Condo birding - an ebird checklist a day...

I've discovered doing a "stationary migration watch" is a great way to start the morning when I'm in a haze, trying to wake up..... I just stumble towards my window - open it - and start scanning with the bins!

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aaa_Condo, Hamilton, CA-ON
May 25, 2013 7:35 AM - 8:00 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: CONDO window watch
25 species

White-winged Scoter 1
Long-tailed Duck 8
Common Loon 2
Double-crested Cormorant X
Killdeer 1
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull 4
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Caspian Tern 1
Common Tern 10
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 5
Barn Swallow 3
House Wren 1
American Robin X
European Starling X
Common Yellowthroat 1 first time I've heard one (singing) from the 17th floor...
Chipping Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 2
Common Grackle 1
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 14
House Sparrow 6

White-winged Scoter, Common Loons and Great Black-backed Gull were the notables (as well as a singing Common Yellowthroat, which I hadn't heard from my window before)... 

Not too bad for 25 minutes! But then I started to get "stuff done"....

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From 8am-Noon I did the occasional scan while doing other things. The notables -

White-winged Scoter - 15+

Surf Scoter - 1

Long-tailed Duck - 8

Common/ARCTIC Tern - 1    - picked out due to different flight style than the many Common Terns (50+) I  had seen this morning... ID not 100% but behaviour, structure and bouncy flight looked pretty good for ARTE at a distance.. Probably wasn't.. But looked ok.. . a-well...

SWING! and a miss..... Pelee May 25th

Winds north 35kmh - gusting over 50kmh?!?! Sun!??! May 24th?!?! Are you kitten me?!

With winds like that, the worst you could do at Pelee is something like this:

American White Pelican
Mississippi Kite


Or this:

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
Glossy Ibis


Heck, a reasonable goal would be to get all of those, plus a White-winged Dove.... Or scap them all and score a White-tailed Kite... Wood Stork?! Anhingia?! Yeah, probably...


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So I cleared my schedule... Alarm set for 4:30am. Drive to Pelee half asleep. Parking lot watch. It is TIME, for a parking lot watch..  And do you know what I saw?!

Nothing that was worth spending 9 hours in the Pelee parking lot (not to mention the one-day trip drive).


Point Pelee NP--Visitor Center , Essex, CA-ON
May 24, 2013 9:00 AM - 5:45 PM
Protocol: Stationary
58 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose 5
Red-breasted Merganser 15
Wild Turkey 1
Common Loon 7
Double-crested Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron 9

Turkey Vulture 35

Osprey 2
Northern Harrier 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 9 lots on the move. est min number seen
Broad-winged Hawk 14 lots on the move. est min number seen
Red-tailed Hawk 8 lots on the move. est min number seen
Sandhill Crane 2
Killdeer 1
Dunlin 60
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull X
Black Tern 9
Mourning Dove X
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Black-billed Cuckoo 2
Chimney Swift 22
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Willow Flycatcher 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 6
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Horned Lark 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Purple Martin 16
Tree Swallow 50
Bank Swallow 30
Barn Swallow 250
Cliff Swallow 25
House Wren 2
Carolina Wren 1
American Robin X
Gray Catbird 1
European Starling 1
Cedar Waxwing 80
Common Yellowthroat 2
American Redstart 1
Yellow Warbler X
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 2
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Orchard Oriole 3
Baltimore Oriole 9
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch X

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Wurdemann's Heron? I picked out a GBHE with a white belly, white undertail coverts and a rather white head (with a pale bill)... Here's a photo:

I have 4 of the bird, and they all look pretty similar... 

It was easily picked out by the white belly through the bins (it was up pretty high)... Has a large pale bill, a mostly white head, white belly and white undertail coverts (plus some white on the breast)... Probably not, but it caught my eye... 

It could probably look a LOT better, but doesn't look all that terrible for Wurdemann's... I did a little photo research quickly when I got home:

Photos labeled as Wurdemann's online:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trykemom/274572214/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35303070@N02/4013777973/

Anyways, I'm not going to worry about this one.. 

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Cool birds from the day:

7 Loons seemed high... (some full adults)

2 Osprey

1 of the Harriers was an ad. male

1 Broad-wing was an adult

2 flocks of Dunlin - 48 and 12

Horned Lark - landed in the parking lot

I checked the tip, and saw nothing.. I was fairly bummed out to not see much on my VC watch so I didn't check anywhere else and went home!

The good news: I woulda went crazy if I WASN'T there, wondering what was flying over.. At least I know now.. 

This condo thing is AWESOME

Good golly, Molly... I worked most of the day. Got home around 5:45pm... Right away I went to the window to see what was happening after the cold front had pushed in (strong NW winds)...  Stuff was moving, so I watched for a bit... 

25 minutes into the watch... MONSTER flock of Whimbrel!!!!!!!!!!  220 flying WNW low to the water (fairly far, but not too far for my awesome vortex scope!)

I quickly did a scan for any with white-rumps (twice)... Before I realized I was being greedy and just enjoyed the flock as they left... Not sure if I should admit to this - but I darn near had tears in my eyes at such a beautiful sight. Just after I had finished eating dinner at my desk (watching the whole time).. I do enjoy this condo thing... 

EBIRD! What else did I see? 

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aaa_Condo, Hamilton, CA-ON
May 23, 2013 5:50 PM - 7:05 PM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: CONDO window watch
22 species

Surf Scoter 15
Long-tailed Duck 3
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Double-crested Cormorant X
Whimbrel 220      ---     Monster flock of 220 at 6:15pm moving WNW into the strong NW winds...
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Caspian Tern X
Common Tern X
Rock Pigeon 2
Chimney Swift 8
Merlin 1 female
Peregrine Falcon 1 ad female
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Purple Martin 2
Tree Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 100
Cliff Swallow 3
Song Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird 3
Common Grackle 2
House Sparrow 8

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So yeah.. Home from work... Saw das Whimbrels.. Late sea ducks, swifts/swallows galore... A Merlin! And a Peregrine in 75 minutes... 

Oh boy... 

My little office when I first got the place... A great place to bird.... 

Condo and Patch Birding ! - May 23rd...

More condo + patch birding (short) from May 23rd....


First up - my morning "window watch" while eating toast and waking up! Take it away - ebird!



aaa_Condo, Hamilton, CA-ON
May 23, 2013 6:55 AM - 7:20 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     window condo watch
27 species

Long-tailed Duck  7     breeding plume
Double-crested Cormorant  X
Great Blue Heron  1
Black-crowned Night-Heron  1     NEW condo bird - adult flying along the shore in strong SW winds
Killdeer  1
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Ring-billed Gull  X
Herring Gull  X
Caspian Tern  1
Common Tern  X
Rock Pigeon  3
Chimney Swift  2
Eastern Kingbird  2     single flybys of durinal migrants
Blue Jay  3
Bank Swallow  15
Barn Swallow  X
House Wren  1
American Robin  X
European Starling  X
Cedar Waxwing  80     3 migrant flocks
Yellow Warbler  2
Chipping Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Common Grackle  X
Pine Siskin  1     New condo bird I think... Flew by calling right past the window
American Goldfinch  30
House Sparrow  X


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After that, got ready and stopped by Edgelake Park again on my way to work. Wasn't on a schedule this day, so I poked around for a few extra mintues. HEY EBIRD - give me a hand here! ---


Stoney Creek--Edgelake Park, Hamilton, CA-ON
May 23, 2013 9:45 AM - 10:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 kilometer(s)
Comments:     Quick check before work. Did the loop + a few side trails
29 species

Cooper's Hawk  1
Killdeer  1
Ring-billed Gull  X
Mourning Dove  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  2
Great Crested Flycatcher  1
Warbling Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  1
Black-capped Chickadee  2
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
House Wren  4
Carolina Wren  1  ---  unexpected bird...
Swainson's Thrush  1
American Robin  X
Gray Catbird  4
Cedar Waxwing  40
Ovenbird  1
American Redstart  13
Yellow Warbler  7
Black-throated Blue Warbler  1
Canada Warbler  1
Wilson's Warbler  2
Song Sparrow  4
Northern Cardinal  4
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Common Grackle  1
Baltimore Oriole  1
American Goldfinch  X


Freakin fantastic! Over the past year or two, I've really really enjoyed birding where I don't have to drive far to get there.. And this is just the tops! Not too shabby for a quick 35min walk!

I saw one of these! And I even took a picture of it (her) ! For use on the blog! But I left my camera in my trunk, and now I'm too lazy to go get it. So this will suffice! :) 

Patch birding! For real! - May 22

May 22, 2013 - I could hear the chip notes of warblers out my condo window all morning... In heavy fog... I checked nearby Edgelake Park for 20 minutes prior to leaving for work (wasn't too late!)... Here's what I had:

(From my ebird checklist! My *complete* ebird checklist! woot!)



Stoney Creek--Edgelake Park, Hamilton, CA-ON
May 22, 2013 7:15 AM - 7:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 kilometer(s)
Comments:     Quick walk around the park (single loop) before work in heavy lake fog
27 species

Ring-billed Gull  X
Caspian Tern  1
Warbling Vireo  2
Red-eyed Vireo  3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1
House Wren  3
Swainson's Thrush  2
Wood Thrush  1
American Robin  X
Gray Catbird  2
Cedar Waxwing  25
Tennessee Warbler  1
American Redstart  8
Magnolia Warbler  4
Bay-breasted Warbler  2
Yellow Warbler  8
Chestnut-sided Warbler  4
Blackpoll Warbler  2
Black-throated Green Warbler  1
Wilson's Warbler  1
Chipping Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  3
White-throated Sparrow  1
Northern Cardinal  3
Red-winged Blackbird  X
Common Grackle  2
American Goldfinch  X


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Getting 9 species of Warbler in 20 mins (30 seconds from my front door - in a migrant trap) was freakin awesome! (Along with the other migrants)..

Will try and figure out my new patch birds sometime soon. There are several in this list alone...

My patch - edgelake park is that sweet little woodlot right in the middle.

Point Pelee National Park Migration Report

Things were decidedly cool at Point Pelee this morning, but that didn't stop observers from reporting a number of wild and whacky observations! An INCREDIBLE day to be in the park!

The 700 birders who visited the point this morning turned up a remarkable TWENTY-SEVEN warblers, with highlights being BLUE-WINGED, CHESTNUT-SIDED and PALM.

Birders who braved the wind and boring lectures on gull molt were treated with view of a fugly immature LITTLE GULL standing on the very Tip. Those who reported two or more being present were probably looking at Bonaparte's Gulls the entire time.

The Grasshopper Sparrow at the Sparrow Field continues to be reported as a HENSLOW'S SPARROW - a lifer for many. A late AMERICAN ROBIN flew over here as well. 

North winds produced a bit of a hawk movement at midday  with species such as RED-TAILED HAWK, COOPER'S HAWK and TURKEY VULTURE seen in flight over the visitors centre. Remarkably, a MISSISSIPPI KITE has been seen by numerous throughout the park at all times. Unfortunately, observers who have come across a male NORTHERN HARRIER seem to be unable to also add the KITE to their days checklist. 

An AMERICAN REDSTART was at DeLaurier. 

At the north end of the park, a single observer turned up numerous good birds at Sanctuary including BLUE GROSBEAK, LARK SPARROW, PACIFIC LOON, EARED GREBE, BELL'S VIREO and BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD - a NEW species for Point Pelee National Park! However we're intentionally not going to mention the fact that not a single one of these species has been refound.

There is actually a rarity outside the park at Hillman Marsh that is easily seen, however we've elected to ignore it. 

Good Birding!

The Friendlies of Pelee

Pelee Birds - May 19th

Started at the tip early, covering the minimal reverse migration with Jeremy Hatt and various visitors.. Some notables:

Bluebirds
Pine Siskin
2 House Sparrows
and an overly late (vagrant?) PINE WARBLER (adult male!)

Bright male Pine Warb in flight with a Blue-gray Gnat

In the woods right at the very tip we had a White-eyed Vireo (my first in days and days) and a female Golden-winged Warbler - both giving pretty nice views..

Just offshore the creepy dude sign was this great looking Horned Grebe:

My Dad and I had some lunch in the VC lot, as we watched the temps soar and the insane number of tourists start to pour into the park... Yikes...

We decided to check out Blue Heron and NW beach! And although there was clearly a migration the previous night, we didn't really see anything too crazy. And to be honest, after 3 weeks of Pelee - you start to get a little burnt out...

Stay at Pelee for a few more hot days and look for vagrants?! Or go home?! We decided to head for the hills - largely closing another year of May birding madness inside the park... Had an incredible year with lots of rarities to be found! But at the same time, it was odd how we never really had any days with large numbers of migrants in the park. I'm thinking the near total lack of rain had something to do with that.. But maybe I'll worry about it later...

Chestnut-sided in flight

Already looking forward to 2014!!!!! Photos and other things to appear over the next few weeks/months from the trip - plus the usual musings I post on here... 

Pelee May 18th - there's something about this place....

Tip early - brought my scope for the first time this year and had 3 Lesser Black-backs (including 1 mostly-adult bird)... Highlight was a distant flyby RED-throated Loon (darn good pelee bird)...  But overall it was pretty slow. Oh, also 1 adult Little Gull..

I had lots of songbirds (in song) on my walk to and from the tip - so after a quick breakfast my Dad and I started working the west beach (due to east winds)... What did we get?

BAM!!! This beauty played a little hide-and-seek before we had a clear look and made the ID -

BAM! Female Kirtland's Warbler! Self found to boot. There aren't many more exciting finds in the bird world than a KIWA... After playing hard to get at first, she became very cooperative and gave stunning views down to a few feet away (and we were the only people there!)

She actually vanished for a while, but Karl Konze found here again in the same spot we first did - and she stayed there for the rest of the day - giving fantastic views... I think she is something like my 14th KIWA in Ontario, and every one is freakin awesome... 

KIWA and Pelee Cactus

Beaut.... 

We left her after a while and went for lunch (we had planned to walk the west beach for a while, but obviously we were side-tracked). On our way back to lunch we came across a young male Summer Tanager!!! Sa-weet! 

After lunch we started where we left off and had OODLES of warblers and other neotrop's along the west beach. Most birds I've seen all April/May - and many lookin pretty sweet. No real highlights, just great numbers of 20+ warbs, vireos, etc... It kept us busy long enough to bird until 6pm-ish, when I went back for my good camera gear and had a bit of a photoshoot with the Kirtland's in the evening... 

She wasn't terribly cooperative with the 600mm (tame, but hard to get shots of)... All the pics I've posted here are form mid-day with my point and shoot! I'll save the good ones for later when I have a chance to edit them... She really was a beauty (adult female I believe).. And I'll do her justice sometime in the future!

Pelee Birds - May 17th, 2013

HEY! You there... 

Great day of birding...

Started at the tip - things were pretty slow. Although not that cold given the east winds...  At least 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were there before I got bored and started to wander...

At the VC lot for second breakfast, I had a Common Nighthawk fly over...


A quick check of Tildens, Woodland Nature and part of the west beach let me know that a decent drop of new migrants had occurred!

I see you over there... 

A text from Steve Pike got me to his location quickly (tip road near VC) - for a look at an incredibly dull "Solitary Vireo" bird... Didn't get any pics (wish I did) -but it was a darn freaky bird. What a terrible split... Lump them back!


My Dad and I worked the west beach picnic areas (and west beach trails) for most of mid-day with great numbers of migrants. We ended the day with 23 species of warbler that we saw at least 3 individuals of! Also pulled out an Acadian Flycatcher (personal FOY)...

We checked the tip again quickly mid afternoon. There was a dark mantled gull there that confused me, right before some tourists flushed it (never to be seen again)...


The evening was spent along NW beach area where we continued to see great numbers of migrant warblers and other neotrop's... A great day! A calling Nighthawk closed out the festivities..

Please come and sit right here! 

No major rares to report, but it was really fun to be out. Here's some pics form today, brought to you by my "point and shoot" camera -

BOBO in the VC Parking Lot

Yellow-throated Hummingbird

A sleeping Black-and-White Warbler... Seriously...

Photo of the day (not too bad for a point and shoot eh?) - Scuurrrrlet Tanager

Pelee Birdz! May 16th.........

Large Mouth! 

Another day, another dollar (or no dollars).... Started at the tip early, as per usual – mostly with Dave Bell and Barb Charlton among the masses. Birds still migrating overnight, and there has still not been a single day with a large drop of Warblers into the woods. Overall, rather enjoyable though...

Winds were very light to calm... A small loon flying past (I heard some calls of Red-throated) was a very good looking PACIFIC LOON in juv/basic plumage just past the point (going west) – until it turned NW when it rounded the point. My 6^th self found PALO in the last 10 years... Pretty awesome! Although at the same time, I’d happily trade one in for some new “self found species” – but what can you do?? (just enjoy it!)

Peter Burke then picked out an adult Laughing Gull sitting on the tip in front of the 40+ people standing around chatting. Nice looks! My Dad also found a Whip-poor-will near the Sparrow Field that several of us checked out. Very cool.

The tip was pretty slow – so we left early and worked the woods in the north end of the park. A singing male Cerulean put on a show for our party. Just as the team was ready to split up, word came of a Yellow-throated Warbler not far from our location!!! We walked up the road and enjoyed great views at the far N end of the Blue Heron trail...Woot!

Both pics of THEE birds... 

Dave Bell and I had a bit of a friendly warbler competition underway for most of the spring.... When I twitched the Worm-eating a few days ago, I pulled ahead of our 35-35 tie.... (36 to 35).. Then he and Barb responded when he got 36 with their self-found Kirtlands!! But thankfully I managed my 37^th species of the year in Ontario (and Pelee) when I twitched the Kirtland’s about 90mins after they found it...

So anyways – the only thing I had left on D.B. was Yellow-throated, until this bird put on a show – locking us into a 37-37 species tie for 2013. Dave is off to work now, and I’m not 100% sure exactly how many more days of birding I’ll manage in May 2013 – but it was really fun overall (and a great year for Warbler species counts!)

Female Blue-winged Warb in flight from a few days ago.. I feel pretty good to tie that guy on warbler numbers - given that he makes ID's on birds like this one in flight on cloudy days (and nails it)!

Anyways, I went back at mid-day to get a break from the heat --- and ended up napping for several hours --- putting an end to my birding day early. Which was fine by me! Let’s see what tomorrow brings. 

Pelee Birds May 15!

My FOY BC Night Heron... My Dad and I probably found this not long before Barb Wire and Dave "the Machine" found themselves a Kirtland's Warbler (at least we got to see it)...

We were treated to a massive (400+) Baltimore Oriole reverse migration in the morning, along with serveral other species (but still generally lacking in good numbers of warblers).. 

I'm a bit behind on my writing (and don't fully remember everything)... Here's our ebird checklist for the day:

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S14128026

The Carolina-like Chickadee showed up at the very tip during the reverse. It stands out like a sore thumb. Peter Burke spotted it earlier in the morning by the tip tram loop.... You can pick it out because it lacks white on the median coverts, has less white edging on the flight feathers - and also appears to be missing several tail feathers... Waiting for expert comment!

I made the wrong call in parting from Barb and Dave for an ill-fated jaunty along the east shore north of the park.. They found this beast, but thankfully 90mins later we were able to view it. Thanks guys!

In the evening there was an INSANE spectacle of shorebirds at the Hillman cell... From our ebird list below: 

Black-bellied Plover 5000 huge numbers
Semipalmated Plover 50
Killdeer 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Willet 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 25
Ruddy Turnstone 200
Semipalmated Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 5
White-rumped Sandpiper 1 seen close, heard calling - nice alternate plumage
Dunlin 400
Short-billed Dowitcher 1500 - INSANE count...
Wilson's Phalarope 1 male

A few times they all flushed, flying close and far... Really a spectacle... Photo below:

Just a fraction of the flocks in flight... 

OK apparently this Chickadee is going to hang around???

We may need an ID on this beastie.... Uploading pics for comments......