My 100th bird for my 1st winter list was a raptor which is very fitting I believe

Atlantic Canada, BEYOND, Birds, Canada

They say February is a terrible month to bird. I’m not so convinced about that and for me it is a special time in birding as February last year was when I really started to bird. So all the birds I’m seeing now are the ones I saw for the first time in my life for the most part last year.

Imagine if you had never seen one of the beautiful winter ducks in your life. Or even an Eider in winter plumage. Imagine if you had never considered there were ducks anywhere other than the place where the ones your Dad took you when you were a kid to throw bread to were, let alone in the winter. Well that was me a year ago. It was all new and it never occurred to me to look at the ocean with a pair of binoculars and look for ducks. And they are pretty oh my they are a sight to behold. Behold our lovely Long-tailed Ducks, Common Goldeneyes, Mergansers, Buffleheads, Harlequin Ducks, just to name some of the more spectacular winter fowl.

This all followed very quickly after my indoctrination into birding as the superstar Eurasian Kestrel was hanging out not far from where I live. One day in January kind folk with field guides helped me learn the difference between the Kestrel, Northern Harrier, and the Rough-legged Hawks all of which were putting on good shows daily at Hartlen Point last winter. The Snowy Owls I could at least recognize myself 😉

So I got hooked, and it was cold oh gosh it was cold. And I couldn’t go too far with all the nasty weather so I started bundling up and walking places close to home like Rainbow Haven (and David Currie took me there to see our wintering Yellow-rumped Warblers), the Salt Marsh Trail, the Shearwater Flyer Trail, and Hartlen Point and really all I saw were the winter ducks. One day I was about a half hour onto the trail in the freezing cold and near froze my hands off to photograph a pair of Hooded Mergansers in fact. And I’d do it again. And I am doing it again, but thankfully this winter has been much tamer.

Today it was a gift of a day sunny and warm and kelp flies in full force and I thought maybe if I zipped down to Hartlen Point I would find some Horned Larks as they do come in the winter and they do like the kelp flies.

Alas no Horned Larks but 300+ Starlings were delighted about the kelp flies…and the Rough-legged Hawk was delighted about that I reckon.

The first bird I saw was the Rough-legged Hawk which is amazing as I’ve not seen one yet this year and really been hoping to. And the coolest thing is this makes bird number 100 for my winter list. And the other really neat thing is I would never have kept a winter list if it were not for bumping into Richard Stern some time ago who mentioned I should see if I can get 100. And the thing is, Richard is the Raptor man so I think this is very fitting.

My photos today of the Rough-legged are shite but the show was amazing.

My photos today of the Rough-legged are poop but the live show was amazing.

Birding serendipity is really my thing and I had a strong urge to walk around Hartlen today that I could not shake. I had been invited to bird elsewhere but passed it up and now I know why.

See…you just never know what you might find when you are looking for things with wings.

The Rough-legged Hawk put on a great show for me pretty much the whole 3 hours I was there and tonight I am still smiling.

I had been trying to get Patches the Lesser Black-backed Gull for my 100^th bird but I think mother nature is letting me know I am not meant to bird in parking lots. We know this anyway, right?

Well I’m sure I’ll get back to the parking lot to look for Patches, but nothing beats a long walk in the sunshine on a winter day with an old friend flying above you.

Happy February,

Angela

PS – here is a much better photo of a Rough-legged I took on March 14th, 2015

Rough-legged Hawk at Hartlen Point March 14, 2015 (cropped)

Robins, Robins everywhere and what must people think?

Birds

On two recent occasions I have bumped into non-birding friends while out birding. It was clear to me they thought it was rather eccentric, my behavior. So I can’t imagine what they would think had they seen the large group of us today that converged on the cemetery full of enthusiasm and armed with optics.

A very rare bird to us (but a British garden bird so not rare at home), a Redwing from Eurasia, had made an appearance the day before at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery. As a result, most of the local hard-core bird nerds make the trek out to have a look.

The bird had shown up with a large flock of Robins, who are also a type of Thrush so every Robin spotted lit up the group for a little chase and scope. One great side benefit from looking for a rare bird in a flock of common birds is that you really get a chance to study your common birds in depth. We know our Robins well now…oh boy. Alas no Redwing sighted for us right up until dusk, although it had made a brief appearance early in the morning for someone we heard. It will be sighted again I’m sure, but perhaps it has moved on to another spot in the area with better berries.

The Pleasant Hill Cemetery has long been a hotspot for local birders as it has the perfect habitat for migrants who have stayed on too long and need some cover from the elements.

In fact, a Yellow-breasted Chat is still there that I had not managed to get a good look at in the fall so I took the opportunity to get another look and a good ID shot. The poor little thing will likely not survive winter and has already lost some tail feathers to the elements but as my friend said yesterday “it already failed its first test” when it didn’t get the migration right. Some birds “will not breed successfully” as they say. The Sharp-shinned Hawk who was flying about may have something to say about it all as well. Nature is not to be argued with I figure.

In picking through the Robins we did find several other birds such as Cedar Waxwing and Purple Finch and my bird lesson for the day was to notice how much smaller than the Robins the Cedar Waxwings are. When seen alone I had always thought them much larger than they actually are.

Cedar Waxwing and American Robin

A Mew Gull (aka Common Gull) which is not actually common in Nova Scotia but not rare per se, has been hanging around across the street from where the Redwing was spotted so most of us took a jaunt across the street to get a good look at him. I had seen one before in Dartmouth two weeks ago but at that time it had to be pointed out to me so I was pleased today to be able to recognize it quickly on my own. Easily missed in a group of Ring-billed Gulls but quite different upon closer inspection with a number of reliable field marks.

The Gulls frighten me a bit as they’ve been known in certain locations to attack and injure both pets and people, but even in the bread frenzy these gulls seemed pretty tame. For me it still felt like a bit of a Hitchcock moment, but the photo opp was worth it I suppose.

Although there was no Redwing sighting to be had I was happy to spend the day with birding friends in the field. Very often the people are the best part of birding 🙂

Happy Birding!

2nd looks at some handsome winter ducks before leaving CB and a quick drop in on the Bullock’s Oriole

Atlantic Canada, Birds, Canada

Our family event was postponed due to the weekend storm so I ended up with a little extra time this weekend to get 2^nd looks at the very handsome winter ducks in Westmount and Glace Bay.

Yesterday I went back for another look at the Barrow’s Goldeneye ducks near the Dobson Yacht Club. They were mixed in with a group of Common Goldeneye ducks and altogether there were over 50 Goldeneyes. Without a scope I really couldn’t count the Barrow’s but I’d say about 1 in 3 was a Barrow’s at a rough guess. A fair bit of hanky panky was going on and boys of both species were in hot pursuit of girls of both species. It looks to me like some hybrids are in the group which would make a lot of sense since the Barrow’s have been coming here every year for many years from what I witnessed I think those boys will grab whomever they can 😉

Today I took another run out to Glace Bay to see if I could get a closer look at the male Tufted Duck who is mixed in with a large group of Greater Scaup (and a few Lessers). As luck would have it he was right in with the fishing boats and I also bumped into local birders extraordinaire, Tuma and Nick, while I was stopped which was a nice surprise. I’m quite happy with my photos, but I know Tuma and Nick will have photos which are in a completely different league then mine. Nice to see you guys and can’t wait to see your pics!

I wasn’t certain I would get time to stop in on the Bullock’s Oriole at a time with Sue and Gordie Gosse would be home but it did work out after all. I picked up a bottle of Smuckers Grape Jelly and dropped by for a quick show. Thank you for being a great host of this little visitor and being kind to many birders. Not everyone would welcome people to their yard to photograph a bird. As promised, he did make an appearance. Gordie pointed out the dark spot on under his chin which distinguishes him from a Baltimore which was great as I always like to learn something new on each birding adventure.

Will be a little sad to leave Cape Breton but also will be happy to get back to my birding friends in Halifax and familiar birds of Eastern Passage.

birding in Louisbourg – and my first Northern Shrike

Atlantic Canada, Birds, Canada

Winter really reminds you that you need to make the most of good weather and get outside whenever the opportunity exists.

My birding friend Alicia Penney had arranged for us to meet up with David McCorquodale and a few other Cape Breton birders on Saturday morning. But as stormageddon approached, we knew it would have to be cancelled for that time.

Lucky for me, David was able to spare some time for me this morning for a little zip out to Louisbourg and although it was very foggy we had great luck. It certainly was a great opportunity to bird with the co-host of the CBC Cape Breton Bird Hour and most appreciated, thank you David!

The first bird we spotted was new to me (a Northern Shrike) and put on a good little show for us as they tend to do.

The rest of the fortress area was a bit of a bust as the seabirds were not visible in the fog, the Boreal Chickadees were too nervous to show themselves, and we apparently got there too early in the day for the group of Gray Jays who visit the commissionaire. Nonetheless a Shrike is a great bird and made it all worthwhile.

We made a quick visit with Bill and Diane Bussey while in town whom I’d not met and it was great to meet some very fine local birding folk. Perhaps someday I’ll be in Cape Breton for their Christmas Bird Counts and join in on some of the local fun. I was very pleased to also find out today that the Cape Breton birders are still very much connected to one another and communicate with each other about the local finds, and organize field trips when they are able.

We checked a few spots along the harbour and amidst the usual suspects we were lucky enough to find a Thick-billed Murre. Another new to me bird, and not a bird anyone sees regularly close to the shore. It was clearly much larger than the Guillemots that were around and dove deep and showed a clean white belly on the way down. David had a scope with him so we able to get a nice view of it a few times in between dives.

Off to the lighthouse we went where at first we weren’t certain we’d even be able to find the Harlequins in the fog but eventually we found a group of 7, a Black Scoter mixed in the Eiders, and a small group of Purple Sandpipers put on a lovely show high up on the rocks.

Although the weather seemed disagreeable when we set out it all turned out great.

The storm is in full force now and I have work and family stuff for the rest of the weekend but I am hopeful that I might get a chance to see the local celebrity, the Bullock’s Oriole, before I leave the island and perhaps get a better photo opp with the Tufted Duck and Barrow’s Goldeneyes.

If not, I can certainly say that the birding time I did have so far was more than enough and I am thrilled at how it’s all turned out so far.

Time to hunker down with the birds now the wind is going up to 100KM tonight and the lights are already flickering!

Stay warm and happy birding.

in pursuit of the Tufted Duck – Cape Breton chapter

Atlantic Canada, BEYOND, Birds, Canada

This week I’m in Cape Breton to see pet shops and to see my family so making time for birding of course. Cape Breton is a very birdy place although the birds are under-reported that does not mean they aren’t here. To me it seems much “birdier” than the mainland.

The drive down from Halifax on Tuesday included a few pet shop visits on the way to Sydney so didn’t leave much time for birding but I did manage to check out some sea ducks on the Cape Breton side of the Causeway. First Common Mergansers I’ve seen this year and in good numbers, along with the other usual suspects.

cape-breton-jan-26-2016 034 cape-breton-jan-26-2016 035

Wednesday was tied up all day with pet shops and some of today, but I did manage to sneak out for a bit this afternoon in search of a Tufted Duck which was spotted by David McCorquodale earlier this week.

This is a new to me bird (Nova Scotia lifer 181 for me) so I’ve been hoping to spot one for a while now and I’ve been on the lookout in Halifax so when I saw it was a short drive from my folk’s place I had to give it a shot.

Much like the where’s Waldo puzzle of trying to find a Cackling Goose in the midst of a flock of Canada Geese I had to pick through a few rafts of Scaup (I believe they were mostly Greater Scaup but not certain) to find the Tufted Duck. Admittedly it was easier as there were a much smaller number of Scaup then the group of Canada Geese and the Tufted Duck is much more identifiable then a Cackling Goose. Still, it took me a good hour. Partially because I didn’t realize there were several rafts of Scaup to find and also because I was afraid I may have difficulty recognizing the Tufted Duck.

Actually it was challenging to pick him out because I don’t have a scope but the zoom on my camera goes up to 200x so after some time of scanning the groups I saw his long hair blowing in the wind. My photos leave a lot to be desired but with my eyes it was quite a sight to behold. I was just over the moon to find him I’m sure the fishermen thought I was a fool since I shouted out got him!

This spot is a bit of a duck haven as there were a large group of American Wigeons with one Eurasian male mixed in. He was swimming up to different clusters of Americans and even to the gulls crying out “are you like me?”…I’m certain that was what he was doing.

Eurasian Wigeon in back and American Wigeon in front – both males

Also tons of Bufflehead ducks, and of course a variety of gulls and Black Ducks. And just for good measure one of my dear little Long-tailed Ducks was hanging around and a couple of Savannah Sparrows.

one of two Savannah Sparrows who dropped in to see what I was all about when I arrived

Don’t forget that Glace Bay is home to a bird sanctuary and near Donkin, Port Morien, and Louisbourg. All very wonderful sea bird territory and a great reason to take a break outside any time I say.

On another note on the way to my next pet shop I dropped by quickly to check in on the Barrow’s Goldeneye ducks as I had spotted 14 there in November. The sun was going down so I don’t know if was a mix of Common and Barrow’s or all Barrow’s but some were certainly Barrow’s and there appeared to be about 30 in the group. If I get time before I leave the island I will try to look again, or check with David McCorquodale about it.

Anyway, if you have time to visit the greater Sydney area to bird I would recommend it highly and there a number of nice new restaurants and coffee shops around. If the storm doesn’t ruin my plans tomorrow evening I do hope to get to Flavor on the Water for a burger with friends. Try to do something in each town you visit that helps their local economy like the big list man, Noah, says. Me I’m never going to do a big list, but I am a foodie so I am down with that.

Happy Birding from Cape Breton.

Birds, Barks, Beyond

wildlife & portrait photography by Angela Granchelli