Canada Big Year - Matt Timpf

I would like to bring attention to the Big Year of my good friend, Matt Timpf, who has decided to do a CANADA Big Year in 2013. As soon as I heard, I got very excited as he's a great birder, a great person to bird w/, and well, a great person in general. I wish him the best of luck! I hope I can get him on at least a few rarities in the Pelee Area since Ontario will be his home base during the year. He was also extremely helpful at finding birds for my pursuit to 300 last year in Ontario so I owe him some birds. He is currently planning a trip to the east coast followed by a trip to the west.

I highly recommend checking out his blog. For me, it will be a good way to see what birds are easier/harder to find in areas of the country that I haven't been able to birdwatch yet. I'm also curious to find out what the current record is and how many species one can expect to find in Canada in a calendar year if they put the work in. And of course, w/ any endeavor like this, the birds are wonderful, but it's as much about the discovery of new places and the people that you meet along the way that make a Big Year worthwhile.

Here is a link to Matt's blog: http://canadabigyear2013.wordpress.com/

Jan. 5/6 - Pelee and Surrounding Area Owling

Whenever you decide to sleep in instead of going to the Tip, you always risk missing a rarity. Well, that's exactly what happened last week when an Eared Grebe and a Black-legged Kittiwake were seen at the southernmost point of mainland Canada on one of my days staying home (I'm also at home this morning so let's see what happens down there.....). Fortunately, I got to the Tip on both Saturday and Sunday morning and although I didn't get anything really rare, I wasn't disappointed.


On the 5th, I met Kory and Sarah Renaud and stood in the cold until my toes had had enough. There have been a number of interesting gulls at the Tip lately w/ hybrids, rarities, and winter visitors settling on the peninsula. Waterfowl are also present in huge numbers. On the morning of the 5th, we looked northeast and saw a swarm of ducks fly up from the water. It looked like a cloud of distant midges there were so many! We estimated 50,000 ducks in the group (likely a mix of mergansers, scaups, and scoters).

When I first arrived by myself at the Tip my heart started racing when a shorebird flew from the east beach. I thought, 'What a great way to start my 2013 year list for Essex County! Purple Sandpiper! Ya!' Unfortunately, it turned out to be a Killdeer, which is still a nice bird for this time of year, but I was hopeful for a species that I might miss out on during the rest of the year. Later in the morning, a juvenile Great Blue Heron flew out onto the Tip and rested there briefly before taking flight southwest. Each morning, there are a couple or few American Pipits feeding w/ European Starlings on the beach as well as an assortment of sparrows (Savannah Sparrows on Dec. 31, 2012, Song Sparrow Jan. 5). Later in the morning I saw my first Yellow-rumped Warblers for the year.

After the Tip, we headed to the Onion Fields to try for Snowy Owl and Long-eared Owl. Kory knew of a good spot for Long-eareds that I hadn't been checking and it did not disappoint. I ended up seeing 2 of them in flight and one perched. Great looks.

Jan. 6, Marianne and I started our day out at the Tip as well. See her blog post for the morning here: http://peleechickadee.blogspot.ca/2013/01/mystery-gull-time.html

Similar morning to the day before but a juvenile Glaucous Gull right on the beach in front of us was one of the highlights (I love this gull species). I also spotted a mystery gull, which I first tried to ID as a GBBG x HERG but something didn't feel right. The bird was HUGE and didn't seem as dark-mantled as the other hybrids of this type we've had at the Tip recently (although I'm sure there's much variation in these hybrids). It was essentially equal in size to the surrounding Great Black-backed Gulls and the Glaucous Gull. That got us wondering if it could be a GBBG x GLGU hybrid. I'll pose the same question as Marianne on here blog. Anyone have any ideas?!

Here are a couple of my own iScoped photos (quality is not great...my scope has fogged in the inside....EEEEEAAAGHHHHH!!! @#$*!!) but it at least gives an idea of the size/shape/mantle colour.

 W/ Glaucous Gull (bottom right):

This afternoon I'm going to try for Short-eared Owl again south of Essex and see if I can find a Northern Shrike out there as well. Yesterday afternoon, I found a Red-headed Woodpecker, which I was quite pleased w/ (have never had one in the winter). It was a transition bird from juvenile to adult plumage. Kory came to see it as well and we ended up hearing a second bird in the same woodlot.

January 1, 2013

I started my new year w/ a trip to Point Pelee and the Onion Fields this morning. Though I haven't committed to it entirely yet (it will all depend on what my eventual job situation is this year), I'm thinking I'm going to try to see 250 species of birds in Essex County this year. Kory Renaud inspired me w/ his final tally of 261 species for the County and I think I can get to 250 by year-end. After just doing a 300 year in Ontario, I don't want to have any commitments as large as that was, but we'll see how things go. To be honest, setting goals like this gets me out birding more because I want to see as many species as I can so I think it'll help motivate me on those mornings where you just want to sleep in but you know you'll regret not getting outside later in the day.

My year list after today stands at 41 species.

My first 10 birds of the year, in order, were:

1. House Sparrow
2. European Starling
3. American Tree Sparrow
4. Dark-eyed Junco
5. Black-capped Chickadee
6. Northern Cardinal
7. Downy Woodpecker
8. Mourning Dove
9. American Kestrel
10. Horned Lark

Most of these I had at my feeder right when I woke up. On the drive to Pelee, I added Common Grackle, Northern Harrier, Lapland Longspur, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Rock Pigeon. No Snow Buntings yet...

At the Tip, the highlight was an adult Glaucous Gull. My hopes were high that the Purple Sandpiper would still be hanging out down there. Unfortunately, it wasn't present. That would have been a great bird to get out of the way on the first day!

All 3 Scoter species were present w/ a single Black Scoter seen, many White-winged Scoter, and a handful of Surfs mixed in w/ a huge raft of scaup along the west side of the Tip. American Pipits were feeding on the beach at the Tip and a good number of Bonaparte's Gulls were on the water along w/ Herring, Ring-billed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. No Iceland this morning. I hope I can knock that species off soon.

I also added Horned Grebe, Red-breasted and Common Mergansers, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, a single Ruddy Duck, Canada Goose, Long-tailed Duck, and American Crow in the area between the southern tram loop and the Tip.

Elsewhere in the park, I heard Golden-crowned Kinglet, saw a few American Robins, a single White-throated Sparrow, and a Cooper's Hawk near the park gates.

Finally, on the drive home, I added Bald Eagle and Song Sparrow. I searched for Long-eared and Snowy Owls in the Onion Fields (including the one reported today from Erie Shores Golf Course), but couldn't turn anything up.

Going to see if I can get to over 50 species by tomorrow. Shouldn't be too hard!

Ontario Big Year: #305 - Purple Sandpiper

It's been a great year of birding for me in Ontario. Of course, I want to do a few summary posts of my year in the near future but this post will just be about my last new year bird of 2012: Purple Sandpiper.

A fireplace. A chair. A window. A coffee. A book.

Oh yes, I was in my happy place. I was relaxing at home, periodically looking out at the birds at my feeder, when my phone vibrated in my pocket. A direct message on Twitter from @blacklite9900. Interesting. I opened my Messages and there in my inbox was the following message:

"Don't know if you're working...PUSA at the tip" I kid you not, my first reaction was, 'that is one helluva late Purple Martin.' I facepalmed. 'You fool,' I thought to myself, 'it's a Purple Sandpiper. RUN!!!'

I scrambled around the house grabbing warm clothing for the outdoors, sent Kory a message to say I was on my way, and ran out the door, slipping and sliding across the laneway, scarf sailing.

Snow Buntings flying out of the way, my car smashed against snow drift after snow drift as I plowed my way south to Pelee, sweaty palms gripping the wheel and praying that I wouldn't careen off the road into a ditch on New Years Eve.

'With my luck,' I thought, 'I'll run into a ride program.'
Imagine it!

Police Officer, "Have you had anything to drink today?"
Me: "OUT OF MY WAY, I'M TRYING TO GET TO A PURPLE SANDPIPER!!!!!"
Police Officer: "Sir, please take your hands away from my holster and blow into this breathalyzer."

Eventually arriving at the Tip, I walked at a quick pace to the end and spotted Kory, Alan Wormington, and Richard Carr looking through their scopes. I somehow managed to get to them without slipping and falling (I assumed this would happen). I aimed my scope at the Tip and got the Purple, feeding on the east side with a group of European Starlings.

305!

Huge thanks to Kory for alerting me of this bird and thanks to Al and Richard for finding it.

Other highlights at the Tip while I was there included White-winged Scoter, Horned Grebe, Savannah Sparrow, American Pipit, and a hybrid Herring x Great Black-backed Gull.

A great way to end the year!

Departure

 
The earth, tireless and now quite familiar after 4.5 billion years of rotation, continues its steady roll eastward, stars and planets disappearing under the sun's injection of light, driving the night sky to the west. Those still dreaming miss the sun's needle-tip peak pierce the horizon, sending cords of colour across the sky. Clouds, pink and purple, bleed out onto the plains, a new day's first breath heard on the winds blown off James Bay carrying the far-away howl of a loon.

The morning burgeons with activity until it reaches a plateau, early exhilaration waning as the day tips over into afternoon. The sun and moon, bored, begin to play gravitational tug-of-war, receding coastal waters helplessly grasp at loose sand, pulled by invisible tethers. A teaming tidal flat is revealed, a feeding factory of infinitesimal feasts: invertebrates facing their demise to shorebird bills knitting, probing, twisting and intruding their way into the moist terrain, tongues like conveyer belts leading to inner assembly lines. Tiny beings decimated by stomach acid, broken down and gizzard-ground into nutrients absorbed into the body, the mechanism for migrating machines to begin their long flight south.

A White-rumped Sandpiper leaves a line of imprints in the mud while she feeds. She is one of thousands, the coastal sand now a brocade of myriad criss-crosses. She is just about ready for her long flight, having eaten to excess. The winds are in her favour. This is not her first flight; she has made this trip six times before. There is urgency in her movements. She will fly out today.

A distant pair of eyes looks on. The flock is scanned from an elevated perch, a large piece of driftwood, a giant's bone wedged against the coastline. The watcher knows that patience will be rewarded. Many minutes pass. A suitable target is found. Talons dig into the wood in anticipation. The falcon, a shadow, hungry, lets go its perch and takes to the sky silently, cutting through the air toward the centre of the crowd.

A commotion. The White-rumped Sandpiper senses movement at the edge of the flock. Her mind switches instantly from food to fear. She joins the chaos of flapping wings in the air, her adaptations allowing her to mirror every movement of the group, as if all of these individual beings were a single surging organism. A blemish in the flock approaches, a larger presence at her rear. It causes her to err and lose sync from her surrounding kin. Her instincts bank her sharply to the left, but her pursuer stays mere inches behind her. She tries to fly back toward the flock but the rest of the birds have already flown too far down the coast.

Though her energy stores are high, the speed of her flight and the maneuvers she is forced to make begin to tire her. The falcon is relentless. She manipulates her wings and splashes into a pool of water below, her pursuer speeding over her. She takes flight immediately. She adds a few yards between herself and the falcon, which somersaults as it circles back in her direction. The distance between predator and prey lessens. She tries one more time to bank but this time the falcon has read her next move.

Talons tear through feathers and skin and the White-rumped Sandpiper is smashed against the ground. She twists a wing free and pushes it against the earth to throw off her attacker but her torn body is already too weak. She will not make the flight south. She feels another stab, a sharp beak puncturing her chest. She ceases to struggle. Her vision blurs. Her heart, racing just seconds before, stops.

The Peregrine Falcon wastes little time in its success. Grasping its meal in its talons, it flies back to its perch. No amount of meat can be squandered. This is survival. The falcon eats to its fill until little remains, and eventually flies back toward the forest.


The day wastes away. The first presence of the returning night is felt in the drop of degrees as grey and white feathers float away on the surface of the risen tide. The moon returns and new spirits rise to join the dance in the sky. Those still bound to Earth look upward and marvel at the wonder of the Northern Lights, their eyes reflecting the shifting sheets of radiant green.

#304 Cave Swallow!

This morning I arrived at the Tip at about 8:30 hoping that the change in temperature would perhaps get a Cave Swallow on the move. I wasn't disappointed. It ended up being one of the first birds I saw!

As I was walking past the Solar Panel Display on my way to the Tip, I was watching a flock of American Robins flying by and then thought, wait, what is that small thing? I brought my bins up. A SWALLOW! I watched it bank and saw its rump, then its throat, and that's when my heart skipped. Pale, Pale, Pale. Though I certainly wish I would have had a better look (like the one that was within 5 feet of birders at the Tip a week before!), I saw it well enough (LIFER!) and I continued to watch it as it flew against strong west winds almost over the lake, then turned and headed southeast. I hurried to the Tip thinking it might have been hanging around down there out of the wind but never relocated it. This species was my 304th in Ontario this year. Although my Big Year definitely slowed down once I hit 300, I was always hoping to reach 305 so that should be attainable w/ one more month to go (Purple Sandpiper...?). 

I was later joined by Alan Wormington and Richard Carr but none of us stuck around long as there wasn't much activity on the lake. Large numbers of scaups and Redhead off the east side, a couple of Common Loon flyovers, about a dozen distant Tundra Swans, a handful of Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye, 4 Horned Grebes, only 2 Great Black-backed Gulls, and of course, lots of Red-breasted Mergansers.

My view of the Tip this morning.

There was a decent number of raptors flying today on account of the winds including Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Sharp-shinned, and Cooper's Hawks, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, and Merlin. Reminded me of my time helping out w/ the hawk watch at Holiday Beach Conservation Area this fall. Looking forward to reading the results of the count from there today. Thanks to my good friend, Vee, for somehow managing to memify my love of hawks w/ Jeremy Renner:

I also finally checked out the new sculpture near the entrance of Point Pelee where the old admin building used to be. The artist is Teresa Altiman and the sculpture is of a turtle, symbolizing the Ojibwe legend of Turtle Island. There are four feathers hanging around the turtle that represent the four directions that people travel from to visit Point Pelee.

The sculpture stands upon a rock w/ this inscription:

Them Rhode Island Reds

Those who follow me on Instagram (@lesliejh85) know I love my chickens. Followers are treated to (subjected to...?) photos of them doing everything from stealing seed from under my birdfeeder to dirt-bathing in our flower gardens. It was only a matter of time before they were a topic of a blog post. 

Our farm used to only have sheep, cows, goats, and rabbits. Not surprisingly, I was pushing to add birds to the menagerie. I wanted to get a flock of Helmeted Guinefowl or an Emu but there were some associated problems. Guineafowl are apparently quite raucous and I read they can be bad for eating snakes. Emus are darned expensive and I couldn't bear having it end up as a burger for the rest of my family to eat. Then, early this fall, my dad found some free Rhode Island Reds on Kijiji. A total of 26 birds, they were advertised as being egg-layers (each lays an egg every other day), free range, and their meat isn't good for eating. Perfect.

When we first brought them home, I was trying to get my dad to keep them in our chicken coop for a couple days to acclimatize them to our farm before letting them out (this is imperative for guineafowl) but when we released them, he left the doors to the coop open and they quickly started to run all over the place. I kept madly running around trying to herd them back to the coop but they were too curious and wanted to investigate their new surroundings.

On the first day they turned our backyard into Kakariko Village.

I thought for sure we'd lose half of them by that night and have calls from neighbouring farmers asking if all the chickens running through their yards were ours but fortunately, the chickens immediately took to our property and stuck around. We do feed them in the coop each evening so that helps to keep them coming back.

I instantly fell in love with them. They're so curious about everything and hilarious. They follow all of us wherever we go on our property but if you turn around and start walking back toward them, they start nervously clucking (I've become very good at imitating this nervous call and it gets them really riled up). All of them are tame but they stay just out of reach to the point of frustration. Basically they let you get within a hands length and then start walking away. I've only been able to catch a couple of them so far but we try not to do it often to keep them stress-free. Almost every time I step out the door, I'm greeted to a group of wobbling chickens running full speed toward me.

As time goes on, they're getting more brave, too. They've ventured into our front yard now where my feeder system is. I'm involved in Project Feederwatch this winter so I was trying to think of ways of preventing them from eating my seed but I decided it's just too much a hassle. They're like squirrels. They'll find a way. It hasn't mattered too much yet anyway because the only thing that's come to my feeder so far is an American Goldfinch pair. I expect a better turn out after the first snowfall. 

Project Feederwatch #fail

Our Rhode Islanders also love the dirt. I've never seen any creature take such vigorous dirt baths. They dig a hole in soft soil and scratch and toss it up onto their feathers and then roll around in it. It keeps their feathers clean and healthy for better insulation and getting rid of parasites.

Fine now but wait until they start digging out our annuals.

And the eggs! The eggs taste spectacular. We get about 12-18/day so we've been constantly looking up new recipes. What I can't believe is how eggy they taste. It makes me realize how much better food from free-range animals tastes than the tasteless watered-down versions you buy at grocery stores (from caged birds). Of course, 12-18 eggs a day is hard to keep up w/ so we give out a lot of eggs to family and friends.

I'm hoping they all survive the winter. It's hard to get an accurate count because some of them roost in our shed at night and during the day, they can be found virtually anywhere around the property. I'll end w/ a photo of one of our Reds settling in for the night.

Delaurier Big Sit

Although I had to work this afternoon, I still made it to Pelee for the morning and did a Big Sit w/ Marianne at the Delaurier parking lot. I'm really starting to enjoy these sits. On a north wind, it's a great way to just stay in one spot and wait and see what flies over. We've had good success each time we've tried it.

Though there was a Cave Swallow seen at the Tip this morning just before I was leaving the park, I was still very happy to get 2 new birds for my Point Pelee list. They were Bohemian Waxwing and Red Crossbill, both of which were flyovers and seen by the 4 of us who were observing (Mike Tate and Bob Cermak joined us for a couple hours of the Sit). We also had a number of Common Redpolls, White-winged Crossbills, Pine Siskins, and American Goldfinches. Birds we hoped for but didn't get included Pine Grosbeak (long shot) and Evening Grosbeak. As I'm writing this, I see that Mike Tate posted our sightings to Ontbirds, which I'm happy about since Pelee gets under-reported this time of year even though it's a great place to be birding!

It was a chilly start and foggy (like pea soup fog) but once the sun broke up the haze, we had a decent day w/ bursts of birds flying over followed by periods of lulls where nothing seemed to be moving. Great day of catching up w/ two awesome Ottawa birders, having laughs w/ Marianne, and getting a good count of winter finches for Pelee.

Below is our eBird list from this morning as well as a smaller list from the beach at Pioneer. When we heard about the Cave Swallow at the west beach at the Tip, we tried the beach across from Delaurier to see if we'd be lucky getting a flyby...no such luck. I'll almost certainly be out again on Monday looking for the last remaining Cave Swallows in Ontario.

Delaurier list:  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12061436

Pioneer list: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12061478

Instagram of Delaurier parking lot when we arrived. Beautiful morning.

Finally, here's a link to Marianne's blog post on our morning over at The Pelee Chickadee:  http://peleechickadee.blogspot.ca/2012/11/birding-in-morning-at-delaurier-parking.html

Goodbye Letter

Dear Ford Windstar,

It is with great sadness that I write this but after 10 years, I think it's time we move on. The rust, the ratting sounds, the heat not working, the rust, the garbage all over the floor, the gas-guzzling. It's just...I need something...newer. I hope you'll understand.

I've never told you this, but you weren't my first ride. Yes, before I started to drive you, there was another...a Green Aerostar. But it had nothing on you, trust me. Besides, I was only a passenger before it was totaled in a ditch. And then, well, there was a Blue Windstar, but that was just a rebound. There were two trucks and a car, too. But of all the vehicles I drove, you were the best.

We sure did share some great memories, didn't we? Remember the day you earned the nickname, Silver Bullet? When you and I raced out to Wheatley Harbour to see a red-morph Ruff in Muddy Creek? We never did top the speed we clocked in at that day. Birders watching our approach said they could hear the sonic boom when we broke the sound barrier.

Then there were all those weekends during highschool where we cruised around Leamington for hours with nothing to do. Oh yeah, those were the days. We were so cool...

Or in the later years when we gave people rides and they had to stand in the back because the seats were out and the floor was covered in sheep manure? Oh yes, you were a farm van, shamelessly, through and through. 

And the lifers! California Gull, Sabine's Gull, Neotropic Cormorant, Spotted Towhee, Great Gray Owl, Ross's Goose, Bell's Vireo. You drove me to all of them. You were dependable to the end...even this fall when I thought every drive was our last.

On that note, I must apologize for what I put you through this last month. It's my fault that you're finally being retired. I thought for sure you could make it up the incline at the end of Concession E....but I should have listened when you were struggling instead of impatiently pumping my boot on the gas. I just really wanted to see a Buff-breasted Sandpiper. Once that muffler came loose, you were never the same. Now you sound like a ticking time bomb and I have to admit, I'm a bit afraid to be close to you when you're turned on.

This morning you gave me my last ride. I didn't see any lifers, no Pelee birds, no year birds, but I still had a great time. By Thursday, you will be dismantled and your parts sold separately. Much of you will be scrapped. However, I'll always have our last bird sighting together, a flock of Horned Larks while I turned into my lane.

It seems fitting that on our last drive together, it rained the entire time.

Goodbye, Silver Bullet.

Pelee Birding

I had a good day birding w/ Marianne around the Pelee Birding Circle today. Our day started early at the Tip on account of southwest winds (I still need any jaeger species this year believe it or not!). It was very nice to see the number of birders at the Tip this morning w/ a total of 7 of us scanning for most of the morning. I got to congratulate Josh Vandermeulen in person on his Big Year record. He, along w/ Marianne and I, were hoping for a Cave Swallow flyby at the Tip. It's possible 1 or some will show up in the next few days, especially on Tuesday when a cold front passes through. Unfortunately not a single swallow flew by today.

Observers at the Tip of Pelee

The highlight was a Black-legged Kittiwake that Marianne spotted first and eventually everyone got on it. Blake had a distant Red-throated Loon and a Northern Goshawk making a brief appearance was a new Pelee bird for me, so a personal highlight there. Though I consider a Kittiwake I had last year my first for the Pelee area, it was on the brink of death (found later the same day dead and sent to the ROM) so this flyby was a bit of a more exciting sighting. Not too much activity besides, though there were a good number of goldfinches and siskins flying over as well as a single Snow Bunting. I was hoping for an Evening Grosbeak as Sarah Rupert had a number of them in the Visitor Centre parking lot this week. I need that for my Pelee List (as well as Red Crossbill...this might be the year).

Later in the day, Marianne and I drove the border of Hillman Marsh and came up w/ a decent flock of Dunlin and a single Killdeer. Not much else around but we did have a good number of American Tree Sparrows on the dead end of Seacliff Drive E.

Our next stop was Wheatley Harbour where we met up w/ Brandon Holden and Josh. There was a whole lotta nothing!!

We finished the day w/ a slow walk through Two Creeks Conservation Area, which gave us a bit of time to talk about life and end the day on a pleasant note. Our only birding highlight was an Eastern Phoebe, now a "confirm" bird on eBird since we've rolled over into November.

We also had a couple herptiles today including a Gartersnake in the Sparrow Fields of Pelee and a Spring Peeper calling from Seacliff Drive E. Only a sulphur and an unidentified butterfly that was likely a Buckeye in the insect department.

I'll be birding again tomorrow and hope for at least 1 new year bird (considering any jaeger or a Cave Swallow would be new for my year, it's not actually asking for too much!). There are a lot of eyes in the Pelee Circle this week though so something rare is bound to show up.