Kitchener Waterloo & Area Birding: Blog commentary on my, (Bill McDonald) birding and wildlife sightings & observations
  • Grenfell's Birding Blog
  • Locations /Hot Spots
  • Bird Library
  • HOW TO
 

March 3rd 2013

3/3/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
Hairy Woodpecker
With February out of the way, and with warmer weather, hopefully not too far away, I have been thinking about the early migrants that will start filtering in over the next 4 weeks or so. I've noticed that the Common Redpoll appears to have already started their journey as I have seen very few at the feeders in the last week or two, although there doesn't seem to be any fewer Dark-Eyed Juncos, as yet. I didn't get a chance to venture out this weekend, other than an hour driving around the perimeter of the city, looking for opportunities, but other than a fleeting glimpse of a Pileated Woodpecker and a few roadside Horned Larks, there were no pictures taken. As I have done in the past, I set up a camera at the patio doors in the general direction of the feeders hoping for some good images. Visitors were limited to several House Sparrows, One or two American Tree Sparrows and Cardinals, A few Dark-Eyed Juncos, a lone Red-Breasted Nuthatch, and a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers that sat around and gave me several not-too-bad images, like the one above (a female).

I used the time I had trying to improve my "on-the-wing" shots, with a few of the House Sparrows feeding on Suet .. as below. 

March 17th 2013

Picture
American Robin
Well it's official, or at least in the avian world anyways, that spring is not too far away. Over the last few days I've seen several of our spring visitors, including Common Grackle, Red-Winged Blackbird, as well the American Robin (as per the picture). I popped out to the Arboretum at the University of Guelph on Sunday morning, and although there wasn't much to photograph I did see a small flock of approximately 10 or 12 feeding on frozen flower heads. I have also spotted Turkey Vultures on two separate/different occasions over the weekend. 

Picture
The Starling is one of our bird "pests" that can, as they have done at my place on many occasions, overwhelm the feeders with their aggressive attack on anything that is food related. However you have to admit the bird has some beautiful colours 

Today, March 20th, a flock of about 6 Common Grackles and about 10 Brown-Headed Cowbirds  pounced on the feeders and stripped them all bare in about 20 seconds. As mentioned earlier the Grackles have been around for about a week, but the Cowbirds were the first of the year for me ... another sign of Spring, although with still about a foot of snow, and temperatures still below zero, it doesn't seem like it. This time last year we were over 20 degrees. 

Picture
Brown-headed Cowbird

March 24th 2013

Picture
Common Grackle
Over the weekend I took some time to visit some of my favorite birding places (Hendrie Valley, Hamilton, LaSalle Marina, Burlington, Beverley Marsh, south east of Cambridge), but it's one those in-between times where the winter birds are filtering away and the most of the spring birds have yet to arrive, so things were pretty quiet. But with the slight change in the weather (getting warmer .. relatively - still only just above freezing), there was lots of birders out and about. 

Picture
American Goldfinch
I also spent some time checking out the birds coming to the feeders around the house, and had the usual bunch ... Grackles, American Goldfinches, Downey and Hairy Woodpeckers, House Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Blue Jays, Chickadees and Cardinals. Surprisingly no Robins ... I see plenty of them around the neighbourhood, but I must be offering the wrong type of food, or they haven't found it yet. Below is a small gallery of this weekends "snapshots".
Cardinal males, especially, have started their territorial aggression - I had pairs of males zipping about all over the place chasing each other to and fro 

March 31st 2013

Picture
Dark-eyed Junco
This being Easter weekend, and a day off from work, I was able to get out for a few hours (Saturday). Knowing that I was unlikely to encounter too many surprises out there, I kept my trip short - heading out to Grass Lake, then back to Riverside park. At Grass Lake I did spot a couple of Sandhill Cranes (no image ... they were "miles" away). and a few Horned Larks, but no Eastern Meadowlark that was apparently spotted a few days prior.  At Riverside it was very uneventful, with a few Cardinals, Blue Jays, Chickadees .. and that was about it. I did however get the Dark-eyed Junco (shown opposite). I drove past the Grand River Bridge on the north side of Blair and saw that the Osprey pair, that has nested there for a few years, are back and prepping their nest (I'll be keeping an eye on them). On the Sunday Margaret (my lovely wife, and not into birding whatsoever) and I took a drive back out to Grass Lake where the  Sandhills were still around, and again quite some ways away.  and then down around the  Drumbo area, just to check things out and came across a field, just on the east side of Drumbo, with about 100 Tundra Swans, taking a break in their migration.

Picture
Tundra Swans
Spring warbler migration is still another month away, but I'm getting quite excited about the photo potential those first few weeks of May offer. I keep checking the  sighting at Point Pelee and Long Point (traditional locations for first sightings), but so far nothing other than a few Golden Crowned Kinglets showing up (typical early birds ... no pun intended). A fantastic Spring Warbler guide was put together by Ron Pittaway for the OFO organization and can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/webapp/site/page/view/articles.springwarblers
0 Comments
    Feel free to send me Comments  :)



    ​     Me >>>

    Picture
    COMMENTS WELCOME
    LINK to my WEBSITE
    LINK to my FLICKR page

    ​Blog Author

    Pretty much all my life I have had an interest in nature photography albeit in, off and on, phases of interest. Around 13/14 years ago, I found myself, again, getting that nature bug, and I am now, especially since I retired just over 6 years ago, very passionate about  wildlife & wildlife photography.

    ​Enough about me ...             I hope that you enjoy my ramblings and the occasional  decent  image.

                       Bill McDonald

    “In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” 
    ― Robert Lynd
    ​

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013


    Fatbirder's Top 1000 Birding Websites

    If you like my blog then check out my other stuff on FLICKR and on my Webpage ....(hyperlinks are at top of this page)