September 29th 2020
| Location: Dundas | Weather: sun and cloud |
A buzz along one of the Hamilton/Dundas trails this morning was of marginal success, but a nicely posed Blackpoll, eating some sort of berry was the highlight for sure.
September 27th 2020
| Location: Near Maryhill | Weather: Sunny, with some cloud |
It's a terrible image that has been severely cropped, but for me it's a first in Canada picture of a Northern Wheatear, so still reasonable happy with the shot. This little star is a long way off track as it is normally found in Europe and parts of Asia. It was spotted yesterday and reported on a few groups, so this morning there were lots of scopes, bins and camera waiting on it re-appearing, which it did a couple of times, but at a great distance.
Northern Wheatear
September 26th 2020
| Location: Burlington | Weather: Early -Mainly cloudy/hazy later - Sunny |
 Yellow-rumped Warbler | At long last my new camera body arrived, so I drove to the east end of Toronto to pick it yesterday, and so today was the official "christening" of my new Canon R5. It has a bit more resolution than my 5D mark4, so I was hoping for great things today, and did it meet all my expectations ??? I was pretty frustrated for the first hour, as I learned positions of the controls and getting used to the electronic viewfinder, but generally I was pretty happy, but even though the resolution was 50% more than my 5D4, I didn't really see 50% more detail. However on the computer during the post processing, it did see to be better, so I suppose as I get more used to things, I will be more happy. Went to our spot near Hamilton, and although songbird numbers were definitely down from even a few days ago, it was still pretty active. Warblers seen were Bay-breasted, Blackpoll and Yellow-rumped, and for the Vireos it was Blue-headed, Philadelphia and Red-eyed. The other highlights were a couple of Yellow-bellied Sapsucker showed up and gave us a few opportunities ... first of the fall for me, so pretty pleased with the sighting. As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title |
September 24th 2020
| Location: Hamilton area, same as yesterday | Weather: Great bird Photo weather .. cloudy, but bright |
 White-throated Sparrow | First things first ... It's my younger brothers birthday today, so even though he's not a birder, and doesn't even know of the blog's existence (LOL) ... Happy birthday Gordon :) Headed back to my spot just outside Hamilton - yesterday was pretty good, so hoping for a similar day, but "the best laid plans of mice and men", as they say. For the first hour or so there was almost zero bird sightings, but thankfully our patience paid off somewhat, with a few birds coming through in small groups, but only for a minute or two, in a couple of different waves. Pretty typical fall birding to be honest. Highlights were minimal if any, but it was nice to see a few Hermit Thrushes, as well Ruby crowned Kinglet. Warblers were very scarce this morning with only a couple showing up, but one of them was a Blackpoll, so I shouldn't complain. Others were a Bay-breasted and a Chestnut-sided, but no sign of the regulars ... the Northern Parulas and the Black-throated Green Warblers. Other non-warbler sightings were Purple Finches, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit and Swainson Thrushes. Have had worse days ... |
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 23rd 2020
| Location: Hamilton area | Weather: As usual sunny with almost zero cloud |
 Black-throated Green Warbler | I had heard that many of the lake front bush areas were active with lots of migrating songbirds, so as a first stop this morning, I headed to Edgelake Park in Stoney Creek. I had been here many times over the years and I have found it quite a good spot to find a few birds. In the past I found it to be an overgrown spot with few spots to get birds in the open, and this morning was no exception. I did see several interesting birds though, including a few Black-throated Blue Warblers, Magnolia Warblers & Black-throated Greens. As my frustration level increased (because of the difficulty in getting birds in the frame), I decided to cut my losses and head elsewhere. Next spot was a tried and tested location I sometimes head to, and at least here there is lots of clearings, so getting photos isn't too much of a problem .. assuming there are any birds around, of course Fortunately it was one of the better mornings here with several songbirds passing through, albeit in bright sunshine. Sightings/images included Dark-eyed Junco (a first of the fall), Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Parula, Purple Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo and a surprising juvenile Indigo Bunting .. As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title |
September 22nd 2020
| Location: near Paris, ON | Weather: Sunny as usual |
I have a family member who lives very close to my chosen venue this morning, so my plan was to do a little birding, then head over for a bit of a family visit. Birding was OK, with a brief pop up of a Blue-headed Vireo, but for the most part it was pretty inactive. On my way out, and heading to my visit location I passed a small swamp and pond and was delighted see some birding activity. I stopped and scouted around and was able to see upwards of 10 Savannah Sparrows dotted along an old fence line. I was able to get several shots of different individuals, so pretty happy. On a negative note I also hoped to find another sparrow type in the mix, but sadly , they were all Savannahs ... oh well !!
September 21st 2020
| Location: Halton Tracts | Weather: Cool start but getting warmer by mid morning |
A cooler morning, and getting nearer to zero every single day it seems. This morning it was around 2C, and it can be seen that Fall migration is fading for sure, with way fewer birds than a few days ago. Another sign of winter approaching is the start of the winter birds showing up. Saw a couple of Purple Finches and several Kinglets this morning. Am I ready ...... absolutely not ... Oh well!!
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 18th - 20th 2020
| Locations: 18th, 20th Burlington, 19th Halton | Weather: Sun and cloud but getting cooler |
I have grouped the last three days together, as there wasn't too much to photograph, but what we did find was quite interesting, especially yesterday (the 19th) with a White-winged Crossbill showing up near Burlington. I saw the bird up in the trees and when I looked through my viewfinder I was in a situation of almost total disbelief ... Here was a bird that really shouldn't be here a) too early and b) too far south.
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 17th 2020
| Location: Same as yesterday :) | Weather: Same as yesterday :) |
 Philadelphia Vireo | I hate to say this ... but the fires on the west coast area are actually helping with the imagery I'm able to capture right now - In the morning, the best time to photograph birds, the early morning sun, that would normally be quite contrasty with harsh highlights and deep shadows is much softer as the smoke from those west coast fires drift into our atmosphere. I'm not saying that this good news but simply that it is some ways a bit of a plus. .... "it's an ill wind" has a bit more of a catch to it, I suppose. This morning was quite a good morning in that there was some good songbird activity, along the trails. Sightings were up from the couple of days before, but it was definitely sporadic ... Highlights were Philadelphia Vireo, Blackburnian Warbler and a Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler. Close behind was the Purple Finch pair and the Scarlet Tanager that dropped by I suspect that things will start to slow down over the next week or so, but wonderful while it lasts As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title |
September 16th 2020
| Location:In and around Burlington | Weather: Sunny, cooler start, but warmer later |
We went back to the same large woodlot that we had had decent sightings a few days ago, so we arrived early with lots of good vibes. Initially, for almost the first hour, we saw and heard zero then a a flight of Warblers passed by our position and for 15 mins or so it was a case of deciding which songbird to point a camera at. For the next couple of hours this situation of feast and famine repeated itself a couple of times. The highlights were the Parula that was foraging for bugs very close to us for a couple of minutes, and the other was a Blackpoll that was close, then an American Redstart sat next to it briefly .. awesome. Pics below
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 15th 2020
| Location: North Dumfries | Weather: Very cool start (2C) but warmed up later - sunny |
 Sandhill Crane | Word was that the previous night was to be a bonanza migration night, but with a mid morning dental appointment, I was limited to an hour or so -- just my luck that it turned out as predicted, into a bumper sightings kind of day.. As Fall migration continues I am getting more and more amazed at the frequency that certain birds turn up. Top of that list is the Blackpoll Warbler .. hardly a day goes by (over the last two weeks) without at least one sighting and all of them, in several different locations. Another is the Bay-breasted Warbler. So I can only assume that their breeding summer was very successful . Awesome After my dental appointment I took a short drive around the area and although I didn't really plan on taking any photographs, I was surprised to see 8 or 9 Sandhill Cranes in 3 groups, so I couldn't resist a few shots. Other sightings were Kestrels, Black & White Warblers and Turkey Vultures. ..... |
September 14th 2020
| Location: In and around Burlington | Weather: Clear and sun, but cool to start |
Started off in a large woodlot where in previous times we have found a few songbirds, and although for the first hour there was virtually no movement whatsoever, it then picked and we had a period of decent activity .. then almost as soon as it had started it died off. However during that activity we saw and photographed several songbirds.
After a while we gave up and headed into town and down to Valley Inn to see if there was anything interesting happening down there. One thing is for sure there are lot pf photographers who think this is the place to see birds. There was around 20 or so cameras lined up along the pond hoping to get a few shots. Personally it's not my "cup of tea" to be around so many other photographers, but every now and then I don't mind too much. We picked a pretty good day to be there though as there were two separate Green Herons that were hunting and were at almost touching distance. We watched both of them catch small fish, so it was very interesting and entertaining. The other feature on the menu down here were the abundance of Ospreys flying back and forth, so pretty nice to get some flight shot practice.
The top two images are interesting in that in the Fall these two species are so similar. In general appearance, the Bay-breasted bears close resemblance to the Blackpoll in that both are greenish above and light below with white wing bars and tail spots and a streaked back. The real tip off as to its identity is the color of the upper parts, which in the Bay-breasted is yellow green and in the Blackpoll is gray green. The underparts are equally distinctive. The Bay-breasted is buffy below, a feature that is most pronounced on the undertail coverts. In addition, all age and sex classes except the immature female show varying degrees of bay on the sides. The Blackpoll's underparts are whitish yellow with the yellow varying from a tinge to a complete suffusion. If doubt remains, then check the legs, which are lead gray in the Bay-breasted and brownish yellow in the Blackpoll. The feet are also yellowish in the Blackpoll
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
After a while we gave up and headed into town and down to Valley Inn to see if there was anything interesting happening down there. One thing is for sure there are lot pf photographers who think this is the place to see birds. There was around 20 or so cameras lined up along the pond hoping to get a few shots. Personally it's not my "cup of tea" to be around so many other photographers, but every now and then I don't mind too much. We picked a pretty good day to be there though as there were two separate Green Herons that were hunting and were at almost touching distance. We watched both of them catch small fish, so it was very interesting and entertaining. The other feature on the menu down here were the abundance of Ospreys flying back and forth, so pretty nice to get some flight shot practice.
The top two images are interesting in that in the Fall these two species are so similar. In general appearance, the Bay-breasted bears close resemblance to the Blackpoll in that both are greenish above and light below with white wing bars and tail spots and a streaked back. The real tip off as to its identity is the color of the upper parts, which in the Bay-breasted is yellow green and in the Blackpoll is gray green. The underparts are equally distinctive. The Bay-breasted is buffy below, a feature that is most pronounced on the undertail coverts. In addition, all age and sex classes except the immature female show varying degrees of bay on the sides. The Blackpoll's underparts are whitish yellow with the yellow varying from a tinge to a complete suffusion. If doubt remains, then check the legs, which are lead gray in the Bay-breasted and brownish yellow in the Blackpoll. The feet are also yellowish in the Blackpoll
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 13th 2020
| Location: North Dumfries | Weather: Rain early, then cleared up |
Not a very active kind of day, but I did find a couple of decent songbirds...
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 11th 2020
| Location: North Dumfries | Weather: Cloudy with some sun |
My chosen spot this morning had a few birds but nothing that ventured into my viewfinder. I had heard that elsewhere it was a good migration day, but where I was there was very little going on .... luck of the draw I suppose.
Seeing that it was a quiet day I'm going to rant a little ...
I'm a bird photographer, and have been for many, many years, but I'm also a birder and have an intense love of birds and nature in general. One thing that gets me all riled up is the "them & us" situation that seems to exist between birders and bird photographers. It makes no sense - their (birders) approach is that the bird photographers are not being considerate enough when around birds. For the most part that is complete claptrap - and for 98% of the photographers they are doing their best to be totally considerate towards our winged cousin. Now I do agree that there is a small element of my fellow photographers that are aggressive and all that matters is getting that shot, but for the most part we are as considerate as would be acceptable to all of us.
Today I read a dialogue on Discord (Discord is a birder related forum that covers Ontario, and a very useful resource to us all) where a Birder (who I wont name) was aggressively ranting on about a bird photographer who he deemed had moved in too close to a fairly rare bird (a Red Knot) I won't go into too many details, but the discussion pretty much centered around doing damage to the photographers camera etc etc. to prevent them getting any decent shots ....
I used the term them and us earlier, and in Ontario that is very much the case. I should say at this point I have absolutely no animosity towards any birder, and for the most part I try to engage them in a discussion any time we find ourselves in close quarters.
This aggression that certain birders emit seems to be from the long term, self important, well known individuals. Funnily enough I have had encounters in the US (and in Europe) from high end and well known birders and found them to be friendly and helpful, so this aggression seems to be Ontario limited .... Please don't think I am being petty, but I'm confused & frustrated. Lets hope that, sometime in the not too distant future, this animosity can be neutralized Happy birding
Seeing that it was a quiet day I'm going to rant a little ...
I'm a bird photographer, and have been for many, many years, but I'm also a birder and have an intense love of birds and nature in general. One thing that gets me all riled up is the "them & us" situation that seems to exist between birders and bird photographers. It makes no sense - their (birders) approach is that the bird photographers are not being considerate enough when around birds. For the most part that is complete claptrap - and for 98% of the photographers they are doing their best to be totally considerate towards our winged cousin. Now I do agree that there is a small element of my fellow photographers that are aggressive and all that matters is getting that shot, but for the most part we are as considerate as would be acceptable to all of us.
Today I read a dialogue on Discord (Discord is a birder related forum that covers Ontario, and a very useful resource to us all) where a Birder (who I wont name) was aggressively ranting on about a bird photographer who he deemed had moved in too close to a fairly rare bird (a Red Knot) I won't go into too many details, but the discussion pretty much centered around doing damage to the photographers camera etc etc. to prevent them getting any decent shots ....
I used the term them and us earlier, and in Ontario that is very much the case. I should say at this point I have absolutely no animosity towards any birder, and for the most part I try to engage them in a discussion any time we find ourselves in close quarters.
This aggression that certain birders emit seems to be from the long term, self important, well known individuals. Funnily enough I have had encounters in the US (and in Europe) from high end and well known birders and found them to be friendly and helpful, so this aggression seems to be Ontario limited .... Please don't think I am being petty, but I'm confused & frustrated. Lets hope that, sometime in the not too distant future, this animosity can be neutralized Happy birding
September 10th 2020
| Location: Robertson & Cox Tract | Weather: Damp & dull start but brightened up slightly later |
The day, weather wise was somewhat similar to yesterday, and the birds were reacting in very much the same way. There were lots of them around but very few of them were close enough or static enough to allow a shot. The ones that did only sat for 2 or 3 seconds at the most. However the ones I managed to capture were First-of-Fall for me - a Tennessee Warbler and a Black-throated Blue Warbler. There were other birds around incl Swainson's Thrushes, Scarlet Tanagers, Gray Catbirds, Black-throated Green Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, American Redstart, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Black & White Warbler and Common Yellowthroat .
A distraction at one point when a young fox walked close to where we were setup... always nice to see
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
A distraction at one point when a young fox walked close to where we were setup... always nice to see
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 9th 2020
| Location: Thornapple | Weather: Dampish and dull |
Songbirds are very much on the move right now, but today I found them quite sluggish in coming into the open. Although we saw lots of birds skulking in the undergrowth not too many of them sat and posed for me. Oh well ... that's shooting birds in the Fall.
Sightings were OK with Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Parula, American Redstart, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black & White Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Swainson's Thrush and a few others that are not coming to mind as I write this.
Sightings were OK with Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Parula, American Redstart, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black & White Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Swainson's Thrush and a few others that are not coming to mind as I write this.
September 6th 2020
| Location: Robertson Tract | Weather: Cool/sunny start (6C at 07:00) but warmed up |
I get asked quite often how I manage to photograph some of the birds I get. I have, for the most part, avoided answering these questions, but I think maybe it is time to share with you some of the "tricks". Many of my fellow birders/photographers simply head out down a local trail with their camera over their shoulder and hope for the best ... well good luck because the success rate on getting a few good and clean shots, using this strategy, is likely to be pretty much zero.
Over the next week or so I plan to share a few of the methods and techniques I use for small bird photography ...
Today was very much a typical fall songbird migration type of outing, where I headed to a spot that historically for me has been quite productive during both spring & fall migration. The spot is a mixed type of woodland next to a swampy lake, and where there is a slight clearing that gets a bit of light So Tip #1 ... go where the birds are likely to be, and pick a spot where there is an opportunity to get birds in the open. I prefer a location that is, from where I am setup, looking somewhat downhill, that way I can limit my shooting angle.
Over the next week or so I plan to share a few of the methods and techniques I use for small bird photography ...
Today was very much a typical fall songbird migration type of outing, where I headed to a spot that historically for me has been quite productive during both spring & fall migration. The spot is a mixed type of woodland next to a swampy lake, and where there is a slight clearing that gets a bit of light So Tip #1 ... go where the birds are likely to be, and pick a spot where there is an opportunity to get birds in the open. I prefer a location that is, from where I am setup, looking somewhat downhill, that way I can limit my shooting angle.
September 5th 2020
| Location: Thornapple | Weather: Sun and passing clouds |
After a full four hours of staking out a certain area within the trail system we came out with a good catch of fall migrants. Generally the plan was to find a nice little clearing in one of the woody sections along the trail system and see what passed through, and today this worked quite well with 7 or 8 Warbler species, 3 Vireo species, 3 Flycatchers and another couple of odds and ends.
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 4th 2020
| Location: Cox & Robertson | Weather: Sunny with little cloud and a tad cooler |
It's funny ... some days the birds are bold & active and come in really close, and other days are like today. Today even the Red-eyed Vireos, of which there were 3 or 4, stayed out of range. The birds that did come in a bit closer did so for a few seconds only, so getting a decent shot was almost impossible. Sightings were .. American Redstart, Blue-winged Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Green Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Scarlet Tanager & lots of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.
Looking at the list above would suggest it was a successful day, but I manged only a handful of images ... go figure!!
Looking at the list above would suggest it was a successful day, but I manged only a handful of images ... go figure!!
September 3rd 2020
| Location: Thornapple Loop | Weather: Perfect - generally cloudy, but lots of light |
Fall migration is now well under way, which although not as exciting as the spring equivalent, it is still a great time to be a bird photographer. Today I headed to another of my favoured spots - Thornapple Loop in Dundas, and was delighted with the quantity and species of birds that I came across in the 3 hours that I patrolled the trails. My target was the Philly and I was quite "chuffed" to find one early on in the morning, but it was a short encounter, so I had to make the shots count.
I found another Vireo not too far from the Philly and as yet I am unable to ID. My first thought that it was a Blue-headed Vireo, and although the colouring was pretty close the signature white spectacles were way off, so I'm still mulling over the possibilities ... could be a Warbling, but it could also be a rare Plumbeous Vireo ... unlikely but who knows....
Other songbirds I spotted and some of which I photographed were Blackburnian Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, American Redstart, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Great-crested Flycatcher, Gray Catbird, Least Flycatcher ... and of course a Chickadee <wink>
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
I found another Vireo not too far from the Philly and as yet I am unable to ID. My first thought that it was a Blue-headed Vireo, and although the colouring was pretty close the signature white spectacles were way off, so I'm still mulling over the possibilities ... could be a Warbling, but it could also be a rare Plumbeous Vireo ... unlikely but who knows....
Other songbirds I spotted and some of which I photographed were Blackburnian Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, American Redstart, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Great-crested Flycatcher, Gray Catbird, Least Flycatcher ... and of course a Chickadee <wink>
As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
September 1st 2020
| Location: Glen Morris (West Dumfries Road) | Weather: Some sun, but mostly cloudy |
Anybody that knows me, knows that I have terrible hearing, so birding general is a pretty good challenge for me. Most birders can home in bird species by their call. I have to rely on some of my other senses, which for the most part is my sense of movement, but I also rely heavily on knowing where to be and when, and of course a ton of luck.
Today I headed to a much favoured spot of mine near where I used to live and staked out the spot for a few hours. Almost immediately I did in fact hear a bird, which based on my earlier comment, is a rarity, but also very pleasing. The call which must have been close, was of a Black-billed Cuckoo, but after much scanning with the bins, and of the playing of a few calls, I was unable to locate it. However I did see a small, albeit a very short, passage of a few songbirds. A couple of which I was able to photograph, so didn't come away empty handed ....
Today I headed to a much favoured spot of mine near where I used to live and staked out the spot for a few hours. Almost immediately I did in fact hear a bird, which based on my earlier comment, is a rarity, but also very pleasing. The call which must have been close, was of a Black-billed Cuckoo, but after much scanning with the bins, and of the playing of a few calls, I was unable to locate it. However I did see a small, albeit a very short, passage of a few songbirds. A couple of which I was able to photograph, so didn't come away empty handed ....
