Weather: bit of a mix of cool and sometimes wet
Locations: furthest traveled was Algonquin (31st), but generally close to home
Didn't get out much this week - things to do and the weather didn't cooperate much anyways. Even when I did get out there were not too many birds around, other than the common "garden" birds. I did spot a Northern Harrier at Riverside Park, which was nice, but he was gone before I could aim the camera :(
On the days that were nice I did try to get some shots that showed the the incredible fall colours - like the shot above. This was taken at the Homer Watson Park Lookout (a fav spot of mine)
I did however, manage a field trip, with Helen, Rico, Jim, Donna and Rosemary, to Algonquin Park on Saturday 31st - Again not many birds around, other than the usual Blue Jays and Chickadees. Saying that I missed a fabulous bird when I left the group to head back to the car - the group saw and photographed a Black-backed Woodpecker - Wow, and well done guys!! See picture taken by Jim Piggott below and many thanks Jim for allowing me to use the image :)
We did get to see several foxes, at three different locations, which made the trip very worthwhile. The first fox we saw was one that dashed across the road in the early morning light as we passed through Huntsville, so I'm sure that one doesn't really count, but ....
Locations: furthest traveled was Algonquin (31st), but generally close to home
Didn't get out much this week - things to do and the weather didn't cooperate much anyways. Even when I did get out there were not too many birds around, other than the common "garden" birds. I did spot a Northern Harrier at Riverside Park, which was nice, but he was gone before I could aim the camera :(
On the days that were nice I did try to get some shots that showed the the incredible fall colours - like the shot above. This was taken at the Homer Watson Park Lookout (a fav spot of mine)
I did however, manage a field trip, with Helen, Rico, Jim, Donna and Rosemary, to Algonquin Park on Saturday 31st - Again not many birds around, other than the usual Blue Jays and Chickadees. Saying that I missed a fabulous bird when I left the group to head back to the car - the group saw and photographed a Black-backed Woodpecker - Wow, and well done guys!! See picture taken by Jim Piggott below and many thanks Jim for allowing me to use the image :)
We did get to see several foxes, at three different locations, which made the trip very worthwhile. The first fox we saw was one that dashed across the road in the early morning light as we passed through Huntsville, so I'm sure that one doesn't really count, but ....
Black-backed Woodpecker 
17th - 23rd October 2015
Northern Cardinal * Week1 of Retirement
Weather: getting cooler but with lots of sun
Locations: Toronto, Hamilton, Cambridge etc
Yes - With retirement having materialized (at last) I now have more time to pursue my passion for photography, and more more specifically bird photography. However the season is ever so definitely progressing towards winter, but still a few fall birds around, but mainly Yellow-rumped Warblers, of which, I have seen dozens this week. Highlights ....
Tuesday: I headed to Sam Smith looking for the Townsend's Solitaire and the Least Bittern, but came up 0 for 2 on those, but still had a decent day - lots of Kinglets and Hermit Thrush's around.
Friday: I was in a dilemma as to where to go, but after picking up Carlos at 8:00am, we headed to Grindstone Creek in Hamilton - we figured, if nothing else there would be some pretty fall colours. On the very pleasant walk from Valley Inn, we spotted a ton of "suicidal" Chickadees, Nuthatches & Downy's, that were amazingly entertaining (every time one of us raised a pointed finger to point out some feature or other, a Chickadee would land on it - scared the beejesus out us when that happens!!). Big highlight was the discovery of a Carolina Wren along the boardwalk.
Weather: getting cooler but with lots of sun
Locations: Toronto, Hamilton, Cambridge etc
Yes - With retirement having materialized (at last) I now have more time to pursue my passion for photography, and more more specifically bird photography. However the season is ever so definitely progressing towards winter, but still a few fall birds around, but mainly Yellow-rumped Warblers, of which, I have seen dozens this week. Highlights ....
Tuesday: I headed to Sam Smith looking for the Townsend's Solitaire and the Least Bittern, but came up 0 for 2 on those, but still had a decent day - lots of Kinglets and Hermit Thrush's around.
Friday: I was in a dilemma as to where to go, but after picking up Carlos at 8:00am, we headed to Grindstone Creek in Hamilton - we figured, if nothing else there would be some pretty fall colours. On the very pleasant walk from Valley Inn, we spotted a ton of "suicidal" Chickadees, Nuthatches & Downy's, that were amazingly entertaining (every time one of us raised a pointed finger to point out some feature or other, a Chickadee would land on it - scared the beejesus out us when that happens!!). Big highlight was the discovery of a Carolina Wren along the boardwalk.
10th & 11th October 2015
Dark-eyed Junco Date: 17th & 18th October 2015
Weather: Chilly mornings, but quite a bit of sun later
Cayuga area on Sat, then Cambridge on Sunday
Autumn is well & truly upon us - frost for the first time on Saturday morning prompting the leaves to avalanche from the trees, which in some ways very picturesque and pretty, but depressingly a reminder that the white stuff (snow) is not far behind - in fact Sunday morning we woke up to a thin skin of snow, and which thankfully was gone at the first blink of sunshine, but a giant reminder that we will be shoveling soon. Sat I went to the Cayuga area to catch two birds that were on my target list, as they pass through our their migratory path though our area - namely Rusty Blackbird and American Pipit. First stop was Ruthven where amongst a few decent sightings I did in fact see several Rusty's. A pleasant surprise was that there were a couple of Tufted Titmice around as well. Other sightings were a ton of Cedar Waxwings, White-throated Sparrows, Robins and a tatty, lonely looking Black-throated Green Warbler. Headed, from there, over Townsend Lagoons, which yet again I can't find a legal way in. This was the spot I was hoping to see Pipits, but I had to leave empty handed. I cruised the back roads on the way back home and was pleased to see a few other "goodies".
Sunday I headed to Riverside Park - never very interesting, but as always there was lots of quantity. Highlights were a lone Hermit Thrush and a few House Finches.
Weather: Chilly mornings, but quite a bit of sun later
Cayuga area on Sat, then Cambridge on Sunday
Autumn is well & truly upon us - frost for the first time on Saturday morning prompting the leaves to avalanche from the trees, which in some ways very picturesque and pretty, but depressingly a reminder that the white stuff (snow) is not far behind - in fact Sunday morning we woke up to a thin skin of snow, and which thankfully was gone at the first blink of sunshine, but a giant reminder that we will be shoveling soon. Sat I went to the Cayuga area to catch two birds that were on my target list, as they pass through our their migratory path though our area - namely Rusty Blackbird and American Pipit. First stop was Ruthven where amongst a few decent sightings I did in fact see several Rusty's. A pleasant surprise was that there were a couple of Tufted Titmice around as well. Other sightings were a ton of Cedar Waxwings, White-throated Sparrows, Robins and a tatty, lonely looking Black-throated Green Warbler. Headed, from there, over Townsend Lagoons, which yet again I can't find a legal way in. This was the spot I was hoping to see Pipits, but I had to leave empty handed. I cruised the back roads on the way back home and was pleased to see a few other "goodies".
Sunday I headed to Riverside Park - never very interesting, but as always there was lots of quantity. Highlights were a lone Hermit Thrush and a few House Finches.
10th & 11th October 2015
Date: 10th & 11th October 2015
Weather: Cool to start then above seasonal ~22C
Locations: Sat: Guelph & Sun: Toronto
Both Saturday & Sunday ended up being pretty good birding days. Weather was exceptional for the time of year albeit with a cool start. Saturday I had a later than normal start (to be honest I slept in), so decided on the Arboretum at the University of Guelph. Here's a spot that can be terrible & awesome one day to the next. Saturday was one of the better days, especially with Hermit Thrushes - I estimate that I spotted around 25 of them in less than 3 hours - with the bigger of the flocks being approx 8 or 9 birds. Combine this with two sightings of Blue-headed Vireos, and a host of misc other birds, I would call this a GOOD day.
Sunday, Headed to Tommy Thompson Park, where I had planned to meet fellow birders Sonya & Ken. At 8:00am we headed in, starting off at the Wet Woods, but higher than we liked winds, kept the birds tight to the ground and for the most part, out of site. However, thanks to the keen ears of Sonya & Ken we managed several sightings of Ruby & Golden-crowned Kinglets, but unfortunately most of said sightings were fairly deep in the dogwood making photography a challenge. We had lots of flash past sightings of unknown birds, which kept us on our toes, but for the most part, other than conjecture, remained anon. Beyond the Wet Woods, in the open areas we came across a flock of Warblers, that was almost completely consisting of Yellow-rumped, but we did spot at least one Palm Warbler in the mix. A few Ducks, swans & geese foraged along the inner bay shorelines, but I don't think we spotted any shorebirds the whole morning. All in all a good day ... thanks guys for great company :)
Weather: Cool to start then above seasonal ~22C
Locations: Sat: Guelph & Sun: Toronto
Both Saturday & Sunday ended up being pretty good birding days. Weather was exceptional for the time of year albeit with a cool start. Saturday I had a later than normal start (to be honest I slept in), so decided on the Arboretum at the University of Guelph. Here's a spot that can be terrible & awesome one day to the next. Saturday was one of the better days, especially with Hermit Thrushes - I estimate that I spotted around 25 of them in less than 3 hours - with the bigger of the flocks being approx 8 or 9 birds. Combine this with two sightings of Blue-headed Vireos, and a host of misc other birds, I would call this a GOOD day.
Sunday, Headed to Tommy Thompson Park, where I had planned to meet fellow birders Sonya & Ken. At 8:00am we headed in, starting off at the Wet Woods, but higher than we liked winds, kept the birds tight to the ground and for the most part, out of site. However, thanks to the keen ears of Sonya & Ken we managed several sightings of Ruby & Golden-crowned Kinglets, but unfortunately most of said sightings were fairly deep in the dogwood making photography a challenge. We had lots of flash past sightings of unknown birds, which kept us on our toes, but for the most part, other than conjecture, remained anon. Beyond the Wet Woods, in the open areas we came across a flock of Warblers, that was almost completely consisting of Yellow-rumped, but we did spot at least one Palm Warbler in the mix. A few Ducks, swans & geese foraged along the inner bay shorelines, but I don't think we spotted any shorebirds the whole morning. All in all a good day ... thanks guys for great company :)
4th October 2015
Date: 4th October 2015
Weather: surprisingly nice after a very cool start
Locations: A drive on the South side of Cambridge
I didn't go out as usual in the early morning - instead played a rare game of golf with a couple of friends, but later in the afternoon, and seeing it had turned out nice, I convinced my non-birding wife to go for a drive around some my favorite spots on the south end of Cambridge. On one gravel road, somewhere near Glenmorris, we spotted a flurry of activity along the road, that turned out to be mainly sparrows (most of them looked like Field Sparrows), but in the mix were (2) Eastern Bluebirds, and a couple of Warblers. Managed a few shots before they all drifted off. You can't be in the area without going to Grass Lake .... The family of Sandhill's were grazing amongst the cattle feeders next to the road, so for once I was able to get some closeups.
Weather: surprisingly nice after a very cool start
Locations: A drive on the South side of Cambridge
I didn't go out as usual in the early morning - instead played a rare game of golf with a couple of friends, but later in the afternoon, and seeing it had turned out nice, I convinced my non-birding wife to go for a drive around some my favorite spots on the south end of Cambridge. On one gravel road, somewhere near Glenmorris, we spotted a flurry of activity along the road, that turned out to be mainly sparrows (most of them looked like Field Sparrows), but in the mix were (2) Eastern Bluebirds, and a couple of Warblers. Managed a few shots before they all drifted off. You can't be in the area without going to Grass Lake .... The family of Sandhill's were grazing amongst the cattle feeders next to the road, so for once I was able to get some closeups.
3rd October 2015
Red-winged Blackbird Date: 2nd & 3rd October 2015
Weather: Very cool (between 6 & 10C)
Locations: Hendrie Valley, Thornapple Loop, Grass Lake, Guelph Arboretum
With the sun coming up progressively a bit later each day, I get a chance to get more sleep (this is the good part), but with dwindling number of summer birds (that's the bad part). However, we have to make the most of each day - lots of nature's best out there just waiting - Started out, with my good friend Steve, at Hendrie Valley. As we headed down the path towards the boardwalk in the half light of the morning we could see lots of bird activity, so was hoping that the boardwalk would be interesting and productive. However, even after the light improved, we found the boardwalk and trail towards Valley Inn were somewhat poor in bird activity other than the "suicidal" Chickadees (landing on equipment & hands almost at every stop). There was one spot, however, that had a few Golden-crowned Kinglets, and for a few minutes we were blessed with great photo opportunities. Quick drop in a Thornapple Loop was pretty dismal, other than a drift pass by of a few sparrows, vireos and I think a warbler or two, but it was over in less than a minute. Last stop on the south side of Cambridge was at Grass Lake. We were, of course, looking for the Sandhill Crane family and found them in the field at West River Road. An early morning visit the Arboretum at the University of Guelph was totally uneventful, but on the way back I spotted some sparrow activity along a gravel road, and was surprised to see a couple of Eastern Bluebirds in the the mix (I would have though these guys should have been long gone)
Weather: Very cool (between 6 & 10C)
Locations: Hendrie Valley, Thornapple Loop, Grass Lake, Guelph Arboretum
With the sun coming up progressively a bit later each day, I get a chance to get more sleep (this is the good part), but with dwindling number of summer birds (that's the bad part). However, we have to make the most of each day - lots of nature's best out there just waiting - Started out, with my good friend Steve, at Hendrie Valley. As we headed down the path towards the boardwalk in the half light of the morning we could see lots of bird activity, so was hoping that the boardwalk would be interesting and productive. However, even after the light improved, we found the boardwalk and trail towards Valley Inn were somewhat poor in bird activity other than the "suicidal" Chickadees (landing on equipment & hands almost at every stop). There was one spot, however, that had a few Golden-crowned Kinglets, and for a few minutes we were blessed with great photo opportunities. Quick drop in a Thornapple Loop was pretty dismal, other than a drift pass by of a few sparrows, vireos and I think a warbler or two, but it was over in less than a minute. Last stop on the south side of Cambridge was at Grass Lake. We were, of course, looking for the Sandhill Crane family and found them in the field at West River Road. An early morning visit the Arboretum at the University of Guelph was totally uneventful, but on the way back I spotted some sparrow activity along a gravel road, and was surprised to see a couple of Eastern Bluebirds in the the mix (I would have though these guys should have been long gone)
