Dates: Nov 20th - 30th 2015
Weather: Mixed, but generally cool (~0C)
Locations: Very much local, other than a couple of Sunrise photo ventures to the Hamilton area
With birding flat at this time of year I didn't venture too far. Early in the week I dropped in at Riverside Park, with no surprises - best sighting was a Red-bellied Woodpecker. I've always had decent luck at another Cambridge location - near Landon Hall Hotel, Blair. On Tuesday I spent an hour or two watching a couple of Northern Harriers cruising along the Quarry edge, occasionally harassing a Red-tailed Hawk that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sunday 29th I endeavored to locate the Barred Owl that had been spotted at Laurentian Wetlands in Kitchener, but after 1.5 hours and with the help of another birder/photographer (Jamie) we were unable to locate it. We did however spot a couple of Coopers Hawks (one adult and one juvi) that were squabbling in the dense undergrowth. I managed to get a couple of very poor images, but you take what you can get some days. Also spotted a very sleepy looking Raccoon that was having a nap in the sun.
Monday: After reading about a Mountain Bluebird being spotted at Halls Road in Whitby, I headed there and was pleasantly surprised how cooperative this rarity was. We never got close, but it continually moved along the bike path in front of the wave of birders & photographers who came to check it out. Another lifer (2nd one in two weeks)
November 14th- 19th (Cuba)
Location: Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba
We needed a vacation so after much deliberation we decided on a brand new hotel (the Warwick) located in Cayo Santa Maria. Hotel has only been open since August of this year, so it was in good shape and quite modern. The plan had been to try and locate a birding guide (Edwin Ruiz Rojas) before we left, but after a few emails and no response I gave up (figured I might be able to locate him through the hotel - nada!). Typically when I am the Caribbean I can usually find a spot off the resort that has some sort of trail or path that I can explore and generally locate some birds, but after a lot of walking (in hot, hot conditions) over the first 2 days I was unable to find anything suitable. I found that for the first two days the best birding was sitting on my little patio in front of our hotel room (go figure). On our first full day I was able to spot Palm Warblers, Northern Parulas, Common Yellowthroats, Ovenbirds, Prairie Warblers, Redstarts, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Kingbirds, Painted Buntings, Catbirds, Black & White Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers just from my lawn chair on our patio, and I had a beer to whet my whistle, just an arms reach away :) Life is good!!
The Monday & Tuesday rained pretty much non stop so didn't do much photography, but I did do a little walking around the resort whenever the rain let up. I tended to carry binoculars and was fortunate to see (but no photos) of several good birds - Black-Hawk, Gundlach's Hawk, Common Ground Dove, Cuban Bullfinch, Western Spendalis, Great Lizard Cuckoo (I was within 7ft of this guy) and several unidentified birds that were too quick for me (I'm 90% sure one was a Prothonatary Warbler)
On the Wednesday (rain had stopped and sun back out) I rented a scooter for a few hours to explore further afield, and headed east and after a few miles came to a Nature Reserve (things are looking up). I paid my 4CUC for entry and spoke to the Conservation Officer for a while - By an amazing coincidence it turns out to be Edwin Ruiz Rojas - the birding guide. I tried to arrange him for the next day (our last full day), but he was unavailable :( - however he did give me a few tips as to where to find birds in my hotel region, so my thoughts were to rent the scooter the next day, but by end of day Wednesday I was hit with severe "Montezuma's Revenge" that even as I write this on Saturday morning is still with me. Anyways my incapacitation meant that my birding was cut short.
Along the beach there weren't too many birds other than a few Ruddy Turnstones, Wilson's Plovers, Royal Terns and a few fly-by's of Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigate Birds.
My best bird of the whole trip was as my wife and I were sitting in our room looking out through the patio doors and what should hop onto our patio - a Yellow-throated Warbler - a lifer for me. woohoo! Unfortunately by the time I had my camera out he was gone :
We needed a vacation so after much deliberation we decided on a brand new hotel (the Warwick) located in Cayo Santa Maria. Hotel has only been open since August of this year, so it was in good shape and quite modern. The plan had been to try and locate a birding guide (Edwin Ruiz Rojas) before we left, but after a few emails and no response I gave up (figured I might be able to locate him through the hotel - nada!). Typically when I am the Caribbean I can usually find a spot off the resort that has some sort of trail or path that I can explore and generally locate some birds, but after a lot of walking (in hot, hot conditions) over the first 2 days I was unable to find anything suitable. I found that for the first two days the best birding was sitting on my little patio in front of our hotel room (go figure). On our first full day I was able to spot Palm Warblers, Northern Parulas, Common Yellowthroats, Ovenbirds, Prairie Warblers, Redstarts, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Kingbirds, Painted Buntings, Catbirds, Black & White Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers just from my lawn chair on our patio, and I had a beer to whet my whistle, just an arms reach away :) Life is good!!
The Monday & Tuesday rained pretty much non stop so didn't do much photography, but I did do a little walking around the resort whenever the rain let up. I tended to carry binoculars and was fortunate to see (but no photos) of several good birds - Black-Hawk, Gundlach's Hawk, Common Ground Dove, Cuban Bullfinch, Western Spendalis, Great Lizard Cuckoo (I was within 7ft of this guy) and several unidentified birds that were too quick for me (I'm 90% sure one was a Prothonatary Warbler)
On the Wednesday (rain had stopped and sun back out) I rented a scooter for a few hours to explore further afield, and headed east and after a few miles came to a Nature Reserve (things are looking up). I paid my 4CUC for entry and spoke to the Conservation Officer for a while - By an amazing coincidence it turns out to be Edwin Ruiz Rojas - the birding guide. I tried to arrange him for the next day (our last full day), but he was unavailable :( - however he did give me a few tips as to where to find birds in my hotel region, so my thoughts were to rent the scooter the next day, but by end of day Wednesday I was hit with severe "Montezuma's Revenge" that even as I write this on Saturday morning is still with me. Anyways my incapacitation meant that my birding was cut short.
Along the beach there weren't too many birds other than a few Ruddy Turnstones, Wilson's Plovers, Royal Terns and a few fly-by's of Brown Pelicans and Magnificent Frigate Birds.
My best bird of the whole trip was as my wife and I were sitting in our room looking out through the patio doors and what should hop onto our patio - a Yellow-throated Warbler - a lifer for me. woohoo! Unfortunately by the time I had my camera out he was gone :
November 1st - 7th
Sandhill Cranes Date: Nov 1st - 7th
Weather: Unseasonably warm, close to 20C most days
Locations: Local, Hamilton
What an incredible week to wander around the local trails. The weather most days was unseasonably warm, and with little or no wind making it almost summer like. I managed to get out 4 days this week, but generally for a couple of hours only. My camera got a workout on Wednesday when I visited Grindstone Creek - Cedar Waxwings being the predominant species, but managed several other including (2) Carolina Wrens, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfishers and a few others. I was a tad lucky with the arrival of (3) Sandhill Cranes as I was standing looking into a field (I was scanning the field for Sandhills), when they came almost right at me. It's nice every now and then to be in the right place at the right time!
Weather: Unseasonably warm, close to 20C most days
Locations: Local, Hamilton
What an incredible week to wander around the local trails. The weather most days was unseasonably warm, and with little or no wind making it almost summer like. I managed to get out 4 days this week, but generally for a couple of hours only. My camera got a workout on Wednesday when I visited Grindstone Creek - Cedar Waxwings being the predominant species, but managed several other including (2) Carolina Wrens, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfishers and a few others. I was a tad lucky with the arrival of (3) Sandhill Cranes as I was standing looking into a field (I was scanning the field for Sandhills), when they came almost right at me. It's nice every now and then to be in the right place at the right time!
