Winter Birds in North Lambton!

Pine Grosbeak! According to the Winter Finch Forecast 2025-2026 "It looks to be a flight year for many species in Eastern Canada. With mostly very poor crops in the boreal forest from central Quebec westward to Manitoba, this has the potential of being the biggest flight year since 2020-2021."

https://finchnetwork.org/winter-finch-forecast-2025-2026

Although we have seen Pine Grosbeaks further north, this was our first find in Lambton County. 4 were found in North Lambton near the MNR Parking lot! They were feasting on Winterberry.

The weather was looking good after the snowfall so a visit to Pinery Provincial Park was on the agenda. I'm glad I took my winter boots!

The feeders were stocked with seed at the Visitor Centre where we found a pair of Purple Finches! Purple Finches have large, seed-cracking beaks and seem to prefer black oil sunflower seeds best. They use their big beak and tongue to crush seeds and extract the nut. The Purple Finch is the bird that Roger Tory Peterson described as a "sparrow dipped in raspberry juice!”

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Purple_Finch/overview

Cedar Waxwings congregated together as they feasted on Juniper berries. 

From a distance, we counted 30 Cedar Waxwings bathing in this puddle!! The melting snow provided lots of standing water!

Splish splash, taking a bath!!

We even located one Bohemian Waxwing standing in the puddle!!

True to their name, Bohemian Waxwings wander like bands of vagabonds across the northern U.S. and Canada in search of fruit during the nonbreeding season. Large groups will descend on fruiting trees and shrubs at unpredictable places and times. Unlike the familiar Cedar Waxwing, they have rusty feathers under the tail and white marks on the wings.

https://allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bohemian_Waxwing/overview

Pine Siskins have been heard flying overhead in the past month. They are nomadic finches which move erratically across North America in response to seed crops. They are better suited to clinging to the tips of branches than to hopping along the ground. Their breasts are heavily brown-streaked and when in flight they flash yellow wing markings.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Siskin/overview

While I was trying to take some scenic shots of the dunes at Lake Huron...

....a Bald Eagle flew right over my head, and I totally missed it! (Photo by Deryl)

Boardwalks to the beaches guide visitors through a rare sand dune community. Plants that are are specially adapted to withstand the rigours of this hot, dry environment, anchor and stabilize the sand. Visitors are required to stay off the sand dunes to reduce damage to the fragile ecosystem.

A Red-bellied Woodpecker carried a morsel of food as she flitted around the tree trunk. I'm not sure if she was trying to find a safe caching location or a quiet place to eat!

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An unexpected "Leader of the Flock"! Looking up, I realized that the lead bird was "not like the others"! They were very distant, but a Tundra Swan was leading the way for a small flock of Canada Geese.