December 3rd & 6th 2024
| LOCATION: Day1-N.Dumfries; Day2-Hamilton | WEATHER: Wintery with some snow on Day2 |
... working on it !!
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November 29th 2024
Just back from a couple of hours spent walking the trail at La Salle Marina in Burlington. Nothing much around in the songbird/finch side of things, but lots of other interesting birds. Nothing that was special or rare, but lots of things to point a camera at. It's a 50miute drive for me, so not too far, and so I will check it out again in another week or so!! November 25th 2024
Pretty much a normal day, with almost no surprises. The one surprise I did get was a couple of Brown-headed Cowbirds that were foraging along the side of a gravel road. They appeared to be hanging out with a small flock of Starlings ... but separate. November 24th 2024
**As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title** November 23rd 2024
Another pretty good, if not a little short, day down in the location of FWR Dickson. Highlight for me was a small flock of Snow Buntings, that were really, really difficult to locate. I saw them fly in and land, but it took several minutes with the binoculars top locate one of them ... they blended in so well!! Tip of the Day: Fall/Winter is a challenging time for many birds, so keep in mind that even your presence can be stressful to some birds., so always follow the OFO Code of Ethics when out birding. Remember, the bird's well-being always comes first. !!! November 20th & 21st 2024
working on it November 19th 2024
.Quite a good morning cruising the back roads in North Dumfries, and ending up at FWR. FWR is always seems to be quite active, but right now with only the "regulars" showing up - thankfully the Tufted Titmouse is one of those regulars, so makes it worthwhile !! November 16th 2024
Yet another drive along my favorite, close to home, road. It seldom disappoints !! I had hoped to see the Fox Sparrow that hangs out with a group of American Tree Sparrows, but not today, sadly. The Highlight was the Northern Shrike, and an adult this time, at almost the identical; spot I have been seeing a juvenile over the last few weeks. Todays sighting was interesting ... I was watching the flock of Tree Sparrows as they foraged in a tree, when suddenly the whole flock high tailed it ... Had me wondering and then I noticed the Shrike up in the same tree. ah? He left hungry !! Tip of the Day: Sparrows are a great subject in the fall!! Overgrown pastures, weedy fields, abandoned lots, fields gone fallow—all are havens for Sparrows. I look for Goldenrod, which is often a food source for lots of Sparrow species. November 15th 2024
Started off along my usual gravel road close to home, then headed down to FWR, on this, a bit on the cool and damp side, this morning. Saying that it was worth my time as there were a few species willing to sit for me ;) The highlight for me, I think, were the Carolina Wrens (there were two of them) bouncing around in a thicket close to the road, After a few shots of the Carolinas I headed to FWR Dickson, but didn't get there until 10:30an, which was a tad late in the day for any real activity, and it seemed to be the case as there was nothing around, but thankfully after putting a little seed out they started to show up. Oddly though, other than a short burst of song from somewhere beyond the marsh, I never saw a Tufted Titmouse ... which was unusual. Other species seen ... Juncos, Chickadees, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Blue Jays, White-breasted Nuthatches! November 13th 2024
When its a bit quiet around my usual spots, then a visit to FWR is worth a try .... most times there are some decent cooperative subjects ... usually!! Today we had both types of Nuthatches, lots of Tree Sparrows and a single White-throated, I caught a glimpse of the Carolina Wren, and heard, very briefly, the Winter Wren. Other species were Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Hairy Woodpecker, lots of Chickadees, Juncos and Cardinals. So if you plan to visit make sure you take some bird seed, as that's what keeps the bird numbers up during the colder months. November 9th & 10th 2024
Day1 was a bit of a dead loss with almost nothing around other than lots of Sandhill Cranes (100's), but Day2, albeit a little damp, with rain coming mid morning, was quite productive at FWR, with most of the usuals around. The Tufted Titmice were a little thin on the ground, but one did show up for a short time. I could hear a Carolina Wren but it didn't offer itself up for a few photographs unfortunately. November 8th 2024
A short drive around the gravel roads before getting to FWR Dickson, was interesting, with the highlight being a small flock of Pine Siskins at one spot that flitted between two trees for a minute or so. November 6th 2024
After yesterdays rain I noticed a few birds along one of the gravel roads I frequent, were making the most of the puddles along the roadside. I always think that it is super cute when they go splashing in those mud filled puddles - its hard to imaging that they don't end up dirtier than before their dip though. Tip of the Day: Eliminating distracting backgrounds from any photo is always a good idea. That’s not always easy with birds since they go where they please without any regard for our photo compositions. Sometimes we can move the camera position. If a bird is sitting on a wire or a tree branch, see if you can move so that you photograph the bird against a blue sky or at least a background that isn’t busy looking. November 5th 2024
Boy was it mild today... when I left the house 07:30 it was already 17C, and it eventually climbed to 22C (possibly more) by mid morning. I suppose I should relish it while I can, as I am sure by the weekend we will be seeing temperatures closer to zero. That aside... birds were reasonably active with all the usuals hanging around. Other birds not photographed but seen were a good sized flock of Sandhill cranes (approx 15) along the gravel road, as well as several American Tree Sparrows. I had hoped to see/hear the Fox Sparrow that was hanging out with the tree Sparrows, but unfortunately not. More species .. the inevitable Tufted Titmouse at FWR, and several hawks drifting around looking for a meal !! November 3rd & 4th 2024
... working on it !! October 31st 2024
Last day of the month - the weeks go really fast as the my years progress, it seems :) Very mild day ... short sleeves and shorts weather, which is kinda out of season, but I am not complaining!! Lots of Tree Sparrows around now - and I see that the numbers of the other sparrow types are way down (White-throated & White-crowned). Almost no Ruby-crowned Kinglets, but still good numbers of Golden-crowned. I have been actively looking for some of the "wintery" type birds ... Redpolls, :Lapland Longspurs, Siskins and of course Snow Buntings, but so far nothing in my area ... so far !! October 27th 2024
Along my usual almost daily spot, which is only a couple of miles from where I live. Even though most of the migrating birds, which had been quite prolific a week ago, are it seems .. all moved on. Last week there were still a couple of Warblers around, as well as lots of Sparrow types, but on the plus side today there are a few new arrivals .. specifically the American Tree Sparrows - there were a dozen or so foraging on and alongside the road. Tip of the Day: Look for a great background, which is one of the keys to an excellent bird photo. You want a background that is not too close to the bird so that the bird will stand out from the environment and create a pleasing bokeh. Also watch the light and avoid shooting into the light. You want to find a location where the bird will be front-lit. Point your shadow at the bird !! October 26th 2024
Another visit to FWR was mostly not that good .. The Tufted Titmouse group were still hanging around but the bright sun made it difficult to get a decently exposed image .. IMHO the best days here are the cloudy days - that way the harsh contrast problem is eliminated. Still ... always a pleasure to visit this spot. Merlin picked up Winter Wren, Carolina Wren and a few others Tip of the Day: It doesn't matter if it's an animal or human portrait, the principles are the same. You need to keep the face/head, particularly the eyes, as sharp as possible. Do this by setting a fast enough shutter speed (or higher ISO) and placing the autofocus point carefully over the eyes. October 25th 2024
A short drive along my local "hot spot" was a mixed bag ... The dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers that have been semi resident at one spot for a few weeks now have, I suppose, at last, headed southerly as they were all gone. On the plus side a Northern Shrike was sitting on the exact same tree where I would normally see the Yellow rumps, so maybe this predator prompted the exodus of these late Warblers. October 23rd 2024
I always enjoy going to FWR a) there are usually a fair amount of birds floating around and b) I always meet some really nice people there .. some I know, and some I don't. At this time of year it is well known about spot, with the local "celebrity" birds ... the Tufted Titmouse keeping the human visitor count quite high. As well as the ones below, I also saw and heard Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, American Robin, Chickadees, Juncos, Cedar Waxwing, and likely a few more I forgot about. Tip of the Day: Going out with a group of like-minded bird photographers has many advantages. In addition to the camaraderie, you also have the fact that there are more sets of eyes looking for birds and interesting shots. Someone always sees something that I don’t. October 20th 2024
This section of back road, close to Cambridge/Kitchener always seems to have some activity. Today, was a sparrow kind of day ... At one spot Merlin was licking up Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Field Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow and the surprises .. a Fox Sparrow and a Savannah Sparrow - the last two I posted below. The attraction at this spot seemed to be a section of waste ground with lots of Golden Rod, on which they seemed to feeding. **As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title** October 17th & 18th 2024
On impulse, after waking up very early, I headed down to Norfolk County, with an idea I might go to Long Point. My thoughts were maybe there be a few late Warblers, but as it happened there wasn't too much different than I was seeing in the Kitchener area - lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Hermit Thrushes & Kinglets. The highlight sighting was a first-of-season Winter Wren. October 14th 2024
Other than some minor camera issues, it was a good birdy day .... a bit cool though !! Other sightings included Yellow-rumped Warblers (lots of them), Dark-eyed Junco, Sandhill Cranes (saw 8 fly over), Downy Woodpeckers, Red-winged Blackbirds (40 or 50), and a few others .. October 10th 2024
One of my hope to find targets today was Rusty Blackbird. As it turned out there were a few around but they kept themselves high up in the trees, so photos, at least decent photos, were tough to get, but the shots I did get were FOS (first of season). October 8th & 9th 2024
Keeping close to home and also doing some back yard shooting. Back yard getting a few visitors since I put out the bird feeders and of course a few squirrels as well, who don't take too long to empty them - I have tried a couple of different feeder types, that claim to be somewhat squirrel proof, but the little devils still seem to get quite a bit of seed out of them ... so I suppose I will have to keep looking at other ways to limit their appetites - I see a few bird seed types that claim to be types that they don't like, so I might try them. October 6th & 7th 2024
Both days the routine was to drive down to a couple of spots I know, and visit fairly regularly, in Brant County just off the Cambridge - Paris highway. Both days I spotted a field with quite a few American Pipits (a FOY for me), the 2nd half of each day I just watched and waited around my bird feeders in my back yard. On day2 it was particularly good with lots of foraging birds, including my FOS Dark-eyed Junco ,,, October 5th 2024
Same spot as yesterday, but the bird numbers were down quite a bit. I could see a few up in the trees, but too far to photograph. White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, and a Lincoln or two as well. October 4th 2024
Another good morning along the gravel road, with a few Warblers still hanging about.. I also took a drive down to a spot in Brant County, at my gate location. The big surprise here was there was a Bay-breasted still showing. October 3rd 2024
As you can see from the quantity of images taken, that it was a pretty successful morning. I was quite surprised to still see some Warblers migrating through. Both Kinglet species were quite evident for the most part, and as were the Hermit Thrushes. The Thrushes were in good numbers with at least 5 or 6 buzzing around. **As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title** October 1st & 2nd 2024
A few more migrating species of birds starting to show up - most notably the Hermit Thrushes. They are getting quite common along my usual stretch. Another couple of species that are showing up in good numbers are the Yellow-rumped Warblers and the Palm Warblers., both of who I love to photograph ... and ... not forgetting the cute Kinglets, with both species showing up in many places. September 30th 2024
Same location as yesterday (generally) with a good selection of birds again. Today the highlight was probably the small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers that hung around for quite some time, giving me shot after shot as they foraged in the low branches of a thicket. September 29th 2024
especially to birds when we want to show off some of their dazzling colors. The light at this time is more flattering, and the low sun angle accentuates color and detail. Besides, early morning is when many birds are out and about. September 27th 2024
First stop this morning was along some back roads just off Guelph Line, with some reasonable success. My targets were migrating Warblers, but I only saw the one species,, the Yellow-rumped, but I did get a few other goodies ... as below. On my way back down the 401 I headed to Hespeler Mill Pond, where I had tried yesterday as well, for the local rarity, that has been hanging out there for the last few days. My visit yesterday was a flump, but today the special visitor was out in the open, but a long ways off .. probably 150 meters or so, so the shot I have posted was a massive crop. September 23rd 2024
September 22nd 2024
Over the past month or so I have come to really like this spot. I sit in my car with drivers window down and keep an eye on a small thicket, that gets the sun first thing in the morning, This morning I sat there for about 90 minutes and several birds popped into the open. I suspect the bugs are active in the early morning heat, and in turn the birds use the opportunity for a snack or two, Coupled with that there are a couple berry bushes that the birds also seem to like. September 21st 2024
Tip of the Day: Weather plays a huge role in the migration. Moderate winds and gusty conditions keep most songbirds grounded., the greatest concentration of migrating birds tends to occur a day after the passage of a cold front. September 19th 2024
It was another of those days with almost no breath of wind, so it was interesting to, as well as look for birds in motion, to keep an eye on leaves, and branches moving, which in turn can mean a bird is close or has just left the branch etc ... **As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title** September 16th & 17th 2024
Our jaunt down to the Burlington area was a bit flat, especially at our first stop (Thornapple), but we did see the Orange-crowned Warbler, so that made up for the rest of the visit. The initial idea of this area was to get a look at and hopefully a few shots of a rare visitor (Wilson's Phalarope) that had been hanging out at Valley Inn for a few days, but my luck wasn't in, as it wasn't there this morning. Oh well !! September 15th 2024
When I have limited time on any particular morning I take a short drive to one of my local gravel roads, and sometimes I see a few birds. This morning was one of those mornings, with several songbird sightings. Nothing too unusual, but I was still very happy with the outcome images. On top of some birds I had 3 individual Racoons cross that road, at 3 different times over the course of about 45 minutes. September 12th - 14th 2024
September 11th 2024
September 10th 2024
Along with a good birding friend, we visited one of my favorite spots in this part of the province for migrating songbirds, in the Fall. It started off quite active with a few Bay-breasted Warblers, a Northern Parula, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and a couple of Red-eyed Vireos passing through, but after that initial bit of activity it went quiet. On the plus side when we got back to our vehicles my friend Cerian found a Praying Mantis, so that was a big plus. Thanks Cerian .. appreciated!! Next, we went to Valley Inn where there were lots of activity with shorebirds **As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title** September 8th 2024
Quite an eventful morning when a small flock of mixed species Warblers passed by my staked out location along one of the gravel roads near my house. There were at least 6 species, of which 5 I managed some acceptable shots. The only one I could not get a clean photo of, was a Northern Parula. Tip of the Day: How to tell the difference between fall coloured Bay-breasted Warblers and a Blackpoll Warblers. The top two upper images show both species. The one on the left is a Bay-breasted and the one on the right is a Blackpoll. The best way to tell the difference between these two almost identical birds, is by the feet colouring - the Blackpoll has yellow feet and with the Bay-breasted, the feet are black September 6th & 7th 2024
Both Days 1 & 2 have been a little sluggish when it came to Warblers and Vireos, but I did find my first of season Swainson's Thrush. On Day2 I headed to the FWR Dickson trail, where I had heard there was a Lincolns Sparrow hanging out, but on my visit it eluded me, and based on conversations with other birders there, it eluded them too. Oh well that's the nature of the beast as it were !! I did see one of the Tufted Titmouses that have been around all summer, and hopefully they will. like last winter, hang around this winter also. **As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title** September 3rd - 5th 2024
September 2nd 2024
Along with a great birding friend, Helen, we headed to the Guelph Line area, which I have found in the past to be a decent location to find and photograph some migrating songbirds, Today, unfortunately, was a tad windy and colder than we would have expected, so consequently, the migrants were staying up really high making it all but impossible to get any shots. Saw several species but no shots!! What we did find (or should I say more accurately, what Helen found) were lots of Caterpillars, so the day ended up being really good. Tip of the Day: At this time of year some quite exotic caterpillars can be found reasonably easy - what I do is when walking along a trail or along the roadside, is look for leaves on trees and bushes, that have segments missing where they have been eaten by a caterpillar. Usually I find them on a situation like this on the underside of the leaf, **As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title** |
Blog AuthorPretty much all my life I have had an interest in nature photography albeit in, off and on, phases of interest. Around 18 years ago, I found myself, again, getting that nature bug, and I am now, especially since I retired just over 8 years ago, very passionate about wildlife & wildlife photography. Archives
November 2024
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