Jan - Feb 2025 - Birding Highlights

 

Northern Mockingbird was a nice find on March 1st - Seen at Ojibway Park in Windsor !

In SW Ontario - Jan and Feb are the coldest, dreariest months to live through. Cold, lack of sunlight make birding (and living/working) a little bit challenging. But some decent birds have been around (few and far between). 

The listing below shows some of the nicer (seasonal) birds that I was able to see over the last month or two ...

Rough Legged Hawk - Mike S noted this bird out near Harrow and I made an effort to go see it. The bird was flushed by a snowplow driving by. On the way home, I found a raptor perched on a thin branch (see second photo) but I'm not 100% sure it was a Rough Legged. Still always nice to see one.

Northern Shrike - Seen in a lot adjacent to Black Oak Herritage Park. Found by Ian Woodfield.

Eastern Screech Owl - This was interesting --- my brother told me that a warehouse worker at a local car factory had an Owl Sitting on a hood of a car in a warehouse. The warehouse is called "the barn" --- so I was tempted to call this a barn owl. The doors to this warehouse open and close all day so I'm sure it can leave when it feels it needs to do so. I was granted private access to see the bird.

Saw Whet Owl -  I recently was able to see two of these birds within meters of each other. Its always amazing to see this species.

Fox Sparrows - Always nice to see in the winter at Ojibway. 

Eastern Towhee - I feel I have seen a female (early feb) and now a male Towhee at Ojibway Park in Windsor this Feb. Really nice to see this bird with a snowy backdrop.

Northern Mockingbird - Self found at Ojibway this weekend. A pleasant surprise. It flew by me and its white-black wing flashes were diagnostic. 

Spring is just around the corner. The onslaught of migrants will be trickling in soon enough!

Good birding,

Dwayne

Backyard Towhee, Mercury at Sunrise + Nov 7th Comet???

 

On Halloween, I had been in my back yard and I heard an Eastern Towhee nearby. I went for a walk along the hedgerow - which was not noteworthy, but eventually the Towhee stopped by and perched for a while. Another sparrow species in October!

On the previous weekend, I had photographed a few more Orange crowned Warblers, as well as a nice Lincoln's Sparrow with a Song Sparrow. 

It has been cloudy and rainy for the last two weeks, so I was amazed to see a clear sky this morning as I prepared for work. I had checked my "Stellarium App" and noted that Mercury was just above the sunset. Its took a moment or two, but yes, It was slighly visible with binoculars. My cell phone camera was able to pick it up as well. I then took a few photos with my telephoto lens. A neat thing about Mercury is that since it closely orbits the sun, you can only observe it right before sunset or right before sunrise and certain times of the year. Venus has that property as well, but its much brighter to see and is present for longer times at sunrise and sunset. 

This was another stunning sunrise recently:

Here are some closeups of Mercury:

Good Birding and Good Astronomizing!

Dwayne

PS: TWO Comets will be visible before the end of the year:

1-Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (Brightest on Nov 7th, Closest on Nov 11th)

2-Comet Leonard ("The Christmas Comet") - More details in December.

For Comet 67P/CG --- It will be brightest on Nov7th, and it will be close to "Pollux" of constellation Gemini. Look for the "twins" above the Eastern Horizon at around midnight on Nov 7th with binoculars, scopes etc. I will be trying to use astrophotography skills to capture it myself. Hoping for clear skies that night. 

Consider viewing this video below for more Nov 2021 astronomy highlights. 

Ojibway Birding in February - Surprisingly good birding!

After this week's "polar vortex" of -25C weather - it was nice to go outside today in balmy +4C + sunny weather. My first target was Long tailed Ducks that were seen by many along the Detroit River. It was nice to see a Pied-billed Grebe along with some Golden-eye, merganser and Canvasback ducks. 

Then at Ojibway Park - just a few minutes from that spot several nice birds were seen. In particular - it was nice to see Fox Sparrow, a male and female Eastern Towhee, Song Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse and to my absolute amazement - Kit M. had found a Saw Whet Owl!

I am tempted to go up to Guelph to try my luck for the Bohemian Waxwings... That would be a long sought after life bird!

Good birding!

DM

Bonus story : Last week I was driving in Windsor on Dougal Ave and I noticed a raptor flying very agressively while I was waiting at a light. I soon drove by a hotel parking lot and noticed a raptor with a pigeon as prey. I pulled into the parking lot and was able to capture a few cell-phone photos as I flushed the bird. To my surprise --- it was a Peregrine Falcon!

4-20 Weekend Birding @ Ojibway & Pelee

The weather this weekend in Windsor & Essex was finally spring-like and I made an effort to get outside and do some birding!  Some highlights this weekend were nice looks at Pine Warbler at Point Pelee, Eastern Towhees singing on location at Ojibway, and Carolina Wrens and Winter Wrens.

Some of the areas that I walked/biked on Saturday was Ojibway's Black Oak Heritage Park and Spring Garden  - both of which are great areas to walk.

Some new birds for the year at Ojibway included 3 Eastern Towhees singing on territory along the Titcombe pathway.

Oakwood Forest (adjacent to Ojibway Park) has some surprisingly good birding and botany opportunties. Hepatica flowers have finally broken though the oak leaves that litter the forest floor. A female Yellow bellied Sapsucker was present as well a nice breeding-plumaged Yellow rumped Warbler. A Ruby-crowned Kinglet showed me its Ruby Crown feathers as I foolishly tried to photograph it.

Butterflies seen over the last week include what one might expect: Mourning Cloak, Eastern Comma and Cabbage White.

I noticed a huge flock of noisy blackbirds at Black Oak Heritage Park last Friday and it slowly dawned on me that there were hundreds of Rusty Blackbirds in the tree-tops!

Sunday morning (this morning) I was at Point Pelee at about 10am and started off at Delaurier Trail. I was happy to see Ellen Smout and a group of OFO birders as I got out of my car. Ellen found this nice Pine Warbler. She hinted that this might be the best bird of the day (it was).

At the risk of stating the obvious, things see to be a little later this year than normal. The winter like conditions of the last few weeks may have something to do with that.  Good birding!

PS: I had an Eastern Phoebe in my back yard, as well as a Hermit Thrush this weekend!