Today (18 April 2016) I birded Trail 10 for 4 hours and had a great outing. Excited to break through the 50 species barrier today….52 species in total. Continue reading Birding Shirleys Bay Waterfront Trail →

At this time of year, a light ‘pish’ near dense tangles in damp woods could encourage the sharp, “smacking” chip note of a Fox Sparrow.This particular sound is similar to the sound a person makes when they suck-n-release their tongue from the roof of their mouth (such as when one responds to disappointing news, etc). Continue reading Fox Sparrow alarm call →

Did you know that Purple Finch sing a “vireo song?” This melodic, note-pause-note-pause rendition is most often heard during spring/fall migration. From Bent’s Life Histories; the ‘vireo song’ is described by Aretas A. Saunders. “There are three distinct ways of singing, more or less separated by the seasons of the year. Continue reading Purple Finch “vireo song” →

In males, the centre of crown is orange with outer border yellow. In females, the centre of crown is yellow. This species breeds in coniferous forests and groves, mixedwoods with a preponderance of conifers. In migration and winter, also deciduous trees and bushes (Godfrey 1986). Continue reading Golden-crowned Kinglet males →

Hi there,

This morning (7 April 2016) I spent several hours investigating American Robins (Turdus migratorius) at the Canadian Museum of Nature collections in Gatineau, Quebec. After reviewing 90-100 adult males from northern Ontario, central and northern Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador, Continue reading “Black-backed” American Robins →

Hi there,

In March, over a span of 7 days, birders have surveyed for raptors from Greenland Rd., roughly 800 meters west of Thomas Dolan. Constance Creek is in the valley below, sandwiched between two ridges: Carp Ridge to the SW and Dunrobin Ridge (Greenland Road) to the NE. Continue reading Greenland Road Hawkwatch →

Excellent start to what is now my 6th season (2013 fall; 2014 & fall ; 2015 spring & fall; 2016 spring) getting to know Richardson’s (hutchinsii) Cackling Geese. I tallied my 12, 13, 14 and 15th individual of the season today just south of Richmond, Ont. Continue reading Richardson’s Cackling Geese in eastern Ontario →

Come late March, southern Ontario birders could at some point be faced with a “Is that a Loggerhead or a Northern?” ID challenge while studying a distant shrike. Continue reading Northern vs. Loggerhead Shrike ID →