2015 - A pretty good year for me - not as many "lifers" as I was hoping for, but a good year nevertheless.
In January, I had a few jaunts out, but these were generally centered around the unlikely location of a city park - ie Sedgewick Park in Oakville. Sedgewick like previous years had a few good birds hanging around due to the ongoing food source provided by the Water Treatment Plant along the edge of the Park. Part of the Water Treatment process appears to be the heating & settling of waste water. These "ponds" generate an insect population that takes flight and then settles in the trees surrounding the park, thus providing a food source for these birds. On my visit on the 3rd or 4th I was able to capture on digital "film" so to speak a Wilson's Warbler and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Later that month we heard about a rarity (a male Painted Bunting, no less) that had taken up it's temporary home along Arkendo Creek, also in Oakville. This was the first lifer of the year for me, but there were theories that this was actually an escaped cage bird, and therefore not eligible for the term lifer, but ... . On the last day of the month I went to a new location for me - The Pinery along Georgian Bay. My target was Tufted Titmouse, of which I was able to add to my life list that day.
February was a pretty cold month, and as you would expect not a pleasant one for our feathered friends in lots of cases. On the 15th I was again in the Oakville area and the Painted Bunting was hanging in there, but in obvious distress ... the 15th was one of the last days this poor bird was seen, so I have to assume that it succumbed to the bitter cold, or was picked off by a marauding hawk (sad). Again, Oakville was producing rarities because at Willmott Park a Harris's Sparrow was spotted and stayed around for a few weeks. I managed to add this lifer to my list on the 15th. The Harris was generally see along with a small group of Pine Siskins, which were also good sightings, - Willmott was a good location this month. During a good part of the early part of February there had been steady sightings of a Short-eared Owl up on 10th line on the "mountain" above Stoney Creek. Of course the day I was free to get up there it was nowhere to be seen, but lots of birders had had great views and images of this bird. A few Snow Buntings and Horned Larks around in different locations, but not as many as I've seen in earlier years. Last trip of the month was to Algonquin, so in -18C weather I spent quite a good day checking out the usual locations for birds. So besides the inevitable Grey Jays and Ruffed Grouse, I was able to get another lifer - A Boreal Chickadee. There were a ton of Redpolls at the feeders at the Visitor Centre, of which at least one Hoary Redpoll was mixed in with the Commons, but as I was unable to pick it out I had to leave without this baby on my life list - so maybe 2016.
March turned out to be a pretty insignificant month, with no decent sightings, even after several days out in the Hamilton, Dundas, Stoney Creek, Guelp, Whitby etc.
I did however on a trip to County Road 10, near Stoney Creek (I was looking for the Short-eared Owl again - and didn't see it) spot an Opossum which was foraging along the side of the road.
.... To be continued
In January, I had a few jaunts out, but these were generally centered around the unlikely location of a city park - ie Sedgewick Park in Oakville. Sedgewick like previous years had a few good birds hanging around due to the ongoing food source provided by the Water Treatment Plant along the edge of the Park. Part of the Water Treatment process appears to be the heating & settling of waste water. These "ponds" generate an insect population that takes flight and then settles in the trees surrounding the park, thus providing a food source for these birds. On my visit on the 3rd or 4th I was able to capture on digital "film" so to speak a Wilson's Warbler and a Yellow-rumped Warbler. Later that month we heard about a rarity (a male Painted Bunting, no less) that had taken up it's temporary home along Arkendo Creek, also in Oakville. This was the first lifer of the year for me, but there were theories that this was actually an escaped cage bird, and therefore not eligible for the term lifer, but ... . On the last day of the month I went to a new location for me - The Pinery along Georgian Bay. My target was Tufted Titmouse, of which I was able to add to my life list that day.
February was a pretty cold month, and as you would expect not a pleasant one for our feathered friends in lots of cases. On the 15th I was again in the Oakville area and the Painted Bunting was hanging in there, but in obvious distress ... the 15th was one of the last days this poor bird was seen, so I have to assume that it succumbed to the bitter cold, or was picked off by a marauding hawk (sad). Again, Oakville was producing rarities because at Willmott Park a Harris's Sparrow was spotted and stayed around for a few weeks. I managed to add this lifer to my list on the 15th. The Harris was generally see along with a small group of Pine Siskins, which were also good sightings, - Willmott was a good location this month. During a good part of the early part of February there had been steady sightings of a Short-eared Owl up on 10th line on the "mountain" above Stoney Creek. Of course the day I was free to get up there it was nowhere to be seen, but lots of birders had had great views and images of this bird. A few Snow Buntings and Horned Larks around in different locations, but not as many as I've seen in earlier years. Last trip of the month was to Algonquin, so in -18C weather I spent quite a good day checking out the usual locations for birds. So besides the inevitable Grey Jays and Ruffed Grouse, I was able to get another lifer - A Boreal Chickadee. There were a ton of Redpolls at the feeders at the Visitor Centre, of which at least one Hoary Redpoll was mixed in with the Commons, but as I was unable to pick it out I had to leave without this baby on my life list - so maybe 2016.
March turned out to be a pretty insignificant month, with no decent sightings, even after several days out in the Hamilton, Dundas, Stoney Creek, Guelp, Whitby etc.
I did however on a trip to County Road 10, near Stoney Creek (I was looking for the Short-eared Owl again - and didn't see it) spot an Opossum which was foraging along the side of the road.
.... To be continued