

Magee Marsh & Open Oaks Metropark in Toledo

As a continuation of my previous blog entry, I went to Magee Marsh in Ohio after Pointe Mouillee in Michigan. I was about 1 week too late in the season to see a Prothanotary Warbler, but it was nice to see the park anyway. I did see American Redstart, Warbling Vireo, Black throated Blue and Pine Warblers. It was really nice habitat, but not as birdy as Holiday Beach was. I think its better for Northward Migration and just average for southward migration.

Snake eating frog at Magee Marsh in Ohio

On the way out, a car stopped on the road in front of me, and frustrated, I went around him only to notice a snake holding a twitching frog in its fangs 1' off the road. I quickly stopped and took the photo above. I'm not sure what kind of snake it was but it was really cool. About 10 seconds after I took the photo above, the frog was completely swallowed.


Open Oaks Metropark (http://www.metroparkstoledo.com/metro/parksandplaces/index.asp?page_id=510) in Toledo is only 1 hour south of Detroit but seems like a wonderful place to visit. They have some awesome breeding birds that are not easily found in Windsor. I would like to go back next summer.

Good birding!
Dwayne