One of the best stories I've read online in a while -
http://rt.com/news/pope-doves-omen-ukraine-222/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pope-francis-s-peace-doves-attacked-by-birds-at-vatican-1.2511761
Not that I have any issue with the whole thing - I just think its awesome that those birds recognised a possible meal and went after them!
Oh, and if you're wondering - the gull looks like a Yellow-legged!
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ICE, ICE, BABY!
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More often than not, there is a thin layer of ice off aaa_condo when I wake up in the morning. Strong winds today kept the ice at bay - and strong winds all week will likely mean the same... The area of "fast ice" (in gray) - has increased a lot recently. That's pretty much "solid" ice that is locked in place, unlike the red stuff which is subject to frequent changes.
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COLD stuff -
Hope you're enjoying the cold... These aren't "exact forecasts" but the GFS continues to hint that we're in for more and more blasts of cold air!!!
24 hours (away)
114 hours
168 hrs
264
360 hours (away from now) - cold blast after cold blast!
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Jan 26th - some Willow Pt's in Quebec - not much further north than Cochrane...
Given that you have been monitoring the ice charts, has there been more freezing in the past few days than previously this winter? There's been a lot of random ducks showing up on rivers in the last few days (e.g Ring-necked, Redhead, Canvasback and Greater Scaup at the same spot in Guelph).
ReplyDeleteAny idea what it's been like for birding when Lake Ontario has extensively frozen in the past?
I think a possible explanation is weather induced vagrancy/migration.... A few days ago we had a massive blast of southerly winds (far reaching)... It was freezing cold southerly winds, but perhaps they reached far enough south to regions where birds were "actually" migrating - then forced them northwards.
DeleteA big hint for me is the sudden appearance of Horned/Red-necked Grebes and Red-throated Loons (note the HOGR in a parking lot recently) - but I had never thought about the ducks in rivers... That's a pretty classic migration situation where the bird flies in, but can barely find any open water - and is forced down into creeks/rivers etc...
But that's just a theory - so you should probably let me know if i'm crazy or not ;)
DeleteI guess I didn't really answer your question either --- there HAS been a bit more ice recently, but I don't think there as been any MORE ice than what had already been present (at times) since before the ducks started arriving. An exception might be Georgian Bay - which did get a massive ice sheet recently (has since broken up) - but with that said, I can't imagine that many Ring-necked Ducks, or Canvasback, wintering up there... Just guess work overall though!
DeleteInteresting, clearly a lot of ducks are on the move, but I hadn't thought about new migrants. Lots of grebes being seen to the south: http://www.nemesisbird.com/news/lake-freeze-grebe-fall/
ReplyDelete