It's been a while since I've written a post, which must mean that I've been busy with spring birding. It's true, so I'm going to write two posts since there's so much to cover.
Yes, migration has begun! Lots of new birds in the area, which is a relief! I love photographing ducks, but even I was getting a little bored with the same ones.
I guess you could say that the beginning of Spring arrived on March 4 when thousands of TUNDRA SWANs migrated over Hamilton. After reading an early morning report that a large flock of Tundras was observed flying over the area, I looked out my backyard window ... sure enough, off in the distance I saw a flock flying west. I quickly grabbed my gear, hopped in the car, and went to Woodland Cemetery, which provides a good view of the sky. At first, a few flocks of a couple hundred flew overhead, but that quickly turned into a stream of flocks, one after the other. I estimate seeing around 1,000 between 9:30 and 10:30.
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Tundra Swans flying over Hamilton, 04-Mar-2020 |
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Tundra Swans flying over Hamilton, 04-Mar-2020 |
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Tundra Swans flying over Hamilton, 04-Mar-2020 |
Blackbirds have been pouring in as well. The familiar (and sometimes irritating) sound of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDs has erupted! COMMON GRACKLEs have also been showing up. I'm sure there are BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDs too, but I have seen any yet. Many folks don't like Grackles because they aren't particularly friendly to smaller birds and they make a mess at their feeders. I think they look pretty cool this time of year. Those electric yellow eyes, that iridescent colouring, and their furrowed brows give them a very dramatic look.
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Common Grackle at a feeder, 06-Mar-2020 |
This time of year also brings vagrants, who belong somewhere else. The first big one for this spring was a WESTERN GREBE seen down in Niagara-on-the-Lake. On March 7, Paul Riss and I took a drive down to have a look. It was surprising how close this bird came to shore. This was an Ontario first for me. There were also some RED-THROATED LOONs showing very well. One even had a bit of its red throat starting to show.
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An unusually cooperative Western Grebe, 07-Mar-2020 |
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Western Grebe with Red-throated Loon, 07-Mar-2020 |
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One of the 4 or 5 RTLOs for the day. This one is showing some red on its throat. |
The next day, I took a trip down to Valley Inn to see if some Cackling Geese were still present. They weren't, so I took a drive up to Gates of Heaven Cemetery to see if anything was happening there. There certainly was something happening. When I arrived, I rolled down my window to hear an EASTERN MEADOWLARK singing!!! I quickly found it perched on the tallest little tree in the field. I didn't get any snaps of it until the next morning.
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Eastern Meadowlark arrived 08-Mar-2020 |
Unfortunately, a photographer was in the middle of the field playing taped recordings of birds, which is a no-no in spring. Birds might think there are competitors for territory when folks play bird recordings in spring. This is a known nesting spot for Eastern Meadowlarks, so I look forward to keeping an eye on them in the coming months, and hope to see fledglings in summer.
The Northern Shrike was also showing well, and even better the next morning when it came very close to me as I hid in my car. It perched on a Bluebird box for a couple of minutes, which made me laugh to think what a Bluebird would think about that!
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Northern Shrike: A strange welcoming party for the Eastern Bluebirds |
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Northern Shrike in flight |
Shortly after those photos, a couple of birders showed up looking for the Eastern Meadowlark. We got to talking about the Shrike, and the story that someone had found Northern Shrike feathers a few weeks ago, suggesting that the bird we'd been seeing since November had died and the one we were seeing today was a different bird. When I got home afterwards, I started to compare photos. Sure enough, the bird from earlier in winter had more brown on its forehead and cheeks. The one that's there now is pristine white and grey.
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Northern Shrike in January: Note brown smudging on forehead, cheeks, and throat. Lower mandible is also light-coloured. |
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Northern Shrike in March: Much cleaner without brown smudging. Lower mandible is dark. |
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