Week 16 Paul's Update (With Photos)

The spring migration is in full swing here in southern Ontario, but you might not know it by the winter weather we've been having. Today's (April 20th) high was a chilly 4 degrees C (that's 39 degrees F for the non-metrically inclined) with a snow/ice pellet/rain mix and a brisk 30 mph wind. Not especially great birding weather. Despite this, I've been getting out a bit and have new birds to report and, as I now have possession of the household camera, I am also making a concerted effort to capture more bird sightings on film. This week's update will feature a few of these photos interspersed with a few notes about my birding efforts.

Here is a photo of two American Crows. They were taking a break after spending the previous 5 minutes harassing a Red-Tailed Hawk.

Caw Caw

Red-Tailed Hawk wondering why the crows don't like him after being chased for the previous 5 minutes.

Can't we just all get along?

There are dozens of Red-Winged Blackbirds in my backyard. I am not sure why I can't get a better photo. If you ignore the twigs, here is a fellow doing his best Dean Martin.

Hey Ladies!

 A photo of a tree swallow inside a nesting box.

 It's easy to photo the Black-Capped Chickadees especially ones expecting free handouts.

The previous two photos were from our weekly outing to the Second Marsh, which as previously mentioned, it was not a good day for birding. I was joined by my two older sons, Joey and Andy, and a former Trent University student of mine, Miguel (who has taken ornithology and is really into the birds). He is from Bermuda and doesn't get out much from Trent's campus, so I convinced him to come along (who needs to study for finals anyway?); he was a great birding companion. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the Brown Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, or Blue-headed Vireo that we saw tramping through the Second Marsh. But I did get this somewhat ok photo of a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet.

See its dazzling ruby crown?

My other bird find of the week was a Spotted Sandpiper. On Wednesday morning, I glanced out at my pond to see if there were any interesting ducks visiting early in the morning and, no, there were not. But there was a shorebird hanging out on the middle point. Joey was kind enough to run the binoculars up the stairs to me and we both got a good look at a smallish shorebird with a spotted front and a yellow bill. It was a Spotted Sandpiper! Turns out it was the first one sighted in Peterborough this year and I was able to get a photo of the recent arrival.

Over the week I increased my yearlong bird list from 102 species to 121 species. That included several multiple bird sighing days: 10 (Saturday), 4 (Wednesday) and 3 (Tuesday). While I'm sure Damon will soon eclipse this record, I should also note that I broke the Year of Birds mark for most bird species in a day (The Big Day) by seeing 53 species today. Here the rundown of my week's worth of new bird sightings.

102 Great Black-Backed Gull 4/14/2013 Presqu'ile Provincial Park, Lake Ontario, Ontario
103 Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker 4/16/2013 LHS Building, Trent University, Peterborough, ON
104 Chipping Sparrow 4/16/2013 LHS Building, Trent University, Peterborough, ON
105 Savannah Sparrow 4/16/2013 LHS Building, Trent University, Peterborough, ON
106 Spotted Sandpiper 4/17/2013 My backyard, Peterborough, Ontario
107 Ruby-Crowned Kinglet 4/17/2013 Loggerhead Marsh, Peterborough, ON
108 Rusty Blackbird 4/17/2013 Loggerhead Marsh, Peterborough, ON
109 Northern Flicker 4/17/2013 Loggerhead Marsh, Peterborough, ON
110 Fox Sparrow 4/18/2013 Miller Creek Conservation Area, Bridgenorth, ON
111 Swamp Sparrow 4/19/2013 Loggerhead Marsh, Peterborough, ON
112 Black-Crowned Night Heron 4/20/2013 McGlaughin Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa, ON
113 Ruddy Duck 4/20/2013 McGlaughin Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa, ON
114 Bonaparte's Gull 4/20/2013 McGlaughin Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa, ON
115 Hermit Thrush 4/20/2013 McGlaughin Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa, ON
116 Yellow-Rumped Warbler 4/20/2013 McGlaughin Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa, ON
117 Blue-Headed Vireo 4/20/2013 McGlaughin Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa, ON
118 Brown Thrasher 4/20/2013 McGlaughin Wildlife Reserve, Oshawa, ON
119 Barn Swallow 4/20/2013 Oshawa Beach, Oshawa, ON
120 Sharp-Shinned Hawk 4/20/2013 Orono, ON
121 Northern Pintail  4/20/2013 Mathers Meltwater Pond, Mathers, ON