It's Not Always Going to Be Black and White

Another weekend of exciting birds in Niagara. Many birders were out and about at several spots along the Niagara River. At Queens Royal Park in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL), the Razorbill continued to be observed, jaegers were spotted, Black Vultures were soaring above the Niagara Gorge and an excellent variety of gulls were observed at Adam Beck and the Whirlpool. With the Razorbill and Franklin's Gull safely ticked, it was time for Jean and I to observe a Black Vulture. But first, we had to make a stop at small pond in rural NOTL. 

On Friday, my friend Dave posted on ontbirds that there was an American White Pelican at Jack Custers Bird Sanctuary. Up until Dave's post, I had no idea there was such a place.  

Jean and I arrived late Saturday morning and we discovered fellow Niagara birders, Paula and Kathy had the same idea (this appears to happen quite frequently whether we are in Niagara or beyond). The pond is on the small side, but the juvenile American White Pelican did not seem to mind.  I set up our scope and Jean started capturing images with her Nikon Coolpix.

Jean contacted her dad and we continued to view the pelican until my father-in-law and his partner Ruth returned to St. Kitts to continue their weekend chores. I having set my chores aside (yet again), moved on to Queenston with hopes of ticking #210 for the year. I thought our best chances would be to look from atop the gorge at the Locust Grove picnic area in Queenston. Each vulture we examined, as they soared over the Niagara River and the town of Lewiston, N.Y., had a red head. They were all Turkey Vultures. Dip #1 for the day.

The next stop for Jean and I was at the Adam Beck overlook where we found  "Burg Birder" Blake scanning the gulls on the river. He had seen Franklin's , Lesser Black-backed and Thayer's Gull but during our time there all we found was one adult Iceland, a species already on the year list.

Blake informed us that he had observed a juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake at the Whirlpool earlier in the day. Well, since it was worth a shot, we travelled up river for the possibility of observing a lifer bird. We've stood at the look out of the Spanish Aero Car many times in search of a Little Gull. Spotting a kittiwake amongst the hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls would not be easy. Juvenile Bonaparte's and Black-legged Kittiwakes are similar in appearance. What we needed to note was a bolder "M" across the back and a black line across the nape of the neck. We spotted a juvenile gull flying but it was a quick look and neither of us viewed the black collar. Another attempt was offered once we were informed the kittiwake had landed on the waters of the Whirlpool. Unfortunately, it was in the midst of a few hundred Bonaparte's. I used the scope to look for the cliff-nesting gull, but could not find it. Dip #2 for the day.

Sitting one species better than last year's Ontario list, I spent Sunday running errands. The constant light rain was also a deterrent, but I was content with just the American White Pelican tick. As of Monday, the extremely rare visitor to Niagara was still on the small pond in NOTL and it was the subject in the local news section of today's St. Catharines Standard. I'm hoping it sticks around for another few days, then it can be ticked again for another list, the 2011/2012 Winter List.

If only Black Vultures and Black-legged Kittiwakes were as cooperative as White Pelicans.

A Bird to be Thankful For

Though I prefer (or is it that I feel compelled) to post my birding adventures in order, this one was too exciting to hold off for a few weeks. Tales of firsts of the year and lifers found between June and October will appear in future posts.  

Jean and I had the Thanksgiving Day weekend pretty well set before it started. On the Saturday we would attend the OFO Hamilton/Burlington trip, assist John Black with the Fall Buffalo Ornithological Society (BOS) count on Sunday and relax and possibly do some yard work before going to my brother-in-law's for dinner on the holiday Monday. All it took was one e-mail and plans for Monday were suddenly changed.

It was Sunday evening when I became aware that there was a possible juvenile Purple Gallinule in St. Catharines. Not only was the marshbird within minutes of my home, it was near the area Jean and I had birded with our fellow Niagara birders earlier in the day. For part of the morning, we counted birds on the west pier and in Malcomson Eco Park in Port Weller for the BOS Fall count. At 10:00 AM,  Jean and I left the group so we could start on our assigned area within John's section. The lucky few that stayed as a group would find a juvenile Purple Gallinule at a pond on the east pier in Port Weller while Jean and I were walking the trails in Firemen's Park.

An additional posting Monday morning had Jean and I heading for Port Weller for an early afternoon tick for our Ontario list. Our lifer Purple Gallinule was observed in the East River Pool at St. Marks NWR while on vacation in the panhandle of Florida in June of 2007. Though the breeding range of the Purple Gallinule reaches the gulf coast of the United States from the tropics, they do stray northward quite regularly.

Walking along the seaway road towards the pond, we met inquisitive dog walkers and birders that were successful in their hunt. We took the advice of the reports and headed for the east side of the pond, meeting additional birders, including Paula, a member of the group that observed the bird on Sunday morning. The bird was still there and had been seen standing on and near an object sticking out of the water. The juvenile gallinule was hidden when we arrived but it eventually made a short appearance before disappearing in the reeds.

A few more birders arrived, some choosing to pass on turkey dinner with their family so they could observe a tropical mashbird in southern Ontario. The bird was partially seen as it moved through the reeds. A few chose to try and observe it from the west side of the pond and were rewarded with great views. At first, I stood my ground on the east side with hopes that the gallinule would walk back to the object sticking out of the water. A birder from Oakville indicated he was seeing the gallinule quite easily, so Jean,myself and Hamilton birder, Cheryl Edgecombe, quickly walked over to the west side.

The wait was not long. The Purple Gallinule soon emerged from the Phragmites and cattails, allowing Jean and I excellent views of the reported bird. The lighting was significantly better on the west side and Jean took out her Nikon Coolpix and started snapping digiscoped images.

The gallinule repeatedly flashed its all-white undertail coverts. This was an important observation. If there was a sign of a black line in the undertail coverts, then we were looking at a Common Gallinule (formerly know as a Common Moorhen). Neither Jean or I could see any black in the undertail coverts.

The body of the bird was buffy-brown and there was hints of green on its back and wings. This was definitely a juvenile Purple Gallinule.

Number 257 for the Ontario list and number 204 for the year.

This will be the fourteenth observation of the species in Ontario and only the fourth in Niagara. The last record of Porphyrio martinica in Niagara was in October of 1962 (Black and Roy 2010).

As people left, more arrived. My cycling friend Dave (an occasional contributor of images to my blog) began snapping photos with his digital SLR as we helped him, Mike, and our fellow OFO members, Norm and Marilyn get on the bird. I wonder if we'll run into the same group of friends when we go see The Big Year?

During the 1.5 hours Jean and I were at the pond, we had some great unobstructed views of the Purple Gallinule. It certainly removed the sting of missing the observation during the BOS count. Filled with gallinule, we still had plenty of time to arrive at my brother-in-law's for Thanskgiving dinner and fill ourselves with turkey.

The Perils of Nesting Killdeer: Raising Young in a Parking Lot

It was the holiday weekend. Despite the distraction of three days of beautiful weather and the start of the 2011 Tour de France, I still managed to find time to inspect the nesting Killdeer on the property of my employer.

On Canada Day, Jean and I checked on the progress of the two clutches after completing our third and final survey for the Marsh Monitoring Program. The adult was still incubating the eggs.

Over on the other side of the building, the second breeding pair had momentarily left their eggs unattended.

No emergence on Saturday either but on Sunday afternoon Jean and I made a quick inspection on the way home after visiting friends. As we watched the adult rise from the spot it has tended the last few weeks, two chicks popped out and ran a short distance. Finally! After an incubation of approximately 27 days, two of the eggs had hatched. The other half of the clutch still sat in the gravel. Since they were not laid until two days after the first two, it appeared there was still some incubation time required.

Walking into work Monday morning I noticed the gravel area was empty and there was hardly any evidence that Killdeer had nested near the entrance to the building. All that was left was a shallow depression created by the shorebird. Jean and I returned Monday evening with our scope to capture some digiscoped images. We found both adults but only two young. It's possible the other two eggs were preyed upon.

We kept a safe distance from the family and though it was not easy, Jean snapped a few pictures. The young are quite small and the camera preferred to focus on the nearby rocks and clumps of grass.

The second pair still had some incubating to do.

I'll continue to monitor the development of the young and will look forward to the day they can finally fly. Until then, it's best they stay as close as possible to their mum.

The Perils of Nesting Killdeer x2

The four Killdeer eggs I've observed every morning since early June will soon hatch, so I thought Jean and I should return for one last chance of digiscoping the Killdeer while it sat motionless on the eggs.

Even with its back turned to us, the Killdeer kept a close eye on our movements.

The breeding pair watching over their clutch have demonstrated great care and dedication while incubating the eggs. Whether it was a hot and humid afternoon or a thundering down-pour of rain, the adult Killdeer have held their position over the eggs.

It was recently brought to my attention that there is a second Killdeer nest on the property. Another reason for returning with the spotting scope and digital camera on Tuesday evening.

It's a holiday weekend, so somewhere between a final survey for the Marsh Monitoring Program and visiting family, I'll be at work, running from one side of the property to the other, in order to determine which clutch hatches first.

Stay tuned. The next posting of The Perils of Nesting Killdeer, may contain baby Killdeer.

Niagara Digiscoping: The Perils of Nesting Killdeer

At the start of my work week last week, the perils of nesting Killdeer near the employee parking area began and by Thursday June 9 there were 4 eggs resting in a small depression in the gravel.

There was no point lamenting the fact that I would be unable to attend the Darlington ptarmigan viewing on Sunday morning. So instead, I placed the scope in the car and after dropping Jean off at work, I went to observe the progress of the nesting pair of Killdeer and try a bit of digiscoping.

One of the Killdeers was sitting on the eggs when I arrived and did not raise a fuss as I walked by to enter the building. After checking on a few things I emerged from the building and the Killdeer left the nest as I started to setup the scope. The main reason I was there was to capture images of the bird sitting on the nest. Now I would have to wait as the Killdeer strolled the area near the eggs.

Eventually the Killdeer returned to the nest and resumed its position on top of the eggs.

Its mate was on sentry duty and remained alert while I stood in the parking area deciding on the best location from which to capture additional digiscoped images.

I was mindful of ethical birding practices and kept my disturbance of the birds to a minimum.

After capturing a sufficient amount of images, I left the Killdeer pair to enjoy the quiet of an empty parking area and loading dock.

Incubation will take 24-26 days so we should see the first of the young emerging at the end of the month and then the parental duties of both adults will increase greatly. Until then, check out these other images of birds from around the world that were recently posted for World Bird Wednesday 30 at The Pine River Review.

Niagara Digiscoping: Queens Royal Park

After observing the Eastern Screech Owl, a nice start to a week's vacation, Jean and I returned to the scene of the tick the following day with hopes of capturing an image of the red morph. No such luck. So we drove along the Niagara Parkway to Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) to look for waterfowl and loons, specifically Red-throated Loon.

From Queens Royal Park we observed a loon but it was a species already on the year list. Always cool to see members of the family Gaviidae though.

Common Loon, Gavia immer

In a few more weeks it will be much colder and the nasal calls of male Long-Tailed Ducks will fill the air while the Mute Swans seen here, will most likely be found at the NOTL sewage lagoons.

Mute Swan, Cygnus olor

For other World Bird Wednesday Images, visit the Pine River Review.

Niagara Digiscoping

I'm submitting this post of Niagara Digiscoping to "World Bird Wednesday". A new meme created by Springman! at The Pine River Review blog.

Since purchasing her Nikon Coolpix S220 in 2009, my wife Jean has taken up the hobby of digiscoping. These two images were taken at the Wetland Ridge Trail in the Niagara Region, in southern Ontario.

My tales of our birding adventures would be quite boring if not for images such as these two.

Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum

Wetland Ridge Trail, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Niagara Digiscoping: Port Weller East Pier

In early September, Jean and I hiked along the Waterfront Trail Extension on the Port Weller East Pier. In the smaller pond east of the trail and the Seaway Haulage Road we found a Green Heron.

Green Heron, Butorides virescens