Monday, March 30, 2009

Jeremy vs. Western Grebe Round III

No words can begin to describe the pure, utter stupidity of my decision to leave my house on Sunday to vainly go look for the Western Grebe at Ashbridges Bay. Waking up to rain pelting my window should have been the first deterrent. For any sane human being, no force in Heaven and Earth could have made one traipse and slosh through the mud, rain, and wind along the waterfront squinting into distant white-capped swells in the lake through fogged binoculars to look for a diving species that is consistently reported as "requiring a spotting scope to see."

And yet, there I was, standing on the rocks by the shore, my shoes soaked to the ankle, cold wind gnawing its way into every last warm nook and cranny my increasingly wet non-water-proof spring jacket had to offer, my jeans weighed down by so much moisture that I had to tighten my belt an extra notch, my umbrella slipping out of my water-logged gloves and getting caught on branches, and my backpack dropped into a large puddle and subsequently adding "character" to the novel I'm currently reading. To add insult to injury, there were hardly any birds on the lake besides a small spattering of Long-tailed Ducks. At some point I gave up and stopped avoiding puddles of water, splashing along, grinding my teeth and cursing Environment Canada for telling me the rain would stop by noon.

A first- or second-year Iceland Gull flew by. That was the highlight of day and the bird that kept my nerves from snapping beyond repair. Another moment that made me feel a bit better about my situation was when the only other human mentally unstable enough to be in the park with me let his dog off its leash and the little beast jumped right into the lake as the owner frantically tried to get it to swim back to the beach.

As I was leaving the park, the rain stopped and I got on the streetcar, defeated. As the puddle under my feet expanded on the floor and I air-dried my water-damaged novel, I became determined to get this bird. My nemesis bird. The bird I will go look for again next weekend. The Western Grebe.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Missed! Western Grebe

My second attempt at getting the Western Grebe that has been hanging out in Lake Ontario off of the southeastern tip of Ashbridges Bay Park ended in what can only be described as an epic fail.

O.K., it wasn't that bad but still...I was disappointed. The bird has been hanging out for a couple of months now and I had went to look for it earlier when it was originally sighted but to no avail. It takes some planning to get to Ashbridges Bay, though. Sometimes (at all times?), it sucks birding without wheels. The park is in the east end of Toronto and takes a good hour and a half to get to by transit. It requires a subway ride followed by a transfer onto the longest Streetcar route in Toronto, the 501. Admittedly, it's a relaxing ride, but it's LONG. By the time you get out to Coxswell where you need to get off, you're feeling the pressure of time. Most of the parks I visit for birding require similar planning (besides High Park, which is basically my backyard!).

Ashbridges Bay is a nice walk. It's quite similar in size and shape to Humber Bay East but without the marshy areas (at Ashbridges, there is a marina for small boats instead). From the park, you get a beautiful view of downtown Toronto as well as a full view of the Leslie Street Spit, closed through the week due to construction. I made my second visit to Ashbridges on Monday, March 23 in hopes that by some chance, the Western Grebe would be close enough to shore to see with my binoculars. The bird was either gone or too far out for me to see. Most posts on Ontbirds suggest bringing a scope but my loaned scope (thanks, Marianne!) is still in my room back home in Leamington. It's not easy to transport it on the Greyhound! So, I went hoping there would be another birder there with a scope but no luck.

I'll try again, or at least visit the park again. Other birds seen on Monday included a good number of Long-tailed Ducks, Common Mergansers, Bufflehead, a sing White-winged Scoter, and Lesser Scaup. Red-winged Blackbirds are out along with many robins, and a few Killdeer in an open field just north of the park.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

TOP TEN MOST-WANTED LIST - May 2009

1.
Red-throated Loon
L 25" ws 36" wt 3.1 lb
Last seen wearing: a brick red scarf and dark-brown coat with a grey hood.
Wanted for: Its mocking up-turned bill as well as being an annual species that every Ontario bird has seen except one Jeremy Hatt.


2.
Blue Grosbeak
L 6.75" ws 11" wt 28g
Last seen wearing: Suspect was female, wearing a pale brown coat, accented with blue stitching and chestnut shoulder patches.
Wanted for: Not appearing in court, May, 2008, and for working with Indigo Buntings to consistently fool amateur birders who issue false reports.
- Anyone with information on the whereabouts of this species should contact Jeremy Hatt immediately. $10,000 reward.


3.
King Rail
L 15" ws 20" wt 360g
Last seen wearing: unknown. Witness reports are hazy and the suspect is rarely seen so as to get an accurate description.
Wanted for: Hiding in private property, noise complaints, and evading birdwatchers wanting another check on their life-lists.


4.
Black-necked Stilt
L 14" ws 29" wt 160g
Last seen wearing: Suspect was on stilts and wearing a black coat and white vest.
Wanted for: Being one of the newest additions to the Pelee Birding Circle list but not staying around long enough for one Jeremy Hatt to purchase a Greyhound ticket and see the bird.


5.
Franklin's Gull
L 14.5" ws 36" wt 280g
Last seen wearing: black hood to conceal identity, black gloves, and a grey and white shirt stained with a touch of pink; possibly blood from its latest victim.
Wanted for: The murder of Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin and stealing his identity.


6.
Hermit Warbler
L 5” ws 8” wt 9.2g
Last seen wearing: much duller colours than usual, attempting to blend in with the common Black-throated Green Warbler.
Wanted for: Various criminal activity and illegal border crossing (alleged video taken of suspect never surfaced. Please report to OBRC with any further documentation).


7.
Townsend’s Warbler
L 5” ws 8” wt 8.8g
Last seen wearing: Black and yellow bee costume.
Wanted for: Aiding and abetting in fraudulent reports in 2008 to confuse and anger birders.


8.
Swainson’s Warbler
L 5.5” ws 9” wt 19g
Last seen wearing: Non-descript brown jumpsuit with rufous ball-cap.
Wanted for: Tax evasion and fraud.


9.
Swallow-tailed Kite
L 22” ws 51” wt 420g
Last seen wearing:
Wanted for: Arriving hours after the Mississippi Kite in May of 2000, causing extreme disappointment among dedicated birders who had already waited 3 hours for the first bird and had to leave to avoid sun stroke.


10.
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
L 10” ws 14” wt 29g
Last seen wearning: Black and white tuxedo with exceedingly long tails in the back.
Wanted for: Crimes relating to the death of a fellow family member and subsequent return to the crime-scene years later but still missed by one Jeremy Hatt.
- $1,000,000 Reward