Birding - Not Just a Hobby but a Social Event

  With a lot of the birding slowing down most of my new posts are going to be about some birding insights and personal opinions so prepare to get into the weeds on some of these! Some stuff to expect are bird names, best birding guides, and even clothing to wear birding.  

    To kick off my bout of these new posts let's talk about birding with people. This one isn't weedy at all, trust me when I say I'm easing you in (gotta dip your toe in before you jump in the pool after all) and at some point you'll have to get tick-repellent because we'll be knee deep into the weeds. Be prepared! 

 

     A lot of birders start out by themselves, this is a fact that can't be denied. Yet, as you get older, you find people to bird with even though you're busier now than you have ever been. Be it juggling work, kids, and the gloom of responsibility. So how is it birders tend to stick together rather than soar apart much like the Albatross we all would like to find? 

     Just like Cedar Waxwings, people are social. They need the company of others to really feel at home doing something they love. This is what drives us all to find the people you want to bird with and be around, and it can be the most fulfilling part of birding. There is nothing like celebrating a lifer with a friend around. 

    I have only immersed myself into this type of birding for about a year and even more in the last few months (after COVID-19 restrictions relaxing). In fact you may notice some of my more common guests on the blog Liam Thorne, Laurie Stacey, and Colleen Reilly (you'll be hearing a lot more about these people and more depending on when things are going to go back to normal). Yet, for some reason, I feel the need to get into why I've been doing that. Well, that is the part of birding people (myself included) often overlook, the social side. This is the pinnacle of some peoples' experiences, and sightings. Not only did you get that new bird or see that new behaviour but you were able to witness it with someone who may have never seen that either. No feeling is better than turning around and giving/getting the hugest high five and seeing the excitement in someone's face. This is what has pushed me to get into birding together more. 

    I have led a quite a few walks myself around Haldimand-Norfolk, mostly in Ruthven and Selkirk, and nothing has paralleled the feeling of being there for someone finding their first ever bird of a single species, even seeing one for myself. I have obviously experienced a lot of life birds, both alone and with someone else, and to see a life bird with someone else is a feeling you'll never shake, and any life bird you find alone after, just doesn't feel the same. 

    My own opinion on this matter is displayed above by far. Friends make our experience much better, and it's a story you'll be telling for a long time after. This is what makes those experiences priceless, this is my opinion of what prime birding is like, it might not be everyone's, but it is by far mine. 

    Please stay safe, social distance, and most of all try to bird with others, everyone. I Couldn't have made a better decision in my own birding! 

Male Cedar Waxwing - Norfolk ON 

Wasaga, Carden, and some of the best photography I have ever done. (10-Jul-2020)

    I took the day off to do a trip to see one of the most endangered species in the whole province... Piping Plover. Inland these are some of the most difficult shorebirds to find as their plumage is sandy coloured and they're insanely fast. They have been found breeding on Beach 1 in Wasaga Beach Provincial Park, that was my first stop. 

    I left my place pretty early, around 5 am. I wanted to miss traffic in Barrie. When I got to the park it was completely empty, 8 am on a Friday, pretty believable. I step out and immediately I can see the light coloured sand and my first ever glimpse of Lake Huron (making this the 3rd Great Lake I have ever birded on). I could hear Ring-billed Gull and Song Sparrow calling towards the beach and an American Robin bouncing around in the parking lot. I walked towards the beach and I seen a quick little scuttle towards the beach, oh my god! Piping Plover! I had only been here for 5 minutes. This was amazing. 

    After 1 plover showed itself, it turned into 5, then 7, then 9... the plover were everywhere and I was soaking up every second of it! After walking down the boardwalk a little further I decided to turn back towards the car, since Wasaga really isn't that far north I wasn't expecting many different birds than I got at home, and I didn't get any but the plover. 

    The way back was pretty much the same, plovers to the left, American Robin calling to the right. Astonishing to see so many of an endangered species in a single area. Once I got back to the end of the boardwalk I noticed how close the plovers were coming. So walking right under the walkway. So, I decided to take my camera and sit in the sand to see how the plovers would act. Surprisingly, they weren't phased at all by my actions. They kept walking around and one even got only a couple feet from my legs. This is an experience no birder could ever forget. 

    Once I left Wasaga I took a trip to Tiny Marsh Provincial Wildlife Area, only 30 mins away. With it being so hot and seemingly packed with passerines I decided to leave my scope in the car and just bring my camera and bins. 

    The park was completely empty. No one walking around which always makes birding easier, no one to scare the birds away. I walked for only a few seconds when I heard a bird that calls loudly in the migration period at home, fee-a-bee an Eastern Phoebe called and not 5 seconds later landed on a platform in front of me. After snapping a couple of pictures I headed towards the marsh walk. Another Phoebe called and Red-eyed Vireo calling from the woods above. The Phoebe is joined by a Least Flycatcher calling from a little ways away. I kept walking and hearing more birds like Song Sparrow and American Redstart. Walking towards the marsh I seen a quick flash from across the canal, Northern Waterthrush! Then to the left of me were two Brown Creeper! A rare view in the middle of summer. The birds are just buzzing here and I added Sandhill Crane and Swamp Sparrow to my ever growing list. The trip in Tiny was pretty uneventful until I got back and headed to an opening. I was looking for marsh birds like rails or gallinule which somehow I had missed on the lookout. I walked up the lane-way and seen another Sandhill Crane flyover, I looked for it but it had already landed in the cattails. Then a chatter call from the reeds to my left, Common Gallinule! I knew that call very well with the ones I have heard in Big Creek! Then on the way back a Pied-billed Grebe! Phenomenal, these small pigeon-billed grebes are not very common in my neck of the woods this time of year so after a couple pictures I headed back to my car, feeling pretty good about my decision to come here. Now, next stop, Carden Alvar. 

    When I got to Carden I didn't know what to expect, but I knew it wasn't what I got. It looked like a barren wasteland. It honestly reminded me of central Alberta, very open and grassy. This was a surprise for central Ontario, but a pleasant surprise at that. 

    Immediately after getting out of the car I heard a familiar call, probably one of the weirdest ones coming from one of the weirdest birds we have here. Upland Sandpiper. I know they're quite common around here but from my impression they were also quite far away, this one sounded close. I look to my left and there it was, 20 feet from me sitting on a fence post. Calling loudly I quickly slung my camera up and snapped some photos. These are the closest and best photos I have ever taken of an Upland and I can imagine it will remain that way for a quite a while. Moving on after hearing 2 more around I kept hearing the calls of a small buzzy sparrow that I have been hearing and seeing everywhere somehow. Grasshopper Sparrow. I have never taken photos of one since I've always just heard them calling but I was dead set on today being the day I grab some photos of this amazing little bird. After what seemed like forever searching for the little guy I found it at the top of a small pine. I snapped a couple pictures, this marked my last moment here. I could not stand the heat anymore, sweat pouring down my face and my heart pounding in my chest, it's time to go home. 

    All in all my day in Central Ontario was a huge success. Loved the birds I seen and the places I seen were all places I hope to visit again sometime! I do recommend going to Carden a little earlier than I did though! 

This young male American Redstart was having a pretty bad hair day as he molts out of his old baby feathers into his big-boy feathers. - Simcoe County ON

Pied-billed Grebe are small hard to find birds with short pigeon-like bills with dark stripe through the middle of it. - Simcoe County, ON

Upland Sandpipers are hard to find grassland birds that breed in southern and central Ontario. They are wonky looking and quite large standing at almost a foot in length. - Kawartha Lakes, ON

These dark medium-sized flycatchers are a common sight to Ontario birders and I have found them breeding anywhere from Long Point to North Bay - Simcoe County, ON

After some determination I finally found this Grasshopper Sparrow whose song is often mistaken for an insect rather than a bird, just like chipmunks sounding similar to both Cardinal and Cuckoos. - Kawartha Lakes, ON

This picture of an Upland Sandpiper really shows its irregularity, a plump body, small head, thin bill, and long knobby-kneed legs. - Kawartha Lakes, ON

The colour Bands on these Piping Plover are unique to each bird and are never repeated. - Simcoe County ON

This Piping Plover chick was just one of the 2 that showed up while I was there and they were the cutest and fastest little birds I have ever witnessed - Simcoe County, ON

I got so close to this Piping Plover my heart was pounding and I could almost hear the sand being kicked up from underneath its feet. - Simcoe County, ON

Feeding Swarms and Grebes (5-Jul-2020)

    Bronte Heritage Park, the location for a bird that I've been wanting to see for a quite a while. Red-necked Grebe. They breed along the north shore of Lake Ontario and are quite easy to find according to a lot of people, I haven't gone out for one yet though. 

    Liam was also missing one for his year list so we both came out to find it. We met up at the park and heading the direction that we were told the bird was in. The walk over was pretty typical for the shoreline of Lake Ontario and seen a lot of Common Tern and Ring-billed Gull.

    It was odd birding in such a urban area for the most part this summer has been filled with socially distant and places normal people would thing a body would be ditched or is kinda crappy (little Sewage Lagoon pun, sorry had to). It was an easy walk at least, better than walking on the iffy rocks at Townsend for sure. 

    At the building we hung a right and headed out towards the marina. That would be our best bet to see these water-dwellers. On the way there we hear a nasally awkward call that Liam and I both knew immediately. Fish Crow. They frequent the harbour and are not too difficult of a bird to find in the area. We spotted one eating out of a trash can, it was hard to miss since it was calling and eating. I raised my camera and snapped some pics just to say I've gotten some of a for sure Fish Crow and not get asked if it wasn't just a smaller American Crow. 

    We continued down the path and decided to stop and admire some of the Terns flying around. Caspian and Common all of them. The Commons are so much smaller than the Caspian and I knew that you just can't see the reality of that until you see the 2 of them interacting with each other. We seen a huge black spot in the middle of the lake about 300m away. Scoping up we notice that it is a huge flock of Double-crested Cormorant! They're in a feeding swarm which means lots of fish. The average Double-crested can down a pound of fish every day. That's a lot of fish when you add up how many of these birds there are. With the list of their natural predators being as low as it is we will continue to see an increase of these birds. This in turn will have some negative effects on the biodiversity of our waterways, but I can get into this in a whole other post! 

    Passing by the cormorants there were lots of swallows (we counted 5 species) all flying around us, luckily not dive bombing as I have found that swallows can be viewed as some of the most aggressive species around. Getting out to the end of the pier was pretty easy, not too hot out yet and our eyes were focused on seeing some Grebes. It seems like we waited forever for them. We talked about other stuff going on in our shared world but still nothing. Talk, look for a Grebe, talk, look for a Grebe. It probably felt a lot like a lot longer than it was... we tend to be an impatient pair. 

    We started spit-balling new places to go, the longer the wait the more we convinced ourselves to move on. Just as we were about to move onto another spot Liam's face broke into a smile and said "Grebe!" I swung around and there it was, magnificent. Full breeding plumage, just floating by. Nothing even phasing it, even a kayaker who got about 2 feet from the bird, didn't even flinch. I have never seen a species of water-dwelling bird so calm before. It was an experience I will never forget! 

This is a perfect comparison of the Caspian and Common Terns. To put this in a little perspective, the Common Tern preening in the front is actually a couple feet closer to me than the Caspian, yet the Caspian is still much larger! 

This Fish Crow was feeding on some "tasty" garbage. This really shows the unfortunate reality that is humanity, most of the stuff there is 100% recyclable.. 

That reddish neck is what gives the Red-necked Grebe it's name but the striking yellow bill and beautiful facial pattern is what takes my breath every single time I see one. 

This picture really shows what a bird nose looks like, it is a hole in their bills that will go straight through and you can see it clearly here as the "white spot" on this individual. 

    

Mystery Marsh Bird (01-Jul-2020)

    I was able to get out on Canada Day to Townsend Sewage Lagoons with Liam for his very first time to the lagoons! This is by far the most prominent shorebird location in the County and I have been able to spot out some sweet lifers there like American Golden-Plover and even Red Knot! A place like this is a birder's dream (even if it is technically considered trespassing). 

    He ran a little late so I started out the excursion with a pair of Yellow Warbler singing from across the field in a small wooded area, along with a beautiful Warbling Vireo If I sees you I will squeeze you till you squirt this fast repeated song is such a signature call in the forests around southern Ontario. 

    After he got here we both hopped the fence and off to the races. The first cell is by far the best this time of year with it being low allowing for a beautiful mudflat. We counted early migrants such a Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpiper bobbing around in the mud and about 20 Killdeer! Moving up towards the cells to the west we saw lots of Red-winged Blackbirds and Spotted Sandpiper everywhere we looked. 

    The 2 deepest cells are to the far west of the property and are great for migrating waterfowl such a Northern Pintail and Northern Shoveler. Although, today, it was empty except for a few Mallard in the far back. I did my usual scan of the shoreline just in case I seen anything of interest. I seen the normal Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer scaling the rocks. Then, to the left side about 2/3 the way up the bank I see something.. Virginia Rail? No. Liam points out the bill size being too small. Sora? Nah, looks to big to me. Then, it dawned on the both of us, could this be one of the rarest birds we could ever find here.. Purple Gallinule?? 

    At this point I feel like most people would be questioning that sighting, and of course! Makes 100% sense why that would be questioned. Purple Gallinule are so rare here and even then, this bird would definitely be a juvenile which is even weirder!

    I just kept thinking, I can't call it without proof, not a chance. So, camera in hand, I told Liam my plan and started walking the very sketchy rocks on the side of the pond. Liam stayed ashore and directed me to where our mystery bird was. The walk kept getting steeper and steeper. That's when I decided to stop and try for a picture. The bird was still a quite a ways away and the worst part, the brown of the bird blended with the gray-brown rocks.. looks like I'm flipping to manual focus. I scrolled the wheel and took what seemed like 100 pictures (I knew about 97-99% of which were horrible). I got one.. one somewhat IDable photo. Sending it off to 2 Discord groups there was chatter around it and someone else even suggested Purple Gallinule. Now we knew, now we weren't the only ones. 

    With the bird still unidentified due to the picture in Discord literally being a picture of the rear of my camera, I started to do some editing. Darken this, dehaze that, crop, and voila. Our bird. One that we thought would be a record sighting and possibly my second county first record.. yet, the more I looked the less convinced I was that it was a Gallinule at all, let alone a super rare one. Lacking face "shield" and the bill looked too short. Immediately jumped to my most trusty field guide for weird plumage. Stokes. Hoping they had something in there. I tore through the book frantically trying to ID this bird. Then, I flipped to a page that not only showed my bird, but it was almost in the same posture. 

    The bird was not a rarity but notable nonetheless. An immature Sora. The first immature Sora I have ever seen as a matter of fact. A bird most birders can go a long time with only hearing these birds so it was a pleasure for sure! 

This is the ID picture of the Sora. As you can see the small bill and round bodied. 

This is a second photo I ended up getting, those stripes on the flanks and sides is the best ID feature for young Sora. 

Rounding out my year list

    The further into June and July we get the more slack in our new birds we can see as a community. It's time for the breeding birds to get some recognition and for those of us still birding to find those vagrants that show up or the breeding birds you've missed so far. 

    With the amount of time I've missed for posts I am going to break down this post bird by bird rather than explain the more mundane and day-to-day regularity that our reality has stepped into. 

Upland Sandpiper and Bobolink (13-Jun-2020)

    This was a bird I knew was there but for some reason put off seeing. I love weird shorebirds like Whimbrel and Wilson's Snipe so for me Upland Sandpiper is an amazing bird to find with one of the weirdest calls you could ever think of.. (you can find a recording here.). I met with fellow Pipit Laurie Stacey to find these interesting grassland bird in Grimsby Ontario. 

    From the minute I got there I could see why the birds like the area. Lots of hay fields surrounded the area and about a dozen posts for them to sit on in the far back of the field. This is a different kind of birding than most people are going to be used to.  Parked along the road with my scope set up to find a large shorebird in the middle of a field. Just a different experience and one that was completely worth it! 
    Within minutes we found 3 individuals and they were all in the same area. They sat about 3 ft apart (not following social distancing rules apparently..) but sitting so still and just letting the two of us try to attempt for picture which was not easy with how far back these birds were. 
    Once the Sandpipers started to move down onto the ground and disappearing we started to look around for other birds including a weird spot for Warbling Vireo calling behind me and of course the Killdeer calling from the field in front of us. But the birds that stole my sight were the 2 male Bobolink on the fence of the same field as the Uplands. Bobolink are always a blessing to see. They have moved to the watch list for concerned birds in their population declining due to habitat loss and we need to watch these birds and make sure their habitat is not taken down before their nesting is finished. 

Mourning Warbler...FINALLY (13-Jun-2020)

    Back to Dundas Valley. This is one of my new favourite spots to bird around the Hamilton area. Thick mature forest makes a great place for Cuckoo both Black-billed and Yellow-billed and Pileated Woodpeckers! This time I came with Liam, he met me at the parking lot and took off towards where the Mourning Warbler were last reported. Down the trail we could hear Flicker and Great Crested Flycatcher calling from the trees above us. We followed the trail to where the Mourning Warbler last was spotted. We listened closely and stood dead still... "CHEWY CHEWY CHEWY" there is was! loud and proud singing for us! Finally! 28 species of warbler for the year! 

Black Tern and Black-crowned Night-Heron (16-Jun-2020) 

    This is the time birders wait for, a rarity was found, and a lifer for me. Black Tern reported at Windermere Basin in Hamilton. I took off after work hoping to find the bird that I missed earlier this year. The basin was packed to the brim with Terns, Common and Caspian mostly but there was a single Black out there I could feel it. Scanning scanning scanning, nothing... Bird flying over! Black-crowned Night-Heron! Not the bird I was hoping for but still new for the year. A Juvenile, brown and streaky it was a pleasure to find! 

    Still searching, scanning the back edge of the basin. By now a couple of other birders have showed up doing a birdathon. Now there are 4 of us looking for it, a bird that would make anyone's day. Then someone yelled, "I found it!" He described where he seen it and I finally got my eyes on it! At the very back of the basin was a small black bird with silvery-gray wings! That's it! LIFER!

Chimney Swift (17-Jun-2020) 

    Today was a relaxation day from the hustle and bustle of travelling everywhere. So, I decided to take a walk around town with my girlfriand. She's not a birder but is very suppostive of my hobbies and likes to tag along with me.

    We walked around and I found the typical birds, Chipping Sparrow, American Robin, and of course House Sparrow. The breeze kept us from overheating, the closer we got to the river the nicer it got out and the list expanded, Tree Swallow, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon. Then I look up, I see a small thin bird with long pointed wings; Chimney Swift! This was a weird time to get a FOY Chimney Swift as I usually get them in the spring at Ruthven but since Ruthven is closed it's not been a good year for me finding them. These birds are typically described as a cigar in the sky. Pretty great bird to find! 

Black-billed Cuckoo (20-Jun-2020) 

   Back to Dundas Valley. This is definitely one of the most interesting places to bird around this area for breeding birds like Hooded Warbler, Mourning Warbler and both species of Cuckoo, which is what I was hoping for. 

    Started out the normal route, hearing Mourning and Yellow Warblers. Walking down the Hilltop Trail I hear a Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling from deep into the bush calling loud. Keeping down the path I could hear lots of Eastern Towhee and Blue-winged Warbler. This is pretty typicl for this area. 

    Next was the Headwaters Trail. This is the spot where the Hooded Warbler are very common, and always a Common Yellowthroat singing at the entrance. Walking down the trail I hear something "ko ko ko...ko ko ko...ko ko ko". Black-billed Cuckoo! It was a ways away but definitely still great to hear! 

Wilson's Phalarope (22-Jun-2020) 

    Yet another rarity at Windermere Basin! This has been a crazy good spot this summer! Liam and I both needed this bird on both our year and life lists. 

    Once I got to the Basin I waited for Liam and then headed out to the lookout. Scope out and looking around the back of the basin. Scoping around and then I found a shorebird with its tail in the air and its head towards the ground. A little bit of rust colour around the neck. That was it! Wilson's Phalarope! We both sat and watched the bird for about 40 minutes and it was such a cool bird! If anyone has a chance to go see one I totally suggest it!

These birds have put my year list to 216 species in Ontario. Lots of cool birds around for sure! Hoping everyone a great time birding and hopefully some new birds! 

These Hooded Warblers are definitely a highlight of Dundas Valley!

Lots of Eastern Towhee around, this male was singing loud and proud for me!

Upland Sandpiper breed in fields around southern Ontario and are found commonly in Carden Alvar but I've been able to find a few around including the ones in Grimsby! 

Mourning Warbler are loud signing breeding Warblers and by far are one of my favourites to watch in the lower branches and thick bushes!