June Birding

After ticking as many Spring migrants as possible during their stopover in the peninsula, I usually spend part of the month of June hitting specific spots for species that have chosen the Niagara Region to raise young. From the southern shoreline of Lake Ontario to the northern edge of Lake Erie, I have a few locations I return to annually. 

On June 2, Jean and I searched for two target species. The Carolinian Forest of St. John's Conservation Area was our first stop and we were looking for a FOY Scarlet Tanager. A great view of a male Indigo Bunting but the species list after walking the trails for almost 1.5 hours was limited and without a Scarlet Tanager tick. Dragonflies and damselflies were plentiful especially the Common Whitetails at the south end of the trout pond.

On to the spot where Jean and I observed our lifer Hooded Warbler last year. The Lake Erie shoreline is teeming with summer cottages owned by U.S. citizens from western New York and in order to reach the cottages, roads are required. One private road, west of Crystal Beach, allows access to a marshy woodlot filled with Skunk Cabbage. It appears we can count on this gravel road for an annual Hooded Warbler tick. Within no time, we observed a male Hooded Warbler pop out from the undergrowth to make its way to a nearby perch and sing its ta-wit ta-wit ta-wit tee-yo song loudly.

Before returning to St. Catharines, we stopped at another gem managed by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA). Mud Lake Conservation Area offers a variety of habitat for birding. We walked through wetland, field and woodland during our hike. Best ticks were a FOY Field Sparrow, Marsh Wren (#230 for the county list) and a Sora. Worst ticks were literally, ticks!

After completing our first survey for the Marsh Monitoring Program on June 16, we stopped at Niagara Shores in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Parks Canada owns this small parcel of land with views of Lake Ontario and a woodlot that yielded a lifer Yellow-bellied Flycatcher in August of 2009. Jean and I visit this park a few times a year and in late May or early June, we add Bank Swallow to the year list. The swallows were not the only nesting species we found on this warm day. In one of the two conifers by the parking area, we found a pair of Pine Warblers raising 2 young. Well, the female was busy feeding her brood. The male seemed content to sing the whole time we were there.

During the week of the 18th we were on vacation and another attempt at ticking Scarlet Tanager in St. John's was planned. Three species of woodpecker, two species of vireo, a singing redstart and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird for the list but the secretive behaviour of the tanager continued so we moved on to Short Hills Provincial Park. I was hoping to find a Yellow-bellied Cuckoo in the willows near the Roland Road entrance. Based on previous visits, the further you walk into the park, the less species you find so we simply explore a small area using the Palaezioc Path, a gravel trail that allows people with disabilities to enjoy the park. The trees were without cuckoos but we did find a FOY Blue-winged Warbler. A welcomed addition since we missed this species last year. The possibility of beating our 2011 total was getting better.

Heading back to the parking area, I noticed an odd twig at the top of a post. I thought it very strange that a twig would be attached to a wooden post so I brushed it with my finger. It had some give to it but it did not move. This twig-like thing was a caterpillar and based on our best educated guess, a member of the Genus Plagodis.

We had some great news later in the week. Our scope had been repaired and was ready for pick up. We headed up to Guelph with a plan to stop in Flamborough (Hamilton County) on the way home. A number of of Prairie Warbler sightings had been reported recently and the location labelled "Flamborough--Westover Tract" on eBird Canada was too close to Highway 6 to pass on the chance of a lifer tick.

Most of the land is privately owned and the local farm animals offered no assistance so we looked for the warbler from the concession road. I studied the song (a rapid series of ascending buzzes) of the Prairie Warbler but hearing it from 500 metres away seemed highly unlikely. We would also need to view the bird to count the lifer tick. Looking at the observations on eBird recently, it appeared some walked along the gas company's roadway to get the tick but at the time I chose not to venture onto private property. No worries. The opportunity may arise again, perhaps in another location. We had one more spot to visit before returning to St. Catharines.

A bunch of rednecks had decided to join a yacht club on the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Rednecks? Yacht club? This we gotta see. We had our scope back so it was the perfect opportunity for some digiscoping.

May Birding: Long Weekend

The Victoria Day weekend, aka "The May Two-Four", was established as a legal holiday in Canada after the death of Queen Victoria. In my much younger years, I would watch the firework displays on a Sunday or Monday evening, but now that I'm a birder, I take the opportunity to add an extra day of birding to my weekend. There were still warblers to be found, including another attempt at the Hoodie. Can Hooded Warblers be called "Hoodies"?

Saturday May 21

Jean and returned to Malcomson Eco Park in St. Catharines. Something was odd though. It was sunny.

The precipitation encountered the last three weekends was nowhere to be seen.

Nashville and Yellow Warblers were observed, but still no Blue-winged, Blackburnian, Cape May or Canada (all species observed last year) for the 2011 list. We did get one treat though. A FOY Yellow-billed Cuckoo sat in a tree, very close to the trail. We've seen one in Ontario every year since we started birding and I would have to say this was the best observation of the bunch. It was very close and the view remained unobstructed as the cuckoo moved slowly from tree to tree.   

Sunday May 22

The sunny weather continued the next day and we went to Niagara Shores in Niagara-on-the-Lake for an easy tick. As expected, hundreds and hundreds of Bank Swallows were excavating nesting cavities along the Lake Ontario shoreline.



The fence line at the eastern edge of the conservation area is one of my favourite spots to look for migrants in the Spring. You may pick up the occasional tick or two (the eight-legged variety) while walking along this path but chances are good that flycatchers, vireos, thrushes and warblers will be found here or in the neighbouring property (formerly owned by the Department of Defence).

Warblers seen this day included, Black-and-white, American Redstart, Magnolia, Yellow, Chestnut-sided and Wilson's. Blue-winged are not easily found but the absence of Blackburnian from our year list was starting to annoy me. Before leaving Niagara Shores we added Gray-cheeked Thrush to the year list. This was only our second observation of this thrush species and a first for our Niagara list.

    

Monday May 23

For the holiday Monday, Jean and I headed to the southern end of the peninsula for a second attempt at observing a lifer Hooded Warbler. It could be a firecracker day. There was the possibility of an additional lifer in Fonthill. A Greater White-fronted Goose was reported on ontbirds. It seemed slightly odd that this species would be at the St John's Conservation Area trout pond but I was not about to pass by the area without a quick look.

At first, all we could see were Canada Geese.

We walked along the path an spotted the reported goose standing near the edge of the pond.



Jean' suspicions were confirmed. It was a domestic Graylag. Though the goose had a slight white band at the base of its bill, it lacked the black belly markings found on the Greater White-fronted Goose.



A variety of birds can be found while hiking the trails in the conservation area but we returned to the parking lot after walking around the pond and heard a song Jean and I suspected was a Pine Warbler. The song was coming from a cluster of pines at the top of a slope, above the parking lot. What else could it be? It continued to sing but the warbler did not make an appearance. We've seen this species a few times, so hearing its song without seeing it was good enough for a tick.

Once at our destination, we walked along the gravel road to the spot where we had heard the Hooded Warbler the previous weekend. It did not take long for us to hear the song again and this time, we both got on the bird as it moved above the Skunk Cabbage. The lifer Hooded Warbler moved towards us and placed itself on a branch hanging over the road. Its yellow face, black hood and bib and yellow underparts were easily observed as it sang from its perch. An excellent view for a lifer tick! A female Hooded Warbler appeared and the pair moved on. 

After viewing the Hooded Warbler pair, we stopped at a couple of spots in Fort Erie and found nothing new for the year until we started our drive back along the Niagara Parkway.

7 Great Egrets (FOY) and 2 Great Blue Herons were hunting in Frenchman's Creek. Fish travelling upstream from the Niagara River did not stand a chance.



Overall, it was a great weekend of birding. The Hooded Warbler was the third lifer of the year and I expect them to occur less often, now that we are above 300. The days of adding 10 or more species at a time in southern Ontario are gone. Until Jean and I can plan a road trip out of the province, we'll continue to peck away at the lifers while birding in the Niagara Region and on OFO trips. Last year we picked up 5 lifers while on the OFO Carden Alvar trip. I was looking to repeat these species for this year's list on May 29. Adding a lifer or two would be an added bonus.

A Solstice Tick or Two

Not only was it the first day of summer but it was also the first day of my week's vacation. A week that will surely be filled with viewing World Cup matches. I had some concert tickets to pick up at the Jackson Triggs winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake so a short stop at Niagara Shores on Lake Ontario before returning home would add an easy tick to the year list.

Only 2 eastern species in the family Hirundinidae remain to be ticked and as we approached the parking area through the trees, I could see a small number of swallows flying in the blue sky straight ahead. We walked to the edge of the bluff and viewed 100+ Bank Swallows collecting insects above the still water of Lake Ontario before entering nesting holes to feed their young.

Rather than walk to the eastern edge of the nature area to observe birds in the scrubland of the former Department of National Defence lands (there were too many dogs running loose), we walked westward towards the pond. A family of Belted Kingfisher were resting on the fallen trees on the beach, the male occasionally leaving its post to chase away another kingfisher trespassing on its territory.




We observed an unexpected tick as we looked out on to the lake. Well, I really should not be surprised at this time of year. Though not close to shore, we could see 4 Common Terns flying towards St. Catharines. A Caspian Tern flew very close to shore, giving us a great view of how its large orange bill differs from that of the Common Tern.

Not much action at the pond. Could it be the dog and its accompanying human (throwing sticks into the lake) were responsible? Red-winged Blackbird, Grackles and a couple of Yellow Warblers were all we could find.

So after a quick 60 minutes of birding at Niagara Shores, I obtained two ticks when I was only expecting one. The remaining member of the swallow family left to observe is the Purple Martin. We have a spot in Fort Erie where we can check out some martin houses. Hopefully, there will be shorebird or two as well.

A Worthy Substitute

August 20

I had previously mentioned that I still required a Brown Thrasher for the year list. My Ontario sightings of this species are limited and after looking over the observations on eBird, Niagara Shores Conservation Area in Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) looked to be the best option.

The hundreds of Bank Swallows seen on May 29 have departed to their wintering grounds in South America (somewhat earlier than the "snowbirds" bound for Florida). We walked along a trail to the western edge of the area but found no birds in or around the pond. The eastern side of Niagara Shores borders the former National Defence lands (currently owned by Parks Canada). A final decision has yet to be made on the future of the property.

Searching the web, I was able to find groups supporting and opposing Project Niagara. I may be biased but as a biologist and a birder (What? They'll remove the sewage lagoons?) I would rather see an eco park at this location. If the choice was between urbanization (as is happening on the main route into NOTL) and Project Niagara, well I'm sure the majority would side with the amphitheatre.

We walked along the fence line, scanning the brush in the neighbouring property. This is where Brown Thrasher have been observed in the past. The bird still remains off the list but we found a worthy substitute. Well, something better actually. It was an Empidonax flycatcher. Our last lifer Empid was observed during our vacation in British Columbia. This flycatcher was slightly different. Though olive-green above, the yellowish underparts and distinctive yellow throat (as well as a yellowish eyering) distinguish this Empid from the others. We had a lifer Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (#284). Sweet!

We left NOTL and travelled along the parkway to a picnic area near the Queenston-Lewiston bridge. The spot is surrounded by trees and overlooks the Niagara River from the top of the Niagara Escarpment. A great spot to observe soaring Turkey Vultures.

You may even catch a glimpse of one roosting in a tree.

On the way home we stopped at the Wetland Ridge Trail.

Jean captured this digiscoped image of a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk.

In addition to these 2 Killdeer, we found 2 Spotted Sandpiper and 2 Solitary Sandpiper (# 175 for the year list) in the usual shorebird corner of the north lagoon.

Swallows were flying above the lagoons and we managed to pick out 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow (#176) in the bunch.

Continuing with the subject of swallows.

Later in the evening, we received an e-mail (addressed to Ontbirders using the listserve) from Mike Cadman of the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS). In his e-mail, Mike stated, "swallow species are showing a marked decline across Ontario and northeastern North America". The CWS is in the process of determining what research is required to determine why the declines are happening and are interested in collecting preliminary information on pre-migration and migrating flocks in Ontario. Mike asked all on the listserve to provide information on sightings of flocks with 100+ swallows. Jean and I have not seen any large migrating flocks but I did pass on our May 29 sighting of the nesting Bank Swallows (Mike Cadman is also looking for historical data on swallow roosts).

Back to birding at the Wetland Ridge.

Wood Duck boxes have been placed in the south lagoon to encourage mating pairs to nest in the area. It worked. I counted 12 Wood Duck (adults and young) while surveying the lagoon. They were also raising young here last year.

Moving on, we observed some activity in the adjacent woods of the escarpment.

A Black-throated Green Warbler and 2 Black and White Warblers. Some "pishing" brought them out from behind the branches.

A spying Black and White.

A close up.

A Yellow Warbler was the last bird observed for the afternoon as we walked between the vineyards and lagoons. The day of birding was done and our two weeks of vacation would soon be coming to an end. The lifer Yellow-bellied Flycatcher helped ease the realization that we would be returning to work soon.