The Pinery Jan. 3, 2020

We had an early start at The Pinery and were greeted with this view of the Ausable Cut.

Tufted Titmice (above) and White-breasted Nuthatches (below) were abundant as they searched for food at parking area #9.

Our surprise find was an Eastern Towhee, definitely not on the expected winter bird list!  He disappeared almost as quickly as he appeared in the undergrowth.

Much of the main road  at The Pinery is closed to vehicles during the winter months.  We parked and walked a 5.5 km loop to reach the Riverside Trail, one of my favourite trails at any time of the year.  A Merlin made a fly by and shortly thereafter we found this Blue Jay, "frozen in fear". He didn't want to twitch a feather until the Merlin was no longer a threat to his survival. Another "frozen in fear" bird was the Red-headed Woodpecker, below.  We were happy to add the woodpecker to our 2020 list!

Since we were already in North Lambton, we made the short drive to Greenway Road and found over 50 Tundra Swans taking a break from their southern journey .

Canatara Park continues to host a variety of bird species through the winter including this male Red-bellied Woodpecker whose head was glowing in the morning light!

A White-breasted Nuthatch showed the Downy Woodpecker who was boss.  The nuthatch chased off the woodpecker with an aggressive display of feathers.

Deryl was touring in the Corunna area yesterday and found a Snow Goose on Lasalle Line that I luckily had time to see before it flew off.

Early this morning, Deryl headed to the Solar Farm and found his first Short-eared owl of the year...a species that I will need to watch for now!

Happy New Year!

Bright and early this morning, 8 hearty soles headed out for our annual January 1st birding day.  We managed to find 41 species, excluding this White Domestic Duck, which doesn't actually qualify as a species for bird counts.  It was one of the first birds we found once the sun was high enough for photographs, and I thought she was beautiful!  Many of today's birds were too far away for photos.  Some of our target highlights included 3 Harlequin Ducks, 1 Peregrine Falcon, 1 Screech Owl, 1 Snowy Owl, 1 Ring-necked duck, and a Great Blue Heron!

Not far away, rested this Mallard Drake.  The bright sunshine made the iridescent feathers on his head glow green and purple.

Gulls were still in abundance down river including a pair of Greater Black-backed gulls, taking a break in the sunshine.

Thousands of gulls were resting on the river, but suddenly they took to the air.

It wasn't long before we found the reason for their distress.  A pair of young Bald Eagles were soaring along the river shoreline.

We didn't find these Sandhill Cranes in the expected location near Port Lambton, but this nearby spot was actually closer to the road for photos!

A few more photos to finish off 2019...

3 Raccoon bums were visible yesterday as they tried to stay warm in a tree huddle.

A trip to Wawanosh Wetlands on Monday earned me a photo of a Red-shouldered Hawk!  In the picture below, his red shoulders were even visible in flight.

On Monday morning, when the grey clouds were finally pushed away, the sun worked magic along the Wawanosh Wetlands Trails, transforming the path into a natural tunnel...a nice way to end 2019!

Christmas Critters

Here are a few photos taken in the days leading up to and following Christmas Day.

 Finding a beaver in Lake Chipican on Christmas Eve Day was completely unexpected!

A Coopers Hawk kept a close watch over the meadow in search of his next meal.

Earlier in the week, the Lake Huron shoreline was blanketed in ice.

Evidence of shoreline erosion.

On a sunnier day, milkweed pods were bursting with seeds.

A pair of Carolina Wrens hopped around and then hid in the underbrush.

Startled by my presence at the western end of Canatara Beach, this small flock of Mallards headed in-land.

Northern Hawk-Owl

All the "stars were in line" to get a Life Bird today! The weather was great for traveling and the bird was seen yesterday so we left home at 7:00 a.m.  It wasn't hard to find the Hawk-Owl thanks to all of the birders in the area.  During the short time we were there, we found people to be respectful of the bird.

We watched it fly to a few different perches. 

 Some believe it resembles a Coopers Hawk with its long tail. 

They are known to perch atop solitary trees in the daylight hours. 

                                   

 It gets its name because it behaves like a hawk but looks like an owl. 

 A few more photos of this beautiful bird. 

The Redheads are back!

I was astounded by the number of Redheads in Lake Huron this afternoon.  We saw small numbers earlier in the fall in Lake Chipican, but the birds disappeared once the little lake froze.  When the US Coastguard emerged from the St. Clair River, they all took flight.  It was an incredible spectacle!  The following 4 pictures provide a glimpse into the sheer numbers.

Christmas Bird Count Weekend

We participated in 2 Christmas Bird Counts this weekend. Yesterday's rainy weather made for a low total bird count at The Pinery.  We spent an interesting morning bush-wacking through parts of the park where we normally don't have access.  Two Ruffed Grouse were the highlight for me but no opportunity for pictures.

Today we helped with the Bluewater Audobon Christmas Bird Count.  The Centre of the 24 km diameter circle was in Michigan but a part of the circle extended into Ontario.  Five groups of birders covered the area between Sarnia and Corunna.

It was a feeding frenzy at Talfourd Creek where it meets the St. Clair River.  We estimated there were 2,450 gulls in the area.

The birds dove completely under water and sometimes emerged with a fish.

Many collisions and arguments occurred.

While touring inland, we encountered a beautiful kestrel enjoying a mouse snack.

I can't resist taking pictures of Chickadees.  They are just so cute!

Male Downy Woodpecker viewed from the roadside.

A goldfinch in fading plumage was busy foraging for food.

Earlier in the week hoar frost was visible on fallen oak leaves.