May 29th - 30th 2022
LOCATION: Blair to North Dumfries | WEATHER: Sun & Cloud |
May 27th - 28th 2022
LOCATION: Close to home (Blair & N.Dumfries) | WEATHER: 27th sunny, and 28th Cloudy |
May 26th 2022
LOCATION: Guelph Line | WEATHER: Mix of sun and cloud, quite warm, but windy |
I went back up into the Milton area today, to continue my ongoing "exploration" of decent birding spots. It wasn't bad with a few likely spots added to places top drop by in the coming weeks, as the songbirds continue their territory marking etc. I'm already starting to realize that in a few short weeks songbirds will be really hard to locate, and at which time I will likely hang up the telephoto lenses and dig out the macro stuff, for a month or two. Actually I almost enjoy the macro stuff just as much as the birds ... almost <wink> Todays highlights were minimal, but the Mourning Warbler that I found was almost suicidal as it came out in the open several times. It was almost like he wanted his picture taken, and to be honest, I was happy to oblige. As always I didn't hang around more that 15 minutes as birds in this situation can get quite stressed, so I moved on and looked for a new target or two. |
May 23rd - 24th 2022
LOCATION: Back near Milton, both days | WEATHER Sun and cloud .. variable |
Day2 we had much more time, and as it would seem many more opportunities as well - seems that we managed a few decent and somewhat varied sightings. This would be rows 2, 3 & 4. Basically all the shots on both days were taken along the one road in Halton region, so it will definitely be on my goto list for the coming couple of weeks. Not that there were any rarities in the days captures, but the birds were most certainly active, and volunteered some awesome poses for us.
May 22nd 2022
LOCATION: Near Milton | WEATHER: drizzly start then cloud, but cool |
and c) Keep the eyes in focus and get some light in there to really make them pop.
May 21st 2022
LOCATION: North Dumfries to St George | WEATHER: Quite warm, part cloud then Thunderstorm |
Like many of my fellow bird photographers, I much prefer to shoot in cloudy dull conditions, but even better that that can be a morning with very subdued & hazy conditions, whereby we get the best of both worlds ie lots of light but with almost zero shadows, but with some light variances. This morning, for the first hour, was like that, but sadly it didn't last. The light around mid morning turned to harsh sun, then oddly at around noon turned very dark and then a dramatic thunderstorm erupted. At that point I scooted home as the high winds in a forested area isn't a good combination. I toured around a few of my favorite spots and saw and (Merlin) heard several species, so I was able to get a few snaps. I also, as I often like to do, check out back roads that I hadn't been to in a while or ever, and so this am I checked out some of the back roads in and around St George, with some success. All in all a reasonable day. |
May 20th 2022
LOCATION: North Dumfries - wide range | WEATHER: Wet start then some sun |
May 19th 2022
LOCATION: Bruce area | WEATHER: Damp start and colder a bit |
Another trip to the spots we were at a few days ago, and it always amazes me how so different things can be from just a day or two ago. The other day we had some good sightings and a few decent captures, but today it was if the switch was thrown and it was back into the darkness of "no sightings" (or at least very few sightings). Early on we managed a few oddball Warblers, but as the day progressed they seemed less interested, and like many other times, we had to be happy with what we got. Still Nashville's and Northern Waterthrushes are still pretty good ... almost <wink> Tip of the Day: More than any other part of a bird’s body, the eye absolutely, 100% needs to look good. What does this mean? For one, if there is no light in the eyes, birds look dull or lifeless. Whereas birds with a clear catchlight look much, much better. |
May 18th 2022
LOCATION: Halton Tracts, then back roads home | WEATHER: Cool start, mix sun and clouds |
The last time I was up at these Tracts a few days ago, it wasn't too successful, so it made sense to leave it a few days, then have another go. Unfortunately, nothing much changed, and although these particular trails over the years have been very productive, it would seem as if they haven't kicked up into high gear yet. Oh well ... we have good luck and poor luck, so I started the trip back home by taking many of the back roads and checking out some likely looking habitat, with some success I am glad to say. The two highlights were a very cooperative Blue-winged Warbler, and a shy Bay-breasted Warbler - both of whom made the day worthwhile. A pretty common bird in the winter and early spring is the White-throated Sparrow, but as breeding season emerges, they tend to be much harder to find, so thanks to Merlin (again) I was able to get a few shots of a nice looking bird in breeding plumage. |
May 17th 2022
LOCATION: North Dumfries | WEATHER: Sun and cloud |
Sightings included Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blackpoll Warbler, Eastern Meadowlark and a few others ...
May 16th 2022
LOCATION: Bruce Peninsula | WEATHER: Rain early then stopped on arrival, then cloud |
Other sightings were The Yellow-throated Vireo - an odd find this far north (but I wasn't complaining), an Ovenbird (which we heard almost everywhere), a Nashville Warbler an a Black-throated Green Warbler.
A pretty good and successful day
May 14th - 15th 2022
LOCATION: North Dumfries and Grass Lake | WEATHER: Bright and sunny |
Grasshopper Sparrows are back at Grass Lake, joining the Savannah Sparrows that have been here for a few weeks now. I was keeping my eyes open for Lapland Longspurs, but so far I haven't seen any, but you never know
May 12th 2022
LOCATION: Lakeside Park, then North Dumfries | WEATHER: Clear blue sky and very warm |
Big surprise at one spot, with a Yellow-throated Vireo visit, but unfortunately only for a few seconds then he was gone
May 11th 2022
LOCATION: Point Pelee | WEATHER: Cooler start but quite hot later |
The plan was to meet up with a couple of friends from Scotland who were there for a couple of weeks. We met up at the Visitor Centre, and then walked a few of the trails with mixed success, but still managed several FOY (first of year) sightings, so all in all well worth the trip, but Boy, was it busy with hundreds of birders and photographers. It was incredible to meet up with Iain again, and his wife .. thanks folks:)
Highlights for me were the sightings and photographs of both Cuckoo species (Black-billed & Yellow-billed Cuckoos), but only managed a decent shot of the Yellow-billed.
May 9th 2022
LOCATION: Puslinch, and surrounding area | WEATHER: Mainly sunny, and getting warmer |
Although I spotted several birds that I would loved to have photographed, they were for the most part quite high ib the trees and reluctant to drop down to a height where shooting (with a camera LOL) is decent. I spotted at least 3 Blackburnian Warblers at 3 different spots, and a couple of Nashville Warbler. I also got a quick look at what I think was an Orange-crowned Warbler.
On the plus side I spotted several Northern Waterthrushes along the edge of a couple of slow moving creeks. Other sightings were Pine Warblers, of which there were a few, and a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. The male was kind enough to pose for me for a few minutes.
Non-bird wise I spotted this Comptons Tortoiseshell butterfly, and another FOY for me. I shot it with the long lens - I did head back to the car for a macro, but it had moved on by then.
May 8th 2022
LOCATION: Grass Lake area | WEATHER: Cool start, then really warm. Sunny |
May 1st - 6th 2022
LOCATION: Lake Hope, Ohio | WEATHER: Mix of sun and cloud, but very warm |
Personally, I had a target list which I was able to get, other than the Yellow-breasted Chat - we saw one almost daily, but couldn't get a decent shot, other than a couple of snaps for record purposes..
The last time we were in the area we found it quite a challenge to see and photograph the Cerulean Warbler, but this year we found several cooperative birds, and managed several decent images ... so all in all I was really pleased with the collection, as below, and dozens more that I haven't published. Roll on 2023 :)
There are two of our human senses that make locating and photographing birds .. especially songbirds, a definite must. First is obviously sight, and to enhance that is a good pair of binoculars. The second sense is good hearing, and in a lot of ways the more important of the senses for locating our targets. Personally I have lost the high end of the frequency ranges, so I have to rely on someone else, and thankfully I have a couple of birding partners that have excellent hearing. Good hearing is only the first part - it is incredibly important to learn the bird songs that are sung by the birds. These songs can help you identify what is out there and the direction and distance that they can be found. So learn your bird calls !!