Saturday Morning - dull, with Sunny spells - Temp -4C (at 8:00am)
Location: Sedgewick Forest in Oakville
Surprisingly quiet when I first arrived. The usual spots were empty- a few House Finches here & there but disappointing. I met a few birders hoping to see the reported Nashville & Tennessee Warbler that had been reported earlier in the week. After an hour or so, as the sun peaked through the clouds there was a sudden burst of action, with White-throated and Song Sparrows, several Cardinals, a few Winter & House Wrens, but as the sun drifted behind the clouds again the activity faded with it. Other birders were able to tell me that they had seen both the Tennessee, a few Yellow-rumped, and the Nashville Warbler earlier, but they remained elusive. I was about to give up when I spotted a Winter Wren that every now and then would pop into the open, and then along came what I thought was a Tennessee, but after a forum request for ID, it turns out to be an Orange-crowned Warbler ... still good !!
Location: Sedgewick Forest in Oakville
Surprisingly quiet when I first arrived. The usual spots were empty- a few House Finches here & there but disappointing. I met a few birders hoping to see the reported Nashville & Tennessee Warbler that had been reported earlier in the week. After an hour or so, as the sun peaked through the clouds there was a sudden burst of action, with White-throated and Song Sparrows, several Cardinals, a few Winter & House Wrens, but as the sun drifted behind the clouds again the activity faded with it. Other birders were able to tell me that they had seen both the Tennessee, a few Yellow-rumped, and the Nashville Warbler earlier, but they remained elusive. I was about to give up when I spotted a Winter Wren that every now and then would pop into the open, and then along came what I thought was a Tennessee, but after a forum request for ID, it turns out to be an Orange-crowned Warbler ... still good !!
November 15th 2014
Couple of male House Finches Just back from a family visit to Scotland on Thursday afternoon, and returned to wintry conditions - A fact emphasized by the Flight Captain when we pulled into the gate in Toronto as he sang " Let it Snow, let it snow, let it snow" ... sadist! After checking local conditions I decided that a visit to Sedgewick Park in Oakville might be reasonably successful. Sedgewick has an interesting environment next to a Sewage Treatment plant that produces a food source for over-wintering & late travelers. It was a cool morning, and with good light not scheduled until after 10am, so I had a late start. Sightings were OK, with lots of Waxwings, Downy's, House Finches, Goldfinches, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Fox & White-throated Sparrows. A couple of friends that I met at this location mentioned that they had spotted Pine Siskins, but I missed them !!
On the way back to KW I swung around by Woodland Cemetery in Hamilton to see if the well documented Eastern Screech Owl was in residence ... which he was - sitting in the same tree as he always seems to be.
On the way back to KW I swung around by Woodland Cemetery in Hamilton to see if the well documented Eastern Screech Owl was in residence ... which he was - sitting in the same tree as he always seems to be.
November 1st & 2nd 2014
Pileated Woodpecker Saturday: November arrived with a blast of winter - Minus 1C when I headed out at 7:00am to head to Luther Marsh, just north of Fergus. Several Hundred Rusty Blackbirds had been sighted on Thursday on their southern migration, so thought that a few stragglers may still be around (I was wrong - none around). Anyways, I headed into the Conservation area to find that deer hunting season opened today and the park was full of high powered rifles, so I made sense to make a strategic withdrawal and basically call it a day. I did however spot a flock of Cedar Waxwings (pic below) on the north end of the marsh by the side of the road
Sunday: Still cold (-3C). Had planned to go to Hamilton to check out the local hotspots, but on a whim I headed to Riverside Park instead, which turned out pretty good as I came across a Pileated Woodpecker along the boardwalk. I've seen lots of these in the past, but always too far away to get any decent shots, but today lady luck was with me.
Sunday: Still cold (-3C). Had planned to go to Hamilton to check out the local hotspots, but on a whim I headed to Riverside Park instead, which turned out pretty good as I came across a Pileated Woodpecker along the boardwalk. I've seen lots of these in the past, but always too far away to get any decent shots, but today lady luck was with me.
