A New Camera

Ring-billed Gull

So on November 16th I finally went out and bought a new camera. There was nothing wrong with the old one except for a deficiency in zoom; while a 30x zoom seemed more than sufficient when I bought it, super-zoom cameras now have up to 83x zoom, and I’ve been thinking for a while that I could really benefit from that extra reach. As I still haven’t spent last year’s Christmas bonus, I decided it was time to go to Henry’s to take a look at their super-zoom cameras. In the end, I decided to go with the Nikon Coolpix P610 because its 60x zoom gives me double the zoom of my Sony Cybershot HX200V, and its image quality seemed much better than the Sony Cybershot’s 50x zoom camera. The price was also good since Nikon had just released the Coolpix P900, its 83x zoom camera; this meant I could stretch my bonus further and get a new scope, too (choosing the Vortex Razor HD 20-60×85 spotting scope for its excellent quality). Although switching brands meant I would have to spend some time learning the Nikon’s controls, in the end the only thing I regretted was not getting this camera sooner in order to practice taking macro photos of dragonflies!

Snow Goose Spectacle

On October 30, 2015, a very rare Pink-footed Goose was discovered east of Casselman on Lafleche Road near the dump – the same landfill where a Gyrfalcon had spent the previous winter, feeding on the starlings and gulls attracted to the garbage. The Pink-footed Goose breeds in Greenland and Iceland, and normally winters in western Europe. Sometimes individuals wander over to North America, where they are usually found along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It has never been seen in Ontario before – until now.

This mega-rarity has been traveling with a massive flock of Snow Geese which has been feeding in the fields around Lafleche for weeks; estimates range from 80,000 to 150,000 of these pristine black and white geese. Lucky observers have been able to pick out Canada, Cackling, Ross’s and Greater White-fronted Geese among the huge flock, making for a total of six species in one field (our seventh species, the Brant, is most often seen along the Ottawa River, and I’ve never heard of any foraging in fields the way our other goose species do).

When it was first discovered two weekends ago, I debated whether to try to see this bird; I went to see the Cattle Egret instead, reasoning that one white bird in a green field would be easier to spot than one grayish-brown goose in a sea of white, gray and “blue” geese. Also, the Cattle Egret was much closer to home and I didn’t want to make the long drive out past Casselman alone. So when Deb said she was available for birding this weekend, it seemed like a good idea to go. Even if we missed the Pink-footed Goose, the spectacle of tens of thousands of Snow Geese and the chance of seeing Ross’s and Greater White-fronted Geese would be worth it.

Snow Geese in front of Lafleche Dump

Deb and I began our scan from Highway 138. About half of the flock was feeding on the grass in front of us, while another large group was much further back and closer to the Queensway. We scanned the closer flock from the road, though the wind blowing across the open field and the high-speed traffic passing close behind us made conditions less than ideal. It didn’t take long to decide to look for a closer vantage and, seeing some birders with a spotting scope on Lafleche Road, we decided to get away from the traffic and watch the birds from there.

We found Jon Ruddy with a few other birders, although he hadn’t managed to pick out the Pink-footed Goose by the time we had reached them. However, they did find a Lesser Black-backed Gull among a large flock of gulls, and both Deb and I were able to view it through the scope. Once again I realized I my own scope could use an upgrade – something with the capabilities of say, the Hubble Telescope. I was also able to pick out a Great Black-backed Gull in the flock, but was not able to confidently identify any of the “gray-backed” gulls due to the distance.

Since this new vantage point put us even further away from the geese, we decided to return to our initial spot and scope the birds again from the highway. We had no better luck in finding the Pink-footed Goose, though a juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose was a great consolation prize. I spotted a grayish-brown bird in with the flock and realized it wasn’t a juvenile Snow Goose – it was darker than the juvenile Snow Geese, and slightly smaller with no pale fringing on the wing feathers. Both the bill and the legs were orangish-yellow – not dark. My suspicions were confirmed when an adult Snow Geese snapped at it at least twice, chasing it off. Jon got a look at it before it disappeared into the crowd, and it was he who identified it for us. I had never really thought to study up on the juvenal plumage of the Greater White-fronted Goose, as all of the ones reported in our area tend to be adults. Deb was especially happy as it was a lifer for her.

Snow Geese in flight

Deb and I tried searching for the Pink-footed Goose from one more vantage point closer to the Queensway, again without any luck. A few other birders were looking there as well, but not one of the birders we talked to had seen the Pink-footed Goose that morning. By that time the birds were getting restless, taking off and landing further away, then taking off and landing closer, which made a prolonged study difficult. We ended up leaving after about an hour and a half; not only were the birds uncooperative, but the constant wind blowing across the open fields was terrible. Still, the long drive out to Lafleche was worth it, just for the spectacle alone. Estimates ranged from 70,000 to 90,000 Snow Goose in the fields at the junction of the two highways, with another huge flock somewhere north of the Queensway. I was thrilled that we managed to pick out the juvenile Greater White-fronted Goose, too, as it is only the second one I have ever seen. A lone Canada Goose flying over was the third species we saw that day, making it a three-goose day for us and one we won’t soon forget.

Waterfowl Season

White-winged Scoter

November has arrived, and as is usual for Ottawa this time of year, most of the migrant passerines and shorebirds have departed while waterfowl numbers are starting to build up. Canada Geese have been present in large numbers for several weeks now, and east of the city the spectacle of Snow Geese is something to behold – up to 100,000 are present off of Highway 138 near the Lafleche dump (where the Gyrfalcon was present last winter). Ontario’s first recorded Pink-footed Goose was found among this flock last weekend, and careful observers have also picked out Cackling, Ross’s and Greater-fronted White Geese as well for a total of seven species in the same flock.

Another Rare Heron in Ottawa

Cattle Egret

First there was the Yellow-crowned Night Heron west of Carp at the end of May. Then there was the Little Egret which appeared in Carp at the beginning of June and then spent some time along the Ottawa River in mid-July. These birds range from quite rare in Ottawa to MEGA-RARE!!! in Canada, and both birds were lifers for me. Although there are three previous records of Yellow-crowned Night-herons in Ottawa (in April 1970 at Rockcliffe Park, in May 1999 at Mud Lake, and in April 2007 in “Ottawa” – perhaps the bird that was seen briefly at Billings Bridge but never relocated?), this was the first time one had lingered long enough for me to see it. The Little Egret was not just a first record for Ottawa, but a first record for Ontario! I never thought I’d see more than one rare heron in a calendar year, let alone two rare herons in two days.

Cackling Goose Revisited

Cackling Goose

Although I felt well enough to go back to work on the Monday following my surgery, a mix-up in the paperwork gave me another day off as I didn’t have medical clearance to return. I was glad to have another day to get out birding and build up my stamina, for although I have an office job and sit most of the day, I still wasn’t sure how working a full 8-hour day would affect me. So I decided to head out with Jon Ruddy, first doing some walking at the Old Quarry Trail, then heading over to Andrew Haydon Park to look for the Cackling Goose and unidentified small goose I saw on Sunday.

The Old Quarry Trail produced the usual assortment of late October birds, with the only birds of interest being a male Red-winged Blackbird hanging out near the boardwalk, a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets, several Purple Finches, and – most surprising of all – a young Savannah Sparrow. It was associating with two female-type Purple Finches at the boardwalk, and when it landed at the top of a spruce tree, Jon identified it immediately despite the late date and completely wrong habitat (Savannah Sparrows are open grassland birds, while the Old Quarry Trail consists of a marsh surrounded by mixed/coniferous forest). It sat at the top of the tree for a few minutes so we got a nice long look at the bird despite the distance. It flew off when the two Purple Finches did.

A Cackling Goose at AHP

Cackling Goose

On Sunday, October 26th I felt well enough to go birding for the first time since my surgery. I decided to go to Andrew Haydon Park because I wasn’t sure how much walking I could do without tiring, and it is a relatively small park with lots of benches in case I needed to rest. Andrew Haydon Park is always worth checking this time of year, not only for waterfowl and shorebirds, but also birds of prey, gulls, and even songbirds in the trees and shrubs along the creek and bike path in the eastern half of the park.

It was deep into the afternoon when I arrived, and I headed to the western half of the park first in order to scan the mudflats for shorebirds and the river for waterfowl. I didn’t bring my scope, as I didn’t feel up to carrying it, so my scan didn’t take long. With my binoculars, the only shorebird I was able to discern on the mudflats was a single Greater Yellowlegs, and the only waterfowl I saw on the river were a few mallards dabbling in the muck along the shore and a couple hundred Canada Geese further out. There wasn’t a single diving bird in sight that made me even want to reconsider getting my scope from the car.

An October Butterfly

Eastern Comma

I have been home these past three days, recovering from having my gallbladder removed on Monday, October 19th. Although I wasn’t able to move around much on the first two days, I have been recovering slowly, using the time to watch the birds and bugs in my yard. Yesterday I recorded eight bird species in a couple of hours, including a pair of female House Finches at the feeder and five Dark-eyed Juncos scrounging for seeds in both my yard and my neighbour’s. A pair of chickadees, a pair of Blue Jays, and at least ten House Sparrows also came to sample the food at the feeder, and I was happy to see the sparrows bathing in my birdbath. Canada Geese have been flying over the yard these past two days, many more today than yesterday.

Shorebirds in the Afternoon

Long-billed Dowitcher

On Sunday Jon Ruddy and I met at the Moodie Drive quarry pond late in the afternoon to scope out the birds on the pond. I usually don’t do much birding late in the day, but I have been thinking of upgrading my Nikon Fieldscope ED50 to something more powerful, and Jon generously agreed to meet me so I could try out his new Vortex Viper. The quarry pond was a great spot to meet, since it is fairly close to where both of us live, and has great potential for interesting gulls, geese and other waterfowl. Unfortunately large flocks of Canada Geese were all flying out of the quarry pond when we arrived, leaving us with a few Redheads, Ruddy Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers interspersed with a raft of at least 100 Ring-necked Ducks. A single Double-crested Cormorant and a Red-tailed Hawk were the only other species we found.

Shorebirds in the Morning

Dunlin

On Sunday morning I spent just over an hour at Andrew Haydon Park, enduring the sub-zero temperatures and frigid Arctic wind to hang out with the water birds there. The usual Canada Geese and mallards were present, but the first bird that caught my attention was the adult Brant feeding on the grass near the western pond, likely the same one that was here the day before. The second bird I noticed was the juvenile Great Blue Heron standing on the island in the western pond, looking cold. It was standing on one leg and had its neck all hunched up and feathers puffed out to protect it from the wind. Normally I find Great Blue Herons to be very regal-looking; this one was as un-majestic as any I had ever seen.

Thanksgiving Birds

Wood Duck (male)

On September 27th, a rare Western Kingbird was found at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden. Although it was found on a Sunday, I didn’t feel like making the drive out there (it’s a good half hour away from me through the city) and joining a mob of people surrounding the bird. The Fletcher Wildlife Garden, although beautiful, is also one of my least favourite places to go birding in Ottawa as it’s usually full of off-leash dogs. However, as the week wore on, the kingbird continued to be reported every day. It was still there on Friday, so I began planning an early morning visit to the FWG the following day. I left just after it had gotten light enough to see, and arrived at the FWG at about 8:15 am. There was a cold, blustery wind blowing, and this change in the weather made my heart sink as I realized that the kingbird might have blown out with the winds.