October 31st 2016
Location: Sedgewick Park, Oakville
Weather: Cool start at -1C, but warmed up in the sun to +10C
| | Sedgewick never fails to produce, although some days are better than others. Today was a decent day - I had great light and a few birds around allowing a few good views. Quite a few Warblers around still including a lot of Yellow-rumped and singles of Blackpoll, Northern Parula and Orange-crowned. Unfortunately I didn't see the Parula today (but a friend did). Other species included Carolina Wren, Winter Wrens (2), Eastern Phoebe (2), House Finches, Ruby-crowned Kinglets (a few), Golden-crowned Kinglet (1) and American Robins (6). I met up with a friend there who showed me an image on his camera that he had taken today of a Northern Shrike, but unfortunately I didn't see. oh! well next time maybe |
October 30th 2016
Location: Home :)
Weather: Nice - sun & cloud
I had some work to do at home, so couldn't get away, but I had a pile of fun during my "breaks" and my home staged setups taking pics of a few of our regular visitors.
October 26th 2016
Location: Riverside Park & Home
Weather: typical fall day - cooler, cloudy with sunny spells
| Over the last few days I've been searching some of the local woodlots for nice dead logs (and somewhat light ... I had to carry them back to my vehicle), to setup a small photo setup at home. I was looking for something with a bit of fungus and/or some moss. In some of the pics opposite you can see sections of my "finds" which included a nice moss covered log and a section bark. So as fall sets in I no longer have to buzz around the province tracking down birds - I can now do this from the comfort of my house. I have setup a tripod in front of my patio doors looking out onto my deck where my logs & branches are setup. Cheating .. mmm!. Is it? | |
October 25th 2016
Location: home, in Kitchener
Weather: Cool starts to the day
| | As mentioned on previous posts I find myself birding closer to home, as fall and winter engulf us, and in this case at home. I have set up a small birding stake-out with a few logs and branches that allows me to photograph a few of our garden birds.. I can't say it's boring ... and in fact it's a lot of fun. Today I was visited by Chickadees, both Nuthatches and of course Blue Jays ... they are drawn here by my peanut feeder setup, I think. A few of our local squirrels are also attracted ... who woulda thunk? |
October 22nd 2016
Location: Riverside Park, Cambridge
Weather: Sun/Cloud +2C at 9:00am, but warmed up to +8 closer to Noon
As birding slows down at most of SW Ontario's "hotspots" I find myself thinking about birding spots closer to home. Today was such a day and so I was drawn to the boardwalk in Riverside Park, Cambridge. Mostly we see here fairly common garden birds, but occasionally a more interesting bird will be seen here. My "target" today was Rusty Blackbird, or possibly Red-bellied, or Pileated Woodpecker. Unfortunately neither of these guys showed up, but to be honest I was maybe a tad overly hopeful. Sightings were ... Red-winged Blackbirds (both male & female), Chickadees, Cardinals, White-crowned Sparrows, White-breasted Nuthatches, Blue Jays, Coopers & Red-tailed Hawks. One thing for sure you always meet a few fellow birders here and so it was nice to meet up with Theresa, Helen and Anca, and hope you guys had better luck than me :)
Oct 15th - 19th October
Locations: Home, Kitchener (15th), Marie Curtis, Mississauga (18th & 19th) and Sedgewick (18th)
Weather: Last couple of days have been balmy warm eg 18th was 25C ... no complaints from me
| | Fall is truly in full swing, with the colours changing quite dramatically - almost magical in some locations. The leaves are starting to fall, which although quite depressing knowing that winter is close, is also opening up the foliage making birds easier to see. Saying that I spent a few hours at Marie Curtis in Mississauga over the last couple of days looking to photograph the Le Conte's Sparrow that has made a stopover there, and although I did get a few sightings they were only when the bird was in flight. The rest of the time the bird stayed completely out of sight foraging in the reeds and grasses. However with the sightings I did get I was able to put a check mark, against this bird, on my Birding Life List. The longer I do this the harder it is to find birds to add to that list |
October 13th 2016
Location: Sedgewick Forest
Weather: Damp, but warm start, then sun later
Along with a fellow birder/photographer, from Kitchener, we headed to Sedgewick in Oakville. It was my friends first visit to this continuing awesomely location, so I was relieved when it turned out to be a good day (it would have been embarrasing if it had been a flop after building up the story, prior). Highlights were (1st) a Yellow-billed Cuckoo - a lifer for me in Canada (I had seen 2 or 3 in the Carribean), Hermit Thrush, Northern Parula, Carolina & Winter Wrens, Blackpoll, Palm & Yellow-rumped Warblers and of course Kinglets. The most prominent species were the Yellow-rumped & Ruby-crowned Kinglets (there was a ton) ... great day :)
October 11th 2016
Location: Woodland Cemetary, Valley Inn & Sedgewick
Weather: Another cold start (-1C) but warned later in the morning
| | It was another cool start to the day. A touch of frost which I suppose is a sign of things to come ... not sure I'm ready for the white stuff though. Plan was to check out a report of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Woodlands, but after a bit I realized if he is here, its not going to pose for me, so I finished the morning along the Hendrie Valley trail. Other than a few Waxwings and the usual garden birds I came away without too much to show. I usually pack in late morning to head home, but decided to check on Sedgewick. A ton of birds around, but mainly Yellow-rumped & Ruby-crowned. Nevertheless there was a lot of opportunities for bird shots with the quantity of birds concerned ... easily 30 or 40 around. |
October 10th 2016
Location: Guelph Arboretum
Weather: Cold start (-3C) but warmed up to a pleasant 16C
| | It was a bit of a shock to the system this morning. After a long and very hot summer, (right up to a week or two ago) a negative temperature chilled the bones, but at least it's not snowing yet. Every Thanksgiving weekend, for the last few years, I have went to Guelph Artboretum to photograph Hermit Thrushes (see my blog entries for the last 3 Octobers). Funny, they were found in the same thickets as previous years.... maybe same birds ... mmmm! BTW first of year Junco's today .. the harbingers of colder things to come , no doubt |
October 9th 2016
Location: Sedgewick Forest
Weather: Sunny, but cool start (6C) but warmed up pretty quickly
| | A report late yesterday from one of the Hamilton Forums indicated that there was a 100 or so warblers present at Sedgewick. I hadn't been there in a few days so naturally it was worth another visit. I arrived 7:45 and found at the south end of the park that there was indeed a pile of warblers. Unfortunately it seemed that the majority were Yellow-rumped.... still great, but I would have liked to have seen more variety. I did however see and in some cases photographed a Northern Parula, Orange-crowned (brief glimpse so could be wrong) and a Chestnut-sided. THe Parula was my bird of the day ... I had seen it several times over the last few weeks, but never managed a decent pic... so I'm happier now ;) |
October 6th 2016
Location: Van Wagners Ponds, Edgelake Park, 50 Point and finally 8th & 10th Road Stoney Creek
Weather: Still unseasonally warm. Sunny, with a little cloud
As a change I headed down towards Stoney Creek and started at Van Wagners Ponds. I took the trail between the ponds and almost immediately I spotted a foraging Magnolia Warbler, who was quite wary of me so no shots that were reasonably close. A few White-throated Sparrows were around, but other than that not much else. Next stop was Edgelake and unfortunately the warblers have dried up somewhat, but I did see a female Black-throated Blue Warbler and what looked like a Magnolia (it was too fast for me). I had a couple of "first of Fall" Brown Creepers but like all the other shots I had today they were poor (a combination of bad light and distance).
| | Fifty Point Conservation Area had been "kind" to me a few weeks back and so I arrived hopeful. Not too many birds around but I did spot a couple of Wrens, a Swainsons Thrush and a few Kinglets. Last stop of the day was to 10th Road on the mountain at the end of Fifty Road. This spot has it's moments in late Fall and early Spring so as I was close I thought to check things out (you never know). Almost immediately I spotted a Northern Mockingbird and a bit farther along .. a Kestrel - both a nice change from Warblers. All images today using the 100-400 Mk2 |
October 3rd 2016
Location: Sedgewick
Weather: Pleasant and warm later
| | As I left the house this morning the plan was to make a short visit to Sedgewick, then head down to Van Wagners in Hamilton, but ............ there was still a few warblers and Kinglets around, so by the time I was ready to leave it was close to 11am. Oh well maybe tomorrow for Van Wagners... maybe ! My nemisis this fall seems to be the Northern Parula - I've seen a few but I can't seem to get a decent image. Today I managed an OK shot, but not what I was hoping for. Other than that, a ton of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, which seem to be the predominant species at Sedgewick for the moment. Even the Yellow-rumped have thinned out somewhat, but still a few around .. for the moment. The Wilson's Warbler is still hanging in there, but was staying well hidden for the most part. I had an interesting fly-by .. an Avro Lancaster .... cooooool!! |
