Friday, January 27, 2012

It may quack like a duck, but it could be a crazy birder...

Nothing like a bout with a bad stomach condition to put things into perspective.... While I was out of commission, I couldn't help but notice the rash of "early spring migrants" that hit Ontario in the last heat wave. And don't try to tell me they aren't spring migrants, because there is no logical or plausible explanation otherwise.

Unforgettably, I missed the good days... Yet I was out to catch it in reverse. A top secret site on the great lake shoreline provided me a prime place to observe several record early FALL migrants, returning southwards as the cold air returned to the province.

All from the date of Jan 27, 2012:

Canada Goose - 9000 (many were "fall migrants" but not all)
Mute Swan - 8
Gadwall
 - 10 (Some were "fall migrants" but not all)
American Black Duck - 100 (many were "fall migrants" but not all)
Mallard - 2000 (many were "fall migrants" but not all)
Northern Pintail - 12
Redhead - 4
Greater Scaup - 300
Lesser Scaup - 15
Red-breasted Merganser - 20
American Coot - 5 (a surprise species on the list). 

One of the coots was way out on the open lake water with a Long-tailed Duck! Birds sure do strange things on fall migration. 



Obviously a new thing, but not totally unexpected. Cold weather has caused "record early" fall migrations in Ontario pretty much continually from this time (late January) right through until late December... A pretty obvious pattern, from these ducks (Jan), to blackbirds/killdeer in February snowstorms, meadowlarks/tree swallows in March/April... to neotropic migrants fleeing cold spells in May, to shorebirds in June!


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If you haven't had enough fun already, here's some food for thought:




Anyone think that is worthy of copyright infringement?


If so, I sure hope Bruce Mactavish (Nfld) doesn't sue me, as I went to Newfoundland to try and imitate his spectacular Ivory Gull photos........







2 comments:

  1. That's funny, the bird, the ice, the light all in the style BM would use. A potential copyright infringement. I don't remember but if you did Mactavish's impersonation of a dead seal you are in trouble.

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  2. The article from Amateur Photography Magazine is a little misleading...from what I understand, the copycat (a tea company) stole the first image from the photographer and used it for its own advertising purposes. The tea company was sued, a settlement was reached, and they stopped using that image. The tea company then got its graphic designers to create a slightly different image by stitching together 4 photos of the buildings and adding a stock photo of the red bus.

    http://travelphotographyreview.com/uk-copyright-case-different-same-same

    So I think its ok to take a photo like Bruce's Ivory Gull :)

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