Back in Winter

Somewhat "New" photos that I've recently put on the website:


White-winged Crossbill from Netitishi Point last November:

and Hoary Redpolls from my winter trip up north:

to their respective pages:

http://peregrineprints.com/zz_WWCR.htm

http://peregrineprints.com/zz_HORE.htm

We'll return to spring and summer next time!

Hornemann's Hoary Redpolls !!!!! finally done the writing

I've finally put together the redpoll article I was writing. About time eh?

The next month could be a great time to find a Hornemann's in the south. It's designed to shed some light on the subspecies, no matter how familiar you are with them:

http://peregrineprints.com/zzz_Article_Redpolls.htm

Let me know what you think.. I haven't really done much writing like this before!

Adult male Hornemann's Hoary (left)

female-type Hornemann's Hoary (top right)

Ad. Male "Southern" Hoary (bottom right) 

Makes me want to head north again... Boy they're nice birds!

Cochrane Trip summary

I've been home for a few days, but figured I would post some sort of conclusion to my mini-trip. I usually plan some sort of extravagant adventure in the winter months, but the disastrous state of my website and personal affairs had/have kept me couped up inside for too long! It was time to do some driving in search of bird-related goodies.

The plan was to head to Cochrane (and beyond) in search of Willow Ptarmigan. There seemed to be an influx of them into Quebec, and I had high hopes to find them in my hometown province. This species gave me the run during my 2010 Newfoundland trip, so it seemed like a fitting mini-excursion now. I also really enjoy the cold/snowy north, for reasons unknown...

Click above for a map of the roads I drove while on this 3 day marathon. The gameplan I followed was:

- drive to Temagimi on Thursday night and sleep in the car

- Wake up Friday, and check Lake Temiskiming (cobalt etc) and then drive some lesser known roads towards Cochrane.  Stay in pre-booked hotel in Cochrane.

- Saturday I checked the farmland north of Cochrane, then drove up hwy 11 and towards Abitibi Canyon (point B on the map), the farthest NW I managed to get from home. Back to same hotel in Cochrane after dark.

- Sunday I drove NE towards the Detour Lake Gold Mine. I didn't make it to the mine (becomes a private road 30km away).. But still got pretty far (the NE point of my travels) I then drove some backroads until later in the afternoon when I made my break for home. Arrived in Guelph around midnight!

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So, after all of that, no Ptarmigan. After I got home, I did note that they continued to be seen in Quebec:

(Above - The farthest NE I managed to get on my travels, half way to James Bay from Cochrane! The blue point in Quebec is the location of 2 Willow Ptarmigan reproted in Quebec on the same day!

Highlights: 

Friday - already covered earlier. Slow until I saw the Lynx.. Then found the redpolls feeding and took 1000 Hoary Redpoll pictures over  the next 5-6 hours, while freezing in my car. A major success!

Saturday - rather slow around Cochrane - checking feeders with Pine Grosbeaks and Redpolls (several Hoaries). Also managed to take the Gray Jay picture that appears at the top of the page. Crossbills, Ruffed Grouse etc. were fun. Some well stocked feeders in Cochrane were loaded with Redpolls (and numerous Hoaries)

Fun fact: the drive on Saturday to Abitibi Canyon is 75km north of Hwy 11. On the ENTIRE 150KM drive, I didnt see a SIGNLE BIRD!!! Boreal forest at its best. 

Sunday: the clear front runner was the Gray Wolf sighting, but I also managed some good boreal birds on the drive towards the mine. (Finches, Crossbills, Boreal Chickadees etc). The finale of my trip was spotting a hunting Northern Hawk Owl near Engleheart

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So yeah! A pretty awesome 3 day trip to the north. I spotted a decent percentage of the species one would expect in a place like Algonquin Park, but add in the numerous Hoary Redpolls, a Lynx, a Gray Wolf, and the excitement of birding some really unknown places  --- it really makes me wonder why more people don't go there!

Fun facts:

2310km - driven from my driveway and back. 150 liters of gas

1 - number of times I got temporarily stuck while driving. In the middle of a sheet of ice.. Wouldn't move in any direction until I put some salt down!

0 - number of snow tires on my little Toyota Echo! This car is unstoppable. 

$55/night - cost of my hotel in cochrane. It's sad when I get a better night sleep in my car than I do the hotel, but at the very least, the hotel had heat when the temps plunged to -29 C

Northern Lights - poorly on Saturday night

75 - number of times I thought about writing a diet-birding book. If you only bring lettuce, apples and crackers 150km down a mining road - you're going to eat Lettuce, Apples and Crackers and be happy about it!

My Northern Hawk Owl from the adventure. I actually had  really amazing looks, just didn't bother to put the big lens on the camera. 

Gray Wolf

It's tough to compare the surprise and sudden excitement when you spot any manner of animal you rarely see. There I was, flying down a snow covered road*, when I see a WOLF sleeping on the edge of the woods. I was already past before my thoughts were fully processed. I had done this several times before, and sprung into action:

- stop the car far enough up the road to not scare the animal

- turn off radio/music

- turn off hot air (turned on the AC)

- open all windows**

- grab camera off back seat

- check exposure/settings to make sure the image will turn out

- position camera out window in proper position for shooting.

Now all I had to do was get back to the spot where the wolf was! In order to shoot out the drivers side window, I decide to go in reverse (with my camera half out the window). Thankfully there was virtually no traffic anywhere on this road, and the plan seemed like it was going to work.

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The car comes to a stop and the confusion begins. The wolf is still sleeping, and i'm not 40ft away. I snap a few photos, and begin to think of this situation. We experience a rush when seeing a rare animal like this for that exact reason; it is very rare to encounter them anywhere! Their mystique fascinates us. If they showed up under our bird feeders and ate our birdseed, many would end up trying to deter their presence. A wild/happy/healthy Wolf is generally away from human eyes - so what's going on here?

Working in Algonquin Park for a few summers taught me that enough people can eventually tame just about any animal. They can really make a photographers day. I had a fantastic encounter with a Black Bear, taking dozens of photos, as it ate roadside berries 30ft off of the highway with 25+ people watching.  Had someone been feeding this Wolf? Causing it to prowl the sides of the road looking for handouts? The wolf then raises its head.

Maybe it was in the back of my mind the entire time, but it is better to ignore it until proven otherwise. A magnificent creature (a "life mammal" for myself) making a living in the seemingly lifeless environment of the boreal forest in winter. More often than not, views like this come at a price. The wolf starts to stir, and all of the surprise/excitement/mystique fades into rather harsh understanding. It can barely get to its feet, and is clearly either gravely sick or badly injured. It's not sadness that replaces all of my emotions (well, maybe a little) but mainly understanding. I've seen this many times before while out enjoying nature. This magnificent beast is reaching the end of its line.

There is not a single wolf that has ever walked on the planet, that hasn't passed on already, or will do so in the not-too-distant future. As with most things, it's seeing it with our own eyes that makes it real, unlike the others that are never seen deep in the northern woods. I decide to turn on the car, and drive off rather abruptly. I put things back into context; I had never seen a Gray Wolf before in my life, and even managed a few photos. No need to be sad! (well, not too sad)... 

* (Hwy 652, towards the Detour Lake Gold Mine) - pretty darn far north!

** hot air out the car window makes pictures blurry. It has to be COLD inside the car to get the shot! 

Hornemann's photos

Photos of the two "most Hornemann's" like Redpolls on the day

Bird A is on the far left, bird B is on the far right. 

Bird A - with female "southern" Hoary (first bird on left) and 3 "Southern" Common Redpolls

Bird A alone

Bird B with two "southern" Common Redpolls

Bird B (left) with female "southern" Hoary Redpoll, right. 

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If subspecies aren't your thing, there was some real bona-fide, true-blue, male Hoary Redpolls to get the blood pumping:

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Not a bad day, considering the weather (rain to snow to whiteout to freezing cold)

Common's enjoying the weather. 

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Yay for Redpolls.. They're more confusing than Gulls!

Mmmm Hoaries.. Ok time to sleep!

Lynx me!!

It's official, I've made a break to Cochrane for the weekend to prevent myself from going too nuts working inside. Here's the skinny:

Expected year birds: White-winged Crossbill, Pine Grosbeak, Ruffed Grouse and Hoary Redpoll

I spent most of my time driving. Once I hit cobalt, I took some side roads and turned up the bird goodies while trying to not crash. The first BIG highlight was this:

Yes, that's a Lynx. I saw it crossing the road, slammed on the breaks, and managed a yelp to catch it's attention (for a photo) before it walked into the woods.). What a crazy cat!

On the drive I saw a Ruffed Grouse, a dead Spruce Grouse, and a dead grouse sp. Maybe a good year to be a lynx!

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It wasn't 30 mins later when my world was turned upside down! The skinny: I stopped to view a flock of redpolls, and eventually discovered a Redpoll feeding goldmine in the snowbanks nearby.. Parked my car and took 1000+ Redpoll photos over the next 5-6 hours. My final guess at numbers (a real guess)

"Southern" Common Redpoll - 25
"Greater/Greenland" Common Redpoll - 60
"Southern" Hoary Redpoll - 20
"Hornemann's" Hoary Redpoll - at least 2


Note, that should be     """Hornemann's" Hoary" Redpoll"

I'm a self professed Hornemanns skeptic, but I have a feeling that this blog will have some redpoll chatter over the next few weeks when I get my images in order. For now, here's the two birds that best matched proposed field marks for finding oneself a "Hornemann's"

Far left and far right birds, the two biggest redpolls in the flock (with 3 "southern" common Redpolls here). 

Yes the magic of photoshop combined 5 pictures to make this one, but I used the seeds to line up the images, so the birds location and size to each other should be fairly accurate. It was the only time I saw these 2 close together, and this was the best I could do for a photo.  

Anyways, Redpolls are more confusing than gulls, so stay tuned for more photos of more odd birds. 

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 Now all I can hope for is some good looks at some of these Owls being seen around Ontario! Check these out:

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/your_weather/details/1920/3959137/owl/upload/
Boreal Owl

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/your_weather/details/1920/3870767/owl/upload/
Mexican Screech-Owl

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/your_weather/details/1920/3971639/owl/upload/
Great Horned Owl

http://www.theweathernetwork.com/your_weather/details/1920/3980877/owl/upload/
Burrowing Owl


Anyways, I jest. There is some really neat pictures being posted on the weather network, if you know how to find them. It's unfortunate that the whole thing is just a free-picture grab scam by the weather network (read the fine print on what they can do with the pictures you post) ... but it is fun.


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Yes I wrote that owl thing a few days ago.. Back to Redpolls and ready for birding tomorrow!!!!!!!!!