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Winter Birding 25/26: The Locals

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Tufted Titmouse, Black Capped Chickadee, White Breasted Nuthatch, Red Breasted Nuthatch One of the wonderful adaptations of birds is that some species can withstand brutal winter conditions.  Depending on their diet, they can glean food from the land, the sea, the sky (as Taylor Swift mentions!).  Many of the waterfowl that we have throughout the winter feed on fish, carrion and water plants, as well as any vegetation that they can get from the land.  That is why a bit of open water will enable some birds such as Great Blue Heron, Double Crested Cormorant and Belted Kingfish er as well as American Robins  to surprisingly overwinter, specifically at the Talfourd Creek outflow where the water is heated from the plants as well as Pinery PP.  Most of those species will migrate , but they do save a great deal of resources if they can manage to stay. Mute Swans, Canada Geese. Mallards and Trumpeter Swan Most of the waterfowl species that we see in the winter breed far...
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Winter Birding 25/26: The Visitors

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Winter is one of my favourite times of year to get off the couch and get some fresh air.  The birds are not as plentiful as in other seasons, but we, here in sw Ontario are treated to many Arctic species.  Waterfowl and raptors that migrate here to escape the brutal winter of their Arctic breeding grounds treat us to good views if we are patient and lucky!   Some people, including myself, call this 'Weird Duck Season'!   Bluewater Bridge (Canada Side)  This winter especially has been extremely cold and snowy, with long durations of below seasonal temps and wind chills.  Today I am sitting at -16 with a windchill of -30 with about 2 ' of snow on the ground that just  came overnight with blowing snow and squalls. The 402 is closed in both directions and Hwy 21 from Grand Bend to Forest is closed, so unless I drive a sled, I'm staying in and staying local today!  Lake Huron is currently at 65% ice cover, while Lake Erie is about 94%, Lake O...
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Feederwatch

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 Today is one of the coldest days of the season so far.  It feels like -29 but it looks gorgeous, the sun makes a big difference!  I am just getting over a bad stomach bug and so I'm staying close to home and looking at my feeders. Mourning Dove, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow taken on this cold cold day! European Starling, Mourning Dove, House Finch and House Sparrow Black Capped Chickadee and Downy Woodpeckers make at appearance My feeders give me a great deal of joy, especially when the weather and health prevent me from going far.  I only feed in the winter and on a day like this the birds really seem to appreciate it!  I feed Black Oil sunflower seed at all times, with shelled peanuts, Nyger and Safflower also on the menu.  Lately I have picked up bags of a cracked corn mix for the Snow Buntings , but the Doves and others really seem to love it.  I get the regulars here, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Dark Eyed Juncos, Mourning Doves, American Goldfinch,...
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2025 recounted and revisited

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 Well, Ebird has sent out its annual year in review on this cold Polar Vortex day in January!  I have been successful in my 'checklist a day' challenge, with 783 checklists, 237 species and 37 life birds!  I counted 116584 birds, with the most numbered species Canada Goose and most frequent species the Northern Cardinal ( they are everywhere!)  I have spent 508.4 hours birding with my biggest day being in October!  I've submitted 764 photos of 168 species and 20 sound recordings of 7 species, with 187 checklist media uploaded (habitat and other animals). My most visited location is  about 2 kilometres from my home, I traveled 1418.3 km and birded in 196 locations total.  I shared 43 checklists and my birding bestie was Sean Bates, a fellow from Hamilton that I went on a couple of OFO trips with.  It is interesting when you put it in perspective a practice that you do daily as part of your routine.  It is a fun and interesting hobby and I love...
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Dogspotting 8

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 I have been focusing more on birds lately, but I still love to meet dogs and take photos.  Here is Holly and Willow, Golden and Labs, two lovely ladies that I met on the Long Point trip back in the fall.  They were  at the Old Cut Station with their owners, who were very friendly and pleased to meet birders (they did not know that there was such a thing as an Ontario Field Ornithologists group! Next I met Matilda at one of my local haunts.  She is a Ridgeback mix and very strong!  She is a a very friendly girl and showed me how strong she was by chewing on a close by tree!  She is helping to manage the understory! Next is my favourite little boy Loki!  I ran into him and his owners who are avid birders in one of my favourite birding places.  He looks like a purebred Corgi but apparently he is a mix with Australian shephard.  Loki is very sweet and loves people and treats!
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Winter Solstice 2025 Trip to Lambton Shores

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 This year it has seemed like winter came early. We have had our share of snow and freezing rain and extreme wind chills!  Today it was -7 with a windchill of -14 with NW winds of 22/31 when my new friend Ronny and I set out for Lambton Shores.  I run into Ronny the Rooster occasionally in the field and I mentioned at one time that I was interested in the Pine Grosbeaks that have been sighted, but that I hadn't been able to get a photo of.  He had never seen one before and he was keen on accompanying me.   I have seen the PIGR twice this year, the conditions were not right and I was not fast enough for a photo.  It is an irruption year for winter finches, Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, White Winged Crossbills, Pine Siskin, Evening Grosbeak, Bohemian Waxwings and earlier the Red Breasted Nuthatches moved south quite a bit. An irruption is when the cones and seeds in the north are not good and they follow the food south where our cone crop has been exce...
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Pelee Island with ON Spring 2008

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 June 27 to July 4, 2008, I ventured out with ON (Ontario Nature) with one of their Volunteer for Nature trips on a week long trip to Pelee Island and surrounds.  I found these photos in a folder on my phone and thought maybe some of  you out there might enjoy them.  My blog is primarily for my own peace of mind, but I do enjoy knowing that some people appreciate the nature that I have represented here.  It has been fun! Bob showing us a Blue Ash Green Darner Anyways, this was the first time that I have driven so far, and I had a passenger, Mia Miscellaneous! and we actually drove onto the ferry to the Island.  Lots of firsts for me.  The trip was hosted by ON but Bob Bowles joined us and about 10 others for the Pelee Island part.  After staying a few days at Pelee Island, we made a visit to Point Pelee NP and we stayed overnight at a lovely b and b in Leamington.  We also went to Ojibway Prairie in Windsor.  Thank goodness for details i...
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