September 30th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (gravel road ..again) | WEATHER: Cloudy start, but brightened up .. still mild |
Same location as yesterday (generally) with a good selection of birds again. Today the highlight was probably the small flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers that hung around for quite some time, giving me shot after shot as they foraged in the low branches of a thicket.
September 29th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (Gravel Road) | WEATHER: Duller start then sun & cloud |
| Looking out this morning I could see that it was slightly overcast, and virtually zero wind ... my favorite kind of bird photography weather, so yet again I headed to my favorite local area, which is 10-15 mins from my house, so lets hope for some avian activity !! Within a fairly short span of time I am hearing a couple of different birds (using Merlin), and I was fortunate to have one of them drift into my shotting zoon. It was a nice looking Hermit Thrush, so all going well. Next stop .. another km further on, in a small woodlot I hear and see another few birds ... This time I kinda hit my jackpot, as one of them was a FOY Gray-cheeked Thrush. Tip of the Day: What light is “best” may vary. On a sunny day, early morning just after sunrise and evening just before sunset are prime times. These so-called golden hours are well known for landscape photography but the same principles apply to nature photography, and |  Lincoln's Sparrow |
especially to birds when we want to show off some of their dazzling colors. The light at this time is more flattering, and the low sun angle accentuates color and detail. Besides, early morning is when many birds are out and about.
September 27th 2024
| LOCATION: Guelph Line & Hespeler | WEATHER: Slightly cooler, but mainly sunny |
First stop this morning was along some back roads just off Guelph Line, with some reasonable success. My targets were migrating Warblers, but I only saw the one species,, the Yellow-rumped, but I did get a few other goodies ... as below.
On my way back down the 401 I headed to Hespeler Mill Pond, where I had tried yesterday as well, for the local rarity, that has been hanging out there for the last few days. My visit yesterday was a flump, but today the special visitor was out in the open, but a long ways off .. probably 150 meters or so, so the shot I have posted was a massive crop.
On my way back down the 401 I headed to Hespeler Mill Pond, where I had tried yesterday as well, for the local rarity, that has been hanging out there for the last few days. My visit yesterday was a flump, but today the special visitor was out in the open, but a long ways off .. probably 150 meters or so, so the shot I have posted was a massive crop.
September 23rd 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (Gravel Rd) | WEATHER: Misty and damp |
| This morning I went back to the exact same spot as yesterday, but today at this spot, there was zero happening. I suppose there was no sun, so no bugs to attract the birds. However, after this minor failure I drove a few hundred yards further along this gravel road, and used Merlin to see if there was anything around. The app was picking some sparrow activity, so used a bluetooth speaker and some sparrow calls to see if I could draw something into range. Almost immediately a small flock of mixed sparrows showed up .. Swamp, Song, Chipping and, as I discovered later, a couple of Lincoln's. As well as the sparrows, a Nashville Warbler gave me a shot, but it was a very short visit ... maybe less than a minute. Tip of the Day: Be aware of shadows on the bird you are photographing, caused by the angle of the sun or when you’re not in the best position. Often, in the field you don’t notice a shadow, but because shadows are more obvious in photos, it’s good to watch specifically for shadows and adjust your position to avoid them when possible |  Lincoln's Sparrow |
September 22nd 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (Gravel Rd) | WEATHER: Misty start then sun |
Over the past month or so I have come to really like this spot. I sit in my car with drivers window down and keep an eye on a small thicket, that gets the sun first thing in the morning, This morning I sat there for about 90 minutes and several birds popped into the open. I suspect the bugs are active in the early morning heat, and in turn the birds use the opportunity for a snack or two, Coupled with that there are a couple berry bushes that the birds also seem to like.
September 21st 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (gravel Rd and Grass Lake) | WEATHER: Sun & cloud |
 Savannah Sparrow | First stop was the gravel road, with Merlin picking up zero and my eyes.... the same result, so based on some personal history about this part of the month in previous years I headed to one of my favorite spots along West Dumfries Road, and again zero, other a few Robins up in the trees. Next stop Grass Lake where I spotted a couple of Sandhills lazing around in the field, and a few Savannah Sparrows along the fence line. I also heard some Eastern Meadowlarks, but couldn't spot them. I thought it odd that there would be still some around, but maybe worth checking again in the coming days. |
Tip of the Day: Weather plays a huge role in the migration. Moderate winds and gusty conditions keep most songbirds grounded., the greatest concentration of migrating birds tends to occur a day after the passage of a cold front.
September 19th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (gravel rd) | WEATHER: Continuing sunny and hot |
It was another of those days with almost no breath of wind, so it was interesting to, as well as look for birds in motion, to keep an eye on leaves, and branches moving, which in turn can mean a bird is close or has just left the branch etc ...
**As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title**
September 16th & 17th 2024
| LOCATION: Day1-Burlington Day2-North Dumfries | WEATHER: Sunny and hot |
Our jaunt down to the Burlington area was a bit flat, especially at our first stop (Thornapple), but we did see the Orange-crowned Warbler, so that made up for the rest of the visit. The initial idea of this area was to get a look at and hopefully a few shots of a rare visitor (Wilson's Phalarope) that had been hanging out at Valley Inn for a few days, but my luck wasn't in, as it wasn't there this morning. Oh well !!
September 15th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (gravel road) | WEATHER: Sunny |
When I have limited time on any particular morning I take a short drive to one of my local gravel roads, and sometimes I see a few birds. This morning was one of those mornings, with several songbird sightings. Nothing too unusual, but I was still very happy with the outcome images.
On top of some birds I had 3 individual Racoons cross that road, at 3 different times over the course of about 45 minutes.
On top of some birds I had 3 individual Racoons cross that road, at 3 different times over the course of about 45 minutes.
September 12th - 14th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries back roads | WEATHER: Pure sun, and hot later in the day |
 Turkey Vulture | Birding around my local area has been a little slow, but still a few butterflies around, but they are difficult to get in a static position, but the Monarch (which was one of several I spotted in one area), gave me a shot or three !!. I had been hoping for a few Warbler shots, but even though I saw 3 or 4 , I never once pointed a camera !! Maybe my luck will change in the coming days. |
September 11th 2024
| LOCATION: Cambridge & Burlington | WEATHER: Sunny |
 Red-eyed Vireo | Another, weather wise, good looking day, so initially headed to my local spot near Cambridge, but after an hour of listening etc, nothing showed up. Ended up cutting my losses and headed back to Thornapple Loop lust outside Burlington to see if that would be any better. Thornapple was a also a bit quiet, other that a short period where several birds passed through - seems to be the way things are going this fall, However you take what you can get, when you can get it. High on my list of targets was the Hermit Thrush, and luck was with me when I spotted one foraging along the edge of a wood lot. After Thornapple I headed back to Valley Inn, which was also a little quieter than yesterday, so gave up and headed home. |
September 10th 2024
| LOCATION: Burlington (Thornapple & Valley Inn) | WEATHER: Sunny, cool start then hot later |
Along with a good birding friend, we visited one of my favorite spots in this part of the province for migrating songbirds, in the Fall. It started off quite active with a few Bay-breasted Warblers, a Northern Parula, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and a couple of Red-eyed Vireos passing through, but after that initial bit of activity it went quiet. On the plus side when we got back to our vehicles my friend Cerian found a Praying Mantis, so that was a big plus. Thanks Cerian .. appreciated!!
Next, we went to Valley Inn where there were lots of activity with shorebirds
Next, we went to Valley Inn where there were lots of activity with shorebirds
**As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title**
September 8th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries (gravel rd) | WEATHER: Sun and cloud but chilly (8C) |
Quite an eventful morning when a small flock of mixed species Warblers passed by my staked out location along one of the gravel roads near my house. There were at least 6 species, of which 5 I managed some acceptable shots. The only one I could not get a clean photo of, was a Northern Parula.
Tip of the Day: How to tell the difference between fall coloured Bay-breasted Warblers and a Blackpoll Warblers. The top two upper images show both species. The one on the left is a Bay-breasted and the one on the right is a Blackpoll. The best way to tell the difference between these two almost identical birds, is by the feet colouring - the Blackpoll has yellow feet and with the Bay-breasted, the feet are black
September 6th & 7th 2024
| LOCATION: D1:North Dumfries (gravel) and D2:FWR Dickson | WEATHER: Sun and cloud, and a bit cooler |
Both Days 1 & 2 have been a little sluggish when it came to Warblers and Vireos, but I did find my first of season Swainson's Thrush. On Day2 I headed to the FWR Dickson trail, where I had heard there was a Lincolns Sparrow hanging out, but on my visit it eluded me, and based on conversations with other birders there, it eluded them too. Oh well that's the nature of the beast as it were !! I did see one of the Tufted Titmouses that have been around all summer, and hopefully they will. like last winter, hang around this winter also.
**As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title**
September 3rd - 5th 2024
| LOCATION: North Dumfries back roads | WEATHER: Cool starts, but warmed up .. sunny |
| Back to my usual spots hoping for some more unusual songbirds passing through my area, but it may be a little early yet, as they all seem to be the more common species. However I am still very pleased with the ones I managed to photograph. One thing I have noticed, as I am sure it's the same every year, is that was very little calling, which I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise, as they are not on territory, so nothing to sing about :) While out I also kept my eyes open for butterflies and other interesting insects. The quantity of butterflies around has dropped significantly over the last week, as the season progresses and temperatures, especially in the early morning, become cooler. |  Nashville Warbler |
September 2nd 2024
| LOCATION: Guelph Line area | WEATHER: Unseasonably a tad cold (12C), and windy |
Along with a great birding friend, Helen, we headed to the Guelph Line area, which I have found in the past to be a decent location to find and photograph some migrating songbirds, Today, unfortunately, was a tad windy and colder than we would have expected, so consequently, the migrants were staying up really high making it all but impossible to get any shots. Saw several species but no shots!!
What we did find (or should I say more accurately, what Helen found) were lots of Caterpillars, so the day ended up being really good.
What we did find (or should I say more accurately, what Helen found) were lots of Caterpillars, so the day ended up being really good.
Tip of the Day: At this time of year some quite exotic caterpillars can be found reasonably easy - what I do is when walking along a trail or along the roadside, is look for leaves on trees and bushes, that have segments missing where they have been eaten by a caterpillar. Usually I find them on a situation like this on the underside of the leaf,
**As always .. click on any image to show full size. Also by hovering your cursor over any image will provide a title**
