NOVEMBER 2019

29th November 2019

Location: Stoney Creek - Oakville

Weather: Cloudy, but not too cold 

Sometimes you have to be at the right place at the right time and have the good luck to capture an interesting moment. Unfortunately today I was at the right place, but that special moment I was about 2 or 3 seconds too late for (aaagh!)
I spotted the Screech Owl up in the tree and immediately set about getting my tripod and camera set up, but just before I was ready, a Squirrel came around in front of the hole and for about 2 seconds was face to face with the Owl. The Owl turned it's head and looked at the visitor, but it was all over in a heartbeat... it would have been a great moment to capture, but I missed it .... I should have had on my lucky socks ;) 

26th November 2019

Location: Burlington-Stoney Creek, Ontario

Weather: Very mild with blue sky (+12C)

Red-tailed Hawk with a Vole breakfast

I received some information from some fellow wildlife photographers that Millen Road in Stoney Creek has a few Black Scoters foraging reasonably close to shore, almost every day. An important link in the information chain is to have a share type network between local photographer friends/acquaintances. Another helpful information tool is some of the Facebook groups that specialize in wildlife & in particular bird groups. Of course I have to plug one group - Ontario Bird Photography - It's a group that I started almost a year ago now and has now grown to a healthy 800 following. 
The image to the left was a chance encounter as a group of us were hanging out waiting on the Black Scoters to reappear in the area at the end of Millen Road (Stoney Creek). A Red-tailed Hawk flew over us with something in it's talons, and by good fortune it landed on top of a Hydro pole adjacent to where we were standing, He (or maybe a she) started to shred his unfortunate prey. It was what looked like a vole, and within about 60 seconds had the whole lot devoured. I suppose that was fortunate for the vole in that it was a quick death.

Tip of the Day: A common mistake I see with many newbie wildlife photographers is that they tend to crop too tight around their subject. It is important to remember that composition is equally important and that it always looks way better with some space around your subject ... let your subject breathe :)

25th November 2019

Location: Burlington - Stoney Creek (Ontario)

Weather: Cloudy & dull - weak lighting, but not cold 8C

My target today was a Black Scoter, which wasn't too hard to find - a few of them have been reported on Lake Ontario close to shore (fairly close), at Grays Road, in Stoney Creek. This was my second visit to this location. as my first visit a few days the water was choppy, so the boys and girls were all quite a ways. I'm not obsessed with my bird count, or my lifer list, but still was nice to add this bird to both lists anyways.
Grays Road, as is a few of the dead end streets that end at the edge of Lake Ontario all through this area, a good spot to see and photograph some excellent winter waterfowl - Surf Scoters, Black Scoters, White-winged Scotters, Goldeneyes (99% Common Goldeneyes, but there is a at least one Barrows Goldeneye hanging out there as well (I couldn't find it today) Scaup, Long-tailed Ducks (lots), Mergansers and a few others.  

22nd November 2019

Location: Burlington Lift Bridge Canal

Weather: Pretty cold & really windy

If it wasn't for the strong winds it would have been a pleasant day, but with these strong winds I wondered as to whether it might be good for some bird action shots. I chose the Lift Bridge Canal Pier in Burlington, as a likely spot. This is one of my favorite spots for taking flight shots of ducks and similar species, and today was an excellent day for it. However, as I stood in the strong, and pretty cold, winds at the end of the pier I was beginning to wonder if this was a good idea or not. 
The birds that were there weren't exciting or remotely rare, other than maybe the Black-backed Gull, but it was a lot of fun.

20th November 2019

Location: Burlington and Hamilton

Weather: A tad misty to start, but brightened up later

   One of the best spots to go birding in SW Ontario in the colder months, is La Salle Marina in Burlington. Starting in November and continuing until around March, a vast number of over-wintering waterbirds (Ducks, Grebes, Scoters etc) start to congregate in the sheltered basins in around Hamilton, and for many, at La Salle Marina in Burlington.
   This morning I was delighted to see several interesting species in fairly close to shore. These included Canvasbacks, Ruddy, American Black Duck, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye, Mallards (of course), Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser,  Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, American Coot, Trumpeter Swan, Mute Swan ... and I'm likely missing a few.
   After photographing many of the above, I headed down to the Lift Bridge on the other side of the Bay, where there was, as there is there is every year, hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks hanging out along the channel under the Lift Bridge. Mixed in were a few other species, but the most interesting was a juvenile male King Eider, which was delightful when it came within decent shooting distance. My first King Eider in Ontario. To top off my good luck I had a Northern Mockingbird land fairly close to me, near the parking lot. Not a bad day ... 

King Eider (Juvi male)

Tip of the Day: A useful feature on your digital camera with what's usually referred to as “Back Button Focus”. When using this feature, a button on the back of your camera (hence the name, back button!) is used to lock in the focus of your shot, rather than having to continuously press the shutter button halfway, then shoot. Basically, the feature removes Autofocus from the shutter button and transfers it to another button on the back of your camera.
When shooting birds ....
a) When setup, you will be able, in most cases, to shoot faster, since once set for static subjects, there is no need to refocus between shots.
b) When set to focus on your centre focus point (perfect to get the eye of the bird pin sharp), - focus, and then recompose your shot.
c) Better focus for in-flight subjects: you can shoot continuously with the AF button depressed and your focus will track your moving subject.

16th & 17th November 2019

Location: Blair near Cambridge, and Kitchener

Weather: Sunny with some cloud, but cold .... ~-11C

For the last few mornings I have made a run along Whistlebear Road and Langdon Drive just south of the small village of Blair (near Cambridge) looking for anything interesting and especially any Raptors that I can find. Yesterday (16th) as well as watching several flocks of Sandhill Cranes pass over, I spotted a light phase Rough-legged Hawk. Unfortunately for me, the Roughie was generally heading away from me, so I was unable to get any decent shots, but I was rather elated that at least I saw this one. This morning (17th) I headed back to the same location and what's been my principle target for several days popped up in front of me, albeit at some distance .... a Northern Shrike. An hour or so later I spotted him again, although it was closer this time, it was still a good distance, so I was generally disappointed with my shots, but ..... you can bet your life I'll be back in the coming days. This area has been an annual sighting spot for this species for several years, so the odds are good that I'll see him again. 
This morning (17th) I had another significant flyover of several dozen Sandhills and this time they came down in the field adjacent the road, but a bit far any detailed photography.  
Other sightings over the last two days: Red-tailed Hawk, Dark-eyed Junco, American Robin, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Coopers Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Chickadee, Cardinal, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Tree Sparrow ....

Tip of the Day: Get to know your camera. I suggest going through the user manual and familiarizing yourself with as much as you can. I also suggest staying away from the Auto settings, other than maybe the Aperture & Shutter priority settings ... to begin with. When your more comfortable move up to Manual. This is an important setting and one you should strive to get comfortable with. 

14th November 2019

Location: Cambridge - Kitchener

Weather: Snow flurries and cold

It was a tad dull this morning with snow flurries throughout our area so it was a day to stay local. I did head out for about an hour to check out an area I have been keeping an eye on as it can often produce some interesting species, and in fact yesterday at this location, I had quite a large flight of Sandhill Cranes pass overhead. I have added a pic said Sandhills below. Sightings this morning however were a little smaller in size - lots of Juncos, and in one spot about 20 or so Cedar Waxwings. The big surprise, and the main reason I have checking out this spot, was a a Northern Shrike that gave me, very briefly, a pose, but too short of a pose for a photograph ... but you can be sure I'll be heading back a few times over the coming days. For those who are local, and might be interested, the location is the gravel road (Township Road 1, and is at the end of Langdon Drive) just south of Blair. 
The rest of the day I spent watching my backyard feeders, and had many of the usual and expected species visiting. The Cowbird was a  bit of a pleasant surprise though.
  

12th November 2019

Location: Burlington & Hamilton, Ontario

Weather: After a night of snow, sun & cloud -6C

  Yesterday (Remembrance Day) we were subjected to a much too early in the season snow storm, which dumped close to 6 inches of the white stuff in our area. This morning after looking out at the early morning light I could see that it was going to be be quite a bright day - maybe not the best light for nature photography, but it was definitely going to be very picturesque. I had a few things in mind as i headed out, one being there should be a lot early wintering waterbirds along the lakeshore, and two maybe get a nice wren or similar foraging in the snow ... maybe !!
  First stop when I reached the Lake was to check out Woodlands Cemetery for the Screech Owl. In previous years there was usually two of these little beauties at consistent locations in and around the Cemetery, but as far as I can make it it's down to single Red Morph, but he was in the open hole in the tree, and fast sleep. Even when the snow plow passed by below him he only just cracked his one eye open a fraction, and only for a second or two. 
  Other land bird sightings included ... Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, White-breasted Nuthatch, Blue Jay, Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco and surprisingly a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers

Tip of the Day: A common mistake I see with many novice bird photographers is that they make their images too tight to the subject bird. It's important to allow room around the subject for composition. 

8th -10th November 2019

Location: In and around Kitchener

Weather: Cold with occasional snow flurries

Because of other priorities, and the fact that there wasn't really much around to warrant a road trip somewhere, I therefore  spent a little time along the boardwalk at Riverside Park in Cambridge. This location is very popular with walkers & ramblers, many of whom will set out seed for the resident and seasonal species that hang out here, so there is usually something to photograph along the length of the boardwalk. For the most part, the species found here are "garden birds" - Chickadees, Cardinaals, Sparrows etc etc, but sometimes something a bit more interesting shows up, but over the last few days the most interesting has been a Winter Wren and a Red-bellied Woodpecker, but one keeps on hoping :) 

Tip of the Day: If you are fortunate enough to have Lightroom and Photoshop, it is quite easy to effect removal of some of the background elements of your image that are distracting, or that takes away from your image. Most of the images below have had something from the background either removed or softened, by applying techniques that are quite easy in Photoshop. Many photographers subscribe to the Adobe Plan - Lightroom and Photoshop, and it's well worth the monthly cost.

5th November 2019

Location: Dundas, next to Desjardins Canal

Weather: Cloudy & cool

Again with the rarities showing up in our general area, it was hard to resist the opportunity to "chase" another one and see this very welcome visitor to our area. Today's rarity was a Western Kingbird - not the first one I've seen, but the first one in Ontario for sure (at least for me). After seeing and photographing this gorgeous bird - even though it had a bit of a bad "haircut" It looked like a reverse mohawk, and I suspect it must be the result of a molt.
After getting a few shots of our visitor we trekked to the other side of the highway to see if we could see another rarity that has been reported there, but not seen too often - a Nelson's Sparrow. This species is known to be very secretive, so I wasn't too optimistic, and after an hour we gave up and headed back out of the swamp. A few Song Sparrows were around and one gave me a great pose :)

Tip of the Day: Showcase your work - letting others see your work, and getting feedback from your viewers can only get you to improve.

4th November 2019

Location: Oakville *Sheldon Creek Trail & Sedgewick

Weather: Rain start, but brightened up

As it always seems to happen at this time of year, a few birds during migration get things a tad mixed up, and end somewhere there not supposed to be. This year is no different with several reports of "rarities" in our our area. I say rarities, but in most cases these birds are quite common in their home territories, but exciting for us here nonetheless
This morning we headed down to a public park in Oakville to see if we could see & photograph a Black-throated Sparrow that had showed up here yesterday. The Black-throated would normally be found in the western US ... California, Arizona & New Mexico and after migration in the western parts of Mexico, so as you can see this little guy is somewhat lost.
We arrived at the reported spot and almost immediately we were seeing him foraging around along the side of pathways within the park area. He seemed to be quite fearless and once or twice we witnessed him at the feet of birders & photographers. Unfortunately our celebrity is a little tatty ... I suppose the long journey has taken a bit of a toll on his good looks.
After a few photos we headed to Sedgewick to see if we could see any other goodies .... a few Yellow-rumped Warblers around as well as some Kinglets and a Carolina Wren

3rd November 2019

Location: Riverside Park Cambridge

Weather: Cloudy, with occasional sun, but with a chilly 0C

I always like going down to Riverside Park in Cambridge a) the boardwalk there has some great habitat for several bird species, and b) you always seem to meet fellow birders/friends for a chat and a catch up. Today was one of those days where there was lots of birds (albeit for the most part very common species) but still very enjoyable. I often say that I would rather photograph a common species well than get a lousy shot of a much rarer bird, and today was a good example of that kind of day.

Tip of the Day: This is a pretty obvious tip, but to be able to get decent shots of our avian friends, it's important to buy the longest lens you can afford, and IF you can afford it - buy a high quality prime lens like a Canon or Nikon 500mm or 600mm. These are two of the most popular lenses for serious bird photographers. However some of the other mid range lenses in the right hands, can produce equally good images. 

Male House Finch