Marbled Godwit and Attempt for Mournings (June 8th - June 12th)

    Summer birding is an awkward time for any lister. It's when the new birds for your year list are few and far between and the breeding codes become more and more useful. It's a time when most birders go into a summer slump, not pressing to go birding because, well, they've seen all they can. For me, it's a time to bridge the gaps in missed birds, and see some cool breeders around the area. 

    That being said my week was pretty slow. Monday was just getting out to Selkirk, seeing the few birds there that I could. Which consisted of Wood-Pewee and a handful of Yellow Warblers. The marsh birds like Swamp Sparrow and Marsh Wren are still calling loud and of course your Red-winged Blackbirds are making themselves known. That is what this time of year is about, listening to the locals and picking up those breeding bird calls to eliminate weird calls in the spring. The common birds were broken up by a possible breeder and hopeful for small population here. Grasshopper Sparrow, these cool short-tailed sparrow will make you just more towards a grasshopper or locust calling with their long trill call. A pair were singing in the field across from the park which at this time of year could mean nesters hopefully! 

    The main days I'd like to talk about is my little trip to a new spot for a life bird and an attempt at a second life bird. 

Wainfleet Wetlands - 09-Jun-2020

    Let's start with a trip to Wainfleet and my search for one of the biggest Shorebirds we have in the area. Marbled Godwit. I was at Windermere Basin, just checking out some of the waterfowl and the massive tern breeding colony there. With the scope at the ready for anything interesting and hope for a Black-crowned Night-Heron flying over. I'd been there for about 25 minutes when I got a discord notification, Marbled Godwit in Niagara County! I looked up the location, it was 20 minutes from where I lived... I had to check that out! 

    I hopped in my car and headed towards the Wainfleet Wetlands CA where it had been spotted. The whole drive I was hoping that it was still there, lots of times when trying to find shorebirds they don't stick around very long, especially this time of year. 

    Once I got to the CA I was astonished with how many vehicles were there. I was able to find a spot in the crammed parking lot with a lot of slow motions. I kept thinking These can't all be birders and man was I right. Most of the people there were beach goers, surprisingly enough, this so called wetland was actually reminding me of the beaches on the lake shore and not the boggy muddy terrain I'm used to. Walking down the sandy path there was a small cliff to the right, I decided that may give a little vantage to where the bird was described to be. I peered across the landscape to find the shrubs by the water, when I decided I'd found the spot my heart started to race. A lifer was within my reach. 

    Once I got to the shrub patch I stirred up about a dozen peeps, a flush and they were gone and unidentifiable. I turned the corner from the one tree and there is was... wading in the shallows, this was what I was looking for, a lanky brown bird with a long black-and-orange bill. It was feeding on small aquatic insects and just minding its own business, not bothered by the dogs playing in the water or the teenagers making a huge fuss over probably nothing less than 20 feet away. I snapped a few pictures and decided it was time to head out, leave this gentle giant alone. Just amazing. 

    That is one lifer many people need scopes to find within a flock of other birds, to see my first alone and within eye-shot of ID is amazingly breathtaking and I can't imagine I'll be forgetting that anytime soon. 

Dundas Valley 11 & 12-Jun-2020

    The days to follow were more of the typical June birding. Looking for any straggling migrators and hoping for some breathtaking birds. Unfortunately the only rare bird I found was just an out of season Redhead in Townsend. Besides that the days following the Marbled Godwit were fairly mundane, the only thing of note was my pursuit of a bird that for some reason is the only local breeding warbler I have never seen; Mourning Warbler. 

    For that I took a little trip to Martin Rd in Dundas Valley CA. Mourning Warblers are reported there quite often and I was hoping to find my first. Which I know is crazy, with all my birding experience I have never spotted a Mourning Warbler.

    This is my first visit to Martin Rd, it is amazing mature woodlands and definitely great for birds. 

    I got tipped off of where they may be so I went to the trail along the way called the Hilltop Trail. A little clearing with a fallen log is where I started my look, heading down the path I could hear Pewee calling from back in the bush further and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo not too far away either, amazing to hear and see lots of American Redstart as well. Moving around the trails I was able to get some other good birds like Blue-winged Warbler and Grasshopper Sparrow. Both of the days I went for the Mourning Warbler it was a miss... I live another day without getting the last breeding warbler in the HSA area not seen. 

New birds for the Year: 

• Marlbled Godwit (208) LIFER

Spotted Sandpiper are one of the most common breeding Shorebirds along with Killdeer around this area. - Haldimand ON

Marbled Godwit are common vagrants to the area and are always a pleasure for birders everywhere - Niagara ON

Love the way this picture shows the orange bill with the black tip of this Marbled Godwit - Niagara ON

Eastern Wood-Pewee are one of the most common birds in the area and you can hear them from anywhere is Southern Ontario - Haldimand ON

Long Point Breeders! (06-Jun-2020)

    Back to Long Point for Liam and I! This time we planned a whole round trip to find some birds to fill in the patches of our year lists, and it worked! Let's separate them out by location:

Swick-King Tract

    This spot is a little north east of Backus Woods and was a strictly on the list for Hooded Warbler but we were totally in for more than what we thought! 

    Liam ended up getting there a little later than I was because of all of the construction going on... again! With that I had a little time to myself, I mainly stayed by the car so I was relying on my hearing for the most part; a Common Yellowthroat bellowed from across the road and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling from farther back in the forest. 

    A little while after Liam got there another local birder tipped off a couple of birds he and I both needed Acadian Flycatcher and Cerulean Warbler! It turns out I had muted my Discord so I didn't see that from the day before. With that new information it looks like our trip may take a little turn. We started down the path hearing Indigo Bunting and Blue-winged Warbler. Continuing down the path there was a bird singing, loud and proud, that was it, what we came for, Hooded Warbler! Continuing down the path, we tried to find the pesky bird calling, but the further we got the further back it flew. Nothing.. 

    After a little while trying to find it we the same birder we seen in Backus the weekend before looking for the Prothonotary Warblers came up the same path we just followed, he was looking for the Cerulean Warbler. After sitting and talking with him for a couple mins (and listening for the 2 warblers) we decided to head back towards the road where the Acadian Flycatcher was last heard, then from a ways back, there it was, the call, but this one was a different one buzzy, 3 longer repeated buzzes, a 3 short buzzy twits, and ending on a buzzy trill. Cerulean Warbler! That is a lifer! 

    Moving to the other side of the road, had to walk a little ways to get to an entrance but all in all it was worth it! The path was covered with grass for about 50m, which meant lots of birds. Eastern Towhee calling from the bushes to the left, a Veery calling, another Hooded Warbler calling, Wood-Pewee of course, the birds were all over, just not the one we were looking for.. Acadian Flycatcher. After going a ways down the path we decided to turn back, it was described as fairly close to the road, no way it was that far back. 

    At the front of the trail I heard something, "Right Here" that's it! The other 2 couldn't hear it at first, it was a little further back. We sat and listened for it again. It repeated again, and again, we stayed until all of us heard the bird, and unfortunately it was too far back to get a picture. 

St. Williams Nursery Trail

    This was meant to be the highlight of the day for sure, a reported Black-billed Cuckoo, Mourning Warbler, Broad-winged Hawk, and more Hooded Warbler. This was what I myself was looking forward to. The way to get there was a little confusing, it was a sand road and no parking lot so parking a long the side of the road was our only option. Once we got out of our vehicles we immediately heard one of the targets: Hooded Warbler, and this one was close unlike the ones at Swick-King. After a little scanning Liam found it, unfortunately for me, it took a lot longer than I expected. Such a small bird but man can it sing loud! The bird was also very co-operative! He sat nicely as I took a photo of him. Gorgeous! 

    Down the path we go, Indigo Bunting calling and surprisingly Red-breasted Nuthatch as well. Not far in we found a sandy hill and we both agreed that this placed looked out place as it looked so much like where we've birded around North Bay and Timmins respectively. Then to the right of us was a beautiful Yellow-bellied Sapsucker! And after a little bit we heard what we thought was an Olive-sided Flycatcher but it didn't sound quite right.. the closer we got I ended up finding the culprit.. our second Hooded Warbler here! After the warbler there was a second little surprise, moving down the trail we stirred up a bird that flushed away with a rumble of wing beats; Ruffed Grouse! Could this be any more like northern Ontario?! 

    Down the hill up the path and a pair of Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling later we happened upon a clearing, thick undergrowth, lots of birds love that. Over the ridge a flash of brown! I didn't get a good look but thankfully Liam did, Broad-winged Hawk! 

    A little ways after the clearing we found a little pond, Veery Veery Veery Veery that downward metallic call is a common yet amazing bird that calls throughout the mature forests of Southern Ontario, as the call suggests, Veery. In my opinion one of the coolest birds around, and by far one of the best voices. 

    The farther down the path we went the less we were thinking we were going to see a Mourning Warbler, the last breeding warbler in the area I have never seen, today was hopefully the end of that! Moving down the path, of course talking and scanning the undergrowth for this floor-dweller and out of the corner of my eye there was a flash of yellow and gray that jumped off the road. Liam and I both hastened our pace to try to catch this mystery bird but it was too late... the bird was gone. We both concluded it was most likely our Mourning Warbler but since we didn't get a good look at the bird.. it will forever stay unknown. 

    With the loss of the Mourning Warbler we found our way back to the cars and tried for a pair of swift Liam saw flying at the entrance, but they were also nowhere to be found. After some peak birding to start it's hard not feeling a little despondent. 

Backus Woods

    This is the second time back to Backus in 2 weeks and this time it wasn't for the Prothonotary Warbler, we were hoping for Black-billed Cuckoo (which seemed like a bit of a stretch) and hopefully a Louisiana Waterthrush! 

    We started on the main path, someone tipped us off that this would be the best option for the Louisiana Waterthrush. This is the moment of truth, a lifer hangs within reach. This could mean my warbler count for the year being 29 species, the closest I have ever been to seeing all of the species of warbler you can find in Ontario. We followed it all the way to Backus Woods South and nothing, did not see a single Waterthrush, Northern or Louisiana. This was disappointing to both of us, but, with the day we've had it was definitely hard to complain about 1 missed bird. 

    The walk back we decided to stop by the trail where we seen the Prothonotary Warbler the week before. The week before it was bustling with Black-throated Blue Warbler, but today we missed it. The Prothonotary Warbler was around though. Singing away. We were not hard-pressed to find the singer though, we let him go on his marry way. After the Prothonotary we decided to head back and move on. 

Big Creek NWA

    This huge wetland is a hotspot for marsh birds. This stop was to round out our marsh birds for the year including both Bittern Species and birds like Common Gallinule and Virginia Rail. This was the place where spotting scopes get their use in summer. 

    I have never personally been here myself, this place is quite revered around Long Point for awesome marsh species but with my first time being here in the summer I wasn't expecting to find anything rare. I know that looks like I'm leading you into a big reveal of a cool rare bird that we found, well, no, not rare but still very awesome. But, I will get to that. First let's take a little walk into the wetlands. 

    The parking lot was so full we had a hard time parking 2 vehicles, it was strange that so many people were coming to a wetland, but to be frank they were most likely just trying to get out of the house and into the nice fresh air. As soon as we came towards the wetland it was interesting to see the massive lookout and even bigger patch of cattails. Above us were Forester's Tern swooping around and Red-winged Blackbirds calling from either side. Atop the lookout we could see super far and the scopes definitely helped. 2 Mute Swan to the right and a pair of American Robin to the right. This was great for birds and it was amazing seeing a marsh like this. 

    I started scoping out the wetlands for Sora and Common Gallinule, that's when I hear Liam yell "Bittern!" I look up from my scope to see an American Bittern flying over the marsh, these long streak breasted birds will breed in that marsh so we were confident we would find one.

    After a few minutes we decided moving towards a second platform may give us a different viewpoint for some cool birds. Once we got to that view point we were greeted by some vocal Forester's Tern flying over the canal and then when we took a look over the cattails we seen a careful cool raptor who looks like they're floating, Northern Harrier. These raptors are amazing hunters and the males are gorgeous with the almost smokey gray plumage. The stick out in the marsh or field where they hunt like you would not believe. This was by far the best bird we had found so far, and after spotting a second one on the opposite side of the marsh we kept trekking to find the more elusive Least Bittern completing the set. 

    Along the far side of the marsh there was an open pond, along with that a Great Blue Heron flew over the reeds on the far side. A Marsh Wren called from the cattails behind me. We go to another spot to set up our scopes, there was another birder who gave us a nod and then we dove into our groove. Another Great Blue, a Common Gallinule calling, more Forester's Tern. Then Liam (who seemed to be the luckiest today) grabbed a sight of a Least on the far side through his scope! Now that I knew there was a Least Bittern over there I was determined to find that bird. My head was stuck in my scope for what feels like forever, peering over where Liam seen the bird, scanning back and forth. This would be the crown jewel for the day. Then, I heard something, a croak from across the pond, but I knew what it was, it was a Least! Even with just a croak, even with just a calling bird, it counted for the day! Amazing. 

    Along with the Least Bittern we could hear a pair of Sandhill Crane calling from the distance. After the Bittern we decided it was time to move on and head back to the cars. A lot of birds found but that was not the end. The last bird we heard was one that I've seen a handful of times and heard many more. A Sora called from deep in the reeds, and the likeliness of finding this little guy would be almost impossible. 

    

    The searching and planning that we put into this trip paid off, the new bird list was 9, 9 new birds for the year: 

1. Pine Warbler (199)
2. Cerulean Warbler (200) LIFER
3. Hooded Warbler (201) 
4. Acadian Flycatcher (202) LIFER
5. Broad-winged Hawk (203)
6. Ruffed Grouse (204)
7. Least Bittern (205)
8. American Bittern (206)
9. Common Gallinule (207) 

Bird of the day: Least Bittern - these tiny heron allies are one of the hardest to find in all of Southern Ontario and by far one of the best camouflagers in the birding world. Seeing them is a treat and it should be treated that way because of their secretive nature and definitely not a guarantee to find. 

This Hooded Warbler was singing loud and proud for both Liam and I to see. 

Caught a picture of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker preening its flight feathers. 

 

Playing Catch Up (03-Jun-2020 to 05-Jun-2020)

    The last day of May marks the official last day of banding and in turn the end of the Spring Migration here in Southern Ontario, and as sad as that is we have stumbled upon a time of low diversity but some interesting little finds. The breeding season. For some birds the breeding season has already started with chicks hatched and running around or squawking in a tree with absolutely 0 chance of stopping until mom brings them a tasty treat. But, with the little ones coming the lack of species comes with it, and, unfortunately, soon the singing will stop too. 

Month's End: 

Species: 158

Individuals: 10,807

    Top Birds: White-rumped Sandpiper, Canada Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, and Worm-eating Warbler