First Dragonfly Photo!

Springtime Darner

On Monday I went back to Hurdman Park during my lunch hour. There were even fewer migrants around than there had been on Friday; the only non-breeding birds I saw were a single Yellow-rumped Warbler in the trees beside the river and a couple of White-throated Sparrows foraging in the woods. Everywhere I went I could hear the songs of American Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, Warbling Vireos, Yellow Warblers, and American Redstarts; I saw a pair of Baltimore Orioles chasing each other and at least three Cedar Waxwings sitting in a tree. New arrivals included Gray Catbird and Red-eyed Vireo, both of which were singing and both of which I managed to see. I was surprised that the Eastern Kingbirds hadn’t arrived yet, especially after seeing a pair at the Beaver Trail on Saturday. This is the only regular breeding bird that hasn’t shown up yet at Hurdman.

Commas and Question Marks

Eastern Comma

On Sunday my fiancé and I attended Ottawa’s first ComicCon, so I wasn’t able to go out until late in the afternoon. This time I headed over to the Bruce Pit, hoping to find some shorebirds, marsh birds, and maybe even some early odonates. I didn’t see any shorebirds (though I did hear a Spotted Sandpiper calling “weet, weet, weet” at one point) and the only dragonflies I saw were Common Green Darners, but a pair of Virginia Rails near the bridge helped to make up for their lack. I didn’t hear or see any other migrants or unusual species, although one very distant duck looked suspiciously like a male Green-winged Teal to me. By the time I walked around the pit to where I had spotted him, he was gone.

Late Afternoon Beauties

Eastern Pine Elfin

I didn’t have much time for birding last weekend, but I did manage to get out late in the afternoon on both days. I’ve been hoping for some nice weather to do some butterfly-watching, and although it was warm on Saturday, it began clouding over as soon as I left the house. I decided not to go too far – just around the corner to the Beaver Trail – and I found enough interesting species to make it worthwhile.

My first noteworthy species was a Winter Wren, the first one I’d seen at this trail this year. It was scolding me from the tangled branches of a downed tree, which is where they are most likely to be seen out in the woods, especially woods where there is water nearby.

Butterflies and Migrants at Hurdman

Silvery Blue

I returned to work after enjoying an extra-long weekend in Nova Scotia, and I couldn’t wait to visit Hurdman at lunch on Friday to see what had changed in the days since I had last visited. Another large wave of Red Admiral butterflies had migrated north while I was out of the province, and this wave contained a larger proportion of Question Marks, American Ladies and Painted Ladies. I was looking forward to seeing whether any new butterfly species had arrived and/or emerged, and whether any of the usual breeding flycatchers, warblers and vireos had returned to Hurdman while I was away. I was also hoping to find some more migrating warbler species, as the Hurdman woods have been very productive for warblers these past two springs.

The first spring babies

Canada Goose gosling

I took the day after returning from my trip to Nova Scotia off work to recover from the late night flight, but the weather was so gloomy that I figured it might be a great day to go see what was happening at Mud Lake. This turned out to be an awesome decision, as I saw 45 species, including 12 warblers, altogether. I met Bob Bracken and Chris Lewis on my way to the conservation area; they had their scopes pointed up into a tree on Britannia Street, so I stopped to see if maybe they had a Summer Tanager or an Orchard Oriole. It turned out they had seen a Merlin fly into the tree and were looking for a nest. We decided to meet at Britannia Point and bird the area together.

A Brief Visit to Nova Scotia

Mustard White

My fiancé and I went to Nova Scotia during the first weekend of May for a brief visit. We went there chiefly to visit family, but I managed to get some birdwatching in during our visit. We arrived late Friday night and stayed in a hotel near the airport; on Saturday morning we drove up to Maitland to check out Doran’s father’s land. While driving up Highway 215 I noticed a large bird in a field next to the road. I asked Doran to stop the car to confirm that the bird was what I suspected: a Ring-necked Pheasant. We had to backtrack a bit, but when we returned to the spot I was not only able to get a good look at the bird, but also some good photographs!

Spring Ephemerals in Bloom

Trout Lily

After leaving Deb on Sunday I decided to stop by Monaghan Forest to see if any Trilliums were in bloom yet. This is a good spot for spring ephemerals; last year I had found the forest floor covered in Trilliums, Forget-me-nots, violets, and even some Toothwort during a visit in mid-May. I was a few weeks early this year, and found the Trilliums just beginning to open. Only a few were in full flower, but there were plenty of Coltsfoot and Trout Lilies in bloom, two species that had already finished blossoming by the time of my mid-May visit last year. I was also hoping to find some Bloodroot, a native flower I had found here once before, but wasn’t able to spot any.

The Day the Kinglet Stood Still

Deb and I returned to Mud Lake the following day.  It was a bit warmer, a bit windier, and despite the low number of species (we counted only 25) there was plenty of activity throughout the conservation area.  Yellow-rumped Warblers were plentiful; however, the only other warbler species we found were a couple of Pine Warblers in the woods.  We heard two of them, and I managed to bring one down into view by playing a recording of its call.  Although someone mentioned seeing a Palm Warbler, we weren’t able to locate it.  It was clear that warbler migration hadn’t truly begun yet.

 

Feeding the Ducks

Male Wood Duck

I started Saturday morning with a walk at Sarsaparilla Trail. It was cold but sunny, with the temperature only about 2°C when I left; I wore my winter jacket and brought a hat and gloves with me just in case. I was glad to have them, for the woods were dark and sunless early in the morning, and the air was cold.

As soon as I got out of the car I was greeted by the pleasant trill of a Yellow-rumped Warbler singing in the conifers just beyond the parking lot. I tracked him down and found a stunning male flitting among the branches. The males in their crisp breeding plumage are one of my favorite springtime warblers.

Do you eBird?

If you haven’t checked out eBird lately, you are missing out on a valuable birding tool. More than just a real-time, online checklist program, eBird documents the presence or absence of species, as well as bird abundance, through checklist data. Where does this checklist data come from? It comes from the observations of thousands of birders, professionals and amateurs alike, who upload their species lists to eBird after each outing.

Most birders keep lists – life lists, trip lists, year lists, provincial, state and county lists, and even patch lists for those special places we return to time and time again throughout the course of the year. At its most basic level, eBird offers even the most devout listers a place to keep track of all of their sightings. Do you want to know how many and which species you saw in 2010? There’s a list for that. Or perhaps you want to know the total number of species you’ve seen in Ontario since you started birding. There’s a list for that, too. Or maybe you’re just interested in keeping track of the species you see in your own yard each year. You got it – there’s a list for that as well.