DECEMBER 2022

December 31st 2022

Well there goes another year - so I want wish everyone who visits a Very Happy New Year. 

December 28th & 29th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER:  Unseasonably warmer, 2-7C

I headed out, both days, around and along some of the back roads around the North Dumfries area, primarily looking for Snow Buntings, of which I found zero, but ended up at FWR Dickson Wilderness Area (again), and was pleased to see and photograph the new "goodie" that has shown up there ... a couple of Rusty Blackbirds. The Tufted Titmouse is still there but seems to be a lot less frequent at the seed offerings.

December 25th 2022

LOCATION: Kitchener, again at home

WEATHER: Cold, but snow eased off, but windy still

First things first ... I want wish anybody who visits this page a Very Merry Christmas and Happy, and fruitful New Year.
Nothing happening today relating to our family Christmas (we plan that for Boxing Day, when all the family spend the day here). So ... I was back setup looking through our patio doors at the feeder setup on our rear deck. I have been hoping for something a bit less common to show up, but so far just the regulars. 

December 23rd 2022

LOCATION: Kitchener, at home

WEATHER: Very cold, snowy & blowy

Winter has definitely arrived, with a bit of snow, bitterly cold and windy. It was therefore a day for shooting from inside the house to my feeder setup in or deck.

December 21st 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER: Pure sun, but chilly (-5C)

Pure sun is not my favorite kind of light, but with no other plans and you never know ... maybe I might find a a shot or two of something more interesting than the usual. As it happened, after a drive around several of the local back roads, I never found anything, other than a distant pair of Tundra Swans. After an hour or two I gave up and headed to FWR Dickson, where I could be sure of seeing a few of the common birds, and of course one of the semi-resident Tufted Titmouse(s)

December 20th 2022

LOCATION: Caledon area

WEATHER: Cloudy and cold

One of our friends lives in a rural area north of Toronto, and for the last few weeks they have been getting Evening Grosbeaks coming to their feeders on an almost daily basis. I was delighted when I, and a couple of other friends, were invited up to take advantage of this awesome photo opportunity. The weather was nicely subdued, and so it was a great situation. As well as the Grosbeaks, several other species were hanging around close to the feeders too.

December 19th 2022

LOCATION: a) 50 Point b) North Dumfries

WEATHER: Flurries then sun & cloud

Started off this morning, along with a good friend, heading to Fifty Point Conservation Area, where word had it that there was a couple of Saw-whet Owls, and probably not too hard to find. As we found out they certainly weren't easy to find, but we did find two of them. The pic below was one that sat reasonably in the open, so managed a decent shot. The other one was tucked in tight inside a Cedar tree foliage, and no way to get a clear shot. Top images were 50 Point.
After a while we headed to FWR Dickson to see if we could find the Tufted Titmouse. Jamie hadn't had the chance to visit this location previously, so we were delighted with getting a few shots of this beauty. Bottom two images from FWR Dickson.

December 17th 2022

LOCATION: Kitchener

WEATHER: Mix of freezing rain and cloud

Most of the day was pretty miserable, so I set up some perches in and around the feeders, with the camera set up on a tripod inside my dining room, aimed through the patio doors to my setup. Unfortunately nothing too exciting came in (probably  trying to stay dry and warm somewhere) However I was still quite happy with a couple of the shots. 

Tip of the Day: Feeder Setups - a) Place your perches above the bird feeder(s) - Birds will almost always stop someplace higher than the food for one last security check. b) Use a tripod and pre-focus on the perch and be ready, as they do not often sit too long. c) Use a good mix of different seed types and ensure it is fresh. d) Squirrels can be a problem so have a pile of peanuts in the shell off to the side and that should keep them busy.

December 12th & 13th 2022

LOCATION: Between Kitchener & Paris

WEATHER: Mild, but dull & some sun now and then

Commentary to follow

December 11th 2022

LOCATION: Kitchener

WEATHER:  Snow 1st thing, then just cloud

With the fresh fall of snow it was a day to keep close to home. I have a liuttle feeder setup along side of our deck, and is visited with a few specoes.. nothing too interesting but still nice to get a few shots of these generally beautiful birds

December 9th & 10th 2022

LOCATION: Kitchener

WEATHER:  Sun abd cloud but mild

Nothing too exciting today, Except when I pulled in for gas at a local gas station, and I noticed this Coopers Hawk forraging around the flower beds and shrubbery in the station forecourt. Luckilly, I had my camera on the passenger seat, and so I was able to grab several shots before it scittered away. THe shot shown here is uncropped .. that's how close it was.  Awesome

Tip of the Day: While we may traditionally think of the best time of year for birding to be in the spring (and who are we kidding, it is), there is still plenty of birding that you can do when winter comes along. It’s just a matter of finding the perfect location for the stragglers and species who haven’t bothered to travel south, and to make sure that you are prepared for harsher conditions while you head outside to enjoy the birdwatching. Birds can get a little lazy too.. especially if they’ve got everything they need right there where they are.

December 8th 2022

LOCATION: Luther Marsh 

WEATHER: Mild. sun and some cloud

I took the hour drive up to the north side of Arthur and Luther Marsh and cruised along the gravel roads in that area. My targets were any of the Winter Finches (Pine Grosbeaks, Evening Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, White-winged Crossbills and Snow Buntings primarily but some Waxwings were ion the list too. None of the Winter Finches were found, and the only time I managed a few shots were when some Waxwings showed up, which happened a couple of times - thankfully one of those times was with Bohemian ... seems rather odd that none of the targets were in the area yet .. looks like it is a late season.

Tip of the Day: Birding in winter has its advantages. It's easy to spot the silhouette of a hawk perched on a branch or the darting movement of small birds when there aren't any leaves on trees and shrubs. For novices, this is a good time become familiar with the sights and sounds of common resident birds such as chickadees, blue jays, crows, woodpeckers, red tailed hawks, and even eagles. ​

December 7th 2022

LOCATION: FWR Dickson and Kitchener

WEATHER: Misty start, then mainly cloudy, but mild

Started off doing a short tour around some of the back roads in North Dumfries, with not too much to show for all the gas I consumed, but ended up at FWR Dickson, which was quite active, so the day took a bit of a positive hop. 

December 5th 2022

LOCATION: Burlington

WEATHER: Dull, but mild

I took the drive down to Burlington hoping for some interesting waterfowl that might be hanging out along the Lake Ontario shoreline. It was a little uninspiring, but I did see a few Canvasbacks, Black Ducks, Buffleheads and of course Mallards.

December 1st - 4th 2022

LOCATION: North Dumfries

WEATHER: Mix of sun and cloud

Over the last few days I have kept myself fairly local - North Dumfries, which was a mixture of back roads in this areaas well as FWR Dickson Wilderness area. Overall there wasn't too many birds around, but you take what you can get I suppose.