Bruce Di Labio's Blog

February 14, 2012 birding Abaco

2012-02-23T08:53:00.000-05:00

The Bahama Warbler, another endemic is found on Abaco

Bahama Warbler

Bahama Yellowthroat

Todd, Dave and Don after a successful morning in Abaco National Park.

Hairy Woodpecker

Rose-throated Parrots

February 12-13, 2012 birding in the Bahamas

2012-02-23T08:46:00.000-05:00

Spent a few days birding in the Bahamas in search of 5 endemics. On Providence Island, Nassau we were able to find the Bahama Woodstar and a few Carribean specialties.

Spotted Sandpiper overwintering in the Bahamas

A Greater Antillean Grackle in Nassau.

One of the 5 endemic species in the Bahamas, a Bahama Woodstar. We were able to get great views of a few in the Botanic Gardens.

The White-crowned Pigeon is a Carribean specialty.

A Limpkin feeding in the gardens.

The Eurasian Collared Dove is very common on the Bahamas.

Wintering North American warblers were a common sight including this Ovenbird.

The Carribean Dove was easiest to find at the Retreat.

Common Ground Dove

Sora Rail

Western Palm Warblers were very common on the islands.

A female Bahama Woodstar feeding.

The White-cheeked Pintail is another Carribean specialty.

February 10, 2012 Gray Partridge in Kanata

2012-02-10T19:42:00.000-05:00

Hi Ontbirders
This afternoon around 2:00 p.m. I observed 9 Gray Partridge near the corner Terry Fox Drive and Campeau Drive. The partridge were feeding beside the Staples store where there is exposed grass along the buildings foundation on the west side. I also observed a couple of flocks of Bohemian Waxwing 50 and 30 along Kanata Ave near Campeau Drive. There was 1 Northern Shrike near the corner of Richardson Side Road and Huntmar Drive. This is the 10th shrike I've observed in the past week in eastern Ontario.

Directions: This area is north of the Maple Grove Road GRPA site and bordered by Huntmar Road,, Richardson Side Road, Terry Fox Drive and Hwy. 417.

I had just finishing shopping at Staples and as I drove out of the parking lot I noticed a flock of Gray Partridge. They were feeding along the exposed grass on the west side of the store. I didn't have my camera with me but managed a photo with my iPhone.

February 9, 2012 Northern Shrikes on the move north?

2012-02-10T19:29:00.001-05:00

The Northern Shrike is a regular winter visitor to eastern Ontario. The first individuals are usually observed in late October and early November. Over the course of the winter there numbers can vary as birds continue to move south in search of food. Over the past week I've observed 10+ Northern Shrikes in areas that I haven't seen them during the winter so far. I one case the shrike was singing. That was one of the few times I've heard Northern Shrike vocalize south of their breeding grounds. Are these birds on the move south or north already. Maybe just in search of food.

Northern Shrikes appear to be on the move.

February 7, 2012 More Wolfe and Amherst Island birding

2012-02-08T19:37:00.002-05:00

A male Snowy Owl sits on the only available patch of ice in the area.

It was interesting watching this individual from the roadside. It sat for a while and then began to waddle across the ice.

Over 40 + years of birding this was the first time i'd observed a Snowy Owl actually walking. Most times you encounter them on fence posts, Telephone poles, barns, hay bails, but always just sitting and looking.

As we watched it waddling it reminded my more of a penguin than an owl.

The owl finally took flight but only flew a short distance and landed. It stayed there for another hour .

On Amherst Island we located 2 Snowy Owls at the east end of the island.

This juvenile female Snowy Owl was well marked.

A Snowy Owl on ice!

February 5, 2012 Birding Wolfe Island and the Kingston area

2012-02-05T22:25:00.001-05:00

The birding on Wolfe island was very good today with a total of 9 Snowy Owls. Again it was amazing to see no snow cover, felt like spring time! The hawk numbers were low but we saw 1 Cooper's Hawk, 1 Merlin, 1 American Kestrel, 8 Rough-legged Hawk, 6 Red-tailed Hawk, 8 Northern Harrier and 3 Bald Eagle. With the lake being wide open, water birds were not concentrated. Highlights included 1 Common Loon off the south shore of Wolfe Island. Back on the mainland at Elevator Bay there was a good concentration of ducks including Redhead, Canvasback, both Lesser and Great Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, and Hooded Merganser. Also in the area were 350+ Gadwall, 9 American Wigeon, 9 American Coot and 1 Belted Kingfisher.

With no snow cover its hard to hide.

Snowy Owl in flight.

A Snowy Owl, living in harmony?

Bald Eagles continue to increase across eastern Ontario.

The Northern Shrike is a regular winter visitor to eastern Ontario.

The Merlin is a rare winter resident in eastern Ontario.

In the Kingston area the Gadwall can sometimes be one of the most common puddle ducks during the winter months.

A male Common Merganser in flight.

February 4, 2012 Eastern Ontario birding: Ste.Rose-Cornwall-Amherst Island

2012-02-05T07:38:00.000-05:00

Had a great day birding various areas in eastern Ontario. The first stop was near Ste. Rose where we observed 3 Snowy owls, 2 being very tame. Also in the area was a flock of 70+ Horned Lark feeding along the roadside. The biggest surprise was the concentration of gulls at the Lafleche Rd landfill. The gulls were loafing in a field on the north side of the road. There were 2,450+ gulls, 1500 Herring , 900 Great Black-backed, 38 Glaucous, 26 Iceland and 1 adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. This is now the best landfill site for gulls in eastern Ontario. Historically, The Trail Road Landfill Site, formerly Nepean Dump was the best area for gull watching. Our next stop was along the St.Lawrence at Cornwall where few birds were seen and the river was wide open. Along the Long Sault Parkway at Moulinette Island, a Barred Owl was observed sunning itself at noon..
Along Hwy 401, 2 Northern Shrike and 8 Red-tailed Hawks were counted.
The final stop of the day was at Amherst Island where I was amazed at the lack of snow and no ice on the lake. It looked more like a spring day in early April. In the Owl Woods there was 1 Northern Saw-whet Owl and 1 Long-eared Owl. Many of the trails are ice covered and very slippery. On the KFN property, 1 Snowy Owl was sitting on the most eastern Osprey platform while another was observed along South Shore Road. With calm conditions on Lake Ontario and excellent visibility we counted 7 Common Loon and 3 Horned Grebe which are rare during the winter months. Few hawks were noted as we drove the island roads and counted 1 Northern Harrier, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, and our fifth owl species of the day, Short-eared Owl.

Directions: Lafleche Rd landfill is located at the dead end of Lafleche Road. From the 417 take road 138 south, turning right on Lafleche road which is the first road south of the 417. The dump is at the end of the dead end road, however, the gulls are best seen loafing in the snow covered field north of the the road. Do not enter the landfill site.

Directions: Amherst Island: Located 18 km. west of Kingston. Exit off Hwy. 401 at exit 593 (County Rd. 4, Camden East) and drive south to the very end (Millhaven). Turn right on Hwy. 33 and drive 100 metres until you see the sign for the Amherst Island ferry. The ferry (20 minute trip) leaves the mainland on the half hour and leaves the island on the hour. Cost is $9.00 Canadian round trip. There are no gas stations on the island. There are restrooms on the ferry, and at the island ferry dock. The East End K.F.N. property is at the easternmost part of the island on the east side of the Lower Forty Foot Road.

Because of liability issues, visitors to the Kingston Field Naturalists' property at the east end of Amherst Island MUST be accompanied by a KFN member. For KFN contact information or how to become a member, please visit http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/ ."

A very tame Snowy owl.

Horned Larks are on the move.

Gull loafing in a nearby field at the Lefleche Landfill Site.

The Barred Owl is easily recognized by its dark eyes and streaked breast.

The Barred Owl frequents backyard feeder in search of rodents.

One of the few Northern Saw-whet Owls wintering on Amherst island.

With no snow cover it felt like a late March day.

February 3, 2012 Bohemian Waxwings on the move.

2012-02-04T19:13:00.000-05:00

Bohemian Waxwings continue to move into the Ottawa area in numbers. Today, Feb. 3, I observed my largest flock of the year, 750+ near the corner of Carling Ave. and March Road. The waxwings were feeding along the west side of the intersection back towards Beaverbrook area in Kanata. On Feb.2, a couple of flocks were observed in Bells Corners, 50+ and 40+. On Feb.1st 150+ were observed along March Road near Shirleys Brook and finally on January 30, I observed 350+ in the Dunrobin area. There are still lots of Buckthorn berries in patches around the city and these irregular winter visitors may just be beginning to increase as they search for their favorite berries.

Final results Dunrobin,On.-Breckenridge, PQ. Christmas Bird Count

2012-01-31T16:23:00.002-05:00

2011/12 REPORT
The 31st Annual Dunrobin (ON) - Breckenridge (QC) Christmas Bird Count took placeon Thursday, December 29, 2011. A total of 35 field observers and 7 feederwatchers recorded 50 species and 8,430 individuals.

Weather Conditions:
A very cold day. If you were a polar bear you would have felt at home! With an overnight low of -19c the temperaturedropped to -21c at dawn and a wind chill of -30c! Over the course of the day the temperature remainedaround -17c with a wind chill of -24c. The winds were mainly from the W for most ofthe day at 15 km and skies were partly cloudy.
A week earlier the Ottawa River was wide open but froze over just prior to thecount. On the day of the count, a few somesmall creeks and storm sewer outlets were open in the Kanata North area andthere were a couple of small opening on the Ottawa River. The cone crop wasagain poor over most of the count circle but there was still a good berry cropincluding Mountain Ash, Buckthorn, and Crab-apple.

Sunrise: 7:42 a.m.
Sunset: 4:27 p.m.

Species:
Despite the extreme cold and quiet start it was a fun day in the field. Likethe past couple of years, not a lot of activity but definitely lots ofinteresting observations. Again, the few bird feeders that were full of seedhad good concentrations of birds. The empty feeder syndrome continues ineastern Ontario? Not sure why!

There were no newspecies found so both Boreal Owl and Northern Mockingbird are still likelycandidates for next year. A number of interestingobservations were made, including: CanadaGoose, Bald Eagle, Snowy Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl and Brown-headed Cowbird.

New Species: No newspecies and the overall total remains at 110 species.

Record Highs:

Previous Highs are shown inparentheses followed by year.

· Cooper’sHawk 6 (4,3yrs.)

· Merlin3 (2,06,07)

· AmericanRobin 253 (34, 2004)

Tied Record Highs:

Previous record year inparentheses.

Fox Sparrow 1(1995)

Winter Finches:

· Pine Grosbeak (1)

· Purple Finch (5)

· White-winged Crossbill (5)

· Red Crossbill (0)

· Common Redpoll (4)

· Hoary Redpoll (0)

· Pine Siskin (181)

· American Goldfinch (861)

· Evening Grosbeak (0)

A few Dunrobin-Breckenridgestatistics:

Total Species:

· Record High 68 (2001)

· Record Low 32 (1999)

Total Individuals:

· Record High 12,554 (1986)

· Record Low 798 (1999)

I would like to thank the field observers and sector leaders for their greateffort and my wife, Laurie, for preparing the wonderful post-count supper andto all participants who brought deserts, food and wine to celebrate the 31^stanniversary!

The tentative date for the 32nd annual Dunrobin-Breckenridge CBC is Saturday,January 5, 2013, hope to see you there!

If you wish to see the results from all of the CBC's since they began, visitthe Audubon SocietyWebsite.

Good birding,
Bruce Di Labio
Dunrobin-Breckenridge CBC Compiler

Species	Number	Records	Comments
Canada Goose	9
American Black Duck	3
Mallard	20
Ruffed Grouse	9		low
Wild Turkey	100
Bald Eagle	6
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3
Cooper's Hawk	6	*	Record High
Northern Goshawk	1		scarce nowadays
Red-tailed Hawk	13
Rough-legged Hawk	6
Merlin	3	*	Record High
Rock Pigeon	491
Mourning Dove	222
Great Horned Owl	1		low
Snowy Owl	1		scarce nowadays
Barred Owl	1
Northern Saw-whet Owl	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1		3rd record
Downy Woodpecker	52
Hairy Woodpecker	62
Pileated Woodpecker	11
Northern Shrike	12
Blue Jay	276
American Crow	904
Common Raven	107
Horned Lark	1
Black-capped Chickadee	1280
Red-breasted Nuthatch	22
White-breasted Nuthatch	85
Brown Creeper	6
American Robin	253	*	Record High
European Starling	920
Bohemain Waxwing	195
Cedar Waxwing	123
Lapland Longspur	3
Snow Bunting	1786
American Tree Sparrow	140
Fox Sparrow	1	***	ties Record High
Dark-eyed Junco	119
Northern Cardinal	35
Brown-headed Cowbird	1
Pine Grosbeak	1
Purple Finch	5
House Finch	3
White-winged Crossbill	5
Common Redpoll	4
Pine Siskin	181
American Goldfinch	861
House Sparrow	79


Total Species:	50
Total Individuals:	8,430


Record High*
New Record**
Ties Record High***

	SPECIES	RECORD	YEAR	NUMBER OF	FIRST YEAR	LAST YEAR
		HIGH		YEARS	RECORDED	RECORDED
				RECORDED
1	Canada Goose	284	1989	14	1983	2011a
2	Wood Duck	1	2006	1	2006	2006
3	American Black Duck	148	1987	27	1982	2011a
4	Mallard	116	2011	28	1982	2011a
5	Northern Pintail	1	1994	1	1994	1994
6	Green-winged Teal	1	1994	1	1994	1994
7	Ring-necked Duck	2	94,06	2	1994	2006
8	Lesser Scaup	3	1993	4	1988	1994
9	White-winged Scoter	6	2006	1	2006	2006
10	Common Goldeneye	58	2006	8	1983	2006
11	Hooded Merganser	2	1993	6	1984	2006
12	Common Merganser	36	2001	8	1985	2006
13	Red-breasted Merganser	1	2001	1	2001	2001
14	Gray Partridge	61	1984	15	1982	2000a
15	Ring-necked Pheasant	1	1997	1	1997	1997
16	Ruffed Grouse	65	1989a	30	1982	2011a
17	Wild Turkey	228	2010	12	2000	2011a
18	Common Loon	1	2001	1	2001	2001
19	Red-necked Grebe	1	2001	1	2001	2001
20	Great Blue Heron	2	2011	7	1990	2011
21	Bald Eagle	9	2001	15	1983	2011a
22	Northern Harrier	3	2001	4	1994	2011
23	Sharp-shinned Hawk	5	2000	22	1982	2011a
24	Cooper's Hawk	6	2011a	17	1984	2011a
25	Northern Goshawk	6	1991	26	1982	2010
26	Red-shouldered Hawk	1	98,07,09	3	1998	2009
27	Red-tailed Hawk	40	2006	31	1982	2011a
28	Rough-legged Hawk	31	1988	26	1982	2011a
29	American Kestrel	17	1988	27	1982	2011
30	Merlin	3	2011a	6	1991	2011a
31	Gyrfalcon	1	94,95	2	1994	1995
32	American Coot	1	1993	1	1993	1993
33	Wilson's Snipe	1	1988	1	1988	1988
34	Ring-billed Gull	3	2000	3	2000	2011
35	Herring Gull	1225	2001	15	1983	2011
36	Iceland Gull	4	2000	4	1997	2004a
37	Glaucous Gull	15	2000	6	1995	2004a
38	Great Black-backed Gull	301	2001	10	1987	2011
39	Rock Pigeon	845	2002	31	1982	2011a
40	Mourning Dove	577	2002	31	1982	2011a
41	Eastern Screech-Owl	3	2005	11	1986	2007
42	Great Horned Owl	53	1988	30	1982	2011a
43	Snowy Owl	6	1988	12	1982	2011a
44	Northern Hawk Owl	2	88,01	9	1982	2011
45	Barred Owl	9	2011	26	1982	2011a
46	Great Gray Owl	6	2004a	5	1984	2009
47	Long-eared Owl	3	1982	8	1982	2000a
48	Short-eared Owl	5	1982	3	1982	1994
49	Northern Saw-whet Owl	2	88,89,11	10	1983	2011a
50	Belted Kingfisher	1	88,98,11	3	1988	2011
51	Red-headed Woodpecker	2	2005	2	2004a	2005
52	Red-bellied Woodpecker	2	2011	3	1989	2011a
53	Downy Woodpecker	89	1984	31	1982	2011a
54	Hairy Woodpecker	134	1984	31	1982	2011a
55	Am.Three-toed Woodpecker	6	1998	11	1983	2006
56	Black-backed Woodpecker	6	2000	19	1982	2006
57	Northern Flicker	2	95,95a	12	1982	2011
58	Pileated Woodpecker	29	2002	31	1982	2011a
59	Northern Shrike	25	1988	31	1982	2011a
60	Gray Jay	1	83,95	2	1983	1995
61	Blue Jay	566	1995	31	1982	2011a
62	American Crow	1024	2007	31	1982	2011a
63	Common Raven	167	2001	31	1982	2011a
64	Horned Lark	399	2001	29	1982	2011a
65	Black-capped Chickadee	1859	1983	31	1982	2011a
66	Boreal Chickadee	6	1987	10	1982	2005
67	Red-breasted Nuthatch	213	2000a	31	1982	2011a
68	White-breasted Nuthatch	179	2002	31	1982	2011a
69	Brown Creeper	41	2000a	30	1982	2011a
70	Carolina Wren	1	1988	1	1988	1988
71	Winter Wren	1	1993	2	1993	2004
72	Golden-crowned Kinglet	71	1983	24	1982	2011
73	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1	1995	1	1995	1995
74	Eastern Bluebird	6	1999	1	1999	1999
75	Hermit Thrush	1	2001	1	2001	2001
76	American Robin	253	2011a	23	1982	2011a
77	Gray Catbird	1	2007	1	2007	2007
78	Brown Thrasher	1	10,11	2	2010	2011
79	Varied Thrush	1	1988	1	1988	1988
80	European Starling	1196	2002	31	1982	2011a
81	Bohemian Waxwing	1315	2009	22	1982	2011a
82	Cedar Waxwing	273	2002	11	1985	2011a
83	Yellow-rumped Warbler	1	1983	1	1983	1983
84	American Tree Sparrow	316	1983	30	1982	2011a
85	Savannah Sparrow	1	2000	1	2000	2000
86	Fox Sparrow	1	95,11a	2	1995	2011a
87	Song Sparrow	6	1997	21	1983	2011
88	Swamp Sparrow	1	88,93	2	1988	1993
89	White-throated Sparrow	2	1997	9	1983	2011
90	White-crowned Sparrow	1	2006	1	2006	2006
91	Dark-eyed Junco	154	1985	31	1982	2011a
92	Lapland Longspur	31	1995	19	1982	2011a
93	Snow Bunting	4040	1986	31	1982	2011a
94	Northern Cardinal	79	2002	29	1982	2011a
95	Red-winged Blackbird	4	1999	9	1983	2011
96	Eastern Meadowlark	2	87,97,98	5	1982	2002
97	Rusty Blackbird	1	87,88,97	3	1987	1997
98	Common Grackle	2	82,00	9	1982	2001
99	Brown-headed Cowbird	11	1993	6	1982	2011a
100	Pine Grosbeak	277	2009	19	1982	2011a
101	Purple Finch	170	1993	16	1983	2011a
102	House Finch	107	1993	22	1988	2011a
103	Red Crossbill	10	1991	7	1982	2001
104	White-winged Crossbill	649	1989a	20	1982	2011a
105	Common Redpoll	2769	1994	25	1982	2011a
106	Hoary Redpoll	4	86,07	13	1982	2011
107	Pine Siskin	949	2000a	26	1982	2011a
108	American Goldfinch	1360	1995	31	1982	2011a
109	Evening Grosbeak	1931	1988	25	1982	2011
110	House Sparrow	1293	1983	31	1982	2011a

January 27 and 29, 2012 Fork-tailed Flycatcher in Florida

2012-01-27T20:30:00.001-05:00

After reading a number of posts about a Fork-tailed Flycatcher near Ruskin, Florida I decided to take a quick run over to look for it since I was in the area for a few days. We arrived at 3:00pm and after a short while spotted the flycatcher at a distance sitting on a fence line. Had good views through the scope before it disappeared. At around 3:45pm it reappeared at the end of Lost River Trail and sat in one of its favorite trees and put on a wonderful display fly-catching. At that point we noticed that one of its outer tail feathers was missing. This was a first for my North America list, #715.

Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Fork-tailed flycatcher missing outer tail feather.

Coming in for a landing.

Perched in one of its favorite trees, the Fork-tailed Flycatcher would sit for a while before fly catching.

The Fork-tailed flycatcher is a casual visitor to eastern North America. Most records are from the spring and fall season but a few occur during winter in Florida and Texas.

Spent a couple of hours birding Fort DeSoto on January 29th. With the great weather there were lots of visitors to the park. At the North Beach a small number of shorebirds were noted including 16 Red Knot, 6 Black-bellied Plover and 3 Wilson's Plover. In the nearby woods, both Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers were plentiful, flitting about feeding.

American Oystercatcher

American Oystercatcher feeding.

Forster's Tern stretching.

A Loggerhead Shrike waits for the right moment.

It changes perches before it strikes its prey.

A successful catch!

A young Royal Tern still begging for food.

Winter plumage Ruddy Turnstone feeding on the beach.

Willet

Turkey Vultures were very common.

Wilson's Plover

Innis Point Bird Observatory 30th Anniversary Dinner

2012-01-27T09:08:00.000-05:00

Innis Point Bird Observatory 30th Anniversary Dinner and Silent Auction

February 28th 2012 @ 6PM

at the Marconi Centre, 1062 Baseline Rd.

Ottawa, ON

With a Special Guest Speaker

MICHAEL RUNTZ

“Lovers, Killers, Hoarders and Thieves: the

Untold Story of Birds"

Michael has been an enthusiastic birdwatcher since the age of five. He

has worked as an interpretive naturalist in provincial and national parks,

conducted biological surveys across Ontario, hosted an international

television series Wild by Nature, published 10 books on natural history

(the latest is titled Natural History), written more than 1,000 newspaper

and magazine natural history articles, and currently teaches Natural

History and Ornithology at Carleton University. Through the years,

Michael has received numerous awards including the Council of Canadian

University Biology Chairs Public Science Education Award, and the

Carleton University Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tickets: $40 (or $300 for an eight‐person table)

Cash Bar

Free Parking

Purchase tickets by February 18.

No tickets sold at the door.

For tickets call/email: 613‐725‐2362, e.slump@rogers.com

613‐255‐7584, procorvus@hotmail.com

For more details and updates, check out our Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/InnisPointBirdObservatory

Introduction

Founded in 1982 as the Ottawa

Banding Group, the Innis Point Bird

Observatory (IPBO) is located along

the Ottawa River, near Shirley's Bay,

in Ontario, Canada (just 16 km west

of Parliament). IPBO is a registered

Canadian charity dedicated to the

study of birds and natural history.

IPBO members/volunteers participate

in projects year-round at Innis Point

and Ottawa area.

Projects

• Spring Migration Monitoring

Program (SMMP)

• Monitoring Aviation Productivity

and Survivorship (MAPS)

• Bluebird Trail

• Tree Swallow Nesting Boxes

• Purple Martin Colony

• Winter Bird Feeders

• Osprey Nesting Platforms

• Northern Saw-whet Owl Banding

• Snow Bunting Banding

• Butterfly Garden

IPBO is a member of the Canadian

Migration Monitoring Network:

www.bsc-eoc.org/volunteer/cmmn/ IPBO

http://www.ipbo.ca/

http://www.facebook.com/InnisPointBirdObservatory

info@ipbo.ca

January 25, 2012 More backyard birding

2012-01-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

After yesterdays excitement my feeders were back in action with many of usual visitors. The American Goldfinch were busy with the niger feeders while Mourning Doves fed below picking up any seeds that fell. A European Starling almost back in spring plumage devoured the suet as both Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers waited. Unfortunately no Saw-whet today, likely a "one day wonder".

American Goldfinch enjoying niger seed.

A European Starling sits on top of the suet feeder. Note the lack of spots now and bill colour turning yellow.

Once a rare winter visitor the Mourning Dove is now a regular feeder bird during the winter months.

January 24, 2012 New backyard bird, #172

2012-01-25T11:33:00.001-05:00

After spending 4 days birding/owling on Amherst Island in search of Northern Saw-whet and other owls, I find one in my backyard! A new species for the yard list, #172. Fortunately, I heard a Black-capped Chickadee giving a soft scolding dee-dee-dee call from our cedar hedge and I investigated. Sitting about 7 feeet up in a white cedar was the owl. I've now recorded 5 species of owls on my property including Great Gray (during the invasion winter of 2004-05), Barred Owl, Great Horned Owl and Eastern Screech-Owl. The owl struck around long enough that Ben got to see it after school. Anything is possible!
Good Birding, Bruce

Northern Saw-whet Owl #172 for my yard list!

January 21-23, 2012 More Amherst Island birding

2012-01-25T11:31:00.000-05:00

The island raptor numbers continued to change by the day. Over a 3-day tour we managed to find everything that was in the "Owl woods" on my Friday tour but if took a lot of searching! With a very low number of owls it takes longer to locate them and we never had the same owls the following day. On Saturday, January 21st, a late afternoon visit produced both Snowy owl and Short-eared owl but no owls in the "Owl Woods". On January 22nd our first run out we found a Northern Saw-whet Owl, different from Friday's. It made me wonder if there was a movement of saw-whets either north or south? A late afternoon visit to the island produced "0" owls. Not sure if everything is just moving around the island. Our final visit on January 23rd to the "Owl Woods" was again different. No saw-whets but I finally located 1 very cooperative Long-eared Owl which made the day! We did a quick run around the island and found a small number of hawks, total 20, with the high count coming from Northern Harrier 8, Red-tailed Hawk 6, and Rough-legged Hawk 6. There is very little snow on the island and it appears that there are few rodents. Hopefully things will pick up soon.

good birding, Bruce

A Short-eared Owl roosting in a White Spruce.

I've observed Short-eared Owls roosting numerous times but this was my first time to actually see one sitting and able to photograph it.

A Northern Saw-whet Owl sitting with prey.

So far, very few Northern Saw-whet Owls have been observed this winter.

Even Long-eared Owls has been very scarce this winter.

Sunset on Amherst Island.

January 20, 2012 Amherst Island birding

2012-01-25T11:30:00.001-05:00

The bird activity on Amherst Island continues to change daily. The "Owl Woods" was somewhat quiet but we managed to find 1 Northern Saw-whet Owl, my first since checking in late October. There have been very few reports of any owls from the "Owl Woods" this season. The feeders were active with 30+ House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, American Tree sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. Both Short-eared and Long-eared Owls, one of each were found roosting in the woods. A drive around the island netted a few Snowy Owl and still low numbers of hawks, including Red-tailed, Rough-legged, American Kestrel, and Northern Harrier.

Good birding, Bruce

Directions: Amherst Island: Located 18 km. west of Kingston. Exit off Hwy. 401 at exit 593 (County Rd. 4, Camden East) and drive south to the very end (Millhaven). Turn right on Hwy. 33 and drive 100 metres until you see the sign for the Amherst Island ferry. The ferry (20 minute trip) leaves the mainland on the half hour and leaves the island on the hour. Cost is $9.00 Canadian round trip. There are no gas stations on the island. There are restrooms on the ferry, and at the island ferry dock. The East End K.F.N. property is at the easternmost part of the island on the east side of the Lower Forty Foot Road.

Because of liability issues, visitors to the Kingston Field Naturalists' property at the east end of Amherst Island MUST be accompanied by a KFN member. For KFN contact information or how to become a member, please visit http://kingstonfieldnaturalists.org/ ."

A Common Redpoll feeding on White Cedar cones.

First recorded in Ontario during the early 70's the House Finch is now a regular sight in south Ontario.

A Snowy Owl sits quietly.

Easy to overlook at the best of times as they roost during the day. This Northern Saw-whet Owl was sitting 15-20 feet up a Jack Pine.

January 18, 2012 Birding Amherst Island

2012-01-19T22:53:00.000-05:00

Made a quick trip to Amherst Island and found no snow on the island and no ice on the water. It looked more like late fall. I check the usual spots and found 3 Snowy Owls at the east end, KFN property and 1 along the South Shore Road. The Short-eared Owls starting flying at 4:14pm both east and west of Stella. A small number of hawks were observed including Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks along with American Kestrel. With the wide of waters I counted late 7 Common Loons and 1 Red-necked Grebe off the South Shore Road.

Good birding, Bruce

Amherst Island Ferry

Icy road conditions to the Owl Woods.

With no snow cover, Snowy Owls were easy to pick out.

Short-eared Owls were already hunting at 4:15pm.

The Short-eared Owl is a regular winter resident on Amherst Island in small numbers.

Final Results of the Massena, NY.-Cornwall, ON. CBC

2012-01-17T18:44:00.002-05:00

39^th Annual

Massena,New York-Cornwall, Ontario

ChristmasBird Count Results

December27, 2011

HiEveryone

Pleasefind attached the results of the 39th Annual Massena-Cornwall Christmas BirdCount. I've also attached the revised All Time Record Highs, 1971-2011.Both lists follow the most recent AOU changes in the July 2011 supplement. Ifyou note any errors in the numbers please let me know. Also, please forwardresults to anyone whose email I don’t list and took part.

Thanksand have a great year birding!

Bruce DiLabio Compiler

The 39thAnnual Massena,NY.-Cornwall,On. Christmas Bird Count (CBC) took place onTuesday, December 27, 2011. A total of 36 field observers and 12 feederwatchers recorded a record high 78species and a record high 24,015 individuals.One new species, Winter Wren, wasadded to the All Time list bringing the total to 138 species in 39 years. Also,16 record high counts and 3 tied record highs were recorded. The weatherconditions for the day were great for being out counting birds. The temperatureranged from 0c to +4c with the visibility “excellent” along the St. LawrenceRiver during the morning due to the calm conditions. Also, the morning wasmainly clear and the afternoon was mainly overcast with light variable winds.The St. Lawrence River was wide openexcept for a few sheltered bays that were frozen or had ice along theshoreline. These conditions were superb and resulted in many new water birdsrecord high counts. In the 24 years I've been involved with the count it wasone of the best! I would like to thank all the participants and sector leadersfor their continued support on the count. Please forward this email to anyonewho may be interested in participating next season.

The datefor next Massena, NY.- Cornwall, ON. CBC is tentatively set for Saturday,December 22nd, 2012.

Di LabioBirding Website
Courses and Field Trips
http://www.dilabiobirding.ca
http://www.brucedilabio.blogspot.com

Bruce Di Labio
400 Donald B. Munro Drive
P.O. Box 538
Carp, Ontario
K0A 1L0
Office613-839-4395 Cell 613-715-2571

A few Massena-Cornwall CBC(1971-2012) statistics:

TotalSpecies: Record High 78 (2011) Record Low 29 (1971)

Total Individuals:Record High 24,015 (2011) Record Low 2,286 (1971)

Theaccumulative list stands at 138 species since the first count on December 27,1971. There are 2 years that the count wasn’t held or data not available, 1972and 1974. I’m not sure if it was due to poor weather.

One of the rarest birds to befound on the Massena, NY.- Cornwall, ON Christmas Bird Count was a SageThrasher. This individual was found on the first count on December 27, 1971 atthe entrance to the Robert Moses Power Dam. The thrasher was feeding in a crab apple tree and photographed by DougAllen. At the time it was the 3^rd NYS record.

Thefollowing highlights were recorded:

New species:

WinterWren 1

Record Highs: Previous highs are shown inparentheses followed by year.

AmericanWigeon 10 (9) 2006

Redhead 8(5) 2001, 2006

Bufflehead54 (46) 2008

HoodedMerganser 80 (63) 2006

Red-breastedMerganser 85 (28) 2009

CommonLoon 32 (21) 2006

Red-neckedGrebe 7 (4) 1994

BaldEagle 9 (7) 2002

Cooper'sHawk 4 (3) 1991, 1994

PeregrineFalcon 2 (1) 2003, 2008, 2009

MourningDove 402 (373) 2001

NorthernFlicker 16 (11) 1999

PileatedWoodpecker 19 (12) 2001

AmericanRobin 1,609 (129) 1985

EuropeanStarling 3,225 (1211) 1998

Dark-eyedJunco 94 (84) 2008

Tied Record Highs: Previous tiesare shown in parentheses followed by year.

Red-shoulderedHawk 1 (1) 1988

Merlin 2(2) 2008

CarolinaWren 1 (1) 1990, 2008, 2010

Otherspecies of interest:

CacklingGoose 1 (2nd record)

NorthernPintail 1 (4th record)
Red-throated Loon 1 (3rd record)

EasternMeadowlark 1 (4th record)

WinterFinches:

PineGrosbeak (0)
Purple Finch (2)
Red Crossbill (0)

White-wingedCrossbill (0)

Common Redpoll (0)
Pine Siskin (75)
American Goldfinch (328)
Evening Grosbeak (0)

Species	Number	Records	Comments
Snow Goose	3		late
Cackling Goose	1	2nd	last recorded 2006
Canada Goose	6577
Tundra Swan	1	3rd	late
Gadwall	87
American Wigeon	10	*	Record High
American Black Duck	68
Mallard	1951
Northern Pintail	1	4th	late
Redhead	8	*	Record High
Ring-necked Duck	4
Greater Scaup	5
Lesser Scaup	1		last recorded 2006
Long-tailed Duck	3
Bufflehead	54	*	Record High
Common Goldeneye	1132
Hooded Merganser	80	*	Record High
Common Merganser	978
Red-breasted Merganser	85	*	Record High
Ruffed Grouse	1		low
Wild Turkey	245
Red-throated Loon	1	3rd	first since 1997
Common Loon	32	*	Record High
Horned Grebe	1	6th	last recorded 2005
Red-necked Grebe	7	*	Record High
Double-crested Cormorant	2		late
Great Blue Heron	1		late (photo)
Bald Eagle	9	*
Northern Harrier	1		late. Last recorded 2006
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3
Cooper's Hawk	4	*	Record High
Northern Goshawk	3		scarce nowadays
Red-shouldered Hawk	1	***	Ties record high
Red-tailed Hawk	31
Rough-legged Hawk	3
Merlin	2	***	Ties record high
Peregrine Falcon	2	*	Record High
Ring-billed Gull	45
Herring Gull	1311
Iceland Gull	2
Glaucous Gull	4
Great Black-backed Gull	362		lower numbers in recent years
Rock Pigeon	503
Mourning Dove	402	*	Record High
Great Horned Owl	1		low
Snowy Owl	2		part of south bound movement
Downy Woodpecker	45
Hairy Woodpecker	45
Northern Flicker	16	*	Record High
Pileated Woodpecker	19	*	Record High
Northern Shrike	4
Blue Jay	274
American Crow	2,545
Common Raven	7
Horned Lark	1
Black-capped Chickadee	623
Red-breasted Nuthatch	2		low
White-breasted Nuthatch	68
Brown Creeper	10
Carolina Wren	1	***	Ties record high (photo)
Winter Wren	1	**	New species (photo)
Golden-crowned Kinglet	9
American Robin	1,609	*	Record High
European Starling	3,225	*	Record High
Cedar Waxwing	186
Snow Bunting	538
American Tree Sparrow	108
Song Sparrow	2
Dark-eyed Junco	94	*	Record High
Northern Cardinal	19
Red-winged Blackbird	1
Eastern Meadowlark	1	4th	late
Brown-headed Cowbird	8
Purple Finch	2
House Finch	23
Pine Siskin	75
American Goldfinch	328
House Sparrow	96


Total Species:	78
Total Individuals:	24,015


Record High*
New Record**
Ties Record High***

December 29, 2011 Dunrobin-Breckenridge Christmas Bird Count Results

2012-01-06T06:45:00.002-05:00

Despite frigid overnight temperatures, -21c, the 31st annual Dunrobin-Breckenridge Christmas Bird Count was a success with 50 species. This fits into the 30 year average of 50 species. No new species, a few record highs and a couple of surprises. Most field observers commented on a slow start but as the morning warmed up bird activity increased. Highlights included Red-bellied Woodpecker, Snowy Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Merlin, and Canada Goose. I'll have the complete results available mid January.

Bohemian Waxwing and Cedar Waxwings feeding in Red Cedar.

Open water along March Valley Road.

Old abandoned farm houses are sometimes used by Common Ravens or Turkey Vultures for nesting sites.

Fresh snow along Riddell Road.

The Common Raven is a regular sight in the Dunrobin area.

Low overnight temperatures put the final freeze on the Ottawa River.

A Bohemian Waxwing feeding in a Red Cedar.

A view from Baskin's Beach across the Ottawa River to the Quebec side.

December 27,2011 Massena, N.Y-Cornwall, ON Christmas Bird Count

2011-12-28T11:27:00.000-05:00

The Massena-Cornwall Christmas Bird Count was held under ideal weather conditions with excellent visibility along the St.Lawrence River. With no rain or snow and limited amounts of ice and snow most participants had a great day in the field. I don't have the final results yet but overall at list 1 new species was found, a Winter Wren, on Moulinette Island. In fact Ben and I observed 2 wren species, the other a Carolina Wren on Ault island. Not bad for late December in eastern Ontario. Other higlights included 1 Red-throated Loon, 25+ Common Loon, 7 Red-necked Grebe, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk, 1 Snowy Owl, 400+ American Robin, 1 Song sparrow, 3 Northern Flicker to name a few! Other groups had impressive lists including Double-crested Cormorant, Horned Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Tundra Swan, American wigeion and Eastern Meadowlark. Lets hope we set a new record. I'll have the results availible end of first week of January. Heading to Dominican Republic soon!

One of the few Carolina Wren records for the count.

Pishing and squeaking played an important role for attracting species.

Ben hard at work looking for northern Flickers. Still no shoes!

The last of the freighters along the St. Lawrence before freeze up.

A female Pileated Woodpecker made a brief stop on a telephone pole at Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Snowy Owls were found on the count for the first time in since 2008 reflecting the large southbound movement experienced this fall/winter.

A Winter Wren was new for the count. It was tricky to photograph since they don't sit still for very long.

Record numbers of American Robins were found, likley due to our mild fall and great berry crop.

Always a great bird to see on a Christmas bird count!

December 26,2011 Gray Partridge

2011-12-26T21:03:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone
Today I observed a flock of 9 Gray Partridge along Terry Fox Drive just south of Richardson Side Road. The flock was feeding in a field before a Common Raven dive bombed them a couple of times and the flock flew off across the Carp River towards Huntmar Rd. and disappeared. This area is north of the Maple Grove Road site and bordered by Huntmar Road,, Richardson Side Road, Terry Fox Drive and Hwy. 417.
Good Birding, Bruce

December 24,2011 Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:43:00.000-05:00

Now with winter upon us now, the ground snow covered, be sure to have your bird feeders full for our winter resident species or a late lingerer. A suet feeder will attract woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and any other insect eater that might be still hanging on. Both sunflower and nyger seeds work well for most local species.

American Robins can overwinter in small numbers if there is an ample food supply of berries/fruit such as Mountain Ash, Buchthorn, Wild Grape, or Crab-apple.

An American Robin foraging on the ground.

Buckthorn berries are still abundant this winter.

Over 100 American robins were counted at the Britannia Conservation Area on December 18th.

The White-breasted Nuthatch is a permanent resident in eastern Ontario. During the winter months it can be found associating with Black-capped Chickadees as they forage through city woodlots or visit bird feeders.

December 21, 2011 Birding Presqu'ile Provincial Park

2011-12-21T20:15:00.001-05:00

Had a good morning birding Owen Point, Gull Island and various locations within the park. On Gull Island a flock of Purple Sandpipers was a definite highlight as they fed along the southeast corner of Gull Island. Over on High Bluff Island 3 Snowy Owls were positioned for hunting as a large number of ducks as they fed along the shoreline. A male Northern Harrier and a immature Cooper's Hawk were noted hunting over the island as a Red-tailed Hawk circled overhead. There must be a high concentration of rodents on this island. At Calf Pasture an immature Bald Eagle perched in a tree while a Northern Shrike preened, a great day birding!

Here are a variety of Purple Sandpiper photos I took on Gull Island. enjoy!

December 20, 2011 Birding Amherst Island.

2011-12-21T19:33:00.001-05:00

The birding today on Amherst Island was great. We observed 5 Snowy Owls at the east end of the island including 3 on the KFN property. At the gravel bar a single Purple Sandpiper was observed, a late Savannah Sparrow at the pond and the Marsh Wren seen on December 12, was still present in the cattails just west of the bar. Along the South Shore Road a very late Killdeer was noted. At dusk at least 12 Short-eared owls were feeding along Front Road between Stella and the east point.

Amherst Island Ferry.

The Black -capped Chickadee will welcome you to the Owl Woods.

A male Northern Cardinal waiting for the feeders to be filled.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker continues to expand its range into eastern Ontario.

Amherst Island can be a great location for Short-eared Owls.

The Short-eared Owl normally feeds at dusk but this individual was out early!

A Short-eared Owl fly's over investigating.

This Short-eared Owl was "wing clapping" which I thought was unusual for this time of year..

A male Snowy Owl just east of the KFN property.

Snowy Owls use a variety of perches while hunting.

A White-breasted Nuthatch waits for an opportunity to be hand fed.

December 18,2011 Birding on the Ottawa Christmas Bird Count.

2011-12-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

It was a strange feeling this morning. I was the Ottawa Christmas Bird Count, no snow, and -12c! Not what you normally except in Ottawa. Over the 41 years I've been participating, this has happen only few times. It wasn't that long ago, December 16, 2007 that the count was finally canceled at noon due to a snow storm. Unfortunately the lack of snow usually means the bird feeders will be slow and the birds will be dispersed over a large area making counting more difficult. With a lack of snow you can cover areas that are normally not accessible. During the morning the Ottawa River, Lake Deschenes had a thin layer of ice which forced many water birds to move to any open water and the Deschenes Rapids area had a good variety of ducks. Gull numbers were low due to the open waters, raptor number low, and most land birds too. A slow day in the field for most. Not to many highlights and no new species for the count. But it's always fun!

American Black Duck along the Ottawa River.

A male Barrow's Goldeneye near Mooney's Bay was a surprise find for the day.

A great comparison of male Barrow's and Common Goldeneye.

A female Cooper's Hawk sitting on breakfast, a Rock Pigeon.

Ready for take-off.

A gray morph Eastern Screech-Owl at dusk.

The Eastern Screech-owl is an uncommon resident in the Ottawa area. Due to its nocturnal native it goes undetected in most areas.

Ben scanning the open water off Britannia pier. On our first visit at dawn the river was many frozen with a thin layer of ice after dropping to -15c overnight.

December 17, 2011 Renfrew County Birding

2011-12-17T20:43:00.001-05:00

Ben and I spent most of the day birding on the Pembroke Christmas Bird Count with a quick side trip to Eganville and Lake Dore. Overall a great day, -9c, no snow and most rivers and lakes still wide open. For the Pembroke CBC it was very usual to have no snow and green grass! With the earlier mild conditions they were still numerous late lingering species along the Ottawa River at Morrison Island. Highlights included a Common Loon, 1 Greater Scaup, 7 Bufflehead, 1 Red-breasted Merganser, 1000+ Canada Geese and a Cackling Goose. On Lake Dore, with no ice, we found 1 Common Loon, 2 Red-necked Grebe, 5 Horned Grebe, 5 Long-tailed Duck, 1 White-winged Scoter, 37 Lesser Scaup, 17 Hooded Merganser, 2 Iceland Gull, 1 Glaucous Gull and a immature Bald Eagle. An amazing variety for mid December on Lake Dore. Most years the lake is frozen solid by now. The Rufous hummingbird was still coming to the hummingbird feeder at Eganville and appeared in good condition. Tonight's low is again -16c!

Sunrise along the Ottawa River at Morrison Island.

An adult Ring-billed Gull was a late lingerer at Pembroke.

A Ruffed Grouse showed no concern as it walked along a log.

Despite -16c overnight, the Rufous Hummingbird is doing well.

With no snow on the ground, a flock of Snow Bunting in flight were very conspicuous.