December 29th & 30th 2023
| LOCATION: FWR Dickson (mainly) | WEATHER: Cloudy, but mild |
If it wasn't for FWR Dickson, birding during this month would be quite poor. As word has spread about the celebrity birds (ie the Tufted Titmouses) visitor visits has increased to a several on a daily basis, many of whom bring bird seed, so lots of the now resident birds have come to rely on these "handouts". I generally try not to go too often and usually try a few other spots on my rounds around the North Dumfries area, but lately sightings have quite significantly decreased ... other than FWR Dickson .
December 23rd & 24th 2023
| LOCATION: Kitchener (home) | WEATHER: Seasonally mild |
Merry Xmas to all, and to those who stumble upon, my almost daily blog. Over the last two days I haven't ventured too far from home. My backyard feeders are pretty much constantly visited by a few species, but unfortunately none that are even remotely a bit unusual., but I will take what I can get - actually its quite a relaxing day keeping an eye on the feeders.
December 20th & 22nd 2023
| LOCATION: FWR Dickson, Glen Morris | WEATHER: Mainly cloudy and mild(ish) |
I spent most of these two days at the FWR Dickson Wilderness Area - as always it wasn't too uneventful with quite a bit of activity - mainly due to that many of the visitors bring bird seed and leave it along the railings of the boardwalk. Quite a few birds have come to rely on this continual handout . and we photographers take advantage of the bird activity :) Keep it up folks :)
** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title
December 18th 2023
| LOCATION: Kitchener (back yard feeders) | WEATHER: Typically & seasonally cool |
Flat day, so just kept an eye on our back yard feeders, and as you can see .. not much happened.
December 15th 2023
| LOCATION: Algonquin Provincial Park | WEATHER: Mild (+7C) and blue sky |
It was an early start to my trek up to Algonquin. I got into my vehicle at almost exactly 03:30 and arrived at the Visitor Centre in the Park at around 07:45 ... a long drive but well worth the trip (I think). I had a wish list for my time there and other than not getting any pictures of the Common Redpoll (I heard them at two locations though), I managed all the others .. some good images, and some not so good. On the surprise list I also saw a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets a few Goldfinches ... seems a little far north for them. Pine Siskins, much like down here, are in large quantities, and pretty much at all mt stop points, I was seeing several.
December 8th 2023
| LOCATION: Stoney Creek & Burlington | WEATHER: Crazy warm for the time of year (+8C) |
 Cormorant | I had heard there some interesting birds in the Stoney Creek area, so as I had not visited the Lake for few weeks, I thought it was time to do a little exploring. Fifty Point reportedly had a male Harlequin Duck, but unfortunately it seems to have moved on .. Oh well!! On the plus side there were lots of Long tailed Ducks, which was nice as these are one of my favorite ducks - there were literally several hundreds, but most were a few hundred yards out. I suppose there could have been some cool birds with them, incl the Harlequin, but I will never know!! After leaving there I headed to La Salle & Valley Inn - both spots a bit predictable, but at least you know what you are likely to see. Lots of Hooded Mergansers, Black Ducks, Buffleheads, Mallards, Trumpeter Swans etc etc. At this time of year we expect the ice to be forming in the lake, driving in most of the water birds, but so far its like Fall, so its a tad delayed. ** As always ... click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title |
December 4th, 5th & 6th 2023
| LOCATION: In and around North Dumfries & Brant Cnty | WEATHER: Generally milder that seasonal |
Over the last few days I have taken my usual drive around the gravel roads in North Dumfries and into Brant County. No huge surprises, but I have to admit I was delighted to find the Two Tundra Swans in amongst the twenty or so Trumpeter Swans. Today (6th) I dropped in at FWR Dickson Wilderness Area, as I hadn't been here for a couple of weeks - it never fails to disappoint. With the regular visitors dropping seed and nuts along the boardwalk, encourages a good quantity of small birds to hang around. Today there were a couple of Tufted Titmouses, a Carolina Wren, a few Pine Siskins, several sparrows of differing sub species, Downy, Hairy & Red-bellied Woodpeckers (one of the regulars mention that they had also seen a Pileated on the way along the trail as well).
Tip of the Day: Focus on areas that are out of the wind as they can often be quite productive. Remember birds need to stay warm too, so focusing on these sheltered type areas can often be quite productive. Good luck :)
