![]() ![]() While the weather did not co-operate, Red-winged Blackbirds, White-breasted Nuthatches and Black-capped Chickadees were all quite cheerful, presenting themselves in numbers throughout the trip. There was, all in all, a good variety of birds. Hooded and Common Mergansers swam with the Mallards in the river, while Turkey Vultures wheeled above. Cormorants and Ring-billed Gulls remained prominent throughout, but species such as Grey Catbird and Lincoln’s Sparrow mixed among Northern Cardinals and ubiquitous Blue Jays to exhibit a dazzling spectrum of colours. ![]() The next few days were spent in Maitland and Brockville. Standout performers included four Blue-headed Vireos, an Eastern Towhee, some Eastern Pheobes and a Rusty Blackbird. The South access was barren, with naught but a Turkey Vulture seen, but the North was more productive – 25 species in a couple of hours. This late night arrival gave my Dad and I the opportunity to slip out to a nature preserve while the others slept in the following morning. ![]() We arrived in Ottawa airport at 11:00 PM eastern time, sleeping at last at around two AM. While this did not prevent us from seeing some good birds, it did mean that we wouldn’t be watching Blue-winged Warblers and Scarlet Tanagers. This time, however, we were not headed anywhere like Long Point, or even as far as Toronto. Previous visits have resulted in sights such as breeding Prothonotary Warbler, Green Heron and Bobolink. It was perhaps the most uneventful trip to Ontario to date, in terms of birds. Here’s to the New Year! Author BirdBoy Posted on JanuCategories Bird Feeding, Birdathon, Birding Events, Birding Trips, Birds, Camping, Gamebirds, Lifers, Other, Passerines, Raptors, Waterfowl 5 Comments on 2017 – Looking Back on my Favourite Photos From the Past Year Birding Maitland – the Mysteries of the One Thousand Islands All in all, 2017 was a stunning year, but with hopeful thoughts of Long Point, Southern Alberta (again!), and maybe even California, 2018 promises to excite. Ontario was fun if not particularly productive, and this year’s Canmore Christmas Bird Count was miles above that of 2016. The Great Canadian Birdathon ( part one and part two) was great as usual, and the “Trip of a Lifetime” ( parts one and two) lived up to its name. I hope you enjoy this collection – a bit long, but I couldn’t leave any out! Policeman’s Creek Trail: Boreal Chickadee Pileated Woodpecker Hammond’s Flycatcher Western Tanager male Preening Merlin Western Tanagerīohemian Waxwing Yellow Warbler Rufous Hummingbird Banff Area: Harlequin Ducks Harlequin Ducks Lincoln’s Sparrow Common Loons Ontario Trip: Ring-billed Gull Blue-headed Vireo Trip of a Lifetime (Southern Alberta) Short-eared Owlet Baird’s Sparrow Caspian Tern! Tree Swallow Purple Martin Miscellaneous Locations: Preening session! Sharp-tailed Grouse males face off Mountain Chickadee “Pick me!” Clark’s Nutcracker Black-capped ChickadeeĪs for my favourite birding experiences? Well, the first of the year was a trip to Waterton area, followed by an amazing time with some Sharp-tailed Grouse in April. It’s New Years Day, and with a bright new year dawning, I felt it was time to look back at 2017 – events, experiences, but mainly my favourite birds and photos from the year. ![]()
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