Bird-a-Day:Another Work Week

After the Super Sunday Fish Crow tick it was another week of spotting a species after a full day of work. The days are getting slightly longer which allows me to extend my search for a bird that is not one of the 36 species already on my Bird-a-Day list.

Monday February 6


The building where I work is fairly close to 5th Avenue. It's a  stretch of road in west St. Catharines that I frequently check for a few FOY ticks. I can actually watch Canada Geese preparing to land in the fields surrounding the rural road. How long it will remain rural is not known but, for now, I'll look to this small patch of open land to observe Savannah Sparrow, Bobolink, Northern Harrier, Upland Sandpiper, and Horned Lark.

It's still too early for Bobolink and Savannah Sparrow so, after finishing work, Jean and I headed to 5th Avenue to look for larks. Two Northern Harriers were playing above the field south of the road but this raptor was ticked on January 11. North of the road is where I expected to find larks. The remains of last year's corn crop filled the field and we sat in the car listening for the flute-like song of the Horned Lark.

We soon heard their song and after a little searching and discounting of corn stalks blowing in the wind, Jean and I found 2 Horned Larks darting between clumps of soil.

Tuesday February 7


Another late afternoon search after work. This time I thought I would try a few feeders in the North Pelham area. The properties I check back onto Short Hills Provincial Park so there always the chance of something good showing up. You just have to be there at the right time and this day was not it. Bird activity at the 3 feeders was non-existent. I included the Roland Road entrance to Short Hills P.P. in my hunt but that was quiet as well. No chickadees, woodpeckers or nuthatches. A Mourning Dove spotted on a utility line as I left work would have to do.

Wednesday February 8


A different environment this time and the unlucky streak continued. I had to reluctantly use another ubiquitous species. The Mallards at the marina in Lakeside Park had no unusual associates. Sure there were American Black Ducks and Bufflehead but they were already ticked.

Thursday February 9


After two days in a row of using my safety net, I drove to the Falls after work to ensure the trend would not continue. I had visited there the previous week to find Hooded Merganser but the appearance of a surprise Pied-billed Grebe deferred the waterfowl tick.

Hooded Mergansers and Gadwalls were observed again in the hydro forebay.

I continued my stroll along the path looking for something out of the ordinary.

Not many gulls this late in the afternoon. While walking back along the pedestrian bridge, I spotted the Pied-billed Grebe I observed the previous week. The small grebe was not too keen on being looked at and dove every time I tried to view it through my bins.

Walking to the parking area in Dufferin Islands, I decided to go with Hooded Merganser. Hopefully the Gadwall stay and I'm able to find them during the next work week.

Friday February 10


Searching the Welland Canal below Lock 1 was not helpful at all. I really did not have time to walk along the trail on the east pier Friday evening so I continued my search at Jones Beach in Port Weller. Nothing on Lake Ontario. I slowly drove back up the road to leave the east-side of Port Weller when I heard the call of a woodpecker. From the road, I walked across the grass of Port Weller East Park and found the Picoides responsible. There, hammering away at a tree branch, was a Hairy Woodpecker. A nice save to end the work week.

Another weekend was here and a chance to find a species while acting as a tour guide in the Falls. When you're a birder, the binoculars are always at the ready.

Grassland Species

Finally! I was beginning to think Jean and I would not see any Bobolink in the grassy field on 5th Avenue this year. Desperation was soon to set in and I was prepared to contact John or Kayo for an alternate location in the Niagara Region to ensure we would have this grassland species on our year list. Returning from a club ride Saturday morning I caught a glimpse of what I believed to be a male Bobolink.

Jean and I would return later that afternoon to confirm my earlier observation from the Nishiki. Yes, it all makes sense now. Does this mean I can never purchase a new bike? I would change the name of the blog, perhaps to, "Tales of the Cannondale". An excellent bike but for a birding blog, not very intriguing. And you all thought I obtained the name from the bottom of a plate like the designers of the bike did (or possibly a bag of rice).

We would observe 3 male Bobolink (#152 for the year) in this field pictured below. Using a scope we had some great views of the birds in their breeding plumage as they grasped onto stalks strong enough to support their weight. While in flight, the Bobolink would pass close by, singing their rolling song.

Another object we observed in flight was a Lancaster bomber (the only flying Lancaster in North America) as it passed over our location. Both my uncle and Jean's grandfather were members of Lancaster crews during WWII. It was an amazing sight to see this plane fly overhead.

OK, back to birding. While we were standing on the rural road Jean mentioned there was one species she would like to see again. We had last seen one in this location in May of 2007. An Upland Sandpiper. Well, ask and you shall receive. Out of the long grass on the opposite side of the road, near the last remaining vineyard, popped an Upland Sandpiper (#153). It walked out onto the road but would quickly return to the long grass and remain hidden from view. As we passed the vineyard we could not find the bird again.

Other interesting species observed along the rural road included, Savannah Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Kingbird and a Great Blue Heron observed in flight.

I can now rest easy. Bobolink was added to the year list as well as the bonus Upland Sandpiper. Another grassland species will be next on the agenda, the Grasshopper Sparrow.

Shorebirds of 5th Avenue

Despite its name this rural St. Catharines road does not have the trendy shops found in New York City but birding is a different matter.


I picked up Jean from work on Sunday afternoon and headed to west St. Catharines, once again in search of Bobolink. This time we would travel its entire length of 2.5 kilometres. From 7th Street Louth to 5th Street Louth we did not find anything too outstanding. Red-winged Blackbirds, House Sparrow, European Starling, and American Robin, the usual fare. The most exciting was an American Kestrel on a utility line and a Great Blue Heron in flight. The next block, 5th Street Louth to 3rd Street Louth, more of the usual fare. The best avian sightings have occurred in the last block, 3rd Street to 1st Street Louth and today was another exciting one.


This is my first attempt at pasting a map on a post. I hope it works. If not, I guess you can click on the link.


http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=st+catharines+ontario&sll=40.78704,-73.965454&sspn=0.116455,0.219727&g=fifth+avenue+new+york&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=43.14662,-79.285841&spn=0.015029,0.027466&z=15


In the field where we recently spotted the Least Sandpiper, more shorebirds were found. Close to the road we saw 2 Killdeer and 1 Spotted Sandpiper. It appeared that more Spotted Sandpiper were further away in a flooded section of the field but smaller birds were there as well. I set up the spotting scope and of course the peeps flew away before we could identify them all. Something had spooked them. All the shorebirds in the field took to the air as a Red-tailed Hawk, with a Red-winged Blackbird on its tail, flew over.


Savannah Sparrow and Horned Lark played in the ploughed field as another species caught our attention. It was in the brush lined ditch that separates the two fields. The bird was brownish on the back, with 2 wing bars, and a whitish throat and belly. It was an Empidonax flycatcher for sure but which one? The eye-ring was lacking so that eliminated the Least Flycatcher. We listened to its short call, "wheet", as that is the only way to distinguish some of the Empids. After noting its field markings and voice we reset the scope on the shorebirds that had returned to the flooded field. An uninterrupted look this time, we determined that the peeps were 2 Semipalmated Sandpiper, #149 for the year list, and 1 Least Sandpiper.


While we were observing the shorebirds a pick up truck pulled up beside our vehicle. Another curious passerby? Cyclists had stopped to inquire what we were looking at through our scope. The gentleman in the pickup truck however was curious for another reason. The farmer had seen us from the other side of his field and noticed that I had left the tail gate of the Subaru open. There is evidence on this road of illegal dumping and he suspected we were up to the same terrible act. Rather than properly dispose of their trash, there are still some losers out there that choose to dump their garbage on a country side road. Once he saw our spotting scope he knew we were OK. He informed us of a family of coyotes that appear near the brush every evening at 8:00 PM. While we were talking another car pulled up behind our vehicles and the owner immediately honked the horn. The farmer would say goodbye and drive away to allow the car through. As it pulled up beside me it appeared the driver and passenger would have similar questions. Not this time. "Do you know it's illegal to block a road?" the driver yelled out at me as he slowly passed. "Ah, yeah.", I replied. I really don't believe my vehicle by itself was blocking the road. It could have been closer to the shoulder but there was plenty of room for vehicles to pass safely, even with the slight narrowing of the road to cross over a culvert. 5th Avenue is not even a major city or regional road. Would a parked farm vehicle evoke the same reaction? Lighten up buddy! I noticed how the driver did not make the same remark to the farmer who was twice his size. Sure, pick on the harmless birder. I have had many encounters like this while cycling on a club ride, "Get off the road!!", with an expletive or two for added effect, but never when I was birding. This was a first.


Continuing on with our birding we would not observe any Bobolink in the field of grass so we returned home to verify our observation of the Empid flycatcher. Listening to the Genus' songs and calls on the All About Birds site and reviewing our field guides (Yes, I did not have one with me in the field). Hey, I was looking for Bobolink and didn't think a guide was required for 15-30 minutes of birding. The National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America describes the call of the Willow Flycatcher as a liquid wit. An Alder Flycatcher's call as a loud pip.


We concluded that the Empid was an Empidonax traillii, the Willow Flycatcher, LIFER # 260!



Not too bad for 45 minutes of birding along a country road. Two species for the year list and a lifer too. Only 40 more and we'll be at 300. Oh, and 1 irate driver. Hey, it is like NYC, well maybe more like Toronto.