November 28th & 30th 2023
| LOCATION: Day1 - N. Dumfries+Home and Day2 - Blair | WEATHER: Day1 Snow and Day2 dry, but colder |
| Can't say its a welcome site to get our first dump of snow, but it does give our photographs a new look. Cant wait for spring though - I am not a winter person!! Back yard feeders were quite busy - I suppose the birds have to find a food source at least for the time being. Unfortunately there was nothing very unusual - I had hoped for maybe some Goldfinches or maybe House Finches, but the visitors were pretty much what I posted. In the morning of Day1 I found a couple of Horned Larks along West Dumfries Road - they move close to or the road when the fields get a layer of snow. At one spot I heard Snow Buntings, but never saw them, but I am sure in the coming weeks there will be lots of sightings. Looking forward to that!! |  Red-bellied Woodpecker (F) |
November 25th & 26th 2023
| LOCATION: North Dumfries | WEATHER: Dull and getting colder |
Both days, pretty much the same route around some back roads in the township of North Dumfries. I prefer the quieter gravel roads, and make several stops at spots that I have been many times before. For the small birds on my wish list, I look for gnarly and bushy clumps next to a woodlot. I find these type of spots the most effective for skulking small birds - Siskins, Sparrows, Finches etc.
November 24th 2023
| LOCATION: North Dumfries | WEATHER: Mainly cloudy and close to 0c |
When I don't have any real plans, I like to take a run around a few of the gravel roads in my general area. I have about a dozen spots that I often stop at along that route - sometimes all of them sometimes just a few. Some days it can be knockout and other days pretty bad - today it was not too bad. The highlight was I came across a couple of foraging flocks of Pine Siskins, so I was pretty happy. I had hoped for a Fox Sparrow, but they keep eluding me, so I need to keep on trying, I suppose ... or try a new area.
Tip of the Day: I don't do much shooting of birds in flight. but for those who would like to try to do it reasonably well then you should attempt to freeze the movement of the flying bird either completely or with only minor blur. To be able to do that you’re going to need to shoot at high shutter speeds.... how high depends on the speed of the bird and how rapid its wing movements are. Have fun.
November 22nd 2023
| LOCATION: Burlington & Hamilton | WEATHER: Cloudy & damp |
As you can see from the pics below, that I had a decent morning - nothing rare or unusual but a nice change to get a few images on my card. The weather was damp and cold, and a tad misty early on, so didn't make it too easy to get a clean shot, but you take what you can get ... right?
Highlight was getting a clean(ish) shot of the Winter Wren at La Salle - he seems to show up every winter, and I think I have several pics over several years !!
Highlight was getting a clean(ish) shot of the Winter Wren at La Salle - he seems to show up every winter, and I think I have several pics over several years !!
Tip of the Day: When you get the opportunity to get close to a bird for a photo, it can be more effective if, by taking into consideration the shape and position of the bird and surroundings, you flip your camera into vertical mode (as opposed to the default mode of horizontal). By doing so you, when in that situation up close, to get more of the background in the shot.
November 18th & 20th 2023
| LOCATION: At home in Kitchener | WEATHER: Sun &y cloud, and above 0C |
Because of a computer problem (I lost one of my hard drives, and had to download the backup), I ended up staying around home, so I did a little setup and set out some bird food, and waited around to see what would show up. Generally it was tons of House Sparrows and Juncos, but a few woodpeckers showed up as well - Downy, Hairy & Red-bellied Woodpeckers. I had hoped for maybe a Nuthatch or two, but no luck.
November 13th 2023
| LOCATION: Brant County back roads | WEATHER: Chilly, but with little wind, and sunny |
It turned out to be quite a productive day, with quite a few species around. The surprise sighting for me was the flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds - these was around 60 or so . The highlight for me sighting was the Piliated Woodpecker - I dont get too many opportunities to point a camera at these guys, so I was delighted (there were two of them, but only one was close enough) - one of the better days.
November 10th & 11th 2023
| LOCATION: North Dumfries and FWR Dickson | WEATHER: Cooler, but dry |
Both days was starting off taking a run around some of my favorite spots in North Dumfries, then finishing up at FWR Dickson FWR never fails to disappoint - with the regulars laying out seed and nuts along the boardwalk, the birds have come to expect a snack, so they stick around, and give us photographers a few chances at a reasonably close photograph opportunity !! The highlight of the two days was definitely the Pine Siskins - there was a decent sized flock of about 20, foraging alongside one of the gravel roads, next to a swampy area. These were the first of the season for me so pretty happy!!
Tip of the Day: It pays to get to know your birds. Pick up a field guide and learn a little about our beautiful little subjects. Not only will the knowledge of bird behaviour help you understand where to find them and what to look for when shooting them, but you’ll also have a good time learning about nature when there are no birds to shoot, so start your study :)
November 8th 2023
| LOCATION: North Dumfries | WEATHER: Chilly (-3C) and cloudy |
For the last two weeks I have been hearing Lapland Longspurs, but until today, I hadn't seen one. Today, however, I had a couple of them fairly close to me along a gravel road in North Dumfries. They have been hanging out with a small flock of Horned Larks, and sometimes some American Pipits, so I was over the moon at getting a couple of decent shots ... WOOHOO!!
Tip of the Day: Practice your bird photography with birds you see every day. It can be helpful (especially if you’re a beginner bird photographer to start by photographing the common birds you see all around you - Chickadees, Sparrows, Blue Jays etc. These birds will tend to be less flighty, for lack of a better word, as they will be used to people.. so start snapping and good luck !!
November 6th & 7th 2023
| LOCATION: North Dumfries & FWR Dickson | WEATHER: Typical late fall & getting colder |
I have a route that takes me around several locations in the North Dumfries area, but over the last couple of days none of these spots were very productive ... except FWR Dickson Wilderness Area. AS you can se below I had several species give me a few decent views and shots. I had a few other birds calling but never managed a sighting ... especially Fox Sparrow and Winter Wren. Another bird that never showed up (and these fellas are every day regulars) .. Tufted Titmouse. Never heard one and never spotted one! a bit odd
Tip of the Day: When it comes to winter birding a lot of birding is done via driving along various routes through habitat targeting specific species. A good tip is drive slowly through back roads and pull over to get out to look and listen. If you stay in your car the whole time, you are likely to miss many individual birds, so it’s a good idea to get out of the car regularly to scan (and listen) for birds. Some forested areas are better to view by walking around outside your car, but most open areas are best viewed from the car with only brief scanning stops. If your hearing is a little poorer than normal (like mine), download and instal Merlin on your mobile - it does the listening for you :)
November 3rd & 4th 2023
| LOCATION: North Dumfries & FWR Dickson | WEATHER: Mix - some rain & some sun |
Day1 was pretty hard work to find and photograph any birds, but I did manage a couple. Day2 was much better as there was quite a bit of bird activity, and managed to get my nemesis bird in the open at Dickson .. the Carolina Wren. All this year I have never been able to catch anything more than a fleeting glimpse of this guy, whereas everyone else has been getting decent shots... maybe my overall luck is turning for the better. Now all I need to get is the Fox Sparrow and the Lapland Longspur, which have also been eluding me :)
Tip of the Day: Use bird feeders - but ...Shots of birds on feeders are OK but for more natural-looking images try placing perches such as branches or even a spade near your feeder which they can land on before going for the food. You can also put nuts, berries, seeds and fat balls in holes and cracks in trees to attract them to land.
