Week 9 (February 23 - March 1st)

Week 9 in 2020. Pretty slow week, did not get to go out birding too terribly much due to lots of traveling. Sunday I only birded from the window of my parents' house and seen a lot of House Sparrows, in fact it was the entirety of what I seen.

The week presented an interesting view, large flocks of Canada Geese are congregating at the pond behind my work. The largest flock was 174! This is just a mid-sized drainage pond, so just imagine how full this pond is. It snowed a little this week so it was hovering around 0°C for the most part which meant there was a little ice but all in all the weather seems to be getting warmer and warmer.

Saturday was definitely a slow day. I traveled to Montreal with one of my friends and did a little partying with the Canadiens' victory over the Canes! While this was great for the sports fan inside me, the birder was far from happy with the 6 hour drive. I did catch a surprise Iceland Gull at an OnRoute in Port Hope, Northumberland County but other than that the weekend was definitely a bust for birds. I did pick up a few flyover Common Raven on Sunday morning pulling my year total up to 83, but other than that it was a pretty slow weekend to follow a slow week.

On the bright side the sun is staying out longer and Daylights Savings creeping up I will be able to start birding after work again! Counting down the days!

Week's end totals:
Species: 13
Individuals: 494

Photos to be added. Did not upload any yet. 

Spring, Not Spring? Make Up Your Mind!

I know that weather is definitely hard to follow in Southern Ontario, the snow is very much back and forth of showing up and going away but this year has been so weird. Yesterday (05-Mar-2020) was very warm (+6°C) and the sun was out, the birds were calling and I had that migration tingle and the banding season along with the return of Warblers was making me damn near gitty. So to my surprise into work this morning was the blast of large snowflakes plowing into my windshield and I just thought to myself, what happened here??

Let me paint the true picture of yesterday to me: 

I could smell the moisture in the air, and feel the sun on my face. It had been a while since I could bird with absolutely no hat or gloves on and it excited me! The calls of Canada Geese and Red-winged Blackbirds calling from all edges of the pond behind my work. I stop to take a deep breath and feel the freshness in the air. This is the iconic early spring day for a birder and I feel like a lot of birders (myself included) would start counting the days until the breeding birds like Blue-winged Warbler and Eastern Wood-Pewee (in the east) return to our daily lists or sightings for the non-listers out there. 

Today, that is a very different feeling. I walk out of my car and feel the slush squish around my boots, this is a feeling I was hoping to never feel ever again, yet here I am. A heavy coat weighs me down and a toque covering my ears cutting the calls of birds near by. I feel the excitement leave my soul, and fall into disappointment. This is what late February and March has been for Southern Ontario so unfortunately we may not be done with the snow just yet! 

This is Hamilton area mind you, the Haldimand area I usually bird (Ruthven National Historic Site, Selkirk Provincial Park, etc.) were definitely not half as bad, and it looks like we are going to get more rain than snow at home, but tomorrow will be fantastic! It looks like it's going to be another early spring typical day so one can hope! 

Red-winged Blackbird calling - Hamilton ON

Birding with a Camera

You would not think that me, an almost 23-year-old, would have a hard time with cameras since we have been through it all. The movement from film to digital and whatnot, I still remember using disposable cameras and having to get them developed. But there is always one thing I have had a hard time with, using a camera on my birding trips.

I always pictured birders as a bunch of people with binoculars, notebooks, and field guides just like me, but that image is changing. The birders of today carry with them a pair of binoculars but have swapped out most field guides for an app on their phone and have replaced notebooks with eBird. Along with the change in literature they have added an extra item to their list, a camera. Nowadays it is hard to find an experienced birder who isn’t an amateur photographer, myself included. I may still be new to the whole birding with a camera concept, but it has changed the way I approach birding. I find that I reach for the bins and then immediately try to snap a pic of any bird, rare or not. The satisfaction of getting a picture of a bird spikes the adrenaline of seeing a cool bird to the max, for me at least.

I solemnly believe that all birders should carry at least a little point and shoot camera with them. It doesn’t have to be a ridiculously expensive piece. My set up was probably just over a grand total but I have met a few young birders who can’t afford anything that extravagant so they bought a simple $100-$200 point and shoot camera and get by perfectly fine, in fact they can get some good shots. I encourage photography as long as they follow the birding code of ethics.

My Canon T100 Body and 75-300mm Lens

My 150-500mm Sigma Lens Canon EF mount.