Franklin's Gull

I just got back from Niagara Falls. I spent the weekend there w/ a good friend from Toronto named Lee Eric and we had a great time. Now, Lee Eric is understanding of my need to sometimes look for birds when I'm away from home. Understanding enough that he was willing to spend time standing in the cold looking at gulls at a hydroelectric generating station. He even shares an interest in the hobby (ex. he likes showing me pictures of all the birds he sees on his world travels that I haven't seen, lingering just a little bit longer on the photos of birds I will probably never see). So when a Franklin's Gull was being reported from Sir Adam Beck, I thought, well heck, I'm so close...let's go have a look.

I'm like, really stupid. People tell me I shouldn't put myself down like that but those same people tell me that lying is bad so I get confused sometimes. Anyway, for reasons I can't quite remember I decided to leave my scope at home. I think it had something to do w/ only being able to carry so many things from my apartment to my car in one trip. I need to stop making such mistakes. It would have been nice to have a scope.

When we arrived at Adam Beck on Saturday, there were a lot of Bonaparte's Gulls. I honestly thought this one was gonna be easy. The Franklin's's been there for some time now, had been reported the same morning, is seen between Adam Beck and the roosting rocks just south of Adam Beck so there wasn't much ground to cover, and it's a gull that should pop out from the rest of the galaxy even w/o a scope.

I set Lee Eric on the task of pointing out dark gulls. After a while w/ no luck we walked over to the cliff-edge overlooking the roosting rocks on the river just across from Devil's Hole State Park. This is when I wished I had my scope. There were quite a few gulls down there and they were conveniently just out of reach of my identification ability. Don't get me wrong, I could tell they were Boni's but every Boni standing a certain way in front of a rock made it look like it could have a dark mantle or a partial hood. And when you want to find a certain bird, the mind makes everything look good. Around the hour mark, I started to feel bad. Lee Eric felt bad that I wasn't seeing the bird. We gave up and went back to Niagara and drank beer. Neither of us felt bad anymore.

Sunday morning, we went for one more try before Lee Eric had to board his bus back to Toronto. There's not much to say except it was a repeat of the day before. After dropping him off at the bus stop, I now had the afternoon to look for this darn gull. Alright, Jeremy, let's find this thing!

In come the storm clouds. Darkening skies, increasing winds, and a sudden downpour welcomed my return to Adam Beck. An inauspicious start. I smirked. I was prepared to wait for however long it would take and brave any and all elements to find the gull. Bring it on!

*Three hours later*

The sun being back out, a tourist holding a camera got out of her car, walked up to me, and quietly asked me what I was looking for. She had a pleasant smile.

"A Franklin's Gull," I screamed.

She left without taking any pictures.

I knew I had to leave for home soon and the wind had picked up severely. I headed back to the roosting rocks lookout and teetered on the edge of the precipice. My hands were shaking, either from the cold or from the onset of hypoglycemia. If I accidentally lurch off this cliff, I thought, I will probably still be looking for the gull all the way to the bottom. This morbid thought led to morbider thoughts of my head cracking open on the rocks below. Perhaps a birder would find the Queenston Black Vultures peeling away the resilient membrane encasing my brain, and start celebrating seeing an Ontario lifer.

I gave up and left. Ok, so I didn't get the Franklin's Gull. At least I can drive a short distance and add those Black Vultures to my year list. I pulled into the Queenston Heights lookout.

*One hour later*

I left, but instead of letting my thoughts reach their morbidest, I thought, OK, that all stunk, but hey, come now, do you really think I can let a couple of missed birds ruin a weekend where I met this tortoise?

WEPBirds

So check it out: there's a cool new message board/website that Kory Renaud just developed called WEPBirds. The URL is www.wepbirds.com. WEPBirds stands for Windsor-Essex-Pelee Birds and I really hope people will start posting and taking advantage of the site. Other major birding regions like Toronto and Hamilton have very successful and oft-used message boards where birders can post events, sightings, questions, and pictures for identification help and it only makes sense that the Essex County/Pelee area have a similar board.

I'm excited about WEPBirds because it's a way to share sightings that are not appropriate for Ontbirds but might still be of local significance...like high Tundra Swan numbers in the Onion Fields or maybe a good diversity of fall warblers at Point Pelee (like at Blue Heron this year). eBird's needs alerts and rare bird alerts are great but they don't cover every sighting that might be of interest.

Speaking of eBird, WEPBirds also has a link to BirdTrax, where you can see all eBird lists posted in the area in real-time. This is much easier than using the "Explore Data" feature on the eBird website to look for recent lists.What's nice at the moment is that all Holiday Day Beach Migration Observatory lists are being posted daily so you can easily access all that data in one place. BirdTrax also gives you a backstage pass to my AMCO Produce, Inc. incidental lists, so now you can now see how many House Sparrows live in the greenhouse I work in!

When it comes down to it though, WEPBirds is just a good place for like-minded folks, you know, people interested in birds who are awesome, to connect. Because let's face it, nonbirders are wonderful people but sometimes you just want to be all about birds and it's hard to talk birding w/ someone whose eyes glaze over at the mere mention of gulls ("You mean, like, seagulls...?").

And now a short play about bringing up birding on a first date: 

FOR THE BIRDS
By Jeremy Hatt

CAST LISTING

JEREMY HATT
HIS DATE

SCENE: A coffee shop in Windsor.


[We join two men on stage in a coffee shop.]

[Soft music and light background chatter fade.]

JEREMY: Gee wiz, that’s a nifty watch you got there. You sure do like to check it a lot.

DATE: Uh huh. [Date raises his mug of coffee and takes a long, loud slurp.]

[Extended silence.]

JEREMY: [Jeremy clears throat] I…so, I um…I…hmm.

[Extended silence.]

JEREMY: Oh! Uh, here’s something! On Friday after work I, uh, rushed to Point Pelee to see this rare bird…? Called a Kirtland’s Warbler….? You remember I messaged you about being a birdwatcher…? You didn’t respond but I assumed you had gone to bed and just didn't see the text.

DATE: Sounds interesting. [Date checks his watch.]

JEREMY: Oh...um, well, yes, I-I guess it is. You see, this bird, well, it’s an endange…

Date: Sounds interesting.

It's only May 3 and I'm already rapping. Be afraid.

I have the entire w/e off!

So. Pumped.

This means at least 12 hours of birding each day in the Pelee Birding Circle and picking up a ton of year birds. I'm so excited I could....I could....
....cue Macklemore!

>>>>
[Hook:]
I'm gonna find some birds
Tick'em in the notebook in my pocket
I - I - I'm hunting, going for a 100
This is f*king awesome.

[Verse:]
Walk onto the Tip like "What up? I got a mixed flock!"
I'm so pumped about some books from the nature shop.
Gulls on the beach, so many positive ID's
That people like, "Damn! He makes that look easy!"

I'ma rock the birder style, I'ma rock the birder style,
No for real - I am - Have you seen my Tilley hat?

*RECORD SCRATCH* Ok, no more Macklemore.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm seeing a good # of species I missed on my 2012 Big Year already so here are some targets that I'm hoping for this spring (a few more realistic than others):

Glossy Ibis
Northern Bobwhite (trip to Walpole Island)
Western Sandpiper
Chuck-will's-widow
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Bell's Vireo
Kirtland's Warbler
Summer Tanager
Lark Sparrow

Tomorrow I'm hoping for all or one of: Cerulean, Hooded, Golden-winged, Praire, Chat, Yellow-throated Vireo, Clay-colored Sparrow. A Little Gull would be nice. Maybe a Whip-poor-will perched at the Tip? Would love to see a male Prothonotary on Woodland Trail. Perhaps a chase-able OBRC rarity...? Whatever this w/e brings, I'm excited to spend it birding.

Alright, I'm off to Hillman.

Henslow's Sparrow/Kentucky Warbler at the Tip

What. An. Evening.

On a day where a number of texts and Ontbirds posts were indicating a great day at Pelee, I was excited when work was done and I could head over to try my luck at some of the rarities that were around.

On the way over, I picked up a drink and a burrito at Birdie's Perch. Upon leaving, I drove slowly by the Pelee Wings Nature Store feeders thinking I might catch another glimpse of the female Painted Bunting. I didn't see the bird but I did see two people pointing and laughing at me. How rude, I thought. I sped up to escape these mean people. Only when I saw my Dr. Pepper rolling down and spilling across my back window did I realize they were right to laugh at me. Oh well...could have been worse. Could have been my wallet I left up there (again).

Once I got to the park, I headed straight to the VC to catch the tram down to try for the Henslow's Sparrow, which Josh Vandermeulen told me had been seen on and off throughout the day. As soon as I parked the tram arrived. Good timing! I ran over and sat down on the tram. I waited patiently. Waited some more. Waiiiited....the huh? Someone who had pity on me walked over and politely told me the tram was done running to the Tip for the day. I mumbled something like "Oh, uhh, ya, I knew that, I was just...resting...." and scuttled away.

Turns out the gates open just after 5pm once tram service ends, which is excellent since the Tip was the place to be this evening. I started at the West Beach Footpath, ready to search for the Henslow's Sparrow reported from near the Serengeti Tree. Not far along the trail I saw Josh V., David Bell, and Dwayne Murphy all looking straight down at the ground. Could it really be that close?! I gingerly tip-toed over, which was completely unnecessary since this is the tamest Henslow's Sparrow ever, walking around the feet of observers looking very much like a mouse creeping through the grass. Mindblowing views.

From there we started walking toward the Tip to see what other migrants we could find but were stopped short by a text from Brandon Holden. They'd found a Kentucky Warbler around the corner from where we were walking on the main road to the Tip. We rushed over. I arrived out of breath...somewhat pathetic to be out of breath from jogging 50 metres, I know...but I think it was the excitement of the moment. My mom would say it's because I'm vegetarian. As soon as we got there, the warbler popped up and gave short but good looks. My adrenaline was thru the roof, let me tell ya.

I feel incredibly lucky to be seeing a number of species that I did not see last year during my Big Year. Here's the list so far:

Gray Partridge
Willet
Townsend's Solitaire
Kentucky Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler (heard last year but not seen)
Louisiana Waterthrush (heard last year but not seen)
Henslow's Sparrow
Blue Grosbeak
Painted Bunting

And y'know what's crazy...? It's not even May yet.

Lunch Hour

12:01p.m. - Beep. Punched out from work.

12:02p.m. - Check phone for any rare bird updates.

12:05p.m. - Bite into peanut butter and banana sandwich. 

12:16p.m. - Text message received from Josh Vandermeulen

     Painted bunting reported at Pelee wings feeders 5 mins ago

12:16p.m. - In Marianne's car driving toward Pelee Wings Nature Store.

12:18p.m. - Construction. A detour sign sends us down a street w/ No Exit.

12:21p.m. - Ontbirds email received.

> From: pwn...@peleewings.ca
> To: birdalert@ontbirds.ca
> Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:21:34 -0400
> Subject: [Ontbirds] Painted Bunting, female, currently at  at Pelee Wings
> 
> Birders -
> 
> For those coming out of Point Pelee National Park for lunch you
> may want to check out the female Painted Bunting discovered by
> Maris Apse at the feeders directly across the street from 
> Pelee Wings Nature Store, 636 Point Pelee drive, Leamington, 
> 2 km north of the Park, there at 12:05pm, now.
> 
> Regards from Point Pelee -
> 
> Michael Malone

12:22p.m. - A red light.

12:24p.m. - Another red light.

12:28p.m. - Green!

12:32p.m. - Arrive at Pelee Wings Nature Store. PAINTED BUNTING!!!!!

12:35p.m. - Leave Pelee Wings Nature Store.

12:45p.m. - Post to Facebook: 

Just got a female Painted Bunting on my lunch hour at Pelee Wings Natureoptics Paddlesports!! I'm shaking I'm so excited. And back in time to punch in.

12:50p.m. - Beep. Punched back in.

12:55p.m. - Marianne looks at me. Asks, "What just happened?"

Spring.

Spring. It's the best time of year. The time of year when a birder's life gets HECTIC. A time where you see friends you sometimes haven't seen in a year, waiting in line for a birdseed cookie behind the Visitor Centre. Conversations turn quickly from pleasantries to exchanging bird sightings. So many birds are new for the year. The first of each is exciting. A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is exciting. A Yellow Warbler sighting is exciting. A Dunlin is exciting. A Bell's Vireo or a Kirtland's Warbler sends you into convulsions. Yes, it's the time of year you might be 100 feet into the Woodland Trail and then a text, a radio call, eBird alert, or Ontbirds email changes your direction and now you're speeding toward Hillman Marsh. At times you are forced to make tough decisions. What bird should I go for? The Golden-winged at the Tip or the Cerulean on Tilden? How far am I willing to chase a rarity before it's considered insane? Do I want a Green Goddess or a Black Bean Burrito?

April is ending and for the next month, birding will consume me. Normality will return in June. The last few weeks have been a great start to the season. Since my last post, I've added a species to my Life List: Blue Grosbeak. This was one of my target species for 2013 since I missed it during my Big Year in 2012. So on April 19th when Paul Pratt posted to Ontbirds that Tom Preney had seen a male coming to the feeder system at Ojibway Nature Centre in Windsor, I was exhilarated. The moment I was done work, I drove to Windsor and joined a group of local birders as we watched the grosbeak, my fourth lifer of the year. I still need it for Pelee though.

There are other highlights. My first 4 warblers of the year were Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush. That's knocking off two uncommon species for the Pelee area before even seeing a Yellow (my 5th warbler for the year). Now if I manage to see a Kirtland's and a Kentucky this spring, it'll be sweeeeeeet. The Worm-eating was originally seen by Ellen Smout and the next morning found again by my good friend, Matt Timpf. It was, of course, the first bird he saw as he entered the Woodland Trail. Louisiana Waterthrush I got w/ Marianne on Tilden. There had been a number of reports coming from Pelee so we wanted to make sure to get this species before they moved through. We saw one and heard another.

Today ended up being quite a good day of birding despite the showers. My day started w/ a slight disappointment after an early morning trip to the Hillman Marsh Shorebird Cell produced no Willet (one was seen the night before). Follow that up w/ a no-show for the Clay-coloured Sparrow at Delaurier and I was all like, bleh blehhhh blehhhhhhhh, but fortunately, a Grasshopper Sparrow feeding w/ Chipping Sparrows in the parking lot turned things around. Marianne and I joined up at this point and decided to go after a Sedge Wren spotted by Kory Renaud on Woodland Trail. We met up w/ Josh Vandermeulen and learned it would be a Pelee bird for him. We searched for quite some time in the rain until finally Marianne and I gave up and left to head back to the warmth of the VC. Literally 30 seconds later my phone starts ringing. It's Josh V. He's letting us know that the moment we left, the Sedge Wren popped back up. Marianne and I exchanged embarrassed glances for giving up too soon, and w/ tails b/w our legs, returned to see the Sedge Wren.

Later in the day, after a long break, an omelet, fries, toast, 2 granola bars, a milkshake, and enough coffee to keep a Snorlax awake, I went to Kopegaron Woods just to try something different. I hadn't even entered the main trail when a Worm-eating Warbler jumped out of the brush! I started texting. My phone rang. It was Josh V. 17 Willets at Hillman Marsh. 17?!?! I waited w/ the Worm-eating until he arrived to see it w/ David Bell and then flew over the Hillman. I only saw 13 of the reported 17 but I'm really happy about this sighting. It was another species I missed during my 2012 Big Year.

This is all just the beginning of course. We're not even in May yet. Looking forward to seeing y'all out there and sharing some more great sightings!

Punxsutawney Phil's prognostication: early spring (but according to Wikipedia, he's only right 39% of the time)

So on a year where spring is arriving late, my LeSabre's heat has ceased to function (not all that surprising since its dashboard currently emits a stunning light show of multitudinous warning messages: "gas cap loose", "check gauges", "check stability system", "check engine soon", and so on), so on a cool morning such as this morning when my windshield is frosted and I'm driving east into the rising sun w/ Mr. Magoo visibility, well, I'm about 100 ft. off the road and realizing that if I'm to make it to Pelee, I'm gonna have to drive w/ my head out the window à la Ace Ventura and so I thank goodness that it's cold enough that I won't have any bugs splatting on my face and thrust my head out the window w/ Drake blaring on the radio (Started from the bottom now we're here, Started from the bottom...) while driving past neighbours' homes that I pray haven't woken up in time to look out their window and see that weirdo Hatt boy driving around w/ his head out the window holding his left ear to block the wind, which is making his eyes tear up and his cheeks turn a disturbing shade of violaceous, but really, I'm like "so what!" cause come on, it's hilarious that I'm driving around w/ my head out the window; so there I am driving w/ my head out the window laughing and thinking that now I know what dogs must feel when they stick their head out the window and the wind blows their dog-slobber in every direction.

This is how my day of birding began. Met up w/ Marianne this morning to see what we could find in the Pelee Birding Circle. We were hopeful that the long-awaited milder temperatures would produce a few early migrants or a good rarity. Even though we didn't find anything too-too rare, we still had a great morning and afternoon of searching. On days like this where temperatures tantalize Leamingtononianillianites into believing spring has finally arrived, there is a marked shift in mood. Our below-0 blahs are shaken free, sun-induced smiles spread across our winter-greyed faces, and the roads fill up w/ idling cars stop-and-go-ing their way toward the Tim Hortons drive thru. Unfortunately, next week calls for another temperature drop (but at least w/ colder weather persisting into April, leaves shouldn't come out as early as they did last May, which made looking for migrating passerines a lot tougher, right?).

Our highlights from today included all 3 scoter species off of Pelee's West Beach, a solitary Snow Goose and about 20 Tree Swallows at the Hillman Shorebird Cell, as well as another look at one of the Eurasian Wigeons that has been seen for quite some time now along Concession E in the Onion Fields. Other highlights from the area in recent days include the first Eastern Phoebes at the Tip (3 this morning), a single Barn Swallow recently, continuing groups of Snow, Cackling, and Greater White-fronted Geese, and the first shorebirds that aren't Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpiper. 

Spring is officially here even if temperatures tell a different story. It's my favourite time of the year and I'm so excited to see what 2013 brings. It's also great to see so many birders out. This time of year is as much about enjoying migration as it is sharing the experience w/ fellow birders making their way to Pelee during spring. Looking forward to seeing everyone on the trails!

Sightings: incl. Eurasian Wigeon

Yesterday at work, a Jamaican worker approached me in one of the greenhouse rows as I was scouting peppers for pests and disease. Trying to ask casually, but coming across rather urgent, he asked, did I know if anyone had died at the greenhouse? Being new, I explained I hadn't heard of any deaths occurring here. He explained that he asks the question because of something that happened that morning. At 2am, he felt a presence behind him on the stairway leading from the rooms where the seasonal workers reside to the main floor of the plant where the washrooms and offices are located. Footsteps heard in the stairwell not belonging to himself and on the main floor, a figure that he dare not approach. Implicated, I inquired with one of my colleagues as to whether anyone had ever died at the plant. The answer revealed a mystery: no deaths are known but a year prior, some of the Taiwanese workers spoke of a spirit that dwells in the residences. During their stay, the men wear pink nail polish on their fingers to ward off this spirit. According to them, it takes men in their sleep. The nail polish fools the spirit into thinking they are female. The spirit, they say, has the body of a woman; her head that of a horse.

At 11:00am this morning, these thoughts stirred in my mind as I waited in the dentist chair to have a wisdom tooth removed. After questions about the successfulness of the antibiotics taken before extraction and light banter about the weather to comfort the patient, the dentist commences the procedure by applying a local anesthetic to the area around the wisdom tooth set to be removed. A pause of 2 minutes post-application. This ensures that the patient does not feel any pain during the removal. The dentist, in a calm voice, guides the patient through each step of the procedure, reiterating that it is important to indicate if any pain or discomfort is felt at any time. Once the local anesthetic has numbed the region, the dentist uses a scalpel to slice open and remove the gum around the wisdom tooth. The dental assistant inserts a dental dry vacuum to drain out the blood that has pooled at the back of the mouth. The next step is to insert a tool called an elevator, which is wedged between the tooth's ligament space and the surrounding bone. Once the tooth is pried and elevated, the dentist uses extraction forceps to rock the tooth back and forth in its socket. A short break is taken to wipe a bead of sweat from the brow and the dental assistant once again drains blood from the back of the mouth using the dental vacuum. The tooth is now twisted to tear the ligament attaching it to the bone. Once the socket is large enough, the ligament is snapped and the tooth comes free. The dentist removes it from the mouth. The blood leaking from the empty socket is sucked out with the dental vacuum before a wad of gauze is inserted gently into the area. This ensures the formation of a blood clot that will prevent continued bleeding from the wound. The dentist finalizes the procedure with a list of instructions to hasten the healing process. The patient pays the bill and leaves the office with a wad of bloody gauze at the back of the mouth, to be replaced every 15 minutes with a fresh section until bleeding has stopped. Rest is recommended for the duration of the day, and no solid foods for 24 hours.

At 2:53pm, my iPhone sounds out the alert that I have received a new message on Facebook. The gate attendant at Point Pelee N.P. has received a report from a local birder that a Eurasian Wigeon has just been found in the marsh southeast of the park gates (spotted by Richard Carr). The miniature devil Jeremy and the miniature angel Jeremy *poof* into existence on either shoulder. Devil Jeremy: "Awwww come onnnnn....It's just a short drive. Besides, your tooth is practically healed already!" Angel Jeremy: "I have a bad feeling about this...what if you hit a pothole and the blood clot pops loose from the wound. You could risk getting dry socket." DJ: "Dry socket, shmy shmocket. It's a Eurasian Wigeon! You need it for your year list." AJ: "Your health is more important than a silly year list. Rest! Drink some soup! Besides, you already have Eurasian Wigeon for your Pelee list." DJ: "Don't listen to that ignoramus...remember when he tried to convince you to go to conversion therapy?" I nodded, swallowed 2 extra strengths, and rushed (gingerly) out the door. My search began at the Sanctuary marsh pull-off. I scanned a large raft of ducks at the north end of the pond. There was a good number of American Wigeon but I couldn't pick out anything with a buffy forehead and rufous head. Seconds edged towards minutes, minutes became an hour. I was getting cold. I cautiously moved my tongue toward the gaping hole at the back of my palate. I prodded its edge and tasted blood. R. Carr eventually showed up and searched with me to no avail. He suggested we check along Concession E where ducks have been gathering in good numbers this week. I knew I had to give up soon. Rest and soup were seducing my departure. However, one last stop later as we scanned the Onion Fields, I picked out a buffy forehead and a rufous head. In that moment, a great comfort fell over me like a warm blanket.

2012 Year List - 305

This post is a bit late but I got it up before 2014 so that's something.

Many thanks to all who made my 2012 Big Year possible. There were countless people across Ontario who either alerted me to birds I still needed for the year, encouraged me along the way, inspired me w/ their own Big Years, gave me tips and advice for where I should visit and in what month to reach my goal of 300, or simply listened to me gripe about the birds I was missing without punching me in the face. Thanks to each and every one of you.

I have to especially thank 3 people:

Mark Field, who was my traveling partner, co-conspirator, and confidant throughout the year...well, until I left Toronto and only got to 305 while he made it 311 and moved 1 place ahead of me in the eBird final standings...but who's keeping track? But seriously, the year would have sucked without you, Mark.

Matt Timpf (Mr. Canada Big Year 2013!), who helped me find many of my early year birds and continuously boosted my confidence along the way, which is actually quite a feat considering my confidence is usually somewhere between 0.01 and flatline...beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

And Marianne, who always texted or called me to see how my year was going while I was away and eventually helped me get to 305 once I returned to Leamington even though I was ready to call it a day when I hit 300 (so happy you were there to share the experience of me reaching my goal with Red Phalarope).

Here is my final list for 2012 in Ontario, more or less in chronological order (unfortunately I did not keep track of when I saw each individual species on a specific day so the numbers do not always correspond with the exact order in which I saw each species, but rather in taxonomic order on the date I first saw them):

January 1 - family farm, Staples

1. Red-tailed Hawk
2. Ring-billed Gull

January 2 - train from Chatham to Toronto (story here)

3. Tundra Swan
4. Wild Turkey
5. Rock Pigeon
6. American Kestrel
7. American Crow
8. Horned Lark
9. European Starling
10. House Sparrow

January 10 - Concession 1 - Puslinch

11. Canada Goose
12. Mourning Dove
13. Red-bellied Woodpecker
14. Hairy Woodpecker
15. Blue Jay
16. Black-capped Chickadee
17. White-breasted Nuthatch
18. Mountain Bluebird (lifer)
19. Dark-eyed Junco
20. House Finch
21. American Goldfinch
22. American Robin

January 10 - Mounstberg Conservation Area, Hamilton

23. Rough-legged Hawk
24. Downy Woodpecker
25. American Tree Sparrow
26. Northern Cardinal
27. Pine Siskin

January 10 - Marilynn Bell Park, Toronto

28. Mute Swan
29. Gadwall
30. American Wigeon
31. American Black Duck
32. Mallard
33. Redhead
34. Bufflehead
35. Common Merganser
36. Red-breasted Merganser
37. Herring Gull

January 25 - High Park, Toronto

38. Northern Pintail
39. Cooper's Hawk
40. Red-breasted Nuthatch
41. Gray Catbird
42. Common Grackle

January 25 - Sunnyside Beach, Toronto

43. Greater Scaup
44. Long-tailed Duck
45. Common Goldeneye
46. Ruddy Duck
47. American Coot
48. Glaucous Gull
49. Great Black-backed Gull

January 31 - Point Pelee National Park

50. Northern Harrier
51. Sharp-shinned Hawk
52. Bald Eagle
53. Bonaparte's Gull
54. Eastern Screech-Owl
55. Northern Shrike

February 1 - Onion Fields, Leamington (story here)

56. Great Horned Owl
57. Snowy Owl
58. Long-eared Owl
59. Red-winged Blackbird
60. Rusty Blackbird
61. Brown-headed Cowbird

February 2 - family farm, Staples

62. Ring-necked Pheasant

February 7 - Thunder Bay

63. Common Raven
64. Brown Creeper
65. Harris's Sparrow
66. Common Redpoll
67. Pine Grosbeak (lifer)
68. Golden Eagle
69. Pileated Woodpecker
70. Red Crossbill (lifer)

February 8 - Longlac

71. Spotted Towhee
72. White-winged Crossbill
73. Evening Grosbeak (lifer)
74. Hoary Redpoll (lifer)


February 8 - Beardmore

75. Common Redpoll

February 8 - Everard Road, Thunder Bay

76. Ruffed Grouse

February 9 - Rocky Bay

77. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (lifer)
78. Purple Finch

February 9 - Wishart Conservation Area, Thunder Bay

79. American Three-toed Woodpecker (lifer)

February 14 - Whitby Harbour

80. Trumpeter Swan
81. Hooded Merganser
82. Northern Mockingbird

February 15 - Adam Beck, Niagara

83. Thayer's Gull
84. Iceland Gull

February 15 - Fort Erie

85. Canvasback
86. White-winged Scoter
87. Fish Crow (Ontario lifer)
88. American Pipit

February 15 - Niagara Falls - upper falls

89. Lesser Black-backed Gull

February 15 - Queenston Heights overlook, Niagara

90. Double-crested Cormorant
91. Black Vulture
92. Turkey Vulture
93. Little Gull
94. Tufted Titmouse

February 15 - LaSalle Marina, Burlington

95. Lesser Scaup
96. King Eider

February 16 - Whitby Harbour

97. Greater White-fronted Goose (story here)

February 16 - Oshawa Second Marsh

98. Northern Saw-whet Owl

February 16 - Professor's Lake, Brampton

99. Wood Duck
100. Merlin

February 17 - Toronto

101. Peregrine Falcon

February 23 - Spencer Smith Park, Burlington

102. Surf Scoter

February 23 - 10th Road East, Stoney Creek

103. Short-eared Owl

February 28 - Elgin County

104. Eastern Bluebird

February 28 - Port Burwell

105. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
106. Field Sparrow
107. Song Sparrow

February 28 - Norfolk County

108. Northern Flicker

February 28 - Long Point area

109. Ring-necked Duck
110. Sandhill Crane
111. Swamp Sparrow
112. Great Blue Heron
113. Belted Kingfisher

March 7 - Leamington

114. Eastern Meadowlark
115. Killdeer

March 10 - Point Pelee National Park

116. Northern Shoveler
117. Green-winged Teal
118. Eastern Phoebe
119. Hermit Thrush
120. Yellow-rumped Warbler
121. Eastern Towhee
122. Fox Sparrow

March 10 - Onion Fields, Leamington

123. Ross's Goose (lifer)

March 17 - Long Point area

124. Horned Grebe
125. Golden-crowned Kinglet
126. Tree Swallow
127. Pied-billed Grebe
128. American Woodcock

March 18 - Long Point area

129. Winter Wren
130. White-throated Sparrow

March 18 - Townsend Sewage Lagoons

131. Snow Goose

March 22 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto

132. Red-necked Grebe

March 22 - Rattray March, Mississauga

133. Carolina Wren

March 22 - High Park, Toronto

134. Virginia Rail

March 26 - Prince Edward Park

135. Bohemian Waxwing (lifer)
136. Cedar Waxwing

March 26 - Russel Road, Bourget

137. Cackling Goose

March 26 - Ottawa area

138. Wilson's Snipe

March 27 - Algonquin Provincial Park

139. Spruce Grouse (lifer)
140. Black-backed Woodpecker (lifer)
141. Boreal Chickadee

March 27 - Carden Alvar

142. Loggerhead Shrike

March 27 - Townsend Sewage Lagoon

143. Eurasian Wigeon
144. Greater Yellowlegs

March 31 - High Park, Toronto

145. Black-crowned Night-Heron
146. Chipping Sparrow

April 6 - Leslie Street Spit, Toronto

147. Great Egret
148. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
149. Barn Swallow
150. Pine Warbler

April 7 - Norfolk County

151. Common Loon
152. Vesper Sparrow
153. Savannah Sparrow
154. Lesser Yellowlegs

April 7 - Long Point area

155. Purple Martin
156. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
157. Forster's Tern

April 7 - Cootes Paradise, Hamilton

158. Caspian Tern

April 7 - Peterborough

159. Osprey

April 14 - Gairloch Gardens, Oakville

160. Harlequin Duck

April 16 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto

161. Blue-winged Teal
162. Northern Rough-winged Swallow

April 17 - Everard Road, Thunder Bay

163. Sharp-tailed Grouse (lifer)

April 17 - Hurkett Cove Conservation Area, Thunder Bay

164. American White Pelican

April 17 - Thunder Bay

165. Lapland Longspur

April 22 - Rondeau Provincial Park

166. Chimney Swift
167. White-eyed Vireo
168. House Wren
169. Brown Thrasher
170. Blackburnian Warbler
171. Yellow-throated Warbler

April 22 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons

172. Sora
173. Pectoral Sandpiper
174. Dunlin

April 27 - High Park, Toronto

175. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
176. Nashville Warbler
177. Palm Warbler

April 28 - Wasaga Beach Provincial Park

178. Piping Plover

April 28 - Bruce Peninsula

179. Western Tanager (lifer)
180. Brewer's Blackbird (lifer)

April 30 - Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto

181. Cerulean Warbler

May 5 - Toronto Islands

182. Spotted Sandpiper
183. Common Tern
184. Great Crested Flycatcher
185. Eastern Kingbird
186. Blue-headed Vireo
187. Warbling Vireo
188. Bank Swallow
189. Cliff Swallow
190. Northern Waterthrush
191. Black-and-white Warbler
192. Cape May Warbler
193. Northern Parula
194. Magnolia Warbler
195. Yellow Warbler
196. Chestnut-sided Warbler
197. Black-throated Blue Warbler
198. Black-throated Green Warbler
199. White-crowned Sparrow
200. Orchard Oriole
201. Baltimore Oriole

May 7 - Rattray March, Mississauga

202. Least Flycatcher

May 7 - Townsed Sewage Lagoon

203. Semipalmated Plover
204. Least Sandpiper

May 7 - Aylmer Sewage Lagoons

205. Bobolink

May 7 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington

206. Black-bellied Plover
207. American Avocet
208. Short-billed Dowitcher
209. Common Yellowthroat

May 8 - Point Pelee National Park

210. Eastern Whip-poor-will
211. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
212. Red-headed Woodpecker
213. Eastern Wood-Pewee
214. Yellow-throated Vireo
215. Red-eyed Vireo
216. Sedge Wren
217. Veery
218. Swainson's Thrush
219. Wood Thrush
220. Ovenbird
221. Golden-winged Warbler
222. Tennessee Warbler
223. American Redstart
224. Bay-breasted Warbler
225. Wilson's Warbler
226. Lincoln's Sparrow
227. Scarlet Tanager
228. Indigo Bunting

May 9 - Point Pelee National Park

229. Black Tern
230. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
231. Marsh Wren
232. Prothonotary Warbler
233. Canada Warbler

May 10 - Point Pelee National Park

234. Broad-winged Hawk
235. Black-billed Cuckoo

May  10 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington

236. Cattle Egret
237. Marbled Godwit
238. Ruddy Turnstone

May 10 - St. Clair National Wildlife Refuge

239. Common Gallinule

May 11 - Point Pelee National Park

240. Gray-cheeked Thrush
241. Worm-eating Warbler
242. Blackpoll Warbler

May 11 - St. Clair National Wildlife Refuge

243. American Bittern
244. Least Bittern
245. Green Heron
246. White-faced Ibis
247. Yellow-headed Blackbird

May 12 - Point Pelee National Park

248. Black Scoter

May 12 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington

249. American Golden-Plover
250. Willow Flycatcher

May 13 - Point Pelee National Park

251. Red-throated Loon (lifer)

May 14 - Rondeau Provincial Park

252. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

May 14 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons

253. Stilt Sandpiper

May 15 - Point Pelee National Park

254. Hooded Warbler

May 15 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington

255. Semipalmated Sanpdiper

May 16 - Point Pelee National Park

256. Mourning Warbler

May 16 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington

257. Clay-colored Sparrow

May 16 - Wheatley Provincial Park

258. Solitary Sandpiper

May 17 - Point Pelee National Park

259. Olive-sided Flycatcher
260. Philadelphia Vireo
261. Blue-winged Warbler
262. Orange-crowned Warbler
263. Connecticut Warbler

May 18 - Pelee Island

264. Yellow-breasted Chat

May 19 - Point Pelee National Park

265. California Gull (lifer)

May 19 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington

266. Red-necked Phalarope

May 20 - Hillman Marsh, Leamington

267. White-rumped Sandpiper

May 21 - Backus Wood Conservation Area, Long Point area

268. Acadian Flycatcher
269. Louisiana Waterthrush

May 21 - East Quarter Line, Norfolk

270. Grasshopper Sparrow

May 21 - St. Williams Forest, Long Point area

271. Northern Goshawk

May 21 -Haldimand County

272. Snowy Egret
273. Laughing Gull

May 22 - Carden Alvar

274. Upland Sandpiper
275. Common Nighthawk

May 24 - Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Toronto

276. Whimbrel

May 26 - Carden Alvar

277. Alder Flycatcher

May 31 - Presqu'ile Provincial Park

278. Brant
279. Barred Owl

June 4 - Westover Tract, Flamborough

280. Prairie Warbler

June 6 - Parry Sound

281. Red-shoulder Hawk

June 8 - Rainy River District (story here and here)

282. Black-billed Magpie (lifer)
283. Le Conte's Sparrow

June 9 - Rainy River Sewage Lagoon

284. Wilson's Phalarope

June 9 - Rainy River District

285. Western Meadowlark

June 9 - Lake of the Woods - Windy Point, Rainy River District

286. Franklin's Gull (lifer)

June 11 - Rainy River District

287. Dickcissel

June 13 - Wawa Sewage Lagoons

288. Eared Grebe

July 3 - Rondeau Provincial Park area

289. Magnificent Frigatebird (lifer)

July 25 - Rock Point Provincial Park

290. Sanderling
291. Baird's Sandpiper

July 25 - Holiday Beach Conservation Area, Amherstburg

292. Little Blue Heron

July 26 - Walpole Island

293. King Rail

August 12 - Blenheim Sewage Lagoons

294. Long-billed Dowitcher (story here)

August 25 - Onion Fields, Leamington

295. Buff-breasted Sandpiper

August 29 - Presqu'ile Provincial Park

296. Thick-billed Kingbird (lifer)

August 31 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay (story here)

297. Red Knot

September 1 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay

298. Hudsonian Godwit

September 2 - Little Piskwamish Point, James Bay

299. Nelson's Sparrow

September 23 - Point Pelee National Park

300. Red Phalarope (story here)

October 30 - Point Edward Lighthouse, Sarnia (story here)

301. Black-legged Kittiwake
302. Sabine's Gull (lifer)

November 1 - Pelee Days Inn / Sturgeon Creek, Leamington

303. Snow Bunting (story here)

November 24 - Point Pelee National Park

304. Cave Swallow (lifer) (story here)

December 31 - Point Pelee National Park

305. Purple Sandpiper (story here)

Gray Partridge - A Nugatory Poem

Saturday off,
Marianne and I cheer.
Today a lifer!
Tonight, a beer.

We commence at Point Pelee,
Looking for rare.
Slaty-backed Gull
Or a Fieldfare.                                       (.........what? It could happen.)

{Poem interruption}

Our convo:

Marianne: Ahhhh a day off, clear skies, sun shining, goldeneye and mergansers doing courtship displays...
Jeremy: You're right, this sucks.
Marianne: Let's go to Brantford for the Gray Partridge instead.
Jeremy: Word.

{Poem resume}

No silver lining,
Something's amiss.
The inside of factories
Have more birds than this.

And seeing as we aren't seeing
A whole heckuva lot,
We floor it, leaving Pelee
W/ nil, nada, naught.

401 thru Essex
And Chatham-Kent,
To Elgin, To Oxford,
The next cement:

Road 403!
We're now in Brant,
To find the partridge,
And fail? We shan't.

Brantford Airport,
Home of the game,
Fields and tarmac;
The lands they lay claim.

We scan and we scan
And we scan and we scan.
We scan until we scan
Back to where we began.

But hope is not lost,
It's early just yet,
There are still many hours
Leading up to sunset. 

We meet other birders,
And happy are we,
The more eyes the better,
To find them, you see.

Back in the car
To try a new place,
Or perhaps see them roadside,
By God's given grace.

We see someone gesture,
We haphazardly park,
But there in their scope,
Is a single....Horned Lark!

We meet up with friends
And we chit and we chat.
About roadkill while frogs bark
And such stuff as that.                             (cheeky in-joke)

And that's when a vehicle
Pulled up to our group,
"We've not one, not two,
Not three, but a troupe!"

We're off in a flash to
House 197.
These birders weren't lying,
There are 2 more than eleven!

A baker's dozen
Right there in the field.
Conspicuous lumps,
No longer concealed.

Fat little footballs,
Lined up one by one,
Round faces merry
In the afternoon sun.

Soft grey on their necks,
With stripes on their side.
And orange on their face,
Like a spray tan applied.

And below, a dark U,
Upside-down on their bellies,
Which shook when they laughed,
Like a bowl full of jelly.                           (Clement Clarke Moore is spinning in his grave)

LIFER! We cried
When we entered the car,
To leave the airport,
And head to the bar!

The Dove and the Olive Branch

Now that I am working again, I accept that I won't be able to chase every rarity that gets reported in Ontario like I did most of last year. I'm grateful to be employed again (w/ a job I'm enjoying no less!) so I'll easily deal. However, I'm on call this week so when a reliable rarity (White-winged Dove) is within reasonable driving distance (Rondeau Provincial Park), it doesn't take long to decide I'm going to twitch it (after sleeping in....shhhhh).

Well, as things sometimes do, things instantly went wrong.

The entire drive from home to Rondeau was a drive through fog whose consistency was more that of a hearty beef stew than of pea soup, a fog that brought to mind images from Stephen King's The Mist, or José Saramago's Blindness.

It was only when I pulled up to pay at the park office that it started to rain. Canadians are obsessed w/ weather so I often wonder if something is wrong w/ me because I never check it on days when I really should check it (like days I plan to be outside for long periods of time and it calls for rain but I don't pack anything waterproof...?). When I lived in Toronto I would always wear the opposite of what the weather called for (which I hadn't checked anyway). Mark Field can attest. 

                                                                                                      Cut to flashback:

OUTSIDE JEREMY'S APARTMENT IN TORONTO - MORNING


                 MARK

     Ummm, you do realize it's -200 today, right?

                 JEREMY

     Ohhhh pish posh, I'll be fine! Let's boogie!


JEREMY jumps into car wearing flip flops, boardshorts, and a tank top. 

10 MINUTES LATER 


                 JEREMY

     Can we go to the hospital?

                 MARK

     Told ya.

___



The thunderstorm started when I entered the park. I was told at the park office that I was the first person to go through the gates that morning. Her smile said, "Welcome to Rondeau!" but her eyes said, "because what dolt would be stupid enough to be birdwatching right now." I pulled into the Visitor Centre parking lot (the White-winged Dove had been reported from the feeders there) and saw that it was covered in wet ice so I gently applied my breaks and slid from one end of the lot to the other. After eventually coming to a stop in a parking spot that I deemed "close enough", I stepped out of my car and fell right on my face. As I removed my cheek from the icy surface, sure enough, a maintenance vehicle had just entered the lot in time to see me flailing around on the ground. He averted his gaze to spare me further embarrassment (to cover up his laughter...?). He wasn't long at the Centre and by the time I finally found my footing and stood up, he had left. Success! I took a step toward the Visitor Centre, excited and hopeful to see the White-winged Dove!

...and fell on my face. 

Now, at this point, I was like, the definition of -___- but I'd made it this far so I was determined to at least reach the last 20 feet or so to get under shelter and out of the rain and look for the dove. As I dragged myself across the pavement, crying, flashes of lightning threatening to electrocute me into oblivion, the first ounce of doubt (that I'm certain enters every twitcher's mind) entered my mind: "what if I don't see it?"

NO. 

I WILL see it. I must. It can't end like this. To my utter disbelief, the first bird I saw was the dove. OH GLORIOUS GLORY OF GLORIES! I fell to my knees, swung open my arms, and threw back my head thanking the skies like Tim Robbins in Shawshank Redemption before bringing up my binoculars to......wait what? This wasn't the dove. It was a dove. But not the dove. It was a Mourning Dove. My face darkened as I contemplated jail time for what I was about to do to that Mourning Dove but I took a deep breath and started to scan branches for the dove. Fogged and covered in water, my bins scanned along and came across not 1, not 2, but a total of 4 Mourning Doves. I tried to picture a beach and a calm ocean with Jeremy Renner emerging from the water. Perhaps a different vantage point will help me find the dove. I started to walk along the Tulip Tree Trail, which was now a muddy mess from the deluge. I limped along like some kind of swamp creature and those hearing my moans heard the wailing of a tortured soul trapped in purgatory. Nothing. I squished back to the Visitor Centre awning and watched the feeders. 

I found a 5th Mourning Dove.


Now at this point, the thought crossed my mind that I actually shouldn't see this bird. Seeing the bird would ruin the beauty of such a miserable day. I mean, a story like this, rife with pathetic fallacy, is supposed to push its main character to his/her breaking point, right? A story like this is supposed to end w/ me finally snapping and charging myself into the Visitor Centre wall and knocking myself out, waking up in a hospital bed only to have my doctor tell me that I'll be happy to know that the dove arrived at the feeders as I was carried away in the ambulance. But the author of my story didn't have the heart to do it. This story was to have a happy ending. The rain began to let up.

Slumped against the wall, I just stood there and waited. And waited. The rain stopped. A statue I was. Determined. And then, anti-climatically, there it was. It was just...there. It flew in right in front of me. Dropped an olive branch at my feet. Flew away and ate seeds within 20 feet of my own. I admired the dove and took notes. Its mixtures of soft browns and greys, ivory-white wing edges, poppy-red legs, and that delicate dab of purple on its nape, so faint it was almost imperceptible. A small, peaceful moment. A moment that reminds me why I watch birds.

As I drove home, the sky opened up. The fog diminished. It was a nice drive. 

I had posted my sighting to Ontbirds to let birders know the White-winged Dove was still present and hoped that others would be able to capture that small, peaceful moment if they decide to chase it. I noticed I had a few replies to my Ontbirds post so I opened one of them to read their congratulations.

"Get a job."

Project FeederWatch

Now being out of the city, I thought it would be a good winter to do Project FeederWatch and so far I have not been disappointed. Project FeederWatch is run by Bird Studies Canada and requires as much effort as you are able to give. Here is simple citizen science at its best, allowing people to submit important bird data on the days they aren't able to leave their house. Here is a link to the main site: Project FeederWatch Canada.

Because I was working two jobs when FeederWatch started, I opted to take down data every two weeks on the hard copy booklet sent out w/ the welcome package, though I sort of wish now that I would had just done everything by computer and inputted data each week (you just have to make sure you leave 5 days b/w your counts so you're restricted to the same two days each week w/ this method). The first few pages of my FeederWatch booklet that I'll be sending in are pretty sparse. Like, two-American-Goldfinch-over-a-two-day-period sparse. Then the first big snowfall happened at the end of December and that changed everything. Within the first day of the big snow, I had American Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Downy Woodpecker, Brown-headed Cowbirds, European Starlings, and House Sparrows.

Though Project FeederWatch will only get my data for 2 days out of each two week period, I have kept up a daily list on eBird of everything that's been visiting the feeder.

Here's my Project FeederWatch list for the winter so far (including high counts):

American Goldfinch (2)
Blue Jay (1)
Mourning Dove (1)
Downy Woodpecker (1)
European Starling (16)
American Tree Sparrow (1)
Dark-eyed Junco (including 1 female Oregon) (8)
Brown-headed Cowbird (4)
House Sparrow (25)
Accipiter sp. (1)

Total Species: 10


And here's my Feeder List for the winter period starting December 1, 2012 (including high counts):

Accipiter sp. (1)
Mourning Dove (5)
Downy Woodpecker (1)
Blue Jay (4)
American Crow (7)
Black-capped Chickadee (2)
European Starling (16)
American Tree Sparrow (4)
(Slate-colored) Dark-eyed Junco (8)
(Oregon) Dark-eyed Junco (1)
Northern Cardinal (4)
Brown-headed Cowbird (4)
House Finch (4)
American Goldfinch (2)
House Sparrow (52)

Total species: 14

Here are a few of my Instagrams from this winter:

 Male Downy Woodpecker

 Blue Jay

 Black-capped Chickadee

 Brown-headed Cowbird

 House Finches and House Sparrows

 Dark-eyed Junco - female Slate-colored

 Northern Cardinal and House Sparrows

 Dark-eyed Junco - female Oregon looking like a ball w/ a tail

I'm hoping that w/ another blanketing of snow this winter, I'll get some more birds coming around. The last few mild days have been pretty empty out there w/ a recurring Blue Jay and Downy Woodpecker and the occasional House Sparrow but I'm hoping at least a few more species will stop by. Nuthatch, Common Redpoll, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, or dare I go there...a Pine or Evening Grosbeak...would also be great.

My best bird has been, what I'm calling, a female Oregon Junco. I will be submitting a report to the OBRC that is as detailed as I can get to try to have it accepted. I've taken numerous photos now and a couple of rough videos so w/ the right amount of description, hopefully I can finally get an OBRC bird for the Hatt Farm!

Here she is again, iBinned. Unfortunately, w/ the loss of snow cover, she hasn't been at the feeder since January 9. I guess it's time to write and submit the report as I have my doubts I'll see her again. The Oregon subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco was added to the Review List for Southern Ontario in 2012.

Butterflies of 2012

In putting together a mammal and herptile list, I figure I might as well share my butterfly list for last year as well (I'll also eventually get back to birds and post my final 305 bird list from 2012 and a summary at some point!). 2012 was an amazing year for butterflies in Ontario w/ many rarities recorded in high numbers. My personal list is going to be a bit patchy as I'm putting it together from rough notes, emails, and eButterfly entries but I think I can remember most of the species I saw (butterfliers, please let me know if any of my picture ID's are incorrect). One of my new years resolutions this year is to keep better field notes of other wildlife sightings than just birds. Butterflies marked w/ a '*' were lifers.

Skippers

Silver-spotted Skipper
*Northern Cloudywing

Photo by Mark Field - Rainy River District

*Dreamy Duskywing

Photo by Mark Field - Everard Road, Thunder Bay District

*Common Checkered-Skipper

Photo by me - iBinned (record shot...?)

Common Least Skipper

European Skipper

Fiery Skipper

*Indian Skipper

Photo by Mark Field

*Sachem

*Hobomok Skipper

Photo by Mark Field - Everard Road, Thunder Bay District

Swallowtails

Black Swallowtail

Giant Swallotail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail

Photo by me - Everard Road, Thunder Bay District

Spicebush Swallowtail

Whites and Sulphurs

Cabbage White

*Mustard White - first seen at Moosonee Sewage Lagoons

Clouded Sulphur

*Little Yellow - multiples seen at Point Pelee
*Sleepy Orange - 1 Point Pelee (NW Beach) w/ Marianne Reid Balkwill, Tom Preney, and Russ Jones
*Dainty Sulphur - multiples at Hillman Marsh

Photo by me -Hillman Marsh, Shorebird Cell

Coppers, Hairstreaks, Blues

Bronze Copper

Photo by me - iBinned at Couture Dyke, Hillman Marsh

Banded Hairstreak
*White-M Hairstreak -first seen at Sparrow Field w/ Matt Timpf. Saw another later in the summer w/ Marianne

Photo by me (I need a real camera)

Gray Hairstreak
Eastern Tailed-Blue
Spring Azure
Summer Azure
*Silvery Blue

Photo by Mark Field - Rainy River District

Brushfoots

American Snout
Variegated Fritillary
Great Spangled Fritillary
*Silver-bordered Fritillary

 Photo by Mark Field - Rainy River District

*Silvery Checkerspot

Photo by Mark Field - Agawa Bay

Pearl Crescent

Photo by me - Hillman Marsh

Northern Crescent

Baltimore Checkerspot

Photo by me -Sunnybrook Park, Toronto

Question Mark

Eastern Comma

Mourning Cloak

Photo by Mark Field - Everard Road, Thunder Bay District

American Lady

Painted Lady

Red Admiral

Common Buckeye

 Photo by me - Comber Sewage Lagoons

White Admiral

Photo by Mark Field - Rainy River Sewage Lagoons

Viceroy

 Photo by me - St. Clair National Wildlife Refuge

Hackberry Emperor

Appalachian Eyed Brown

Little Wood Satyr

 Photo by Mark Field - Rocky Point

Common Ringlet

Common Wood-Nymph

Monarch

Red-spotted Purple

Total Species: 52 

Total Lifers: 14

Mammal and Herptile Lists of 2012

So I spent a couple hours the other day going through 2012 notes and eBird lists w/ Mark Field, which is always a kind of hilariously disjointed conversation because we always seem to falter something like as follows:

Mark: "Ok, so our Greater White-fronted Goose isn't on eBird. What date was that?"

Jeremy: "That's weird...let me search it. Oh, you're right, it's not on there. I better add it to the list so I'm not missing anything for Cochrane. Do you want me to share that day with you and Anonymous User?"

Mark: "I have some pictures I can send along w/ our report to show it wasn't the Greenland subspecies. Wait...there are a bunch of other subspecies."

Both: *incoherent rambling about scientific names of various subspecies.

Jeremy: "Yeah, when I type it into Explore Data on eBird, it comes up w/ a 'Tule' subspecies. What is that?"

Mark: "Winter Wren...did you see that?"

Jeremy: "Where did my wine go?!?!...........Oh, there it is. I really need to go through my notes to figure out all the mammals I had last year. Oh and the date was September 11."

Mark: "Oh, I spoke with David Beadle and I'm going to send that moth photo to him to identify."

Jeremy: "But so....AAAAACKKKKHHHHH.....HHHH.....CKKKKH..."

Mark: "Are you ok?"

Jeremy: "Sorry, I accidentally deleted something I didn't want to."

And it went on like this...
___

And yet, in our labyrinthine way, we somehow always manage to finish what we set out to do. And while all this discussion was happening, I went through the Ontario Mammal Atlas and the ROM Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Ontario and figured out my mammal and herptile lists for the year.

Obviously since this wasn't my priority on many of my trips, other wildlife sightings were mostly incidental so I could have seen more if I had tried or paid a bit closer attention but birds were always my top concern. Long story short, we need eMammal.

2012 Mammal List

Opossums

Virginia Possum – Saw lots of dead ones at the roadside but had one alive one at Walpole Island w/ Mark Field

Shrews and Moles

Shrew sp. (I didn't catch any to identify them by their teeth unfortunately).

     - I also don't recall seeing any moles. Gotta start paying more attention and keeping better notes. Living on the farm now w/ spring on the way, I should have no trouble finding all sorts of cool things around here.

Bats

Eastern Red Bat – A beautiful individual at Presqu’ile Provincial Park w/ MayaRicker-Wilson and Mark Field while listening for Barred Owl.

Little Brown Bat - Pelee and elsewhere

    - I know I had other bat species but I didn't identify them at the time. Anyone have any idea what bats would be in the James Bay area during early September? 

Rabbits and Hares

Eastern Cottontail

Snowshoe Hare

European Hare - Essex County w/ Marianne Reid Balkwill

Rodents

Eastern Chipmunk

    - One of my big disappointments was not remembering to look for Least Chipmunk during my trip to Rainy River.

Woodchuck - One at James Bay near the Longridge Camp was interesting. I see that there is no record of one in that region for the previous Ontario Mammal Atlas (likely due to lack of effort).

Gray Squirrel

                BlackPhase

                GrayPhase        

Red Squirrel
          - This year, I really want to get over to Pelee Island again to look for Fox Squirrel

American Beaver

Deer Mouse

Meadow Jumping Mouse - outside of Toronto during a survey

Meadow Vole

Common Muskrat

Norway Rat

House Mouse

North American Porcupine - My favourite mammal sighting of the year - w/ Mark Field. It was crossing Highway 17 in southeast of Laird.

Whales

Beluga - 3 at the James Bay coast. Another highlight.

Carnivores

Coyote

Gray Wolf - an individual that approached Mark Peck and I along the shores of James Bay. Unforgettable experience and decent photos taken.

Red Fox - including the CrossMorph at the James Bay Coast and in the Moosonee sewage lagoons. 

Black Bear

Northern Raccoon

Marten - Little Piskwamish along James Bay coast

Mink

Striped Skunk

River Otter - Algonquin Provincial Park and Wawa Sewage Lagoons

        - I'm pretty sure I saw a weasel last year as well but have no notes.

Deer

White-tailed Deer

Moose - 2 along highways in the north

Reptiles and Amphibians 2012

Frogs and Toads

American Toad

Gray Treefrog

Spring Peeper

Western Chorus Frog

Wood Frog

Northern Leopard Frog

Green Frog

American Bullfrog

Turtles

Snapping Turtle

Painted Turtle

                MidlandPainted Turtle

                WesternPainted Turtle

Northern Map Turtle

Blanding’s Turtle

Lizards

Common Five-lined Skink

Snakes

Common Gartersnake

Northern Watersnake

Dekay’s Brownsnake

Eastern Foxsnake

Not much a snake list considering how many species we have in southwestern Ontario. There are many I hope to come across this year.