May 18, 2012
Yesterday was a near perfect day at Prince Edward Point. The weather was great, the birds showed up, and I decided this would be a great day for my first annual ‘photog-athon’! The objective was to see how many different types of birds I could photograph in a single day! As I said, the conditions couldn’t have been better. As a very nice, very knowledgeable birder named Pamela described it, yesterday was “a gift”!

I shot pictures from 7:00am ’till 2:00pm and my final count was 52 different birds. If you’d like to see my photogathon pictures, click here -> album

In addition to the great birding, there were a number of special moments yesterday – as there always are at Prince Edward Point. I saw a family of Red-breasted Mergansers. The young were sitting on shore with their mother while the father swam close by keeping watch. I witnessed more than a dozen Canada Goose goslings feeding on grass and wildflowers while their parents sat nearby. And I got to watch a couple of fiesty White-crowned Sparrows battling over food or territory or maybe just for the sake of battling!
But probably the most special moment happened just after I arrived at the park and started my walk into the Traverse Woods. I saw a flash of movement and what I thought was a large rabbit hopping off the trail and into the bushes. As I approached I was surprised to see that it had white spots and, also it wasn’t running away. It’s instinct was to rely on it’s camouflage. I lifted my camera to take a photo of it through the thick underbrush, and this is what I saw in the viewfinder:

It was one of the tiniest fawns I have ever seen!
I glanced around to see if its parents were nearby, and back in the woods about 20 yards away I saw this:

I was sure that both deer were probably frightened, so I pulled back and moved away to allow the doe to retrieve her baby. It was a very memorable and heartwarming moment.

When I got home yesterday I sorted through all my shots (which took a very long time) then tallied up my total and put copies of the images online. It left me quite exhausted – so much so that I have decided to take today off.

I will go back to the Point tomorrow morning and have a new report for you soon thereafter.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

May 16, 2012
Wow, what a difference a day makes! The birds are back! Not quite as many as during the peak of last year’s festival, but today was a lot better than yesterday!
…and I almost slept through it!

The Weather Network (my nemesis) had forecast showers for the whole day, and so I didn’t bother to set an alarm. When my eyes opened at 7:00 they were greeted by a stream of bright sunlight coming through the bedroom window. I mumbled a few choice words about the forecasters at the Weather Network, got myself up, scrambled to get ready, and managed to reach Prince Edward Point by around 8:30 – better late than never I guess – especially today!

The unexpected good weather and the opportunity to go birding this morning had lifted my spirits, and my spirits were buoyed even higher when the first bird I saw was this wonderful Eastern Kingbird.

It had perched itself near the road where I had parked, and was quite content to have its picture taken. The Eastern Kingbird is part of the flycatcher family. It has a distinctive white band at the tip of its tail which makes it easy to identify.

From the road, I walked directly north into the Traverse Woods and as I neared the bluff overlooking the bay, I met a wonderful couple named Karl and Phyllis. They were enthusiastically locating warblers. Phyllis was quite good at identifying the warbler’s songs, and Karl was great at pinpointing their locations. Thanks to them I got my first shot (this year) of a Blackpoll Warbler.

The Blackpoll looks a bit like the Black-and-white Warbler, but there is no white stripe down the middle of the Blackpoll’s crown, and its eye is fully in the black feathers just above its distinctive white cheek.

During last year’s festival I challenged myself to see how many different warblers I could photograph in just one week. I managed to shoot 21, but I was not happy with the quality of many of my shots. This year I am taking a slower approach and concentrating on getting better pictures, and so far I have been happy with the results – and at the same time I have somehow already shot 18 different kinds of warblers!

Here are a few more of my warbler shots from today:

American Redstart

Blackburnian Warbler

Yellow Warbler

The forecasted rain did finally arrive this morning at about 11:30, but the three hours I spent in the Traverse Woods today were the best three hours so far, and I’m hoping tomorrow will be a continuation of this greatly improved activity!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

May 15, 2012
Heavy fog and overcast skies dictated conditions for most of this morning at Prince Edward Point. There were still quite a few enthusiasts like myself willing to try our luck even under these less than ideal circumstances. The weather seemed to have also slowed down the influx of migrating birds, so it was extra challenging all ’round.

It was a day of sounds as well as sights. The low lonesome blast of fog horns in the distance kept us company all morning, as did the call of a Common Loon coming from somewhere out on the mist covered waters. There was the ‘drumming’ of a Ruffed Grouse unseen from the thick brush, and the tiny occasional ‘peep’ of a Virginia Rail calling out from behind the long grass near the mud flats. All of these sounds, along with the ever present singing of the Spring birds, provided the overture for a morning that would test everyone’s determination.

I started my morning safari by walking the Traverse Lane around the harbour. Near the first turn in the road I came across my first warbler of the day. It was a Tennessee.

This little bird bears a strong resemblance to the Red-eyed Vireo. I can only tell the difference by hearing the bird sing. The Tennessee Warbler’s song is in three parts “tecky tecky tecky” “tick tick tick tick” “tyew! tyew! tyew! tyew!”

On the way back to my car, I stopped near the water and was surprised by a loud splash. I thought one of the birders had jumped in and was going for a swim, but it turned out to be a River Otter.

I watched him for a little while. Whenever he would dive underwater he would create a large splash. The otter looked to be about four feet long and must have weighed over twenty pounds – especially if his ability to splash was any measure of his size.

I added several new birds to my list for this week including a Kingfisher, patrolling his territory near the edge of the bluff, a Sharp-shinned Hawk that didn’t hang around long enough to get his picture taken, and then there was this tiny beauty!

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird!

The warblers did make it tough today, but I still managed to photograph ten different kinds, and for the first time, I got a photograph of a Canada Warbler!

It’s not the highest quality photo that I’ve ever taken, but I am thrilled to have it. This alone made all the effort this morning well worthwhile.

Well for tomorrow the forecast is calling for thundershowers, so I don’t know what that might mean to my birding endeavours. But whatever happens I’ll be posting a Day 5 report, you can count on that!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com.

May 14, 2012
Big announcement…..drum roll please…… this is my 200th post! Yayy! Ha ha!
Thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog – thanks for all the feedback and support – I hope you’ve enjoyed them so far. Now to write 200 more!

Today was the third day of the Birding Festival at Prince Edward Point. My car is in the shop getting repaired, but Elaine lent me hers for the day – she is such a sweetheart!

There was a very heavy fog when I first hit the road, but it was all but gone by the time I reached the park. I met up with Terry and John, and later we were joined by Jeff, so I had lots of help today spotting the birds. Again there weren’t as many as I would have expected, but I did add five more Warblers to my list (a Cape May, a Tennessee, Bay-breasted, Northern Parula, and a Common Yellowthroat). Here’s a shot of the Bay-breasted that was taken in the Traverse Woods.

This Warbler had eluded me on Saturday, so I was very happy when it stopped and posed for a photo today.

Another one that I had not gotten Saturday was the Northern Parula. Today we saw several, including this busy bird that was playing hide and seek amongst the blossoms.

Lovely to get such a beautiful bird in such a beautiful setting!

A Warbler that I did see on Day 1, was the Chestnut-sided, but I wasn’t happy with the shots I got, so I was delighted to get another chance today.
With its distinctive yellow cap and chestnut-coloured sides, I think this is one of the nicest looking of the warblers. It has a song that’s similar to the more common Yellow Warbler but with the second-to-last note ascending and then finishing with a downward slur.

In addition to all the warblers, Prince Edward Point offers a wide variety of natural beauty and I always take away many memorable experiences. Today we saw a Groundhog, a Fox, a kettle of at least 10 Broad-winged Hawks, a Herring Gull diving at a Long-tailed Duck to steal a fish, and a pair of Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers building a nest – just to mention a few.

One of the most common sightings today was the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. If we saw one we saw a dozen of these gorgeous red-bibbed beauties. I got some good photos too that I could have put here, but instead I wanted to let you see a photo of the female – not as flashy as the male, but I think you’ll agree it is a nice looking bird in its own right.

She is a beauty, isn’t she!

And that’s all for ‘Day 3′. If all goes well, I’ll have more photos to share with you tomorrow.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

May 13, 2012
On behalf of all the kids out there, a big big Happy Mother’s Day! Moms, where would we be without you?

Now, if there’s an emoticon for ‘super sad’ I would place it here because, due to car trouble I was unable to participate in Day 2 of the Birding Festival.

As a substitute for a ‘Day 2′ report, I will share some more pictures from my adventures yesterday, and provide a list of some of the birds I’ve seen so far.

Let me start with a ‘Mother’s Day’-type photo.

This proud mom had a brood that was just one gosling short of a dozen! Actually it was probably a creche with goslings from two or three sets of parents. Canada Geese sometimes take care of each other’s young. It’s tough not to smile when you witness a scene like this.

Here’s a shot of a Red-eyed Vireo (one of four different Vireo types that I saw yesterday).

Although the shorebirds haven’t started to show up in numbers yet, there have been sightings at Prince Edward Point of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpipers, a Spotted Sandpiper, a Solitary Sandpiper (a video of which I included in yesterday’s post), and here’s a shot I took of a Least Sandpiper that was walking along the flat rocks just east of the Banding Station.

The best way to tell this bird from it’s similar looking cousin, the Semipalmated Sandpiper, is by the leg colour. The Least has greenish-yellow legs, whereas the Semipalmated has black.

The last picture for today is of the ubiquitous Yellow-rumped Warbler. I included this shot to give you some idea of the number of ‘midge’ flies that are at Prince Edward Point right now. The branches of the tree in this picture are lined with insects. The birds can just perch in one spot (although they rarely do sit still) and have a feast!

Hopefully, I’ll be back at the Point tomorrow and have some fresh photos to share. In the meantime (for those keeping score) here’s a list of some of the birds I saw on Day 1:

Warblers: Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, Yellow, Magnolia, Black-and-white, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, and American Redstart.

Vireos: Red-eyed, Blue-headed, Warbling, and Philadelphia.

Waterfowl: Common Loon, Long-tailed Duck, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Double-crested Cormorant, Canada Goose, Mallard, and White-winged Scoter.

Shorebirds: Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper

Swallows: Barn, Cliff, Northern rough-winged, and Tree.

Other birds: Great Crested Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Baltimore Oriole, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female), Savannah Sparrow, Brown Thrasher,  Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Cowbirds, Robins, Blue Jays, Waxwings, and a Turkey Vulture.

I probably overlooked a few of the sightings – my memory is getting worse (if that’s possible) with age.

I’ll be back with a Day 3 report tomorrow.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

May 12, 2012
This year’s Birding Festival at Prince Edward Point is now off and running! Today was day 1 of 10, and I was there bright and early. Unfortunately not many birds were there to greet me.

After the great showing last weekend, today I was expecting the birds to be spilling out of the trees, but in fact it took a bit of effort today to find them. I’m not really complaining, just reporting that the numbers of birds were less than I was hoping for. There was a strong northerly wind yesterday, and that might have been a factor. So perhaps tomorrow will be better. Of course, I’m going to be at the festival everyday (weather permitting) and I am hoping to have a report here every time I go.

My first stop today was at the Traverse Woods, and as I’ve said already I was a little surprised that I wasn’t finding a lot of birds immediately when I started down the trail. I could hear a number of warblers, but they weren’t making it easy for me to photograph them. Eventually though, one by one, I started to find them and by the end of the day I had shot nine different types of warblers. My favourite though was this female Blackburnian.

I don’t often get a chance to shoot the female Blackburnian, so I was happy that this girl was so cooperative.

After about 90 minutes of hiking the trails, I got back to the road and started walking to my car. Along the way I came across an unexpected find.

This is one of two Savannah Sparrows that were sitting in a tree by the side of the road. They seemed quite comfortable to have me walk up, take their picture, and then carry on my way.

Back at the harbour there were families of Canada Geese, a Common Loon, some Long-tailed Ducks and several pair of Common Mergansers. As I made my way over to Traverse Lane I spotted this Barn Swallow, and was lucky enough to get a picture of it as it caught an insect in mid air.

At the far end of the inlet, on the mud flats, was the Solitary Sandpiper that has been hanging around for more than a week. I had several shots of this bird, so today I decided to take a video for you.

One of the highlights of my morning was the fact that I got to photograph four different kinds of Vireos: Red-eyed, Blue-headed, Warbling, and this Philadelphia Vireo.

This bird was very cooperative, like the female Blackburnian had been. So while there may not have been an abundance of opportunities today, the birds that I did find were often very good to me.

Another super opportunity today, came in the form of a White-winged Scoter. This is a diving duck that usually stays well off shore, but for some reason this fellow came swimming up the harbour not fifteen feet from where I was standing.

Like most days at Prince Edward Point, so much happens that I could write and share pictures for hours – but I think I had better rest up for tomorrow’s adventures. So I’ll leave you with one of my favourite shots from today. It’s a Brown Thrasher – not a rare bird, but a very interesting one, and I really liked this perch.

And that’s it – for now. I’ll be back tomorrow with more photos and stories.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com 

May 7, 2012
Was it a perfect day of birding? Well darn near!

I wouldn’t have believed that the conditions at Prince Edward Point yesterday could have been so much better than they were on Saturday, but they were! The sun was shining brightly all day, there was only a slight breeze, and it was warm enough that I spent most of the time in a t-shirt. And more importantly, the birds were everywhere!!

The anticipation of a great day had convinced me to get up at 6:00 (which is pretty early for me) and it must have had the same effect on my friend John, because we both arrived at the Point at about the same time. We made our way straight to the Traverse Woods hoping to catch all the early birds – and there were lots of birds to catch. Here is one of the first images that I took.

This is the very photogenic Yellow Warbler. It is one of the least skittish of the warblers and will often pose to have its picture taken – or so it seems. With their bright yellow plumage, energetic behaviour, and constant singing, they manage to always draw my attention.

John and I walked the trails through the woods getting shots of Scarlet Tanagers, Blue-headed Vireos, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Towhees, and a half-dozen different Warblers. We also had the opportunity to get a few shots of a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

It was terrific – and while I’m sure there are better days ahead in the next few weeks, our Sunday morning was a fantastic example of what birding can be like at Prince Edward Point in May.

After enjoying the woods for a couple of hours, we headed over to the harbour where we spotted a Solitary Sandpiper on the mud flats.

As you can see, he was up to his knees in mud hunting for food and really not minding at all that we were capturing his antics. I took a few shots and then backed away and left him to  enjoy his lunch in peace.

As John and I walked along Traverse Lane around the bay, we saw another six different warblers (for a total of 12 on the day!) – including this Black-and-white Warbler that I caught hopping along a tree branch.

The Black-and-white’s behaviour is very similar to a Nuthatch and maybe even a little more active – very difficult to catch sitting still.

There were more kinds of birds present that morning than I can mention, but here’s a brief list that might (I hope) whet your appetite enough that you’ll make a visit to the Point yourself. In addition to all the warblers and other birds I’ve mentioned we also saw a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Turkey Vultures, a Northern Harrier, Baltimore Orioles, a Warbling Vireo, White-winged Scoters, a Least Flycatcher, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and an Eastern Kingbird.

Next weekend is the start of the annual 10-day Birding Festival. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to get to the Point and enjoy the best birding experience you can imagine!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com 

May 5, 2012
What a difference a week makes! After some less than stellar action last Saturday, Prince Edward Point today was amazing – lots of movement, the continuous sound of birds calling, and the unmistakable feeling that things are heating up!

I was on my way very early today, and as I left the house I was greeted by some pretty nice weather conditions – mostly sunny, a little on the cool side but not uncomfortable. Despite a brisk Northeast wind that made for some rough water in the bay, there were still many ducks to be seen braving the bigger waves. There were pairs of Long-tailed Ducks, Common Mergansers, Cormorants, and at one point I even saw a small group of about 15 Buffleheads. My main focus today though was on the non-water fowl, and as soon as I arrived and stepped out of my car I spotted a Baltimore Oriole, a Yellow Warbler, and this Brown Thrasher calling for all it was worth from the uppermost branches of a nearby tree.

What a great way to start the morning!

After taking a few photos of the thrasher, I grabbed the rest of my gear from the car and headed over to the Traverse Woods. As I mentioned earlier, the trails were alive with sound and motion. It had been some time since I’ve seen the woods like this, and I couldn’t help but feel elated.

Most of you know that warblers are my favourite birds. At the Point today there were Black-throated Green,  Northern Parula, Yellow, Palm, Pine, Black-and-white, and lots and lots of Yellow-rumped. For most birders the Yellow-rumped Warbler is so prevalent it gets overlooked. However, in my opinion it is one of the most beautiful of the warbler species.

This is a photo I took today of a male Yellow-rumped. Isn’t he gorgeous!

Along with the increasing numbers of warblers, there are also lots of sparrows arriving. Here’s a photo of a White-throated Sparrow that I took in the Traverse Woods.

In this photo you can see its distinctive white throat and yellow lores (above the eye). The yellow lores are a quick way to confirm the ID of this sparrow, but they can be indistinct in juveniles and some Fall adults. White-crowned Sparrows have a similar look but have a different posture and bill colour. The juvenile Swamp Sparrow can appear similar to the juvenile White-throated, but the Swamp Sparrow is smaller and has more redish-brown coloured wings.

Today I also saw Eastern Towhees and White-crowned Sparrows, and here’s a shot of a Chipping Sparrow that I saw.

There were also Catbirds, Turkey Vultures, Red-winged Blackbirds, four kinds of swallows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and the list goes on and on.
Suffice to say, I’m going back tomorrow!!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

April 29, 2012
We’ve enjoyed a super mild winter followed by some very warm temperatures in the early Spring. Unfortunately, we’re now experiencing a stubbornly cold April that has partnered itself with a persistently bitter cold northwest wind. This has really slowed things down (birding-wise). :(
Still, we keep on birding! Here’s the story of my visit to Prince Edward Point yesterday morning.

I made a very early start with the help of some beautiful sunny weather. It was so perfect that I won’t even mention the -2 Celsius temperature or that I had to scrape frost off my car windows! It was that kind of morning where nothing could dampen my mood.

As I mentioned, things have been slow so there weren’t too many birds to see during the drive down, but a Turkey Vulture did oblige, swooping in front of my car and finding a perch not far from the road.

Their unmistakable bare red faces have been designed by nature to help these big birds stay clean. They feed on carrion, so facial feathers could trap tiny bits of germ-laden meat against their skin. Unfortunately this has left them with a face that only another Turkey Vulture could love.

When I reached Prince Edward Point, I was greated by a Northern Rough-winged Swallow perched on a telephone wire.

A nice start!

There were quite a few other types of swallows flying around too: Tree Swallows, Cliff Swallows, and here’s a shot of a Barn Swallow that was perched on a wire near the banding station.

Isn’t that a beauty!

As I walked into the woods behind the banding station, I heard a familiar song. It was a House Wren. It was perched high in a tree and making some very energetic use of its vocal cords. The area was sheltered from the wind so I was able to get a very clear recording of this great little bird.

There were several other birders at the park yesterday, including my friends Jeff, Michelle, and John. We joined up at the Traverse Woods to hunt for warblers, and to see what might be out on the bay.

Unfortunately, the only warbler I saw yesterday was the Yellow-rumped. Here’s a photo.

I was discouraged by the sparse number of warblers, but there were Golden-crowned Kinglets, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Flickers, Brown Creepers,  and this Blue-headed Vireo (formerly known as a Solitary Vireo).

This was my favourite shot of the day!

On the waters of the bay were Long-tailed Ducks, Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, and Buffleheads.

On shore nearby I also spotted some Brown-headed Cowbirds.

These birds are always so photogenic! Not well liked, but easy to photograph.

At the end of the morning when I took stock of everything I’d seen and shot, I had to concede that I had had a good time and this “slow day” had been great!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com