Peak Blue-headed Vireo migration is just around the corner here in eastern Ontario. Typically this species pulses through in large numbers from mid-September through to early October, with birds known to linger in favoured migrant haunts well into October. Continue reading A note on Blue-headed Vireos →

While  birding in Prince Edward County and Presqu’ile with the Eastern Ontario Birding group, I heard of the passing of one of Ontario’s foremost birding giants, Alan Wormington. Continue reading Alan Wormington (1954 – 2016) →

Photo: In autumn, some fresh juvenile Black-bellied Plovers (at right) can be quite gold-washed throughout. A daintier specimen adorning this bright, golden finery could perhaps cause some identification issues, perhaps at first glance resembling an American Golden-Plover (at left).

Structure

Leaving plumage details aside, structurally there are fundamental differences between the two species. With American Golden, note the dainty and delicate physique. Compared to Black-bellied, its bill is slimmer, its forehead rises more sharply, and its head has a higher ‘domed’ crown. It appears to have a more “dove-like” expression, as the shorebird field guides state. Its wings are long and typically extend well past the tail. With Black-bellied, note the heavier-set build. The bill is thick (thicker than American Golden), and the head carries more ‘weight,’ structurally. Note here how its primary tips jut ever so slightly past its tail tip, an appearance typical of the species.

Plumage

With American Golden, the patterning to the head is high-contrast, with a dark cap, light supercilium, and a faint dark eyeline. Its underparts are typically quite dark throughout, with smudgy, dark horizontal barring to the chest and upper belly. With Black-bellied, the patterning to the head is lower-contrast. Its underparts are typically entirely whitish throughout, with the chest and upper abdomen finely streaked in brown.

Primary Field Marks

With American Golden, the rump is brown and the underwing is uniformly grayish. With Black-bellied, the rump is white, and the whitish underwing shows black to the axillaries, or, “armpits.”

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Nancy Barrett (photo of Black-bellied taken at Presqu’ile Provincial Park. September 2015) and Stephen Stephen (photo of American Golden, taken at Presqu’ile Provincial Park. September 2015) for the use of their superb captures. The use of this comparison photo greatly enhances the educational value of this note.

Happy Shorebirding 🙂

Over the past 10 days I have been having an absolute blast along Shirleys Bay Waterfront Trail, NCC Trail 10. From August 22 – August 30, I managed to tally a hair under 100 species, ending at 96. Just today, I tallied my record high warbler count along this trail: 18 species. Continue reading NCC Trail 10 →

Many thanks to Norbert Haché, Derek Dunnett, Brian Belliveau, and Margaret Hart for being a part of the Eastern Ontario Birding warbler Big Day on 27 August 2016. My first ever 20 warbler species day in the Nation’s Capital! Continue reading 20 Warbler Species in a Day in Ottawa →

Over the winter and into the spring, I studied bird call notes. I am quite a ways off perfecting this skillset, but I’m enjoying a growing familiarity with contact calls/alarm notes. Learning call notes helps to hone in on birds of interest while walking through the woods Continue reading Scarlet Tanager alarm (?) call →

Today, 15 August 2016, Richard Waters and I birded Britannia Conservation Area — a real migrant hotspot along the Ottawa River in the spring and fall. Our highlights included a Mourning Warbler and a Canada Warbler. Continue reading Mourning Warbler — first fall example with ID comments →

By late summer, one may begin to overhear garbled, tempo-less cacophonies of notes while out birding. From approximately August through until the following spring, “baby” songbirds “babble” as they take to learning and developing their songs. Continue reading Babbling in the Bush →

Just in from an excellent study of an adult Lesser and an adult Greater at the Richmond Sewage Lagoons southwest of Ottawa. Continue reading Separating the yellowlegs →