Inspired by the latest talk of the TOC, I have decided it is time, after 110 days, to try to restore Cerulean Sky to its former glory (remember those good ol' days when you would set your alarm early so you could eagerly run to your computer to see if Cerulean Sky had any updates before heading off to the grind? Those late nights spent ignoring mouse-clicking ergonomics and pressing the refresh button every half second, inducing carpal tunnel while staring with bloodshot eyes and sipping a double double with trembling hands, desperate to see if Sky's author would perhaps post another biting commentary on the cormorant cull, or describe, in Pulitzer prize-worthy prose, his amazing adventures across acres of forests, wetlands, beach, and brush in search of waders, game, raptors, LBJ's, and everything in between?). You don't remember?
The inspiring talk was by Hamilton birder Brandon Holden, the smarter, more talented and charismatic, better-looking, younger version of myself (jealous? I'm not jealous!). I have enough difficulty stumbling to the front of the room to utter, in monotonous monotone, a mere guest list (usually in front of an audience who cannot contain at least a grin, chortle, or chuckle at my expense), let alone speak, seemingly with no nerves, for an hour about an incredible road trip across Florida with the aplomb of a seasoned expert while displaying brilliant photos from the journey.
All of this led me to look back on my now-14 years of birding to pinpoint where exactly things took a turn...not that things took a serious nosedive, there was just some point along the way where my learning curve reached a peak, leveled, and perhaps dropped an itsy bitsy teeny weeny bit (not a stock market crash thankfully. I won't need any bailout). Time is a factor, duh. I can't just go out birding whenever I want anymore and I certainly don't pore over my field guides like I used to (I do miss those days). But I did come to a realization that one of my greatest problems, probably since the beginning, is a (perhaps unfounded?) terror of a tarnished reputation; the scalding criticism of a hard-nosed veteran, having my name be synonymous with "novice" or "you can't trust his Ontbirds posts", an incorrect identification that ends up in the history books ("He mistook a Glaucous-winged X Herring Gull for a Thayer's Gull? Well I never...I'm not going to say hello the next time I see him." A non-birder might laugh, but it can be a tough world out there. Or at least in my mind it can be. Do I have issues?
With my current role as a no-talent hack, I struggle to sustain at least a minor role in the birding community. A couple of reports here, a few volunteer opportunities there, but there are those few rare (frequent) moments where I nearly despair at the knowledge of those around me. Even the mere mention of an obscure topographic detail that I have not heard of can send me into a tailspin of nerves (should I know this?...oh, I better not ask what they mean or I'll look like an idiot...I'll just nod and smile awkwardly, that should do the trick).
Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm mostly teasing and I'm not a terrible birder. I consider my skills to surpass the average chimp. I know a good number of calls (but could certainly stand to dust off my bird song C.D.'s to be less rusty), I can confidently identify almost everything I see (sometimes it requires a bit of time to do a mental scan through my memory-bank of field marks but eventually I come to a knowledgeable guess), and I take pride in the fact that I know a lot about migration times, ranges, and general abundance/rarity of species. Of course, there are groups that cause more trouble than others. There are gulls that I couldn't identify if my life depended on it, a few sparrows throw me into a momentary confused, blank stare, and fall shorebirds can lead me to *gasp*, open a field guide. But hey, we're supposed to be having fun, right?
I worry too much. I worry that I worry too much. I worry that I worry that I worry too much. However, I think I'm beginning to understand it all now. Worrying is my comfort-zone, my safety blanket. Worrying a lot keeps me from actually calling out a bird's name. Worrying too much prevents me from admitting I just don't know what I'm looking at. Worrying even prevents me from going birding! It's not a good way to learn, worrying. Life gets in the way of birding all the time but I think one of the most helpful things for me to do is also the simplest. It's time to practice the parsimony principle. How do you become a better birdwatcher? You birdwatch! Side note: spell check apparently accepts 'birdwatcher' but 'birdwatch' is not a word? I have done fairly well this year dedicating a chunk of my time to birding (mostly thanks to some wonderful friends who invite me along on their trips), but one bit of basic birding that I'm missing right now is getting out there for a few hours on my own. From my experience, I learn the most when I'm by myself. If you don't know what you're looking at, there's no embarrassment, you just figure it out. You hear a call you don't know? You search out the bird, identify it by sight and by golly, you'll likely know that call the next time! Practice and parsimony. Less worrying.
In conclusion, I just reread this entire post, which may come across as the ramblings of a lunatic, and I question the intent of the arrow that is hovering over "PUBLISH POST". So it has come to this: the first post in 110 days and it's an offbeat admission of my birding insecurities. I'm sorry, my dear fans and followers. I promise more normalcy in my next post 111 days from now. Happy birding!
Showing posts with label Toronto Ornithological Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toronto Ornithological Club. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Waterfowl Inventory 2009
Some members of the Toronto Ornithological Club who were kind enough to offer me a ride to the waterfront this morning picked me up at 8am to start our group's section of the waterfowl inventory. It's a count done each winter to get an estimate of waterfowl populations on Lake Ontario along the GTA waterfront from the east to west end.
We had a great section to cover from Humber Bay East all the way to the Keating Channel (east of Ontario Place) and including High Park (for Mallards that overwinter on Grenadier Pond where it doesn't freeze over in the north end). I used to live within walking distance of this section of the Toronto waterfront and it's a wonderful place to birdwatch. There are good numbers of duck rafts, many Mute Swans, and a chance for a some uncommon gull species (Glaucous, Iceland in particular). A breakwall along the shore creates shifting ice patches that almost always have good numbers of gulls to look at.
Weather: the temperature, though frigid, was not as bad as it could have been due to very low winds. Had there been winds, it would have been a miserable day. Fortunately, the sun shone bright, there was no fog and little haze, and visibility was high.
Our team consisted of Margaret Kelch, Doug Woods, Celia Harte, Mark Field, Harvey, Josh, and Zoe (I didn't get the last 3 members' last names). What we would often do when we encountered a large group of ducks (the Keating Channel proved the most difficult), would be to assign a species to each birder to count. It made the task much quicker and much easier. I was the official Redhead counter, which was fun but also a challenge...of all the waterfowl we tallied, Redhead had the highest numbers! There was also the issue of distant birds looking superficially similar to Scaups, which were also present in fair numbers. We had one scope in the group so Doug would often be our official distant-raft tallier and just count each species himself while we tallied the closer birds.
Obviously, as birders do, we also looked for other species as well. Some species of note include 3 Common Redpoll at Sunnyside Park, a single Iceland Gull at Keating Channel (LIFER), and an adult Bald Eagle that flew directly over our heads at Ontario Place. Yes, yes, I know...it took me this long to see an Iceland Gull?! Interesting, too, that I got Thayer's before Iceland. It was one of those species that always just seemed to be out of reach for me. I tried hard last year but was unsuccessful (got 2 Glaucous though) so it was a pleasure to get one so close and easily identifiable on this trip (it flew next to a Herring Gull for size comparison and Glaucous Gull was immediately eliminated).
Our numbers for the day were as follows:
Mallard .................. 229
American Black Duck ...... 2
Redhead .................. 1017
Gadwall .................. 16
American Widgeon ......... 8
Greater scaup ............ 576
Lesser scaup ............. 11
Ring-necked Duck ......... 1
Common Goldeneye ......... 128
Bufflehead ............... 49
LongTail ................. 932
Common Merganser ......... 40
Red-breasted Merganser ... 37
Hooded Merganser ......... 11
Mute Swan ................ 23
Tundra Swan .............. 4
Canada Goose ............. 115
The count for American Black Duck is an error. We had more than 2 birds at our first location so I don't know what happened to the final tally. We had closer to 10 birds for the day. Four species that were expected but missed include Trumpeter Swan, Harlequin Duck, Northern Shoveler, and American Coot (more likely in the interior of Humber Bay where we didn't cover).
Day list:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Bald Eagle
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull *lifer
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Redpoll - 3
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 33
Duration: 8:30am-12:30pm
We had a great section to cover from Humber Bay East all the way to the Keating Channel (east of Ontario Place) and including High Park (for Mallards that overwinter on Grenadier Pond where it doesn't freeze over in the north end). I used to live within walking distance of this section of the Toronto waterfront and it's a wonderful place to birdwatch. There are good numbers of duck rafts, many Mute Swans, and a chance for a some uncommon gull species (Glaucous, Iceland in particular). A breakwall along the shore creates shifting ice patches that almost always have good numbers of gulls to look at.
Weather: the temperature, though frigid, was not as bad as it could have been due to very low winds. Had there been winds, it would have been a miserable day. Fortunately, the sun shone bright, there was no fog and little haze, and visibility was high.
Our team consisted of Margaret Kelch, Doug Woods, Celia Harte, Mark Field, Harvey, Josh, and Zoe (I didn't get the last 3 members' last names). What we would often do when we encountered a large group of ducks (the Keating Channel proved the most difficult), would be to assign a species to each birder to count. It made the task much quicker and much easier. I was the official Redhead counter, which was fun but also a challenge...of all the waterfowl we tallied, Redhead had the highest numbers! There was also the issue of distant birds looking superficially similar to Scaups, which were also present in fair numbers. We had one scope in the group so Doug would often be our official distant-raft tallier and just count each species himself while we tallied the closer birds.
Obviously, as birders do, we also looked for other species as well. Some species of note include 3 Common Redpoll at Sunnyside Park, a single Iceland Gull at Keating Channel (LIFER), and an adult Bald Eagle that flew directly over our heads at Ontario Place. Yes, yes, I know...it took me this long to see an Iceland Gull?! Interesting, too, that I got Thayer's before Iceland. It was one of those species that always just seemed to be out of reach for me. I tried hard last year but was unsuccessful (got 2 Glaucous though) so it was a pleasure to get one so close and easily identifiable on this trip (it flew next to a Herring Gull for size comparison and Glaucous Gull was immediately eliminated).
Our numbers for the day were as follows:
Mallard .................. 229
American Black Duck ...... 2
Redhead .................. 1017
Gadwall .................. 16
American Widgeon ......... 8
Greater scaup ............ 576
Lesser scaup ............. 11
Ring-necked Duck ......... 1
Common Goldeneye ......... 128
Bufflehead ............... 49
LongTail ................. 932
Common Merganser ......... 40
Red-breasted Merganser ... 37
Hooded Merganser ......... 11
Mute Swan ................ 23
Tundra Swan .............. 4
Canada Goose ............. 115
The count for American Black Duck is an error. We had more than 2 birds at our first location so I don't know what happened to the final tally. We had closer to 10 birds for the day. Four species that were expected but missed include Trumpeter Swan, Harlequin Duck, Northern Shoveler, and American Coot (more likely in the interior of Humber Bay where we didn't cover).
Day list:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
American Black Duck
Mallard
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Bald Eagle
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Iceland Gull *lifer
Great Black-backed Gull
Rock Pigeon
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Redpoll - 3
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total Species: 33
Duration: 8:30am-12:30pm
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Evelyn Hatt 1920-2008
On Wednesday of last week, I got a call from my parents to tell me that my Grandma Hatt had passed away. She had come down with pneumonia, which led to congestive heart failure, and although she had a fighting spirit, this time it was just too hard on her. On her last birthday (her 88th year), however, she told my aunt that she had, "reached her goal." She must have been prepared. She had lived a long, eventful life and her funeral was as much a celebration of that life as a time to mourn her passing.
Like my grandpa, who passed away last year, my grandma was always asking about the birds I had seen. In fact, just this May (during our last visit together), she asked me how my week of birding had gone and how many lifers I had seen. When she was still living next to us on the farm, I would come back from a long walk looking for birds or butterflies and she would invite me in for peach juice and a few home-made cookies (she was an incredible baker). There were times when she thought I was crazy for how much time I spent birding and wouldn't hesitate to tell me that, but I'll remember her for all the good times we had together on the farm.
This weekend was a good time for me to take a break from life in the city, breathe a deep breath of country air, and spend time with close friends and family (and of course, a morning of birding). But now I'm ready to get back to Toronto, rejuvinated and ready for the oncoming fall migration, the OFO convention, and working with the TOC. Finally, one of the first things I'm going to try to do when I get back is see the Red Crossbills that are being reported across the northern areas of Toronto.
Like my grandpa, who passed away last year, my grandma was always asking about the birds I had seen. In fact, just this May (during our last visit together), she asked me how my week of birding had gone and how many lifers I had seen. When she was still living next to us on the farm, I would come back from a long walk looking for birds or butterflies and she would invite me in for peach juice and a few home-made cookies (she was an incredible baker). There were times when she thought I was crazy for how much time I spent birding and wouldn't hesitate to tell me that, but I'll remember her for all the good times we had together on the farm.
This weekend was a good time for me to take a break from life in the city, breathe a deep breath of country air, and spend time with close friends and family (and of course, a morning of birding). But now I'm ready to get back to Toronto, rejuvinated and ready for the oncoming fall migration, the OFO convention, and working with the TOC. Finally, one of the first things I'm going to try to do when I get back is see the Red Crossbills that are being reported across the northern areas of Toronto.
Monday, July 21, 2008
June 28, '08 - what this date meant to me
Since it has become a trend on Cerulean Sky to describe events of the distant past instead of describing events of today (part of the reason for this is my lack of birding this summer season due to a busy city schedule), I will include another post in the same vein. This time, I travel all the way back to June 28, 2008.
It was a simpler time. The Apple iPhone wasn't on Canadian shelves yet, gas prices were a mere average of 1.324, and no one had any idea that Steven Page was in possession of cocaine. It was also a bittersweet time in my life. I was still dealing with the fact that I had turned 23 just four days prior, thereby fearing the cruel effects of time and an ever-approaching quarter-life crisis. Pride week was reaching a close and I was able to spend a good amount of time celebrating on Church street, which was an amazing and gratifying experience. It was a week that saw the start of many new relationships and the end of others.
What does this all have to do with birding and why is Cerulean Sky becoming a journal of the author's mundane life, you demand??? Nothing. And that's why I'm going to finally get to the actual topic at hand. June 28, 2008 also marked a key development in my birding career. I was invited to the Toronto Ornithological Club's first retreat since the club's inception in 1934. The retreat (featuring a handful of councilors and honorary members) was held in Barrie and the goal was to lead the club in new directions (in conservation, membership, fundraising, guest speakers, etc.), as well as iron out the purpose/stance of the club and determine ways to improve it. Of course, I can't get into too much detail as the results of the meeting have not yet been published (and plus, you probably don't want to hear about the paddling ceremony they hold for new members anyway). Needless to say, I was honoured to be included in the retreat as the youngest member of the club and the newly appointed Acting Membership Leader (crossing my fingers that the council will vote me in as the official Membership Secretary in the fall).
I am thrilled to become a more active member of the club and I cannot wait for more duties to come my way. I am currently in charge of answering any email inquiries about membership, updating the membership list and contacting inactive members, and in the fall, I will be responsible for introducing guests at meetings and introducing new members to the club. I'm both nervous and excited (my public speaking skills certainly have plenty of room for improvement). However, I've already met some truly great individuals that I respect and look up to, I look forward to meeting more people in the Toronto birding community, and it is a pleasure to be part of the rich history of the club, especially due to its reputation.
The summer months are a slow time for the TOC (there are no meetings or outings) but once fall migration begins, I'll be a busy birding boy. My goal for this fall/winter/spring is to submit a lot more of my sightings from the GTA as the records committee in the city keeps detailed reports and lists. This is extremely important citizen science. Everyday people finding short-term and long-term trends in bird populations, migration patterns, and breeding evidence. The 2 Ontario Breeding Bird Atlases show just how far citizen science can lead us in conservation and the study of birds. If there is ever to be a 'Birds of Toronto' published, I want to feel like I really took part in it.
Things are genuinely exciting for me right now as a birder and I have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months. As for now, hopefully I'll finally get my May summary up soon (only 2 months late!).
Click here to see the Toronto Ornithological Club's website.
It was a simpler time. The Apple iPhone wasn't on Canadian shelves yet, gas prices were a mere average of 1.324, and no one had any idea that Steven Page was in possession of cocaine. It was also a bittersweet time in my life. I was still dealing with the fact that I had turned 23 just four days prior, thereby fearing the cruel effects of time and an ever-approaching quarter-life crisis. Pride week was reaching a close and I was able to spend a good amount of time celebrating on Church street, which was an amazing and gratifying experience. It was a week that saw the start of many new relationships and the end of others.
What does this all have to do with birding and why is Cerulean Sky becoming a journal of the author's mundane life, you demand??? Nothing. And that's why I'm going to finally get to the actual topic at hand. June 28, 2008 also marked a key development in my birding career. I was invited to the Toronto Ornithological Club's first retreat since the club's inception in 1934. The retreat (featuring a handful of councilors and honorary members) was held in Barrie and the goal was to lead the club in new directions (in conservation, membership, fundraising, guest speakers, etc.), as well as iron out the purpose/stance of the club and determine ways to improve it. Of course, I can't get into too much detail as the results of the meeting have not yet been published (and plus, you probably don't want to hear about the paddling ceremony they hold for new members anyway). Needless to say, I was honoured to be included in the retreat as the youngest member of the club and the newly appointed Acting Membership Leader (crossing my fingers that the council will vote me in as the official Membership Secretary in the fall).
I am thrilled to become a more active member of the club and I cannot wait for more duties to come my way. I am currently in charge of answering any email inquiries about membership, updating the membership list and contacting inactive members, and in the fall, I will be responsible for introducing guests at meetings and introducing new members to the club. I'm both nervous and excited (my public speaking skills certainly have plenty of room for improvement). However, I've already met some truly great individuals that I respect and look up to, I look forward to meeting more people in the Toronto birding community, and it is a pleasure to be part of the rich history of the club, especially due to its reputation.
The summer months are a slow time for the TOC (there are no meetings or outings) but once fall migration begins, I'll be a busy birding boy. My goal for this fall/winter/spring is to submit a lot more of my sightings from the GTA as the records committee in the city keeps detailed reports and lists. This is extremely important citizen science. Everyday people finding short-term and long-term trends in bird populations, migration patterns, and breeding evidence. The 2 Ontario Breeding Bird Atlases show just how far citizen science can lead us in conservation and the study of birds. If there is ever to be a 'Birds of Toronto' published, I want to feel like I really took part in it.
Things are genuinely exciting for me right now as a birder and I have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months. As for now, hopefully I'll finally get my May summary up soon (only 2 months late!).
Click here to see the Toronto Ornithological Club's website.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Half-lifer! - Harlequin Duck male
Someone told me this week that Sunday was supposed to go below 0 degrees but fortunately, the afternoon ended up being really nice (except for a chilly wind). Therefore, I decided to try again for the male Harlequin and after about 10 minutes of being at Humber Bay East, I found it along with the 2 females. I had seen a single female a while back on a TOC trip but I missed the male then. Thankfully it stuck around. There were quite a few people taking photos and watching the trio. They were right where the latest poster on Ontbirds said they had them Saturday. I was able to see the male within about 30 feet of the shoreline, diving and sometimes being chased by the other waterfowl present (Long-tailed Ducks and Greater Scaups).
What a beautiful bird. My best bird of 2008 so far. There will be more good birds though. The year has just started and May is just around the corner. I'm trying for a week to two weeks off during spring migration and I'll be making the most of it. I really can't wait. I also want to be around the area so I'm not out of the loop on news of the cull as I'm sure it will be a hot topic of debate at Pelee this spring.
What a beautiful bird. My best bird of 2008 so far. There will be more good birds though. The year has just started and May is just around the corner. I'm trying for a week to two weeks off during spring migration and I'll be making the most of it. I really can't wait. I also want to be around the area so I'm not out of the loop on news of the cull as I'm sure it will be a hot topic of debate at Pelee this spring.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Lifer! Barred Owl / and also: Leslie Street Spit and the search for Pine Grosbeaks
Due to work, I've had little time to provide an update for last weekend but I'm happy to now report it was a great success. I finally know why so many people talk about the Leslie Street Spit, which must be one of Toronto's most unique birding locations; a large peninsula piercing Lake Ontario on the city's east end and made up of concrete, metal, and stone. The area, also known as Tommy Thompson Park is a 5 kilometer stretch that is man-made and through much effort, the land is now a safe-haven for many birds, mammals, and other wildlife. I was not disappointed with my first trip.
8:30 in the morning was our starting point as Anne Marie, a friend I met through the TOC, gave me a tour of the park, finding many of the highlights that have been reported over the last few weeks. Not long into our walk, we found an American Kestrel along the road in the center of the peninsula. Shortly after, the flashing wings of a Northern Shrike compelled us to venture into the various woodlots within the park. There we saw our first owl, a resting Great Horned that was quickly perturbed by a group of photographers (we had two birds for sure, possibly even three individuals). To me, you really haven't experienced the beauty of the Great Horned Owl until you've heard its rhythmic, mourning call at dusk, or seen it fly by on silent, richly coloured wings. We were fortunate to have one fly just over our heads; a bulky bird the size of a buteo that eventually perched high in a deciduous tree where it apparently spent the rest of the day. Owls we missed (but that have been reported this winter) included Northern Saw-whet Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Long-eared Owl.
Being a milder weekend, we were able to find some landbirds including American Tree Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, a single Northern Flicker (an unexpected surprise), Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Song Sparrows, and a small flock of Snow Buntings in the fields adjacent to the aptly named 'Cormorant Graveyard'. During the summer months, skeletons of nestling birds demonstrate the grisly reality of natural selection (larger, strong birds often push small, weak birds out of the nest). Black-feathered carcasses hang from some branches.
Along the way, we found the Barred Owl, a first for me and a great bird. Perched on a branch not 20 feet from the ground, we had good looks and were able to walk full circle around the bird to admire all of its features. The owl was well aware of our presence, its black eyes following us wherever we walked.
We also had a few Red-tailed Hawks and an assortment of common waterfowl on the lake (the highlight was that many ducks are pairing off right now so we were able to watch the mating displays of Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Goldeneye while the incessant OW OWELEP! of the Long-tailed Ducks provided song).
We ended the trip around 2:00 in the afternoon fairly exhausted from the long walk through deep snow (my lack of proper winter boots is definitely a problem, but heated socks help immensely). On Sunday, I took a walk around Mt. Pleasant Cemetery hoping to find a flock of Pine Grosbeaks but to no avail. I did, however, see a few White-breasted Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos, a few Goldfinches, a Red-tailed Hawk, and of course, Black-capped Chickadees. On my trips to work (which sometimes requires taking transit way out to Scarborough), I've been watching the tops of trees for any large finches but haven't been lucky enough yet...and anyway, imagine the frustration of seeing a new species through the window of a speeding subway car.
8:30 in the morning was our starting point as Anne Marie, a friend I met through the TOC, gave me a tour of the park, finding many of the highlights that have been reported over the last few weeks. Not long into our walk, we found an American Kestrel along the road in the center of the peninsula. Shortly after, the flashing wings of a Northern Shrike compelled us to venture into the various woodlots within the park. There we saw our first owl, a resting Great Horned that was quickly perturbed by a group of photographers (we had two birds for sure, possibly even three individuals). To me, you really haven't experienced the beauty of the Great Horned Owl until you've heard its rhythmic, mourning call at dusk, or seen it fly by on silent, richly coloured wings. We were fortunate to have one fly just over our heads; a bulky bird the size of a buteo that eventually perched high in a deciduous tree where it apparently spent the rest of the day. Owls we missed (but that have been reported this winter) included Northern Saw-whet Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Long-eared Owl.
Being a milder weekend, we were able to find some landbirds including American Tree Sparrow, Hairy Woodpecker, a single Northern Flicker (an unexpected surprise), Black-capped Chickadee, 2 Song Sparrows, and a small flock of Snow Buntings in the fields adjacent to the aptly named 'Cormorant Graveyard'. During the summer months, skeletons of nestling birds demonstrate the grisly reality of natural selection (larger, strong birds often push small, weak birds out of the nest). Black-feathered carcasses hang from some branches.
Along the way, we found the Barred Owl, a first for me and a great bird. Perched on a branch not 20 feet from the ground, we had good looks and were able to walk full circle around the bird to admire all of its features. The owl was well aware of our presence, its black eyes following us wherever we walked.
We also had a few Red-tailed Hawks and an assortment of common waterfowl on the lake (the highlight was that many ducks are pairing off right now so we were able to watch the mating displays of Red-breasted Mergansers and Common Goldeneye while the incessant OW OWELEP! of the Long-tailed Ducks provided song).
We ended the trip around 2:00 in the afternoon fairly exhausted from the long walk through deep snow (my lack of proper winter boots is definitely a problem, but heated socks help immensely). On Sunday, I took a walk around Mt. Pleasant Cemetery hoping to find a flock of Pine Grosbeaks but to no avail. I did, however, see a few White-breasted Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos, a few Goldfinches, a Red-tailed Hawk, and of course, Black-capped Chickadees. On my trips to work (which sometimes requires taking transit way out to Scarborough), I've been watching the tops of trees for any large finches but haven't been lucky enough yet...and anyway, imagine the frustration of seeing a new species through the window of a speeding subway car.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
GTA Sightings
A short trip to the Toronto Harbourfront at Sunnyside Park produced some interesting birds today. I'm going to be going for a walk in this location every day now before the TOC trip on Sunday so that I can get a good idea of what is in the area to help the leader, Glenn Coady, out if I can (gulls are not my strong suite just yet but I've been studying them). There are still quite a few ducks along the shore, this time a group of about 250 Redheads, which had been ensconced in an area that wasn't frozen yet between the break wall and the beach. Also in this flock were Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, 1 Hooded Merganser, 1 Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, and Canada Goose. Farther west, I had some dabbling ducks including Mallard and Gadwall (7) as well as a few Long-tailed Duck farther out in the lake past the break wall. Oddly, only 1 Mute Swan was in the vicinity.
I only found one group of gulls (hardly enough to be considered a galaxy) that included Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. I also had a nonbreeding adult Glaucous Gull, which ended up flying east from its respite on the ice. I'm hoping for an Iceland Gull sometime in the next while but of course a Glaucous on Sunday would be a good bird for the trip.
I'm also currently trying to figure out how the compilation of sightings works in Toronto. In the Pelee Birding Circle, Alan Wormington compiles all sightings and there are no set guidelines but rather the sending along of sightings you find notable. Toronto has a set of guidelines with cutoff #'s, which means that if you see more than that number of a certain species in one area, you should report it. The last guideline update was 2000 however, and also, there are some species that have very low cutoff #'s as I see it. More on this when I chat with the Toronto compiler, Roy Smith.
I only found one group of gulls (hardly enough to be considered a galaxy) that included Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. I also had a nonbreeding adult Glaucous Gull, which ended up flying east from its respite on the ice. I'm hoping for an Iceland Gull sometime in the next while but of course a Glaucous on Sunday would be a good bird for the trip.
I'm also currently trying to figure out how the compilation of sightings works in Toronto. In the Pelee Birding Circle, Alan Wormington compiles all sightings and there are no set guidelines but rather the sending along of sightings you find notable. Toronto has a set of guidelines with cutoff #'s, which means that if you see more than that number of a certain species in one area, you should report it. The last guideline update was 2000 however, and also, there are some species that have very low cutoff #'s as I see it. More on this when I chat with the Toronto compiler, Roy Smith.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Ontario Hummingbird Project
Well, the TOC meeting last night was a very interesting one. Cindy Cartwright was the speaker and she gave a presentation on the commencement of the Ontario Hummingbird Project. It was interesting to hear some of the plans that the Project will undertake and also some of the arguments that have already come about.
For example, one researcher believes that hummingbirds do not fly over large bodies of water during migration (Great Lakes, etc.). Murmuring from the crowd quickly indicated that Ontario birders have actually seen this occur. I know I've seen Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly south off the tip of Pelee and a few members gave accounts of seeing hummers land on boats for a rest-stop in Erie and Ontario Lakes. There is also evidence of hummers using the islands in Lake Erie to get across the lake with reports from Pelee Island. I'm not sure what evidence this particular researcher is using (they believe the hummers circumvent the lakes and fly through the Detroit River area). Cindy Cartwright now thinks that the ability to fly over large bodies of water is age or sex-dependent, but more study is needed.
She also explained the difficulty in getting population counts, as hummers are difficult to band, it's hard to find nests (especially in pine trees), and also the discrepancy in counts at feeders. There are two methods of counting the number of hummers in a yard. It's estimated that a hummingbird will feed for about 15 minutes at a time then fly away from the yard, so the first method is to count in 15-minute intervals (a few problems immediately come to mind for this). The other method is to count all the hummingbirds you see, then multiply that number by 6. Cindy truly dislikes this method and I can imagine why.
The current aim of the Project is to get awareness out there (to gain a larger volunteer base) and continued funding support. There is a potential volunteer base outside of the birding community for those who simply enjoy feeding hummingbirds in their yard. Another idea that came up at the meeting was to have one person at each Hawk Count in Ontario keep track of the number of hummingbirds that fly through during the fall. Lastly, Cindy told the group that there is a lack of interest/awareness regarding rarer species of hummingbirds in Ontario. She believes that more species are probably seen a year than actually reported due to the casual observer simply identifying a hummingbird as a Ruby-throat without really paying attention to the details. Hopefully her Project can shed some more light on the Ontario status of hummingbirds in the years to come.
You can visit the Ontario Hummingbird Project website here. The site includes tips on attracting hummingbirds, volunteer opportunities, range maps, upcoming events, and other important information.
For example, one researcher believes that hummingbirds do not fly over large bodies of water during migration (Great Lakes, etc.). Murmuring from the crowd quickly indicated that Ontario birders have actually seen this occur. I know I've seen Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fly south off the tip of Pelee and a few members gave accounts of seeing hummers land on boats for a rest-stop in Erie and Ontario Lakes. There is also evidence of hummers using the islands in Lake Erie to get across the lake with reports from Pelee Island. I'm not sure what evidence this particular researcher is using (they believe the hummers circumvent the lakes and fly through the Detroit River area). Cindy Cartwright now thinks that the ability to fly over large bodies of water is age or sex-dependent, but more study is needed.
She also explained the difficulty in getting population counts, as hummers are difficult to band, it's hard to find nests (especially in pine trees), and also the discrepancy in counts at feeders. There are two methods of counting the number of hummers in a yard. It's estimated that a hummingbird will feed for about 15 minutes at a time then fly away from the yard, so the first method is to count in 15-minute intervals (a few problems immediately come to mind for this). The other method is to count all the hummingbirds you see, then multiply that number by 6. Cindy truly dislikes this method and I can imagine why.
The current aim of the Project is to get awareness out there (to gain a larger volunteer base) and continued funding support. There is a potential volunteer base outside of the birding community for those who simply enjoy feeding hummingbirds in their yard. Another idea that came up at the meeting was to have one person at each Hawk Count in Ontario keep track of the number of hummingbirds that fly through during the fall. Lastly, Cindy told the group that there is a lack of interest/awareness regarding rarer species of hummingbirds in Ontario. She believes that more species are probably seen a year than actually reported due to the casual observer simply identifying a hummingbird as a Ruby-throat without really paying attention to the details. Hopefully her Project can shed some more light on the Ontario status of hummingbirds in the years to come.
You can visit the Ontario Hummingbird Project website here. The site includes tips on attracting hummingbirds, volunteer opportunities, range maps, upcoming events, and other important information.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Brief update
Yes, it's been a long time since my last post but this season has a way of bogging one down in business. I have been working many hours this past month and most mornings that I have off, I have slept in, catching up for all of the 6-hour sleeps I had during the week.
However, updates will come soon, mainly from the holidays when I'll be able to birdwatch Pelee again. My Greyhound trip home is only 2 days away and after Christmas, I plan to bird, bird, bird. It's become a bit of a tradition for Marianne and I to be the first birders to the tip on New Year's Day so hopefully we'll be out there to find the first birds of the year!
I'm also on my way to becoming a member of the Toronto Ornithological Club. The irony is that by the time I become a member, I'll be moving back to Leamington! That is, unless a good job falls into my lap (unlikely). One of the most exciting aspects of being a member is that I will get a tour of the ROM's bird collection and I can look through the files for all of Ontario's rare bird reports. I could spend a week reading those and not get bored! I also finally checked out the Toronto Reference Library and they have a wonderfully large section of texts and guides on birds. I sat for about an hour perusing field guides I plan to purchase, some rare texts, and a few guides that I didn't even know existed. A day spent looking through all of this material is something I definitely plan to do once I get back to Toronto.
So stay tuned for upcoming updates and hopefully things will settle down in 2008 so I can start posting again...and of course, go birding as often as possible.
However, updates will come soon, mainly from the holidays when I'll be able to birdwatch Pelee again. My Greyhound trip home is only 2 days away and after Christmas, I plan to bird, bird, bird. It's become a bit of a tradition for Marianne and I to be the first birders to the tip on New Year's Day so hopefully we'll be out there to find the first birds of the year!
I'm also on my way to becoming a member of the Toronto Ornithological Club. The irony is that by the time I become a member, I'll be moving back to Leamington! That is, unless a good job falls into my lap (unlikely). One of the most exciting aspects of being a member is that I will get a tour of the ROM's bird collection and I can look through the files for all of Ontario's rare bird reports. I could spend a week reading those and not get bored! I also finally checked out the Toronto Reference Library and they have a wonderfully large section of texts and guides on birds. I sat for about an hour perusing field guides I plan to purchase, some rare texts, and a few guides that I didn't even know existed. A day spent looking through all of this material is something I definitely plan to do once I get back to Toronto.
So stay tuned for upcoming updates and hopefully things will settle down in 2008 so I can start posting again...and of course, go birding as often as possible.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Lifer! Red-necked Grebe
My second trip to Humber Bay East (November 20) was just as exciting as the first. This time around, I had all the same duck species and more. Long-tailed Duck still outnumbers all others (it's amazing how common they are on Lake Ontario compared to the western basin of Lake Erie where I'm used to). There are also good numbers of Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers and Bufflehead. However, Scaup numbers in the vicinity are low (I only saw 3 Lesser), and Scoters are virtually absent (the single White-winged Scoter female is still present in one of the marshes). Only 1 Common Loon was present again today.
In terms of marsh ducks, Mallards are very common while Gadwall, American Black Duck, American Wigeon, and Green-winged Teal are also present but in fewer numbers.
Somewhat surprisingly, I still had not seen a Red-necked Grebe until today so I was very excited to see a nonbreeding individual at close range, its yellow bill and buffy crescent quite distinctive. I believe this species is much more common on Lake Ontario but I'm not sure of its status in the eastern basin of Lake Erie (any comments here on its abundance on Lake Ontario versus Erie would be greatly appreciated). The Toronto Ornithological Club's status forms has peak numbers in the triple digits.
Inland, I had a single Mockingbird, both Kinglet species, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a lot of Dark-eyed Juncos and Chickadees, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Tree Sparrow, and a few migrating Goldfinches. Also present in the estuary were Killdeer, a Great Black-backed Gull, and a large group of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
In terms of marsh ducks, Mallards are very common while Gadwall, American Black Duck, American Wigeon, and Green-winged Teal are also present but in fewer numbers.
Somewhat surprisingly, I still had not seen a Red-necked Grebe until today so I was very excited to see a nonbreeding individual at close range, its yellow bill and buffy crescent quite distinctive. I believe this species is much more common on Lake Ontario but I'm not sure of its status in the eastern basin of Lake Erie (any comments here on its abundance on Lake Ontario versus Erie would be greatly appreciated). The Toronto Ornithological Club's status forms has peak numbers in the triple digits.
Inland, I had a single Mockingbird, both Kinglet species, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a lot of Dark-eyed Juncos and Chickadees, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Tree Sparrow, and a few migrating Goldfinches. Also present in the estuary were Killdeer, a Great Black-backed Gull, and a large group of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
Monday, November 12, 2007
TOC- Guatemala
Tonight I attended my first official meeting with the Toronto Ornithological Club as a guest of Don Barnett. Two more meetings and a short biography later, I'll be a member. Tonight's speaker was a woman who had just gotten back from a trip to Guatemala. Her presentation was excellent and she had many great photos of some fascinating birds as well as some Mayan temple ruins. There are some amazing birds from there including the Resplendent Quetzal, Pale-billed Woodpecker, and the Red-capped Manakin to name a few.
Here is a video she showed of the mating ritual of male Red-capped Manakins during the presentation that I have to share because it's just hilarious what this little guy can do.
The meeting was great and I look forward to the next outing. I also have a contact that might provide me a ride out to the Leslie Street Spit this winter so that would be a great experience. I've heard a lot of good things about this hotspot and I hope to get out there soon.
Also, just a quick update in terms of sightings: Sunday was an awful day for hawk migration (0 birds tallied), but I did get some good ducks on Grenadier Pond in High Park after a tip from some of the hawkwatchers. There were Hooded Mergansers (males doing their territorial displays), Bufflehead, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, and Mallard. American Wigeon was also reported but I couldn't find them. Also of note were three domesticated Mallard varieties hanging out together near the shore where people often feed the ducks. All three were quite large compared to their wild counterparts. One was an all-white bird, another an all dark bird, and another mostly dark with a white patch on its head.
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