May 20, 2013
Well, it is officially over for another year! It seemed like forever to arrive, and then it went past in a heartbeat.

Oh well. now all I have to look forward to for the next 51 weeks is more birding and photography! Ha ha! Seriously, this is the most amazing hobby and I am so thankful that it found me!

Now about yesterday
Of course, nothing went as planned. The weather forecast was completely upside down, I didn’t dress for the cool temps or prepare for the inclement weather – and the birds were scarce. But you know what? – I still had a Great Time!!

I started the morning early, in the Traverse Woods. The sky was heavy and dull, and the usual cacophony of bird sounds was reduced to a few scattered calls. The threat of rain obliged me to leave my 400mm lens in the car. So I took my 60D with a 55-250mm lens in a holster bag, and slung a pair of binoculars around my neck. I didn’t know what to expect.

The good news? Well, the first bird I saw was my favourite warbler – the Common Yellowthroat, and right beside him was this beauty!

It’s a Magnolia Warbler – one of the most beautiful members of my favourite family of beautiful birds! Did I mention I love warblers!
(click on pictures to enlarge them, then use the ‘back’ button to return to the blog)

The most common warbler (maybe the most common bird) in the Traverse Woods each year at this time, is the Yellow-rumped Warbler. It is one of the first to arrive, it is one of the few that nests here, and it is one of the most beautiful. It is also one of the most cursed by birders who are attempting to find some of the more rare warblers. Sometimes it seems like every bird you spot is “another Yellow-rumped.”
As a result, most bird photographers (including me) do not give it its due. This year I swore I would try to get at least one good shot of this ubiquitous bird. I still don’t know if I gave it the attention it deserves, but here’s my best effort for 2013.

After a couple of hours in the woods, I drove over to Traverse Lane and walked around to the lighthouse. There was some good activity, including lots of these Yellow Warblers.

I didn’t see any rare birds yesterday, but I did add a Blackpoll Warbler to my list (that made 14 different warblers on the day) to bring my total for this year to 23.

My final encounter of the day (and the week) was this American Redstart. He was happily singing and hopping from branch to branch – generally in my direction, and he didn’t seem to mind the strange creature standing in the road with a metal and glass contraption stuck to its face. And so I was able to get this image.

Even on a bad day, seeing a Blackpoll Warbler, getting this shot of an American Redstart, and just generally enjoying all the natural beauty of Prince Edward Point made for a splendid end to a fabulous week of birding!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

May 18, 2013
Hi everyone! I’m so sorry for not having posted more often this week. I have been selfishly spending all my spare time birding!

As it turned out, things at Prince Edward Point were slow on Monday and Tuesday, and I skipped Wednesday because of the weather, but the birding finally started to heat up on Thursday morning!! It was like last year all over again. The birds were dripping from the trees, the woods were full of the sounds of a myriad of warblers, vireos, and other Spring migrants. I was in paradise again!

The early part of the week featured a strong cold wind from the west which must have slowed down the migration. I found the best spot in the park was over by the lighthouse where there were more than the usual numbers of warblers, warbling vireos, as well as a beautiful pair of male Indigo Buntings. Here’s a shot of one of those blue beauties.

(you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, then use the ‘back’ button to return to the blog)

The windy conditions made the waters of Prince Edward Bay very choppy, but it didn’t stop the scoters from feeding near shore. Here’s a photo I took of a male White-winged Scoter.

I also captured a video of a pair of Surf Scoters.

Now for the warbler part of the story!
Thursday morning was fantastic! The sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze, and everywhere you looked… warblers!

This handsome fellow is a Chestnut-sided Warbler – one of 18 different types of warblers that I saw that day. I was getting a sore neck (as most birders do this time of year) from the irresistible urge to constantly be looking up into the trees.

I bumped into Terry Sprague (naturestuff.net) and he mentioned that he’d been seeing lots of Ovenbirds. The Ovenbird is a ground walking warbler, so with my nose always pointing up to the sky, I hadn’t seen any. I changed my posture and within two minutes this is what I found.

Isn’t he/she a beauty? Thanks, Terry!

On the day, I saw several rare warblers. When I first arrived at around 7:30, I was very lucky to see a Mourning Warbler at the east end of the Point Traverse Woods. Later I added a Wilson’s Warbler, a Blue-winged Warbler, and this Canada Warbler.

I took this picture near the bluff in the Traverse Woods where I often photograph waterfowl.

Along with the warblers, there are a number of other birds that are sought after because of their spectacular colours. These include the Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and the Scarlet Tanager.

There have not been as many of these gorgeous tanagers this year so far. I remember last year seeing bushes with several of the red males and yellow females all at the same time. Perhaps this weekend some more will arrive, and we’ll be treated to some of those spectacular images again.

Yesterday, the weather was also fantastic and the birding in the early morning was unmatched. I didn’t see as many of the rarer birds, but I had loads of fun photographing all the rest. Here’s a shot of a Black-and-White Warbler – a bird that behaves very much like a nuthatch, scurrying up and down the tree trunks. I was lucky enough to get this one perching on an open branch

Finishing up my day yesterday, I stopped briefly just inside the park’s entrance and got this last shot.

This is a Palm Warbler. It can be identified by its bright yellow eyebrow, rufous crown, streaking on the side of its breast, and the yellow under the tail. It was a great way to end a great couple of days.

I expect to make one more trip to the Point this week – on Sunday. I’m hoping to add a few more warblers to my list of those I’ve seen this year, but whatever happens I know I will have a great time!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

May 12, 2013
Yippee! Finally! The best week of the year has arrived!
It’s the Prince Edward Point Birding Festival (affectionately known as “Warbler Week”)!

It’s a celebration of the Spring bird migration – an opportunity to see more birds than at any other time of the year – and they’re in their best Spring colours!

For 10 days (from Saturday May 11 through Monday May 20) Prince Edward Point becomes birding heaven! And I am planning to be there every day!

Despite some miserable weather this weekend, I have already seen 17 different warblers, and I’ve managed to get a few good photos. Here are six of my best so far:

(click on the picture to enlarge it, then use the ‘back’ button to return to the blog)
This is a Cape May Warbler that I captured yesterday just inside the entrance to the park.

Here’s a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher that I got today just as I entered the Traverse Woods.

He was super cooperative, but so active that I was still very challenged to get him in a good pose.

Nearby the gnatcatcher, I spotted a female Red-winged Blackbird on a nice perch. Many people pass on this common bird, but I think they are quite striking.

As you can see, the female looks quite different from her male counterpart.

As I left the woods to take a walk to the lighthouse, I spotted this Northern Rough-winged Swallow. I see them most often perched on telephone wires, so with it sitting on such a nice perch, I just had to take its picture.

Over by the lighthouse, I stumbled onto this Eastern Kingbird sitting on an open tree stump right in front of the water.

This turned out to be my favourite shot so far this week – and it’s not even a warbler!

At about 11:00 o’clock the clouds started to roll in, and I could sense that rain was imminent. I turned on my heel and headed for the car. All of a sudden, I heard my favourite warbler, the Common Yellowthroat – so I had to take this one last shot before I left.

I’ll be adding photos to my blog every couple of days, and keeping you up to date on all I see this week at Prince Edward Point.
I hope you enjoy the stories and photos, but more than that I hope it inspires you to visit this spectacular birding spot yourself.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

May 9, 2013
As most of you know, I was at Algonquin Park last weekend to photograph the Moose. (My previous post contains a video and photos of lots of Bullwinkle’s Canadian cousins!)

Anyway, while I was at the park I had to, of course, take some pictures of the birds.
I arrived at Algonquin around noon on Friday, and made my way over to the Opeongo Lake road. As I was driving up the narrow roadway that leads to the lake I came across a pair of Gray Jays. They are the Algonquin equivalent of Chickadees – very friendly, and displaying a lot of personality. I was very excited! I stopped my car (even though there was no shoulder) got out and spent some time enjoying these entertaining birds. Here’s one of the shots from that first encounter.

(you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, then use the ‘back’ button to return to the blog)
Although these friendly Jays act a lot like Chickadees, they are actually a much larger bird – about the same size as a Blue Jay.

I spent the weekend driving all over Algonquin, and whether I saw a Moose or some interesting birds or nothing at all, there was one thing that was inescapable - Algonquin has breathtaking scenery! I was very lucky to have had superb weather while I was at the park – sunny and almost no wind. Most of the time the lake water was a liquid mirror. Here’s a shot of a Hooded Merganser that shows what I mean.

Here’s a similar shot, this time of a Common Merganser.

You can literally lose track of time standing and staring at the endless beauty of the place. On some of the larger ponds where the sky is perfectly reflected in the water, you actually get a feeling of vertigo, as if you could fall into infinity. There is no doubt, Algonquin is a perfect place to rediscover your connection with the natural world.

On Saturday, I returned again to Opeongo Lake Road, and found this Spruce Grouse walking along the roadside.

Also known as the Canada Grouse, this ground dwelling bird actually prefers to walk rather than fly – although this one took to the air as soon as he saw me – but that’s ok.  It was the first time I have ever gotten a photo of one. So I was more than happy just to have had that brief opportunity!

My final day at the park started very early. There was mist rising off the shallow waters along highway 60, and the rising sun split the branches of the tall trees with shafts of light as I drove slowly towards the entrance to the park, enjoying all the wonderful images that surrounded me. As I approached the gate, I spotted a Raven, so I pulled over and raised my camera to get a few shots – but the large black bird was suddenly upstaged by this youngster.

Isn’t he a cutie! He walked right up to the side of my car and sat down as if waiting for another tourist to throw him some food. I did not, but I did capture his likeness. When I looked back for the Raven, it had gone. A fair price to pay for the chance to photograph this fox.

My final bird shot of the weekend – back on Opeongo Lake Road, was of this Gray Jay.

It seemed fitting to end the trip with the same bird that I began with.

In case it wasn’t completely apparent…  I had a fabulous time at Algonquin!!
I highly recommend taking a trip there yourself, so you too can enjoy all its splendour.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

May 6, 2013
This weekend was a real departure for me. Instead of chasing birds, I packed my bags and drove up to Algonquin Park to photograph Moose!

I had been planning this trip since July of last year when our vacation took us through Algonquin Park. I stopped at the Visitors Centre and asked when would be the best time to get some pictures of moose. I discovered that these big animals love to lick up the road salt that washes off highway 60 (the main road through Algonquin) in the Spring. Many of the large animals can be seen in May at the roadside puddles and ponds. I was cautioned to come to Algonquin very early in May before the mosquitoes make everyone’s life unbearable. So I followed that advice, and was rewarded with 30 moose sightings!

This is what you can expect to see quite often as you drive through Algonquin in early May.
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Right from the very first Moose I saw, I was captivated. These animals are magnificent and majestic – and despite their rough appearance this time of year, they were still beautiful to behold. These big animals are the target of thousands of ticks, and the damage you see to their fur is a result of the Moose trying to rub and scratch the ticks away.

Here’s a close-up of one of the male Moose. Notice the budding antlers. Each winter the males lose their huge antlers and regrow them again each Spring.

This weekend, I learned a lot about Moose viewing. For instance, a car parked on highway 60 inside Algonquin is called a “PMS”. That stands for Possible Moose Sighting!
It’s true. This time of year the easiest way to find a moose is to look for a parked car (or more usually, several parked cars and a crowd of shutter bugs). If you did find a PMS, here’s what you might see.

I did a little research before going on my trip, and all the sources I read said:
“Don’t walk toward a moose if you can avoid it; try to remain at least 50 feet away”.
Well you can’t tell that to the tourists. When a moose is spotted, the cars pull over, the people jump out, walk straight towards the animal and start taking snapshots. I saw many people directly in front of the moose, within 15 feet! Yikes!

Most of the time the Moose were by themselves, but occasionally I would see two or three at a time.

Needless to say, I had an unforgettable time. It really couldn’t have been better. I’ll leave you with one more photo from the trip.

I captured this big fellow (moose #30) just before I left to go home. He was a terrific final subject, and a wonderful send off.

Later this week I’ll be posting the bird pictures I took at Algonquin – yes, of course, I photographed birds while I was there! How could I resist.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

April 28, 2013
I’ve got a lot of photos and videos to share with you from my trip to Prince Edward Point today, so I’ll try to keep the verbiage in this post to a minimum – although that’ll be tough for me.

I actually got a bit of a late start this morning, but I was in a super mood! The sun was blazing and there was very little breeze, so my expectations were high. The trip down to the Point featured a series of familiar sights: a Red-tailed Hawk perched on a wire along Highway 62, a Killdeer crossing Schoharie Road just above the traffic circle, an Osprey sitting on its nest in Milford, Swans on South Bay, and dozens of Common and Red-breasted Mergansers just off shore in the waters along Long Point Road.

As I reached the park, I spotted two Northern Rough-winged Swallows sitting in a tree near the shore. They sat patiently as I pulled over, got out of my car, and took this shot.

I think these are definitely the cutest of the Swallow family.
(clicking on any picture will enlarge it, then use the `back`button to return to the blog)

My first stop inside the park was Traverse Lane. It leads around the harbour and over to the Lighthouse. I had heard that a Northern Mockingbird had been seen there yesterday, and I was hoping it might still be around. It was! Here`s a short video of its intricate combination of mimicked calls. If you watch closely, you can almost see the bird thinking, `what will I sing next?`:)

The next part of my morning was spent in the Traverse Woods. Right at the trailhead I heard a familiar call from a nearby tree. It was a male Eastern Towhee.

Isn’t he a beauty!
Here’s a short video of him singing.

As I left the towhee behind and made my way to the bluff that overlooks Prince Edward Bay, I was joined by half a dozen Turkey Vultures. They flew overhead and then landed in some trees just a hundred or so feet up the trail. Here’s a shot of one of these handsome (in a way that only their mother could love) birds.

The waters of the bay were alive with ducks in various courtship and feeding behaviours. There were Long-tailed Ducks, Mergansers, Bufflehead, Cormorants, and White-winged Scoters. I caught one of the female scoters in flight.

As I walked through the woods I saw a variety of sparrows, warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and the occasional Brown Thrasher.

My final stop of the morning was at the small parking area just inside the park’s entrance. I wanted to get some close-up shots of the mergansers in the shallow water, and knowing how skittish they can be, I got on my belly and crawled to the edge of the bluff so they wouldn’t see me coming. I know it sounds a bit excessive, but here are the results.

This is a male Red-breasted Merganser.
And here is a female Common Merganser.

While I was laying on the ground focusing on the ducks, a bee must have crawled inside my shirt. While driving home, I suddenly felt a sharp stinging in the middle of my back. I thought it was probably a thorn or something that had fallen inside my shirt, but when I got home I saw the bee on the seat next to me. When Elaine took a look, sure enough I had been stung. A small price to pay though, for an exceptional morning of birding!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

April 21, 2013
Well things are really starting to heat up at Prince Edward Point! Yay!

It was still fairly cold this morning, but it was also irresistibly sunny. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning. Once my eyes opened, I couldn’t get back to sleep. All I could think about was the one giant unwrapped gift under my Springtime Christmas tree – and that gift was Prince Edward Point. All I had to do was drive one hour south to see what was inside!

When I entered the park, I drove all the way to the end of the main road to the harbour, where to my delight I saw the far end of the pier blanketed with Swallows.

There were Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, plus a few Northern Rough-winged.
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I parked my car, and made my way to the end of the slip. The mud flats were vacant, but the still water of the harbour hosted Mallards, Buffleheads, Mergansers, and Goldeneyes. I stood quietly in the bushes near the water’s edge and listened to the wonderful sounds that filled the air around me. There was a Ruffed Grouse ‘drumming’ in the thick brush to the south. A Song Sparrow was singing, and I could hear some Kinglets – about 50 feet behind me. Suddenly from the top of a tall tree came the incredible vocalizing of a Brown Thrasher. As soon as I heard it, I grabbed my SX40 and made this video.

I returned to my car, and that’s where I saw my first warbler of the season. Just to the left of where I had parked I spotted a Pine Warbler. I got one very poor photo of it, so I won’t share that, but I will share this shot of a Red Fox that I took on my way to the Traverse Woods.

It is such a treat whenever I have an encounter with one of these gorgeous animals. They present no threat, and make a wonderful change from my usual fare of feathered subjects.

Along with the numerous Kinglets and Chickadees, there were also a number of Brown Creepers. This was my first photo from the woods.

A short distance up the trail I saw the “best” bird of the day – A Blue-headed Vireo!

This is not a rare bird, but it is one that I didn’t expect to see – so that’s what made it “best”.

I reached the end of the trail and started to make my way back up the road to where I had parked. I spotted what I thought was a Dark-eyed Junco in a tree to my right, but to my delight it turned out to be a female Eastern Towhee!

Isn’t she a beauty! And another first for the season for me!

What a great day I had today. It was all sunshine, feathered friends, and with lots of surprises – not too much different from Christmas, eh?
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

Framed (and unframed) photos by Garry and Elaine Kirsch are available at
Art For Everyone in Trenton

April 7, 2013
OK, raise your hands-  who’s had enough of this cold weather?
Me too!

Yesterday morning again I’m scraping the frost off my car windows, putting on the earmuffs, gloves, and thermal socks. Won’t it be nice when we can go outside in t-shirts and shorts? On a positive note though, it was sunny and not very windy, and I was on my way out to do some bird photography!

First stop, Presqu’ile Provincial Park. I wanted to checkout the action on and around Gull Island. I drove along the road just inside the park, and as I passed the entrance to Beach 2, I spotted a duck standing in a flooded field.

The body colours, shape, and black ‘saddle’ on the bill confirmed that this was a female Mallard. However, the head was not the typical buff colour. It was more of a pale grey, and the front of the bird’s neck was distinctly white. It could be that the duck was suffering from some pigment loss, or perhaps it was a hybrid of some kind.
(you can click on photos for a closer look, then use your ‘back’ button to return to the blog)

A short time later, I pulled into the parking area adjacent to the Owen Point trail, and started the long walk to the point. There are several lookouts along the way, and I couldn’t resist taking advantage of each one. The recently arrived Killdeers were skittering around the beach, and they were joined occasionally by the odd Song Sparrow – which by the way have the perfect camouflage for that setting. I took a few shots, but had a devil of a time trying to pick them out when they stood still on the dark weedy sand.

At the edge of the water were Northern Pintails and Green-winged Teals – but they were very shy. I got a couple of shots from distance, but they wouldn’t let me even reach the end of the lookout before taking off. Here’s a pair of the Northern Pintail.

Nearby to this beautiful pair was a male Green-winged Teal – a gorgeous bird in his own right.

On the balance of things, I’d have to say the Teals are more skittish than the Pintail. The ten or so that I saw would take to the air at the slightest provocation and then circle as a group continuously until they felt comfortable enough to touch down again on the water’s surface.

Eventually I reached Owen Point and this is what I saw…

Isn’t that amazing? The video can only give you a small taste of what it felt like to observe this incredible scene in person. Along with all the Ring-billed Gulls and Herring Gulls, I saw a Caspian Tern, a pair of Great Blue Herons (the male flying into a tall tree to feed his mate who was sitting on their nest), and in the distant trees there were many nesting Cormorants. It was simply breathtaking! If you have the opportunity, you should go and observe it for yourself. Please keep in mind though that from March 10 – Sept 10 you are not allowed to go beyond the roped-off area of Owen Point – so as not to disturb the nesting birds.

Once I finally dragged myself away from there, I visited the Calf Pasture where there were Long-tailed Ducks, Buffleheads, Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks (the males outnumbering the poor females 8 to 1) and lots of Tree Swallows swooping low over the water in search of insects. Along with the swans and geese, the waters of Presqu’ile Bay offered a wonderful mixture of interesting things to see.

On my way back to Belleville, I was fortunate enough to come across a male American  Kestrel – my favourite and most beautiful of the falcons. I couldn’t quite get him in perfect light. He had the eyesight of a falcon and a most reluctant disposition.
I do offer this one image though that shows at least the undeniable beauty of this tiny bird.

After such a great morning, it would be hard to believe that things could get better – but they did!

My final stop of the day was in Belleville, at Memorial Park on Station Street to see if the Osprey had returned to their nest on the east side of the Moira River. As I pulled into the small parking lot, I could see that the nest was empty. To my right though, I spotted two large birds atop a nearby telephone pole.

In typical fashion, the male (on the left) has presented his perspective mate with a fish. Not wanting to disturb the proceedings, I settled down under a nearby tree and waited for the female to finish her meal. She must have liked it, and deemed the male worthy, because she immediately flew to the nest with the male quickly following.

When they reached the nesting platform, there was a brief ‘marriage ceremony’ followed by both birds doing some housekeeping on the neglected nest. The male didn’t stick at that for long though, he took off (I imagine to find his Osprey buddies and do some bragging) while the female was left to do the bulk of the rebuilding. Typical!
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

Framed (and unframed) photos by Garry and Elaine Kirsch are available at
Art For Everyone in Trenton

March 31, 2013
Happy Easter, everyone!
I hope you’re all having a great weekend with your family and friends, enjoying some good food – and not too much chocolate!

Seeing as this is a family weekend, there was little time for any serious birding, but yesterday we did take a ride around Belleville and Prince Edward County – and I did manage to get a few pictures along the way.

First stop of the morning was just south of Rossmore, where this beautiful raptor was enjoying the early morning sun in a tall tree just west of the highway.

(you can click on the picture to enlarge it, then use the ‘back’ button to return to the blog)

This hawk actually let me get out of the car to take its photo, and I think it would have sat for as long as I wanted, but suddenly a very aggressive Red-winged Blackbird flew into the same tree. The hawk immediately took to the air and the blackbird immediately attacked it. The smaller bird dive-bombed the hawk several times as it fled the area. This time of year the Red-winged Blackbirds are very territorial. I have seen them attack swans, crows – I’ve even had them fly at me when I get too close to their nests.

Continuing on, we drove south through Cherry Valley towards the Sandbanks. As we traveled past one of the new subdivisions on CR18, I spotted a small bird on a wire.

It was the first Tree Swallow of the season for me, and I was thrilled!

Next stop was the Osprey platform just a mile or so down the road. Someone had spotted a fishhawk (Osprey) there the day before. Unfortunately the bird had “flown the coup”. On the day, we checked a half a dozen such platforms, but came up empty. We can’t complain though. We saw lots of great birds, and we even had a wonderful encounter with a young White-tailed Deer on the road that runs by the Sandbanks. The young deer burst out of the woods to our right, lept along side the car, then crossed in front of us and disappeared into the woods to our left. Its speed and beauty and the height of each jump was simply breathtaking!

To finish our morning, we stopped at Memorial Park on Station Street in Belleville. There was very little on the river, but there were Mallards and Canada Geese on the small pond. There were also several male Red-winged Blackbirds perched along the water’s edge.

In a distant tree, I spotted an unusual looking bird. It was a male Belted Kingfisher – another first of the season! I took its picture right away, because I know how skittish kingfishers are – and sure enough the moment I started walking towards it, it took off. This shot was heavily cropped, and so not the highest quality, but I just had to include it anyway.

We had just started walking back to the car when a small group of Canada Geese landed on the pond. They were honking like crazy as they approached, and continued to act very aggressively after splashing down. I got this shot of one of the interlopers making threatening gestures, honking, and showing how much it could bend its tongue – something that I’m sure must really scare other geese!

After watching the curious behaviour of the battling geese, we headed home. It had been a terrific morning, and it proved again that you don’t have to travel far to witness the beauty and wonder of nature.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

Framed (and unframed) photos by Garry and Elaine Kirsch are available at
Art For Everyone in Trenton

March 25, 2013
Wow, what a great weekend!

It was slow developing, and there were times when I thought there would never be enough birds around for this weekend to qualify as “great”. However, there was no denying the spectacular sunny conditions, warmer temps, and (eventually) even the birds started to appear!

It began on Saturday morning, early. I was heading for Prince Edward Point to meet Jeff. The sun was low in the eastern sky as I approached the Bay Bridge, and to my right there were a couple of small groups of Canada Geese flying north. The morning sun hit the large birds beautifully, turning their usual dark silhouettes into a brightly lit golden brown. In hindsight I probably should have stopped and tried to get some photos. The sight of these geese being lit so wonderfully by the morning sun gave my spirit a huge lift, which I quickly claimed as a good omen of things to come!

I arrived at Prince Edward Point just behind Jeff at approximately 8:00am. We were both thrilled to see the bay and harbour fully open and free of ice. Unfortunately there were very few ducks there taking advantage of it. We saw some White-winged Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, Buffleheads, a few Scaup and some Long-tailed Ducks – but there were only a handful of each. The following picture is of a male Long-tailed Duck that I took
from the south side of the harbour.

(Click on the images to enlarge them, then use your ‘back’ button to return to the blog)

I have to share with you the very sophisticated technique that Jeff and I employ to get pictures like the one above. First, when we spot some diving ducks close to shore, we sneak up and hide nearby. Then we wait until the ducks dive under the water, and then we make a mad dash for the shoreline to get as close as possible to where they might surface again. I am certain, in our boots and heavy clothing, carrying cameras, binoculars, and what not, we must look like the bird-photography equivalent of two keystone cops! But it actually works pretty well.

In the harbour near to the Long-tailed Ducks were three Lesser Scaup – or what appeared to be Lesser Scaup.

When I was processing this photo, I noticed that the bills of the female Scaup looked wrong.
They should look like this.
But as you can see they look very much like the bill of a Ring-necked Duck
I believe at least one of these female ducks is a ”Lesser Scaup/Ring-necked Duck” hybrid.

Before calling it a day, Jeff and I acknowledged that perhaps it was a little early in the season to be visiting Prince Edward Point, but there was no denying that the weather was spectacular, and we had a great time – and we did get a few good photos – so no regrets.

The next day… well the weather was even better!! So how could I resist going out again! So over to Presqu’ile I went.

I stopped briefly at the causeway just outside the park to get some shots of the swans. As I got out of my car I heard a high-pitched two-note call “fee-beee”. I looked up and saw a Black-capped Chickadee hopping around in the tree above me, calling with great gusto. Here’s a video in which you can hear the sound of his call.

Once I was finished shooting the chickadee, I turned my attention to the swans. There were several pairs sitting, stretching, and walking on the ice which covered the shallow water.

I love this unusual view of the Mute Swan. It looks to me like their feet give them good traction, which allows these top-heavy birds to walk with some assurance across the slippery surface of the ice.

Being just a week after the big Waterfowl Weekend, I was expecting to get some “easy” shots of the ducks in Presqu’ile Bay. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I checked the Lighthouse, the Calf Pasture, and the Govenment Dock – but all the ducks were too far away. Finally I found a small viewing area at the beginning of Bayshore Road. There was ice along the shore, extending outward about 30 feet, but along the edge of the ice was an active mix of Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, American Wigeon, Tundra Swans, and Mute Swans. Here’s a video of what it was like.

Here’s a shot I got of one of the American Wigeon.

Here’s a shot of a female Redhead, in-flight.

With the sun shining and the comfortable temperature and the spectacular show that was being put on by these ducks, I just couldn’t leave. I tried several times to go back to my car, and each time I couldn’t tear myself away. After a couple of hours I finally came to my senses and bid the ducks and swans farewell. It had been a most amazing experience – one that proved again that the beauty and complexity of nature cannot be matched.
Garry
www.birdingandmore.com
www.kirschphotography.com

Framed (and unframed) photos by Garry and Elaine Kirsch are available at
Art For Everyone in Trenton