Sabine's Gull & Little Gull at Hillman Marsh

Sabine's Gull near Point Pelee

The OFO Convention that took place at Point Pelee this weekend brought in many great birders from across the province. It was also reported recently that Sabine's Gulls (Xema sabini) were seen near Rondeau a rare bird for sure.  So this morning at about 10:30am, I was amazed to see that a Sabine's Gull was found near Hillman Marsh. I have been feeling a little under the weather lately so I almost did not twitch this beautiful gull.

Many birders were around when I arrived and Jeremy Bensette quickly had me looking at Red-necked Phalarope and Little gulls. Barb C had re-found the Sabine's Gull after it had not been seen for a while. It was hard to pick out because by this time in the afternoon, it was cold, windy and raining. The bird came close to the road for a brief time then flew back a few hundred meters. While it was in flight, I managed to get a few diagnostic photos of its beautiful wing plumage. This is a life bird for me ... and one I had been hoping to see for the last few years.

Because I was sick, I did not stay in the Pelee area too long. Lots of familiar faces around to see this rare gull - Blake, Barb, Jeremy, Rick, Kevin and more! Not much else too exciting this week. I found a few migrants at Ojibway, along with a few patches of Little Bluestem - a wild prairie grass that grows at Ojibway.

Good birding!
Dwayne

Life bird summary:
Mississippi Kite 394
Grey Flycatcher 395
Sabine's Gull 396

Late November Birding - Snowy Owl in Essex!

I've managed to get a little birding in over the last month and figured I would publish some highlights. Two or three weeks ago, I had gone out to Colasanties in Leamington with the family but then tried my luck with a quick visit to the Hillman Marsh Area. A Long-eared owl was an excellent find... but admittingly... predictable. I tried to see if I could find this beautiful bird today but no dice. I did see Blake who mentioned a SNOWY OWL that he found in the Point Pelee Onion fields and amazingly, I ended up catching up with it!

I had read this week that there are several Fox Sparrows at Ojibway Park - near the bird feeders. My visit was successful! As I was photographing the Sparrow, several Black Capped Chickadees, Nuthatches and even a Tufted Titmouse landed at point-blank range --- perhaps expecting a handout?

Earlier this week, I had read that a Varied Thrush was seen near Kingsville, as well as Little Gulls at Kingsville Marina, so I figured I would try my luck with those birds. A few Northern Harriers were seen as well as American Kestels on the way.

Ring billed Gull in a contemplative pose. Perhaps he is considering how he can differentiate himself from the masses?

Black underwings make this an easy bird to identify. Always a pleasure to see this bird.

I caught up with the Snowy Owl Blake had mentioned earlier. A beautiful bird easily found in the Onion Fields near Point Pelee.  Pine Siskins were another exciting first-of-season bird at the Pelee Wings feeders. A female Purple Finch was in the mix as well.

FOS -Snowy Owl - Heavily Cropped

Can you identify three finch species in this photo?

Seeing a Little Gull was pretty exciting because today's sighting is only the second time I've seen one. I haven't been able to chase some of the mega-rarities in the province right now but I'm pretty happy that I was able to catch up with some of the great birds in this posting.

Good birding!
Dwaynejava

Western & Rednecked Grebes and a Little Larus

After reading Kory's Blog this week, I somehow convinced my wife (and myself) to wake up early one day this weekend and visit Col. Sam Smith Park in Etobicoke. Kory had seen Western Grebes, Red necked Grebes, as well as a Harlequin Duck all three of which would be lifers for me. Another great birder, Ken Burrell had Little Gulls at Turkey Point, which was kinda on the way... A possible four life birds. Two extra birds I was hoping to see were Ruffed Grouse and Bohemian Waxwing (which was ontbirded in Etobicoke around the time I was leaving Etobicoke). I dipped on both of these later birds as well as the Harlequin Duck. I did see the Western & Red necked Grebes which were both lifers, as well a a few other goodies, in particular, Long-tailed Ducks (I've only seen Long-tailed ducks once along the Detroit River at great distance).

Two lifers in the same photo? Awesome.

Birds seen at Col. Sam Smith Park:

Western Grebe
Red necked Grebe
Long-tailed Ducks
White winged Scoter
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Tree Swallows
Ring-necked Ducks
Lesser Scaup
Redhead
Goldeneye
Wigeon
Gadwall
Red-breasted Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Bufflehead

Long-tailed Ducks.... Only my second time seeing them ...Rare in SW Ontario.

On the way back from the park, I drove through Hamilton, then Haldimand and Norfolk Counties. What a beautiful drive. It was nice to see that Norfolk County has some forested area preserved.  This site here discusses why they decided to preserve some forest (http://swcr.ca/history) . The sandy soil was blowing away without tree cover, which was still apparent as I drive through the agricultural areas in Norfolk Co. I would have liked to have seen Ruffed Grouse in St. Williams Conservation Reserve, but I didn't really have time to so much as get out of my car.  Turkey Point was surprisingly beautiful and natural. The beach (at least where I found the gulls) was like a flooded lagoon, very natural and beautiful. Eastern Phoebe, Song Sparrows, Belted Kingfisher, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Bonapartes, and of course, Little Gulls were all present. Little Gulls are a lifer... I was really excited to see them. The warm air from the latest southern air flow, and the beauty of Turkey Point made this a very nice moment to enjoy.

The smallest gull in the world has black on the bottom of its wings, and the biggest has black on top... Interesting eh?

Birding Backlog...

I birded Point Pelee last weekend but did not see much outside of the expected. A personal highlight was an Eastern Meadowlark. Meadowlarks are very rare and local in Essex. This is my first Eastern Meadowlark I've self found in migration.  Going WAY back (March 20th, 2013), I had two Eurasian Wigeons (Thanks for the help Jeremy Bensette) on "Road E" just outside of the Point Pelee Park Gates.

Eurasian Wigeon & American Wigeon

Good birding!
Dwaynejava


Eurasian Wigeon - Point Pelee#325
Red necked Grebe #326
Western Grebe #327
Little Gull  #328