Kitchener Waterloo & Area Birding: Blog commentary on my, (Bill McDonald) birding and wildlife sightings & observations
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JUNE 2023

31/5/2023

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June 30th 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries, close to home
WEATHER: Nice 
There is a gravel road close to home and just outside Blair that often produces a few decent sightings. There was one species, though I could hear it most days, wouldn't pop up for a pic, but today it di ... the Brown Thrasher

June 27th & 28th 2023

LOCATION: Wellington County
WEATHER: Mix as per usual
A couple of days on the north side of the 401 in Wellington County produced a few decent birds, and while there I picked up a few bugs for photographing later.
While photographing the tiny spider, I posted below, I noticed a tiny spec on the same leaf, so I switched to my 65 MP-E lens that allowed me to get an image at 5x. I still cropped the image to get this shot. He was maybe 0.5mm total ... this is the plant hopper I show below.
Oddly enough as I was looking through the viewfinder at 5x , another minute mite
​scurried past - it was about the size of this guys eye ... incredible !!
Single shot

June 25th & 26th 2023

LOCATION: Local
WEATHER: More sun and cloud
As the bird migrations draw to a close I find myself, as I do every year, moving to more macro type subjects.

June 23rd 2023

LOCATION: Sundridge area
WEATHER: Mainly cloudy but muggy warm
It was a long drive to the Sundridge area, and it meant that I was up at 3:00am to be out the door for 3:45am. The drive was approx 4 hours so, after picking up my birding partner and good friend Helen, we arrived at our 1st spot just after 8:00am. The weather was perfect - very little wind and basically cloudy skies.  Even though we were a little later in the month than in previous years, we had high hopes for a few good sightings and hopefully some decent shots.

Our targets were some of the areas harder to find breeding Warblers incl Canada, Magnolia, Cape May, Bay-breasted, Black-throated Blue and Northern Parula, and other than the Cape May & Bay-breasted we filled our quota. We did hear both of these missed birds, but couldn't get them in the open for that shot opportunity ... oh well still pretty happy.
​
Other sightings were a pair of Moose out in the swamp, but couldn't get an opening in the foliage for a shot.
Picture
Hermit Thrush

Jun 19th 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Sun and cloud
In the morning I took a drive around some of my favorite spots in Nort Dumfries. Over the years I have found several locations in this township where songbirds can be found - not always at the same time of year, but you never know what might show up on any particular day. While waiting for birds to surface | often browse along the side of the road for any interesting insects (mainly dragonflies and butterflies right now). When I get home I do a setup on my macro rig. Just s0 you know all insects are kept alive and released unharmed after the shoot.

June 17th & 18th 2023

LOCATION: Kitchener & close to home
WEATHER: Sunny for the most part, and warm
For the last couple of days I didn't venture too far - I did a little macro work, so I collected a few little fellas from the local woodlot, then did a setup in my garage "bug studio".
On Day 2 I headed over to the Huron Natural area where for the last few weeks Red-headed Woodpecker has been hanging out. In fact a pair of them, and they have nested in a spot which is almost reachable by photography.
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)

June 15th 2023

LOCATION: Halton area, near Robertson Tract
WEATHER: Sun and cloud, and quite warm
Always excellent to meet up with my long time birding partner - Helen. We toured the trails and gravel roads off Guelph Line, and as usual in that area there was quite a bit of activity. Highlight was the Hooded Warbler sighting at Currie (which is well documented in the local Facebook Groups, but nice to see anyways, In Ohio last month we saw quire a few, but that was the first of the season for me in Ontario.
​Tip of the Day: As the hot weather is now here be aware of ticks !! Here’s what you can do to avoid getting a tick bite. Wear: ....
  • light-coloured clothing, so it’s easier to see ticks
  • closed-toed shoes
  • long-sleeved shirts
  • long pants, tucked into your socks
  • special clothing designed to repel ticks

June 13th 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Some sun, and a bit of cloud too
I took one of my regular drives between Cambridge, Ayr & Paris - it never fails to disappoint. On the way around I picked up a few Dragonflies for later so that I could photograph them using a photo-stacking technique, but that generally has to be done in a controlled environment to keep things rigidly still. 

June 11th 2023

LOCATION: Kitchener
WEATHER: mixed wet and dry
Weather wasn't too good, so picked a few insects locally and done a series of image stackings in the comfort of my "macro studio" ie my garage.

June 9th & 10th 2023

LOCATION: Halton area, near Guelph Line
WEATHER: Mainly sunny
Over the last couple of days I did a little exploring in and around Guelph Line. Merlin sure picked up lots of bird calls and songs, so with a little patience and whole lot of luck I was able to get a few shots. Highlight for me I suppose was the Clay-coloured Sparrow .. I don't see too many of these little fellas so pretty happy.

June 7th & 8th 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Sun and cloud, but cooler
My local area - North Dumfries, which is between Kitchener & Paris, is a great area with lots of varying habitat, so because of that there is a great selection of birds to be found, and the big plus for me is that it's 20 mins from home.
Picture
Alder Flycatcher

June 6th 2023

LOCATION: Carden Alvar
WEATHER: Mainly sunny, but with smoke haze
A few days ago we went to the Bruce area, mainly hoping for Golden-winged Warblers, but unfortunately we didn't find a single bird .. so the other spot I knew off that has some Goldens is the Carden area, so off we go !!
An early start for 2.5 hour trip up the Kawarthas (left at 4:00am) and arrived to find I had the Wylie Road area to myself. It didn't take too long to find my first Golden-winged, but it wasn't keen to come out into the open, and thast was pretty much the order of the day with the other 3 or 4 birds | came across .. oh well !!
As far as the other birds were concerned - there were several sightings of Grasshopper Sparrows, lots of Bluebirds, several Easter Towhees and lots of the other plains birds you would expect - Savannah Sparrows, Bobolinks, Song Sparrows etc etc.

June 3rd & 5th 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER:  Mostly pure sun
With lots do around home I didn't venture very far over the last few days. Birding highlight was a very cooperative Veery that I found along Beke Road. With the warmer weather there is a few butterflies starting to show up, so I dug out the macro lenses and managed a few pics.

June 2nd 2023

LOCATION: Northern Bruce Peninsula
WEATHER: Sunny with a bit of cloud, and hot
A late start, but as the weather seemed to improve (clouds rolling in, making it less of a pure sun kind of day) - as it ended up the clouds were very thin and making little difference  .. oh well!! Arrived near noon and spent the next several hours patrolling the back roads looking initially for Golden-winged Warblers, but unlike previous years in the same area, there was no sign of a single bird anywhere. However, there was a few other subjects to photograph ...as per below.
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MAY 2023

3/5/2023

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May 29th & 31st 2023

LOCATION: Day1 - Cambridge, Day2 - Halton
WEATHER: More pure sun, and hot
Day 1 had a rare visitor to our area .. the Scissor -tailed Flycatcher showed up along Kossuth Road, at the Butterfly Conservancy for a few days, and gave lots of birders a bit of a treat. He kept his distance, but nevertheless was an exciting sighting for many of us. On Day 2 I headed up Guelph Line and found a songbird or two ... highlight was the Black & White Warbler, and the bonus was that it was a FOS (first of season) for me.
Tip of the Day: Wildlife photography is heavily reliant on animal behavioral patterns. Research is key to understanding where and when you should go to photograph certain subjects.

May 27th & 28th 2023

LOCATION: Glen Morris area
WEATHER: Endless blue skies
As the spring season progresses we start to see a drop in the number of decent bird sightings, but on the plus side, we also see a start of some decent insect opportunities.
Tip of the Day: Learn everything that you can about birds. Any type of photography can be improved by studying your subjects, and this is especially true of bird photography. Since birds don’t necessarily pose whenever a photographer points a lens in their direction, you need to understand their behavior so that you can be ready when opportunities present themselves. Know your subject. The more you know about the way birds behave, the better your images of birds will be.

May 25th 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Cool start, but sunny, and warm later
A drive around some of my favorite spots in the North Dumfries are (although some may actually be in Brant County).
It was a decent day with some decent sightings .. as per below. One Merlin "sighting" eluded me totally and I was a tad disappointed - I was calling constantly but I never got a glimpse of the little fella ... a Blackpoll Warbler. Another visit could be on the cards.

May 24th 2023

LOCATION: Halton region near 401
WEATHER: mainly sunny, but quite chilly
.. later

May 23rd 2023

LOCATION: Halton area, near 401
WEATHER: Sun and cloud
 later ..

May 21st & 22nd 2023

LOCATION: Ontario local
WEATHER: Sun & cloud, but still a tad chilly
As you can see from the images below, its a bit of birds and then a bit of bugs. I generally try to find a few songbirds in the morning, then in the afternoon try to do a little macro work.  

May 19th & 20th 2023

LOCATION: Day1 - Kitchener, Day2 - Halton
WEATHER: Day2 - rain to start then dried up
Day 1 was a day I spent at and around home. I had limited time so I busied myself doing a little macro work. Bothe insect images were created using a multi image stack (approx 10 images each bug). I just love the ability to be get such awesome depth of field and detail using this technique. Both images created using my 65 MP-E lens and incorporating the WeMacro focusing rail.
Day2 I headed up again to the Halton forest area, which has been quite productive in the past. Like the other day I was hearing lots of species but finding it tough to get a bird in the virefinder.

May 16th & 17th 2023

LOCATION: Day1 North Dumfries Day2 Halton
WEATHER: Day1 mild but Day2 chilly
Migration over the last week had been a little slow, or at least it was in my general area, but  .. over the last two days I noticed a distinct improvement with lots of decent sightings (at last). Birds eg Red-eyed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat and many others are just everywhere now. It also seems that the bulk of the northern Warblers have passed through, but there are still a few still to show .. most obviously (for me) is the Mourning Warbler, but I expect to hear-see one or two in the next few days (I hope)
Day 2 was very cool - with an early morning temperature of only +1C .. this was for the most part not good for the bird sightings, as at that temperature the birds were quite subdued, and like many of us bird photographers we rely on the bird calls to see whats about . Personally because of my bad hearing I rely on Merlin.
Picture
Blue-winged Warbler

May 14th & 15th 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Sunny, but not as warm
The last couple of days I kept to my usual haunts in the North Dumfries general area. One spot I have been visiting is along Alps Road, where I am hearing lots of interesting songbirds calling incl Bay-breasted Warbler, Black & White Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Philadelphia Vireo, Magnolia Warbler, Scarlet Tanager and a couple of others. I have seen none of them other a distant look at the Scarlet Tanager. I keep going back, keep hearing them and seeing almost none of them LOL ... one of these days.
I dug out my macro gear and setup the WeMacro, and did a couple of test shoots and went through the stacking process ... always fun, and I now can confirm to myself that everything seems to be working OK.

May 12th & 13th 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries area
WEATHER: Mainly sunny and quite hot
Picture
Veery
At last the birds are starting to show up in my local area,  but they are very slow to react, so getting them individually to react is tough. I tried initially going to spots I know where it is generally easy to find birds, and when that was not really working I started using pre-recorded bird calls, which ended up being a little better, but still wasn't foolproof. 

On both days I spotted lots of birds but only photographed a handful of them. Day 2 for example I watched a group of songbirds high up in the canopy which included Northern Parula, Tennessee Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Nashville Warbler and  a Cape May Warbler, but even after going through a series of calls I had to give up. 

Other good sightings were a male Scarlet Tanager that I watched for ages, but it was just too far away for a shot, but nice to see him back on territory.

May 10th & 11th 2023

LOCATION: Pushlinch Lake Day1 & N Dumfries Day2
WEATHER: Sunny and getting warmer
Day1 was a little flat with only minimal sightings, but as always ... really nice to get out in the spring weather. Bobolinks have showed up in various place so really nice to see.
Day2 was a tad disappointing. The reports were for a massive warbler migration surge through our area, but even though I checked out some usually hot spots, the sightings were minimal to say the least, and those that did show were for a few seconds at most.. However I am hopeful in the coming days for some decent action.

May 7th - 9th 2023

LOCATION: Various spots near home
WEATHER: Mix of sun, cloud and the odd shower
As you can see by a) the number of birds, and by b) the limited type of species, it is till a little early for the big flood of Warblers that we have come to expect in recent years. However I have high hopes for some great birds in the coming week or two.

May 4th, 5th & 6th 2023

LOCATION: Central Ohio
WEATHER: Sun & cloud and quite warm
Two full days in this area ended up being quite productive. I had hoped for some of the more "exotic" species. like Kentucky Warbler, Celurian Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler and maybe a Yellow-breasted Chat, but these species eluded my buddy and I. On the plus side we encountered and were able to photograph some great birds. 

We had planned to do some birding on the morning of our third day, but an issue at the end of day 2 meant that it was a case of just get home. 
​
The issue was that later in the day 2 I had a puncture on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, and when I went to change my tire, the tool for the security lug nuts was missing ???, so had to get a tow truck, then get tire fixed on the third morning. Not a great ending to a decent trip.
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title

May 2nd 2023

LOCATION: North Dumfries
WEATHER: Cloudy with light showers
Yet another drive around this area ... although generally quite quiet in most spots there was one spot I stopped by a local lake that was very productive, with all three warblers within a half hour or so. 
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    ​Blog Author

    Pretty 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.

    ​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
    ​

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