Long -tail Ducks After reading that there was some owl species (Short Eared & Saw-whet) at Fifty Point, near Stoney Creek had been sighted, and being that the day was forecast to be close to zero (almost shorts & teeshirt after the weather we've had), Steve & I headed down with a glass half-full attitude, but after checking out several spots in and around the Marina .... we left with no sightings, and headed to the the Lift Bridge in Hamilton where we found out from fellow birders that a couple of King Eiders were at the end of the breakwater. We found two females pretty much where we were directed, but they were hugging the opposite breakwall, just a tad out of reach. Anyways Long tailed ducks & Red-breasted Mergansers were pretty active in around the inlet so, even though the water was pretty rough, we managed a few OK pictures. On the way back we checked out La Salle Marina but other that Mallards, Canada Geese & a bunch of Trumpeter Swans nothing else seemed to be around.
February 16th 2014
For the past few weeks there has been a rare visitor to this region of Ontario - a Varied Thrush has shown up at spot near Guelph Lake Conservation Area. Varied Thrushes are normally found in the Pacific North West and would generally winter in or around California. I popped out there mid week and again today (Sunday) and was able to get some great views and some pretty good photographs to boot. It has been feeding on small crab apples, of which there a few trees at this location, coming in every 15 or mins or so to drop an apple, then dropping down to feed on it. Spent a bit of time watching and photographing through a light snow fall (explains the white spots all over the pictures). Nearby is the Nature Centre so we went over to the feeders there to check things out and spotted Red and White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-bellied & Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Juncos and Chickadees. A Red-tailed Hawk did a flyover during the 1/2 hour we spent there.
February 9th 2014
Male Evening Grosbeak The winter days are starting to shrink (thank goodness) and so it seemed a good idea to get an Algonquin trip in before the days start to warm up .. saying that snow is going to be with us for at least another 6 weeks. Anyways the forecast was generally good , -12C and with 6 hours of sunshine (according to the Weather Network) so Steve, a fellow birder from Kitchener, and I headed out at 5 am for the 4 hour drive to Algonquin, taking in the Visitor Centre, Spruce Bog and Opengo Road. The Visitor Centre had upwards of 30 Evening Grosbeaks coming to the feeders and several Purple Finches, as well as a few Blue Jays and a Ruffed Grouse. Spruce Bog, well known for Whiskey-Jacks (Grey Jays) and the occasional Boreal Chickadee, had a few Blue Jays, Black Capped Chickadees, Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Hairy Woodpecker (disappointed!, but hey, that's birding). We had hoped, as we drove along the Highway 60 corridor through the Park, that we might see some Moose and possibly a Great Grey Owl, but yet again we scratched out. However on the good side .. it was really good to get out and Algonquin was as stunning as ever (Gods Country without a doubt).
January 10th - January 17th 2014
Brown Pelican From 10th to 17th we headed to a resort hotel in Guardlavaca area in the Holquin Province of Cuba. As pretty much always on these trips I headed out on a daily basis (leaving my better half at the pool or the beach), to explore the area and try to get some decent wildlife pictures. I took a 100-400 lens as compromise on size & weight against quality. I met up with a fellow birder from Kitchener who was staying at a nearby hotel, for a couple of day trips. On day trip #1 Steve & I used a guide (Orlando) who took us on a 3 hour drive up into the mountains in an area south of Mayari, to a local beauty spot, with a pretty spectacular waterfall. There we had another guide take us down a steep path (not for the faint of heart), where we saw a few indigenous species - Cuban Emerald, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Tody., as well as a few misc other species. On day trip #2, Steve, his wife and myself had another guide (Carlos) who was extremely knowledgeable about birds and where to find them. Carlos took us to 3 or 4 locations relatively close to our hotels to locate some more of the indigenous species, and we were able to check off a few more of our list sighting & photographing Cuban Trogon, Cuban Tody, Cuban Pygmy Owl, Mangrove Cuckoo, Great Lizard Cuckoo, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Western Stripe-headed Tanager, Hooded Warbler, Oriente Warbler, Yellow faced Grassquit, Cuban Bullfinch and a host of others ... it was a fabulous day. Only bird that Carlos couldn't find for us was the Bee Hummingbird. Other days I spent around the resort on different trails, but especially the bridge between the Sol Rio & the Paradesius, which was great for Herons (Yellow Crowned & Black Crowned Night Herons, Green, Tricoloured Heron), Egrets (Great, Snowy & Little Egret), Moorhens, Coots, but especially good for Warblers in the dense undergrowth along the side of the bridge (incl. Prairie, Pine, Black & White, Yellow Rumped, Black Throated Blue, Redstarts, Northern Parula, Yellow, and a many others that I am unsure about). Other species in and around were the Belted Kingfisher, White-Crowned Pigeon, Northern Mockingbird, Ani, Grackles, Kingbirds, Broad winged & Red-tailed hawks, Kestrels, Meadowlarks, Turkey Vultures, Crested Caracara, etc etc
