what are the birds doing? of habits and habitat

BEYOND, Birds

I’ve been birding here and there for the past 3 months since I’ve adopted the Border Collie but not blogging too much so here is a long and windy post. Since this is my second summer birding, I am more keen to learn the songs and sounds of birds. And most of all habits and habitat.

It is all well and good to “twitch” birds that have already been found by others, but to find them on your own you need to become familiar with the habits and habitat of birds.

This holds true for both native species and vagrants, who are the delight of every birder. I am at the beginning of this process and expect to spend many years of study before I get a handle on it but the first lesson that stands out in my mind is about the Ovenbird. These birds are uncommon and local which means they are not common all over, but in the right habitat there are pockets of them. When I visited my parents this summer in Sydney I realized they are all over the woods surrounding our house. And somehow in my ongoing education by Google, I found out they build their nests using Blue-bead Lily plants. I played in the woods pretty much every day as a child and vividly remember the ground being covered by these plants so it all makes perfect sense now. Knowing this now I will always recognize their habitat. And so I am hooked. If I can learn this for all our native species I should always know when to keep my eyes peeled for them.

My goal is to categorize this information in a logical way over time. Native birds, diet, vegetation, etc. organized in a way that has not yet been done. If there is currently a Nova Scotia book that does just this, please let me know. I understand the breeding atlas contains a lot of this information but I don’t have my copy yet. Keeping notes has always been my way to learn though so this will be a worthwhile project for me either way, and is a large reason for my keeping this blog.

Since my last blog I’ve visited some great spots and my accounts will not be detailed but here are the highlights. The photos are doc shots, not great photos but “evidence” as my friend Paul says.

Paul and his dog and me and Macy (dogs on-leash) spent a few hours exploring the Belleisle Marsh. Gem of a place where we were treated to the songs of at least 3 Soras, and even got a little show from one.

Sora (a type of super skulky rail with a really cool song…google it!)

Shorebird season is upon us, and although I’ve not been able to get to the banana belt yet (CSI), Eastern Shore shorebirding is very good. On my own I located 2 Pectoral Sandpipers in Three Fathom Harbour which was very cool as they were a lifer for me.

A little group of us had a lovely day trip to Johnson Mills in NB to watch the “shorebird ballet” and made a stop in Amherst to see the Black Terns that hang out on the Amherst Marsh in summer. Another lifer for me which was a bonus in an already wonderful day.

Semipalmated Sandpipers there were about 30K of them there my pictures do not do this justice you just have to go it’s amazing!

Closer to home, Hartlen Point is starting to heat up again. The Whimbrels have been hanging around for a while now and other shorebirds are collecting up in the evenings before they head off to sleep somewhere. McNab’s Island perhaps? As a result the Merlin are perched on the shore waiting for snacking opportunities most evenings.

Merlin hunting the shore

Last week I spent a few days in Sydney visiting family and also working in pet shops and I had a low tide adventure with my 7 year old niece and Macy at Morien Bar. This is one of the best shorebird spots in Nova Scotia and the only thing that would have made the experience better would be a scope. Still we saw lots of Yellowlegs, Dowitchers, and Semipalmated Sandpipers with a few Whimbrel and Black-bellied Plovers mixed in for good measure. I wish I would be there this week as it’s time for the Hudsonian Godwit to show up anytime now and all the shorebirds in greater numbers.

If you don’t get dirty, you didn’t have enough fun. Morien Bar at low tide.

On the way to Cape Breton I stopped in Pictou on the holiday Monday to see friends at their cottage, and then I hit the Caribou Island area on the way out. I was very happy to see my first male Bobolink. There were a group of Bobolinks flitting about the marsh grasses where they will hide out to molt.

Bobolinks in Caribou Island

While in Cape Breton I saw that 2 immature Yellow-crowned Night-Herons had shown up in Hartlen Point and I was worried they wouldn’t hang around until I could get home. Luckily they were still there yesterday when I had a chance to walk down to the back cove.

Ahhhhhh, to be everywhere at once in summer!

Next week I will be going to Pubnico and CSI for a visit with birding friends and my first Pelagic cruise…so freakin excited!!!!!

Happy Birding,

Angela

me and Macy birding the Rock

Atlantic Canada, BEYOND, Birds, Canada, My Dogs

Birding photography is somewhat of a bust with Macy in tow, but the experience is just as good and the company is even better.

Me and Macy just spent a few days in Newfoundland. Mainly working, but trying to bird here and there after work and on the way to and from the ferry. Mother Nature was not very cooperative but she did throw out a few half ways sunny moments.

I started out with a target list and got exactly none of them. Having read up on Bruce Mactavish’s blog about the seabirds I had high hopes of getting a sighting of some Manx Shearwaters as the Capelin are running but the day I finished up work for the day in St. John’s it was very foggy at the coast so I didn’t even bother to go to Cape Spear.

The day before had been extremely windy and rainy so I thought there was a slim possibility there would be some Petrels in Holyrood and had to drive through that area on my way to a sales call so took a peek but no dice.

Clearly I have to return for seabirds.

We were staying at a B&B in Clarenville (thank you so much Patricia!!!) so Witless Bay was a short detour on the way home from work that day and I was not to be deterred so stopped for a quick peek out to Gull Island where I could hardly see my hand in front of my face let alone the water.. Macy stuck here tongue out as if to say, yeah no birds just fog let’s go hiking!

Macy at Witless Bay, NL in the fog

And so we were off to a nearby hiking trail that eBird suggested as a hotspot, Mickeleens Path. Much like the rest of Newfoundland it is highly under-reported and an excellent opportunity to view both woodland birds and sea birds. Another time I’d like to do the full 7km in to get a land view of Gull Island. Time constraints are the bane of business trips 🙂

Macy at Mickeleens Path part of the East Coast Trail NL – June 15, 2016

Here as with my other brief stops on the island we found the usual suspects. Juncos are to Newfoundland as Song Sparrows are to Nova Scotia. Boreal Chickadees replace our NS Black-capped variety by far. Gray Jays, Woodpeckers, Thrushes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and a myriad of Wood Warblers are all over at this time of the year but my target species of Mourning Warbler eluded me. The habitat in the CB highlands is very similar so I expect I will see them there at some point if I’m unable to return to the Rock on a suitable time-frame.

Boreal Chickadee

Boreal Chickadee

Two Fox Sparrows greeted us on the trail singing very loudly, which are another bird we don’t see as much of back home.

Fox Sparrow

My last day on the Rock was all about driving as I had a 7+ hour drive to the ferry and had to be there at 945PM. So I got up early and stopped for the morning in Terra Nova National Park before making the majority of the trek, and did manage to get ahead of the rain for the most part.

Hands down this is my favorite place to bird in Newfoundland and I’ve visited a good majority of the island over the past few years. It is one of the birdiest places for Wood Warblers I’ve ever been. This park is vast and serene, a Canadian treasure. One day I hope to be able to spend a week there on a strictly pleasure trip but for now I will savor my 4 brief hours.

We started off in South Broad Cove where Macy helped me find Spotted Sandpipers on the beach. In actuality she spend most of that time trying to mentally sort out reflections and seaweed but I digress.

Macy – South Broad Cove Terra Nova National Park, NL – June 15, 2016

But first we were greeted by a sweet little Woodpecker.

As we walked down towards the beach we had a learning experience when we startled 3 Pine Siskins and they sounded off like zippers! I had never heard them make that noise before and had no idea what kind of birds they even were. It took some forensic work to figure it out as the photos of them in the trees were sketchy but it all makes perfect sense now and we caught this one behaving in a more civilized fashion on the way out.

Pine Siskin

We enjoyed a variety of singing warblers including this handsome American Redstart. Again I must mention that photographing birds with an on leash dog is not the easiest so this was not a photography day but nice to at least capture the birds. Honestly it was mostly all about Macy as she had been on the road with me on ferries, in hotels, and in a bunch of pet stores and primarily way too much time in the car!

American Redstart

Alvan Buckley had suggested Ochre Hill and Sandy Pond as good birding spots. Thank you Alvan, Ochre Hill is amazing and was new to me. I will be honest I was afraid to encounter a bear or moose so didn’t spend enough time there were not many people around and the big critters are with young and a dog is unhelpful in these situations. Someday in early June I hope to be able to spend an entire day in this area the bog is wonderful. Much like the path to West Brook Pond in Gros Morne I thought. I wish I had the ability to bird the Warblers by ear better as there were many species singing I could not identify, but I did get a good show by the Wilson’s Warblers and we don’t see that many of them back in NS so that was fun.

Macy at Ochre Hill – Terra Nova National Park, NL – June 15, 2016

Macy at Ochre Hill – Terra Nova National Park, NL – June 15, 2016

Wilson’s Warbler

Next stop was Sandy Pond. I’d been there before so had an idea of what area I wanted to check out. Macy is not sure about water paths yet but is certain she likes to chase squirrels. The squirrels appreciated the fact she was on leash for sure!

Macy at Sandy Pond – Terra Nova National Park, NL – June 15, 2016

It was pretty quiet as the season hasn’t ramped up so we were greeted by birds flying across the access road and caught up with this Hermit Thrush early on.

Hermit Thrush

As we got out of the car at the parking area 6 Ring-necked ducks took off.

Ring-necked Ducks

The nosey Yellow-rumped Warblers were not so easily spooked.

We found a group of 4 White-throated Sparrows who seemed to be breeding there and I am pretty sure there were both tan morphs and black stripes but I can’t say for certain. I blame Macy sound reasonable?

White-throated Sparrow

We snuck up on this Hermit Thrush. I love it when the birds think if they stay still they will be invisible and have to say it works more often than not.

Hermit Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Our last stop, the South West Arm, was recommended by one of the staff at the Visitor Center as a great birding spot and it sure was but the rain finally caught up with us so we couldn’t take much in. All new boardwalks and paths that join up with the South West Brook Trail I highly recommend this area. It is both coastal and woodland with a marsh in between.

Macy at South West Arm – Terra Nova National Park, NL – June 15, 2016

We found this flycatcher which I believe could be Yellow-bellied but it was silent and I find them tough to tell apart so I could also be wrong.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

All over Terra Nova there were Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

We were sad to leave the rock, but happy to be back in Nova Scotia now. I think that is enough adventure for one girl and her dog for now 🙂

Happy birding,

Angela & Macy

Cape Breton girlie bird day in Victoria County

Atlantic Canada, BEYOND, Birds, Canada

Growing up in Cape Breton I was always in nature as a child, playing and exploring in the woods surrounded by critters and solitude. The birds were always there but I only noticed a few such as my little cross-country ski companions, the Black-capped Chickadees. Mammals were more worthy of my notice until recently. I never missed a hare or deer in the woods on an adventure, nor was I ever frightened I would encounter a problem with a coyote or bear. The woods have always been the place I feel safest.

As a fairly new birder I’ve made an effort each time I’ve come back to the island to visit to explore a new area and get to know the birds that have been here all along and just caught my attention. My online quest led me to some interesting material written both by and about this marvelous lady, Bethsheila Kent. And so several months ago I dropped her a line to ask if she could suggest some areas in Victoria country to explore, and much better than hoped she said let’s go birding next time I’m home. And so finally today we had a good ole Cape Breton girls bird day along with my friend Alicia Penney.

The weather was iffy right into our start but we pressed on and thankfully so. The rain was the worst starting out and ending filled with warmer than expected temps and many wonderful birds in the middle. We covered quite a bit of territory in Baddeck and Nyanza and Alicia and I absorbed all this wonderful local knowledge which was not just about birds but flora and fauna, and general great conversation.

Our first birds of the morning were a mated pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers who are an uncommon but local and favorite migrant of Nova Scotian birders. It was a treat to observe them at close proximity and watch them harvest sap and listen to their mew like calls.

New to me birds are always a treat and it was wonderful to observe a group of Cliff Swallows for the first time. I had the opportunity to see the difference in flight from the Barn and Tree Swallows I commonly see as we had a good long showing from them. Alicia was able to observe a number of new to her birds, one of which was a wonderful sighting for all of us. A pair of Blue-winged Teals dropped in to one of our stops as we arrived and did not stay long but were clearly visible and enjoyed by all. Had we arrived 5 minutes earlier or 5 minutes later we would not have seen them. These serendipitous moments are a joy of birding indeed.

I was also able to get my best sighting to date of the Boreal Chickadees who are shy, charming, and downright adorable.

Many Warbler species, Vireos, and Flycatchers surrounded us at almost every stop. In Big Harbour we were fortunate enough to watch a pair of Red-eyed Vireos courting and generally enjoying a life perhaps fit for a king and queen, as they flitted bout the bushes on the Bras d’Or Lake.

We also had a lovely show from a solitary Cedar Waxwing and a myriad of Ring-necked Duck pairs.

pair of Ring-necked Ducks

Such a lovely mix of species surrounded by great company and some of the best scenery in the world couldn’t get better you would think, but a sandwich and sweets at the Herring Choker didn’t hurt the cause one bit.

Thank you ladies I look forward to our next Cape Breton girlie bird day!

Happy birding,
Angela

PS – Macy sat this one out but yesterday she helped me find a bunch of Ovenbirds down the road from Mom and Dad’s place. She’s getting pretty good at this!

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2nd year Spring as a birder and a big milestone

BEYOND

With migration season and spring in full swing I’ve finally been able to see some new to me birds. For a while it was getting pretty tough to find anything I had not seen before but May brought me 9 new to me birds (lifers) and 10 Nova Scotia ticks (birds never seen in NS). Last week with some help from Keith Lowe who was kind enough to give me a personal tour of the best birdie spots in Jerry Lawrence Park, the Black-throated Blue Warbler became my 200^th Nova Scotia tick. Without eBird tracking my stats I may not have had my eye on that milestone but once I saw my list hit 190 for the province I was pretty keen to achieve the 200. (worthy of note perhaps, I have a long way to go as 478 birds have been documented in our province!)

Yesterday I found two more birds that are completely new to me and I’d been looking forward to for some time. In fact, I’ve been out looking for them a few times with no success to find them both in one day was amazing. My friend Paul and my canine birding pal Macy were great company for a walk on the Herbert River Trail which is about the birdiest place I’ve been in some time! We bumped into Diane and Sylvia as they were on the way out and we were on the way in and had a little chat about the trail. I checked their checklist later on and they got a few species we didn’t get and vice versa but overall a lot of overlap and wonderful birds for us all.

So back to the new to me birds I was so delighted to have a nice show and lovely song from the gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. They are a stunning bird in time I’d like to get better photos but for now it was wonderful to enjoy them in their natural habitat.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have eluded me a few times and when I was at this location 2 day previous I happened upon their nesting area but didn’t realize this until later that evening. I had heard a very loud mewing call and a ruckus in the top of the trees and noted a fairly large bird moving around (larger than Warblers I mean) and incorrectly noted it as a Gray Catbird because of the mew call. Later that evening I was listening to the calls of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and realized that was what I had heard. So when Paul and I hit the trail yesterday I made that location the destination and we found their nesting area and saw 3 individuals. My photos are the pits but they were high up and moving a lot. Now I know a bit more about their behavior and will find them more readily and get better photographs in time. You really have to put in the time, like Paul says to get to know the birds and their habitat.

dreadful cropped photo but a great live sighting and experience – Yellow-bellied Sapsucker May 27, 2016 Herbert River Trail

We also had a lovely show from one of the many Veery thrush that sing their flutelike song all along the trail and some Northern Parula and a variety of other pretty Warblers, a few Vireos, and Flycatchers made appearances along the way.

Hands down this was one of the best birding days I’ve ever had. I wish I could walk that trail every day with my dog to enjoy the birds but will keep hunting for new places with good friends and return when I can.

I must mention that although it is certainly not easy to photograph small, fast-moving birds with an on leash dog in tow, it certainly is great practice!

Northern Parula May 27, 2016 Herbert River Trail

Happy Birding,

Angela & Macy (my newly adopted Border Collie birding companion extraordinaire)

Chasing the Red Knots during the “crazy shorebird spring”

Atlantic Canada, Birds, Canada

It’s been a ‘crazy shorebird spring” this year in Nova Scotia. Alix d’Entremont coined that phrase and I’m inclined to agree.

Alix or someone equally geekier about birds than me (yeah I just need time to catch up I’ll get there) might know why all I know at this point is we are getting a lot of “overshoots” mixed in with the typical flocks.

Naturally most of these landed in CSI (Cape Sable Island) such as the very rare Curlew Sandpipers, but the Eastern Shore is getting our share of good views as well.

The shorebirds are in good numbers and lingering for nice sightings which is really fun and I finally got to see a Red Knot which I totally missed last year.

Now I must confess it took me a lot of tries to find the Red Knot. On May 9^th I found a large number of shorebirds that had just flown in at low tide in the back bay at Hartlen Point. I was pretty excited about it until I got home and looked at eBird and realized that David Currie had found Red Knots amidst the shorebirds.

We birders are always jealous about what we don’t see and a difficult to satisfy bunch it seems. And so I went back again at low tide in the back bay and no luck. Then my friend Diane came over to help me look and I tried at mid-tide but that was not the right time to check the back bay for shorebirds it turned out. We did see two Black-bellied Plovers on the beach but didn’t realize at the time that we should have stayed there. The Red Knots feed differently and would likely never have been found in the back bay in all likelihood. I did eventually figure out that I needed to scour the beach and rocks at the beach up by the main road and as I approached the area where they were David hailed me over and I finally got to watch 4 of them for a good while feeding with the Black-bellied Plovers and Ruddy Turnstones just like the Sibley’s Guide said they should be. Whew!

Thanks Dave for helping me finally find the Red Knots!

Now honestly in the meantime I had gone out to see them in Three Fathom Harbour because I was growing impatient to get my lifer! With my new Border Collie tied to my waist I wandered out on the low tide flats watching a massive group of shorebirds and birding friend Liz Voellinger on the other side of the water scoping them. After she got her fill of the view I texted her and she said it was okay to come over with the dog. So we drove over and got a closer view although on this side there was a lot of glare.

Liz scoping the flock.

While all this was going on Andy De Champlain was on the way over to see if he might get a view of the Red Knots too but the tide covered the sandbars just as he approached and the birds flew off. Sorry Andy! But we did go to Conrad’s Beach on the way back and find some lovely Sanderlings who were firsts for the year for both of us. Birding is usually full of disappointments and wonderful surprises, and rarely boring.

Andy smiling as always 🙂

Even though I’d seen the Red Knots twice that day I headed out one more time with a 3 birding friends to see them one more time in Three Fathom Harbour. You only get so many sunny days full of migrants and good folk you know.

B, Angie, and Tony scoping the flats for Red Knots. Yes we found one!

I must say I really am enjoying seeing the Shorebirds in their breeding plumages as I didn’t really take much notice of them until later in summer and fall last year when they are much duller looking. The Black-bellied Plover in particular are spectacular.

Silver Sands Beach is often deserted during weekdays so one morning I had a 2 hour walk with Macy tied to my waist and got to enjoy lots of Black-bellied Plovers and Dowitchers at low tide and watch the Barn Swallows flying over the beach. Having the beach to yourself is always lovely but with all the great company but all the better with your best canine friend and some cool shorebirds.

A lovely Wilson’s Phalarope was found during the Migration Counts yesterday in Chezzetcook and spotted again this morning so I decided I would put the collie in the car and head out to find it. It was good enough to put on a lovely show, I got to chat with two fellow birders in the field, and afterwards stopped for a nice walk with Macy as she was good enough to sit that one out in the car so we didn’t spook it.

I believe this is the first bird I’ve personally seen where the female has fancier breeding plumage than the male. Typically, that is not the case so it was fun to learn this about this species and have that be new to me.

Both the Red Knot and the Wilson’s Phalarope were lifers and “Nova Scotia ticks” for me putting me at 197 for my NS ticks so I’m going a bit crazy hoping to hit 200. That is a milestone I’ve had my eye on for a while and I know it’s going to get really hard after that and I don’t really have a next milestone in mind. For the most part I just enjoy birding and learning about the behavior and habitat of the birds and being outdoors. But I get to have one to strive for right?

Happy Migration Season.

Birds, Barks, Beyond

wildlife & portrait photography by Angela Granchelli

Author: admin

what are the birds doing? of habits and habitat

me and Macy birding the Rock

Cape Breton girlie bird day in Victoria County

2nd year Spring as a birder and a big milestone

Chasing the Red Knots during the “crazy shorebird spring”