Ontario Photography & Birding Blog

JUNE 2025

1/6/2025

Jun 15th 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER: Sunny & a bit cooler

Out by 6:00am and back by 10:00am for a short forage along my favorite gravel road, close to home .. and with some success. I have been catching glimpses of the Thrasher for a couple of weeks close to the spot where I found the nest around this time last year, but until this morning I have been unable to get a photo, so pretty pumped up this morning :)

Tip of the Day: Be prepared - have your camera ready to go with aperture, speed and ISO preset to the days conditions. When you find a likely spot, have your eyes on a perch that would give good results, and be pre-focused on that spot .. and be ready !!

Jun 12th & 13th 2025

LOCATION: South River

WEATHER: Mix sun and cloud but a tad cool

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

I have been planning a trip up north for a week or so, and a spot I have had decent success with over the years has been the general area around South River. South River is almost 4 hours from my home in Kitchener, so in order to get the best part of day 1, I had to be on the road for 3:00am.
My primary targets were songbirds and in particular Warblers, and I am pleased to say there were lots of Warblers around, as you can see from the images below.

There were a couple of songbirds, although hearing them almost everywhere, I was unable to get in the frame - Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo and Winter Wren. Even the American Redstart was evasive.

Tip of the Day: Wherever you go, look for warblers where one habitat meets another, such as a forest edge; in flowering trees like crabapples; and near water sources like forest streams. Most importantly—get out and be ready at dawn. Birds are most active first thing in the morning, either singing lustily to proclaim a territory or busily feeding, not having eaten all night. When warblers are focused on foraging, they may take less notice of you.

As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

Jun 8th 2025

LOCATION: Puslinch area again

WEATHER: Hazy sun

Working on it

Jun 6th 2025

LOCATION: Puslinch area

WEATHER: Sunny but hazy (Sask wildfires)

Black & White Warbler

Tim and I took a run around a few of our favorite roads in Puslinch Township with some degree of success.

At one point we hit Safari Road, but the Prothonotary Warbler seems to either keeping low or has moved on as we didn't see or hear the bird. I wouldn't be surprised if it took off because of all the constant attention I am sure it got from the photo community.

Jun 5th 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER: Sun/cloud

Didn't venture too far looking for birds - stuck to my local gravel road but did spot a couple of common birds. Later in the day did a bug hunt and was quite pleased with the couple of subjects I found.

Jun 4th 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER: Hazy sun and Hot!!

Not too many birds around but did find an increase in the number of butterflies showing up ... so good!!

Jun 3rd 2025

LOCATION: Guelph Line and area again

WEATHER: Cloudy start, but brighter later

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

It has been ages since I did some birding with my good friend Helen, and as usual her exceptional listening and identification skills hit the mark. Unfortunately her one discovery was beyond my skills in getting that bird in the frame ... a Winter Wren. A bit disappointing, but I am glad to say that she was able to get a couple of great shots ,,, great work Helen!!

Jun 2nd 2025

LOCATION: Guelph Line and close area

WEATHER: Sunny, but cool start

Met up with a couple of really good birding friends at Guelph Line and checked out a few spots up and down the side roads, primarily looking for more unusual species, and to some extent we did OK with some decent sightings of a couple of Mourning Warblers. We had hoped to see the local celebrity Hooded Warbler, but he didn't show ... oh well - until next time!!

Jun 1st 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries & Brant

WEATHER: Mainly sunny, but still a tad cool

Took a bit of a different drive around my local area this morning, hoping to find a new spot, but alas ... nothing too interesting bird wise or habitat. In the afternoon I did a little macro work.

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MAY 2025

1/5/2025

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May 30th & 31st 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries & Puslinch

WEATHER: D1-sunny/mild D2-Cloudy/chilly

Sightings have been down a little over the last week, so one has to work a bit harder to find anything interesting, but I was reasonably happy with the sightings I did get over these last two days. One thing I have noticed is that the number of butterflies around seems to be way below the normal for this late in May .. hopefully things will get better as we head into June.

May 29th 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries & Puslinch area

WEATHER: Cloudy and drizzly, but mild

Quite a productive day, with a strange(ish) find where I spotted 2 Chickens (Rode Island Reds) hanging around along a gravel road miles from any farm ?? after patrolling several gravel roads., using Merlin when I stopped at any likely looking habitat, and then searching for any findings Merlin popped up. Ended up at Safari Road to see if I could get a better shot of the rarity that has been hanging out there .. the Prothonotary Warbler. I did get another couple of shots but they were no improvement from my last visit. On the plus side, with a little help from a another birder/photographer, managed a shot of a Marsh Wren.

Tip of the Day: A good tip for finding songbirds in the wood lots we roam around is to be aware of not only the sounds the birds make, but also for any slight movements of leaves and branches. Obviously more effective on a non windy & still day. Another thing to look for is a falling leaf, which can mean that above you a bird is foraging for food and dislodged that leaf - I've found birds on many occasions just by determining which direction that leaf has fallen from.

As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

May 27th & 28th 2025

LOCATION: Bruce, Grey & Huron Counties

WEATHER: Mainly sunny with some cloud

Just back from a very productive 2 day jaunt up north to the Grey & Bruce areas looking for a few songbirds. High on the list was the Golden-winged Warbler, with maybe a Brewster's or a Lawrence in the mix, but only found a single Golden. However it was one that gave me a decent sighting or two, so pretty happy.

Day1 I spent up near Tobermory and Day2 I headed down to Kincardine general area, with both days quite birdy.

Highlights were the Golden-winged and the Mourning Warbler. However Merlin was picking up Prothonotary, Canada, Tennessee and a few other goodies ... but no pics !!

May 26th 2025

LOCATION: Puslinch to Flamborough

WEATHER: Sunny and getting warm

.... Running behind on the commentaries :)

May 25th 2025

LOCATION: Puslinch area

WEATHER: Sunny

... later

May 24th 2025

LOCATION: Puslinch Lake Area

WEATHER: Mainly cloudy

Checked out a gravel road area that I hadn't been to a few years, and was pleasantly surprised with some songbird activity, so will definitely put on my list of places to go and explore

May 23rd 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER: Mainly cloudy

Birding wise it was pretty slow, so I flipped to Macro, with a bit more success

May 20th & 21st 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER: D1-Sunny D2-cloudy then wet

Raccoon

The last couple of days, with yard work being a main focus, I didn't venture too far or for too long, but nevertheless the minimal time out I still managed a few decent sightings.

Tip of the Day: Find a good spot - You might go for a drive through a wildlife area, walk on a trail, or sit in one spot and wait for the birds to come to you. One key is to find a place where two habitats meet, such as the edge of a forest and a meadow, or where muddy shorelines meet the water. Finding a spot where birds can find food and water can increase your chances of finding interesting species.
Good luck !

As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

May 19th 2025

LOCATION: Skunks Misery

WEATHER: A tad unseasonably cool morning

A good birding day with some good sightings, with the most surprising being the Cerulean Warbler, that came out of nowhere to give Tim and I some awesome images !!

May 18th 2025

LOCATION: Beverley Swamp and local area

WEATHER: Sun and cloud but very cool

Did a little bird foraging my good friend Helen, and came up with a few sightings ...

May 17th 2025

LOCATION: Back roads around Kitchener

WEATHER: Sunny

Managed only a couple of hours first thing, so didn't go too far, but it was reasonably productive in that short time. As well as the images below I was seeing a few other Warbler species.

May 16th 2025

LOCATION: Point Pelee

WEATHER: Sunny and warm .. again

The coming week has me quite busy with some projects around the garden etc, so as a last minute decision I decided to head to Pelee. Up and out the door just after 3:00am for the 3 hour drive to the Point. I drove through a might thunderstorm that was freaky, but I made it for close to 6:30 am.
Merlin was picking up lots of songbirds, but they were way up high in the canopy and didnt come anywhere close to sitting in front of my lens. One strange thing was that everywhere I stopped in the park I could hear a Tennessee Warbler, but other than one VERY brief glimpse of one up high, I never saw one !!! I even tried playing a few calls to see if I could coax one lower, but nada !!
I left the park just after noon as it was pointless staying, but I dropped in at a spot I hadn't been to in a few years .. Skunks Misery. I was only there for an hour but I saw and photographed, the Vireo as well as Scarlet Tanager, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Great-crested Flycatcher, and a couple of others .. ended up being better than Pelee.

May 15th 2025

LOCATION: Guelph Line

WEATHER: Sunny and warm

Along with a couple of good friends (Tim & Cerian), wee checked out a few spots along a back road off Guelph Line. Over the years we have had some success in these spots, but today it was a little slow, when it came to warblers, which was our main focus. However we did see a Hooded, albeit a little way off and up quite high.

May 12th & 13th 2025

LOCATION: D1- Burford D2 - North Dumfries

WEATHER: Sunny and quite warm

As you can see from the posts, macro season has also kicked in. | am not seeing too many butterflies yet - mainly just the Northern Azures and the Cabbage Whites so far, but I'm certainly keeping my eyes open and carrying a Macro Lens in my kit.
Birding wise I dropped into a small side road just outside Kitchener ... a spot I used to go to a few years back, but I had kinda forgotten about, but will be popping by occasionally from now on.

May 9th 2025

LOCATION: Guelph Line area, late aft Kitchener

WEATHER: Sunny, but cooler start

Checked out a couple of my favorite spots along a back road just of Guelph Line. I am hearing a few birds, thanks to Merlin, but they are a tad stubborn as to getting them to show them selves. Same true on my late afternoon drive along a local gravel road.

May 8th 2025

LOCATION: Burford area

WEATHER: Cool start & cloudy but warmed up

I took a drive down to a spot that has been reasonably successful on previous visits out near Burford, then worked my way back along some of the back roads between there and Kitchener. My favorite method of looking for and photographing birds. Good luck combined with the amazing app on my mobile ... Merlin gives me some great opportunities ... when my luck is on the positive side !!

May 7th 2025

LOCATION: Guelph Line/North Dumfries

WEATHER: Sunny and quite hot

Birding was a little slower than I would expected for this time in the migration schedule, but a couple of nice sightings anyways.

May 5th & 6th 2025

LOCATION:D1-N.Dfs&LakesideD2-Woodstock

WEATHER: Day 1 & 2 - Sun/cloud/mild

Day 1: I did the North Dumfries / Brant County standard route (for me) which has been reasonably successful over quite a period of time but today was a little basic. In the afternoon I headed over to Lakeside Park in Kitchener, which has been really birdy over the last few days and for me it was too !!
Day 2: After reading some birding reports for an area between Woodstock and Brantford that was impressive, I decided to check it out. It turned out be quite interesting so I managed a few decent images.

May 4th 2025

LOCATION: In and around Kitchener

WEATHER: Sunny start, but clouded over in pm

Just a short walk around a couple of local trails .,.. Migrant numbers are pick up .... awesome !!

May 3rd 2025

LOCATION: N.Dumfries, Brant & some Oxford

WEATHER: Drizzly start then cloudy

Today was a little damp to start with, but at this time of year you don't waste too many days sitting at home. The hope was for a few new songbirds (Warblers & Vireos hopefully) but fate had other plans. The only Warblers I did manage to snap were a "Butter Butt" and a "Bandit" officially known as a Yellow-rumped Warbler & a Common Yellowthroat.
I did, however manage a couple of new birds (seasonally) ...a few Bobolinks and a Gray Catbird
I did see a couple of other species but no pics !!

Tip of the Day: Here's one that I find quite important .. If driving and looking for a shot: make sure your stops are with your images in mind ie . check out to see if a) the habitat is right, and that there are a few cool perches from your parked position, and b) if it is a sunny day, that the light is reasonably behind you.

May 2nd 2025

LOCATION: Guelph Lakes Area

WEATHER: Sunny and reasonably warm

Tim and I did a few spots in and around Guelph Lake this morning with some Warbler success (at last they are showing up). We also briefly saw a Common Yellowthroat and heard a Yellow Warbler but they wouldn't come into the open for a pic or two ... but on the whole the birds were allowing us to get some images.

As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

May 1st 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries & Brant County

WEATHER: Cooler and a bit drizzly

Today, although a bit cool and threatening rain, turned out to be reasonably good with a few first of season captures, including the Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, Baltimore Oriole & the Least Sandpiper. At a local pond I spotted quite a bit of activity with several shorebirds - I show the Yellowlegs and the Least Sandpiper below, but there was also a Spotted Sandpiper and a Killdeer that evaded an image, at the same location, so you can be sure I will be dropping by again in the coming days.
It started off dull, but dry, but by mid morning it was raining pretty good so that put and end to my birding day

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APRIL 2025

2/4/2025

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April 29th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener & North Dumfries

WEATHER:Quite hot, but sun/cloud and a bit rain

Spent a few hours at Lakeside Park in Kitchener than in late afternoon I took a drive down a favorite gravel road in North Dumfries but although I heard a few songbirds, the only one that "posed" was the Waterthrush

April 27th 2025

LOCATION: Local to Kitchener Cambridge area

WEATHER: Sun, but cool early then warmed up

.Migrants are slowly arriving and popping up in front of my camera. Not as early as previous years but they are, and that's the main thing.

The only "first of season" species today was the House Wren

House Wren

April 25th & 26th 2025

LOCATION: D1-Flamborough D2-Brant County

WEATHER: Back to unseasonal cooler days

Day1: Checked out a few spots in the Flamborough area and was delighted with a few reasonably close encounters of the Teal species and a couple of other birds. Day2: Although cool there was some initial good migration activity, with the highlight being a FOS Northern Waterthrush

April 24th 2025

LOCATION: Huron Natural Area, Kitchener

WEATHER: Sunny and warm

It was a beautiful day and HNA is an excellent place to go for a nature walk. As I was hoping the warm weather has prompted the migrants into gear and so there were a few clusters of birds coming into the open periodically, so at long last spring migration is happening, for today anyways.

April 23rd 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries & Brant County

WEATHER: Sunny start, chilly, then warmed up

Tim and I teamed up today to take our weekly run around the area, which included Grass Lake, Paris Plains, West Dumfries Road and a few other places, with mixed success. We were delighted to find our FOS Field Sparrow (and there were several along different roads) and to find several Vesper along Paris Plains as well. On the neg side we had hoped for some Warblers other than the Pine we found. We did here a Yellow-rumped at one spot , but it didn't show. The other species on todays wish list was the Eastern Towhee but nothing anywhere unfortunately.

Pine Warbler

April 22nd 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener

WEATHER: Mix of sun/cloud/warm/chilly

A short walk around Huron Natural Area in Kitchener this am ... It was a little quiet, but still very enjoyable.

Tip of the Day: A good ethical practice in wildlife photography is to not reveal the location of sensitive or sought-after species on social media, as often this will attract too much attention and visitors to the wildlife, interfering with normal behavior like feeding or resting, all important in the survival of these wonderful animals. One way of doing this is to delay posting until the wildlife has moved on.

As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

April 19th & 20th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener (D1at Home,D2 at HNA)

WEATHER: Spring like getting ...

Now that spring has kicked in a bit more , we are seeing a few more birds around. Yesterday (19th) we had a few nice birds around our back yard - Chipping White-throated, Song and of course the inevitable House Sparrow. Today the 20th I headed to Huron Natural Area with the hope to see a Pine Warbler and I was delighted when I saw at least 3 of them along my short walk. As well as the Pine I also saw a couple of Hermit Thrushes, but they were a tad quick for me so no pic.

Tip of the Day: Err on the side of a fast shutter speed. Birds move around a lot, and the most interesting images are of birds flying or exhibiting some type of behavior, making it even more challenging to get that sharp shot. As a general rule, we need a fairly fast shutter speed for birds to stop the action Shutter speed is related to the focal length of the lens you are using and as rule of thumb a good guide is to use a minimum shutter speed that is the reciprocal of the focal length. eg: if you are using a 400mm lens then your absolute slowest shutter speed should be 1/400 etc etc

April 18th 2025

LOCATION: Flamborough

WEATHER: Cloudy, but fairly mild

In a small area in the Flamborough area that I have some minor luck with finding some birds, we headed back there this morning for a couple of hours. I had hope for maybe a Pine Warbler, but the only songbird I came across was the Kinglet below. On the plus side there was a small pond where there were several species of duck ... The highlight for me was the Blue-winged Teal ... not a species I have much luck with over the years. There were a few Green-winged Teal as well but didn't manage a decent shot, and of course there were a few Mallards to boost the numbers there ...

April 17th 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries/HNA

WEATHER: Cool start but pleasantly warm later

I started off running along Paris Plains Church Road, initially looking for the Lapland Longspur that has been reported hanging out there, but alas I was unsuccessful spotting it, but Merlin did pick up the call at one point. On the plus side there were several Vesper Sparrows spread out between Paris Road and West River Road, so that was good.

After lunch I took a short walk along the trail at Huron Natural Area ... where in past Aprils I had spotted a Pine Warbler, but today ... nada

Vesper Sparrow

April 15th & 16th 2025

LOCATION: Local trail & back Yard, Kitchener

WEATHER: Mix sun & cloud, chilly

Weather not great and not really conducive to migration being too active, so spent the last couple of days either walking a local trail or simply setting up in my back yard.

Tip of the Day: Shooting at eye level always makes for an impactful image, creating the feeling that the viewer is right there with the subject, whether it be in a tree, on the ground, or in the water.

April 13th 2025

LOCATION: Brant & North Dumfries

WEATHER: Cool start, but warmed up nice

Tim and I did our weekly jaunt around some of the spots in North Dumfries and surrounding areas. The hope was to pick up a few new migrants, and specifically Pine Warblers, which every year I find, and usually earlier than today (sometimes as early as Apr 4th). However .... we didn't hear or see a single one, so they are very much late this year, but, of course, I will keep looking!!
On the plus side we did click a couple of "first of seasons" off our list ... the Savannah Sparrow and the Tree Swallow.

April 11th 2025

LOCATION:1st(Flamborough) 2nd(Huron NA)

WEATHER: Cool, cloudy

I started off with a short drive down to the Flamborough area - I was hoping for some interesting ducks/waterbirds in a wetland that I pass by occasionally. It was not as good as |I had hoped, but a pair of Northern Shovellers did pause in a wet puddle along the side of the road, so I could get a distant shot.
On return to Kitchener I took a walk around a sometimes good spot ie: Huron Natural Area. Generally it was quite quiet, but at one swampy area I came across a FOS Eastern Phoebe, then at the same spot a few Golden-crowned Kinglets ... there must have been 8 or 9 foraging in some shrubbery that was overhanging the water ...

Tip of the Day: Sometimes the biggest challenge isn’t taking the photo, but finding your subject. You can have all the skills in the world, but if there aren’t any birds around, you’re out of luck.So where do you find the birds? Well, the world is filled with potential bird photography locations. But you’ll need to do a bit of detective work first. Look up bird habitats, migration patterns, and bird hotspots in your area. Find out where the birds are and when they are likely to be there

April 10th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener

WEATHER: Cold start, them light snow

Just a few garden birds hanging out around the feeders in my back yard. (except the Red-winged Blackbird that I saw and photographed along a trail next to my house).

April 9th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener, back yard, again

WEATHER: Cold, sun/cloud

We are going through a bit of a chilly spell, and as such migration is at a bit of a standstill. So ... not much point in hiking the trails, or normal hot spots. So, I setup around my bird feeders and tried to capture a few of the regulars. However I did get a "first of the year" in my back yard, so it wasn't a total wasted day. .. a Brown-headed Cowbird, and a female to boot, which usually shows up a bit later than the males,

Tip of the Day: Experienced Photographers usually avoid placing any subject in the exact center of a photograph. It tends to be more visually stimulating to see the bird off to one side, facing inward. Our own eyes naturally follow the same trajectory. Likewise, avoid placing the horizon line in the middle of a picture which cuts it in half and divides the image. It’s better to frame the horizon in the top or bottom third of your photograph.

April 5th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener back yard

WEATHER: Cloudy dull and rainy all day

...working on it !!

April 4th 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries & Brant

WEATHER: Sunny and warmer (12C)

Tim and did our weekly jaunt around some of the gravel roads in the area looking for something avianly interesting to shoot. Our targets were some early migrants - Eastern Phoebe, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Pine Siskins, Pine Warbler, Hermit Thrush and really just about anything that hasn't been around for a while. We didn't do as well as we had hoped, but we did see and photograph a couple of Bluebirds and a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets.

April 2nd 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener (back yard)

WEATHER: Wintery mix of snow & freezing rain

Weather can be quite changeable at this time of year .. yesterday I was raking leaves with no jacket on, and today it was a blizzard at one point. Anyways you make do ... right? So today, I set up a camera on the inside, and aimed it through my patio doors towards our bird feeders, with a hope that something interesting would show up, or a decent image presented itself.

Tip of the Day: Utilize your bird feeder, but remember, the purpose of the Birdfeeder is for attracting the birds, your images will all be taken on the perches where birds who are waiting for their chance at the feeder can wait. It will be these birds, on these purposefully pretty perches, that you'll want to photograph those birds on. Use some cut branches strategically placed, for the best images.

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MARCH 2025

1/3/2025

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March 31st 2025

LOCATION: Brant & North Dumfries

WEATHER: Cold & drizzly, then dried up

Fellow bird photographer, and good friend Tim and I, headed out to one of our regular stomping grounds between North Dumfries and Paris, Ontario, looking for some new migrant arrivals that may be around. It was a warm night last night so the chances, INMO, that this was distinctly possible. However reality had a different opinion as we didn't see too much, at least in the small bird area anyways. On the plus side we saw a few interesting ducks, incl a First of Season Hooded Merganser, so the trip was definitely a decent one.

As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

March 30th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener.. mostly my Back Yard

WEATHER: Icy to start then drizzly all day

A quiet day at home, but keeping an eye on and around our bird feeders. Only new face that showed up was the Song Sparrow ... a couple of times.

Tip of the Day: We see our world at five to six feet high, but birds see the world from a few inches to a few feet off the ground, especially shorebirds, ducks and other ground foraging species. To get a feeling of the bird’s world, get down on their level! In other words, don’t be afraid to crouch, squat, crawl, or lie flat against the ground. Yes, you might get a bit muddy. However, it’s the key to professional-looking, low-perspective images.

March 28th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener.. my Back Yard

WEATHER: Pretty cold. but sun/cloud

During this poor weather, and with migration still on increase, there hasn't been too much to shoot. Today I focused on keeping an eye out around my feeders that I have set up in my back yard. Still lots of Juncos around, and lately getting a lot of Common Grackles (sometimes as many as 10 at a time, so they clean me out pretty quick). On the plus side of things - I have been hearing a Northern Flicker occasionally over the last couple of days, and today he came down and sat in our Trumper Vine (which is next to our feeder) and gave me a couple of shots. Things are looking up !!

Tip of the Day: One common mistake that took me years to train myself to watch out for is backgrounds. When you get your subject in front of you, pay attention to what’s in the background. Would that background be less messy and cleaner if you moved a little bit to the left or right? Are you shooting wide open or close to that so that you can blow out the background into a dreamy look? By all means, if it’s a rare bird that’s gonna be in position for about 1 second, get that shot. And if he’s still there, think about what your next few shots might be to improve on it.

March 26th 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries & Brant County

WEATHER: Sun, cloud, cold and snow flurries

It had a few days since our last foray around the gravel roads in and around North Dumfries, so Tim and I were hoping for some new migrant arrivals, but even though they were quite minimal, it wasn't too bad of a day image wise. Our primary target was to get a shot two of one of the Meadowlarks that our now hanging out at Grass Lake. The hope was to get a nice clean, relative closeup of one of these beauties, but unfortunately the only one we saw didn't cooperate as well as we had hoped.
We did find a pair of Ring-necked Ducks on small pond just outside Ayr, and a pair Green-winged Teal on Jedburgh Pond in Ayr, which didn't give us any shots.
We also detected a calling Winter Wren at one spot, but unfortunately he never showed, but a location I hope to visit over the coming days ... would be great to get a shot.

Tip of the Day: Looking for birds is all about patience, luck, and movement. The best times of day to go birding are early mornings and late afternoons, when birds are the most active. To begin, let your eyes relax and scan trees, shrubs, and bushes for movement. When you first spot a bird, bring your binoculars or camera up to your eyes without looking away from it. This will ensure you don’t lose sight of the bird.

March 25th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener home (back yard again)

WEATHER: Damp and cold all day

Weather remains unchanged, so strategy today was the same as yesterday. It worked reasonably well yesterday so why not. Saying that I did take a short walk along one of the local trails, but came back empty handed.

Tip of the Day: Research your locations before heading out. Having a pre-researched location and/or habitat and or species in mind, will more than likely improve your chances and generally reap rewards for you, when it comes to the shots you might get.

March 24th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener home (back yard)

WEATHER: Damp, cold, snowy

The weather and the the season being what it is, I decided on a day just keeping an eye on my back yard for any birds that would be floating around my bird feeders. I keep hoping for something a tad more exotic that what I ended up getting, but I was still happy with the images I did end up getting. One of these days maybe catch something like a Fox Sparrow or a Rusty Blackbird, but so far this year .. nada !!

As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

March 23rd 2025

LOCATION: Tilts Bush & Riverside Park

WEATHER: Sunny & a tad chilly

In the morning I headed over to a trail very close to my house in Kitchener .. Tilts Bush. The trail is quite short and skirts a wetland with a couple of small ponds, and can be quite good for birds.. depending on the time of year. In the early afternoon, I headed down to Riverside Park in Cambridge with a hope to spot one or two of the more interesting spring arrivals eg: Fox Sparrow & Rusty Blackbird. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see or hear either of these guys, but maybe worth a look again in a week or so.

March 22nd 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener, close to home

WEATHER: Cloudy, around 0C

Some back yard shots - Still a few Juncos around ... seems to me like they should be gone by now, but I suppose the cooler weather her (as well as me keeping the feeders stocked, has them sticking around ... for a while anyways.

March 21st 2025

LOCATION: Flamborough/Burlington

WEATHER: Sunny, but a chilly start

Yesterday was officially the first day of spring, so Tim & I headed to the Burlington area to see if there was any new spring arrivals. Being that it was very unseasonably cold (-3C or so first thing) there wasnt too much happening that would indicate that migration was under way, but we did find a single female Red-winged Blackbird, so birds are moving in. Maybe another week or so should see a difference ... I hope!!

Tip of the Day: Don’t chase the birds. Find a good location and let the birds come to you. A hunted bird is not going to yield an outstanding photograph. If you find a group of birds, try to predict their movement and get ahead of them and let them come to you.

March 16th - 19th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener/Cambridge

Didn't venture too far from home over the last couple of days. I thought I might check out an old favorite location in my neighborhood that can be quite good for songbirds when spring eventually arrives ... Tilt's Bush. I went once in the morning and once in the afternoon, to some success (kinda). I will certainly visit more often in the coming weeks

Tip of the Day: If you want to keep your ISO as low as possible in poor lighting conditions then with most long lenses it is important to use a tripod. Even shooting at 700mm (500mm x 1.4TC), I am often down as low as 250, and often somewhat lower, and still manage to get sharp images (mostly)

March 14th 2025

LOCATION: Burlington, ON

WEATHER: Chilly'ish start but warmed up later

Spring is starting to materialize and with a few new birds showing up around the area. Today Tim & I headed to Burlington to check out a couple of spots that usually produce a few birds. First, though we dropped by Farmborough Downs where a couple of rarities have shown up ... a Eurasian Wigeon and a White fronted Goose. We could see the Wigeon way out there but no images. The two spots we tried in Burlington were La Salle Marina and Valley Inn with, as you see from the volume of images below, some decent success. Nothing too exciting but nice to see nonetheless.

Tip of the Day: Amongst other things, birds are incredibly sensitive to movement. To combat this, once you have found a good shooting spot, limit your movement, and only move around when necessary and when you do, move slowly and deliberately. Most birds also have colour vision, making them sensitive to bright lights and colours, so if possible wear natural earth tones.

March 11th - 13th 2025

LOCATION: Kitchener & Cambridge

WEATHER: Sun & cloud and warmer

Over the last few days there has been a few new spring migrants show up in around home (Kitchener), which I must admit has been a welcome site - I was getting fed up of only seeing Juncos and Tree Sparrows. These two species are still around, but seem to be in much less numbers that they were a week ago. I think the milder weather has got things moving a bit.

**As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title**

March 8th & 9th 2025

LOCATION: North Dumfries & Brant County

WEATHER: Sun & Cloud .. and getting warmer

Day1 - I had a quick run down the old faithful road (Paris Plains) that has lots of Horned Larks and one or two of them give me excellent poses.
Day2 - I headed out with good friend Tim, to check out that same road and also a few other side roads in the same general area, with some super success .. especially the Northern Shrike. The Shrike was surprisingly bold.

March 2nd 2025

LOCATION: Brant County & North Dumfries

WEATHER: Really cold, but mainly cloudy

Met up with my great birding friend, Helen, to do a little local birding. We had a few targets .. some of whom we managed to get and some we did not. After a much needed early morning coffee we headed down to Paris Plains to see if any of the decent birds were sitting out in the open - targets along here were the Horned Larks and Snow Buntings. The Larks were reasonably cooperative, but the Snow Buntings, yet again were not !!
Another spot we tried gave us a nice surprise, as we came across a Northern Shrike. It was some distance away as we tried to edge closer it took off, so the shot we did manage was pretty distant
Last spot for the day was at Blair Bridge lookout, where we had hoped to see the recently reported Long-tailed Duck. He drifted past our spot, but unfortunately he kept his head tucked in while he had a snooze.

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