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It is finally here. May is, without a doubt, my favourite time of year to be a naturalist in Ontario. Signs of life are everywhere, but the main draw for me is the rush of bird migration. The spring of 2021 has turned out much differently than I had planned. Originally, I was scheduled to spend much of the month on Pelee Island, in the Point Pelee area, and in Prince Edward County leading bird tours, with plenty of time built into my schedule for some non-tour birding (and mothing!) as well.  Carolina Wren - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County But, like just about every other plan that I have made in the last fifteen months, it fell through. The timing of Ontario's latest lockdown has coincided exactly with the peak of spring bird migration, and I haven't been able to lead any tours due to the current restrictions in place. Unfortunately, Point Pelee is not in the cards for me this spring as I have been staying closer to home. Laura and I are currently residing in Fonthill, located in about the exact middle of the Niagara Peninsula, and great birding areas can be found just a short drive away.  Black-throated Blue Warbler - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County One of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is that many people are taking advantages of parks and other green spaces, since indoor recreational activities are off limits for now. Here in Niagara Region we have a scarcity of parks and forests. This is not a problem limited to Niagara, but something that afflicts all of southwestern Ontario. The few natural areas and green spaces that remain in Niagara are almost always jammed full of people these days. The Port Weller east pier, a longtime favourite birding location of mine, is so overrun with people on most days that I do not even bother birding it (unless there is rain in the forecast, clearing out the place). Many of my other favourite migration hotspots in Niagara are experiencing the same problem. As a result, I have been birding predominately at Rock Point Provincial Park in Haldimand County, a short thirty minute drive away, to great success. The population density in Haldimand is less than Niagara and I seem to run into fewer people over there. Of course, the birding has been fantastic and I haven't missed my Niagara spots like I thought I might.  Common Grackle - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County I have left my camera behind on some of my walks at Rock Point but on a couple of occasions I have snapped some photos. A big highlight on May 2 was this crisp Hooded Warbler that Laura and I found in some shrubbery behind one of the campsites. While Hooded Warbler numbers have been steadily increasing in southwestern Ontario, it still provides a jolt of excitement when one is found during migration. Luckily, the Hooded Warbler hung around for another day which allowed some other birders (including my friends Mike and Terri) to see it as well.  Hooded Warbler - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County The following day, May 4, was the birdiest day that I have experienced this spring (so far). Rock Point produced over 90 species including nineteen warblers, which was on par with all of Point Pelee that day. Highlights for me included Golden-winged, Brewster's, the continuing Hooded, and an early Canada Warbler. I found an Evening Grosbeak just outside of the park and I enjoyed sifting through good numbers of birds all throughout the campground.  Brewster's Warbler - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County  Evening Grosbeak - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County The weather over the last week has been pretty dismal for bird migration. Temperatures well below the seasonal norms combined with northwest winds do not create a good recipe for bird migration. That being said, it IS May and every day brings surprises, though you have to work hard for them.  Chestnut-sided Warbler - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County One of the most exciting bird finds I have had this spring occurred on May 8. The warblering had been a little slow at Rock Point (though the Golden-winged was still present) and so I fetched my scope and enjoyed a prolonged lakewatch from the wooden lookout platform. At one point I picked up two loons in my scope heading directly towards me from the lake. One loon looked smaller than the other, piquing my interest. Common Loon is, well, common during migration along the Haldimand County lakeshore. Red-throated Loon, the other regular species we have in southern Ontario, is surprisingly scarce in Haldimand. The loons kept approaching and the small one wasn't giving me Red-throated vibes at all. It was rather stocky and it did not fly with the characteristic head-bobbing flight of a Red-throated. I had suspicions that it may be a Pacific Loon; these suspicions were confirmed as the loons approached closer. Eventually when they were perhaps 200-300 m from shore, they turned to the right and continued eastward. When viewed broad-side, the silvery white nape of the Pacific Loon glistened in the sunlight, providing surprisingly good views given the moderate distance.  Rusty Blackbird - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County Another rare bird highlight from near Rock Point this spring was the presence of a flock of Glossy Ibises. These nine birds were first found by Sheri Lewis late in the afternoon of May 5, then seen a little while later flying towards the Grand River by another observer. Despite several people looking, they were not found again that day, nor were they seen during the morning of May 6. Following a few hours of birding at Rock Point with Laura on May 6, we drove past the field where Sheri had found the ibises the day before. As we approached the spot, a group of distinctive birds flapped across the field. They settled alongside a muddy puddle as I brought the car to a stop. The ibises! We counted seven of them and marvelled at our luck.  Glossy Ibises - Stromness, Haldimand County This was the first time that I had observed more than one Glossy Ibis at a time in Ontario, and it was a new Ontario species for Laura. The birds were not far off the road, allowing great scope views. The only problem was that heat haze obscured the birds. Glossy and White-faced Ibises can be surprisingly tricky to differentiate at times, but adults in their breeding finery are relatively straightforward. The bluish facial skin with a thin white outline, as well as darker legs, points to these birds being Glossy. The ibises remained in the general area for another 24 hours, delighting many of the birders who drove down to see them.  Glossy Ibises - Stromness, Haldimand County As I write this on May 11, a break in the poor weather is on its way and we should be inundated with a new surge of migrant birds soon. I am looking forward to more birding at Rock Point since there are a lot of birds still to come!  Gray Catbird - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County
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The Hamilton Study Area is a circle with a radius of 25 miles (~40.2 km) that is centred on Dundurn Castle in Hamilton, Ontario. It is the official area of study for the Hamilton Naturalists Club, and many local birders keep an HSA list. For some, this is their most revered bird list. For me, it is a few rungs lower (following my World List, Canada List, Ontario List, World Photographed List, Ontario Photographed List, and a few others), but I always jump at the chance to add a new species to my HSA list. I grew up in south Cambridge, which is situated within the western boundary of the HSA. My formative years as a birder took place predominately in the HSA; not only in south Cambridge, but also in south Guelph where I attended university. In the years since, I have lived elsewhere, though the HSA has always been just a short drive away. In recent weeks the HSA has produced several fantastic rare birds; the crown jewel being the Yellow-browed Warbler (Canada's 2nd ever record), but more on that bird in a minute. All told, I have added three species to my HSA list recently, bringing it up to 309. A good start.  California Gull (foreground) - Brantford, Brant County As the calendar flipped over to April, the warm spring weather continued unabated. On April 5 Laura and I, along with my parents, visited a beautiful natural area close to where they live in Cambridge. It was my first visit to this particular forest this spring and I was hoping to observe some Northern Ribbonsnakes. I have visited this particular site several hundred times over the years and I never tire of the ribbonsnakes!  Coltsfoot - Waterloo Region The air temperature was noticeably cooler than the previous few days, meaning that the reptiles were a little slow to get going. Regardless, we enjoyed the sights and sounds, such as this pair of vocal Sandhill Cranes. What a prehistoric sound they can create.  Sandhill Cranes - Waterloo Region We scared up several small moths during our walk. The vast majority were a species of tortricid moth that I have identified as Pseudexentera sepia. You may recall this genus of moth from my most recent blog post. A few other moths from this genus were noted as well, including P. virginiana and P. spoliana.  Pseudexentera sepia - Waterloo Region  Pseudexentera virginiana - Waterloo Region Even with the sun barely peeking through the clouds and the temperature holding steady around 10 degrees Celsius, we soon found a number of Northern Ribbonsnakes as well as several Eastern Gartersnakes. This is the only site that I have visited in southern Ontario where the ribbons typically outnumber the garters.  Northern Ribbonsnake - Waterloo Region  Eastern Gartersnake - Waterloo Region  Northern Ribbonsnake - Waterloo Region This big female Eastern Gartersnake was quite attractive, with bold orange accents. If only I had a better angle for photos.  Eastern Gartersnake - Waterloo Region On a few occasions, I have gone looking for wildflowers, insects, birds and whatever else I could find in the Point Abino area, which is located between Fort Erie and Port Colborne. The early spring wildflower show is pretty incredible at this location; a treat for the winter-weary senses.  Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) - Point Abino, Niagara Region  Early Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum giganteum) - Point Abino, Niagara Region  Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) - Point Abino, Niagara Region  Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) - Point Abino, Niagara Region  Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)- Point Abino, Niagara Region  Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) - Point Abino, Niagara Region  Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) - Point Abino, Niagara Region During one of these visits I stopped and watched a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker for a while. It had drilled several fresh wells on the trunk of a Red Maple. The sap was running, and the woodpecker was taking full advantage of this ample food source. Sapsuckers will - you guessed it - drink the sap, but they will also obtain a protein boost from any small invertebrate that happens to get trapped in the sap.  Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Point Abino, Niagara Region  Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Point Abino, Niagara Region On April 14 I visited Rock Point Provincial Park during a glorious spring morning. The winds were very light upon my arrival and the park was full of migrant bird species. My highlight was a flyover Evening Grosbeak; presumably, it was a returning bird after the super-flight last autumn. I also lucked into a male Surf Scoter while I was scoping the waterfowl offshore. It can be a tricky bird to see in the county. I tried to turn one of the many Horned Grebes into an Eared Grebe, though I was unsuccessful in that venture. Common Loons were busy migrating high in the sky; they were all a little too high up for good photos.  Common Loon - Rock Point Provincial Park, Haldimand County Late in the afternoon on April 15, Reuben and Matthew Klassen discovered a big-time rarity in Niagara Region - a Little Blue Heron - which they had discovered along the Niagara River north of Fort Erie. This species had only been documented on three previous occasions in the county. Word did not get out to the birding community until that evening, but, needless to say, there were lots of eager birders hoping to see the bird the next day. Early in the morning Jean Hampson and Bob Highcock re-discovered the heron in the same area - along Miller's Creek - and so I raced over to check it out. It was out of sight upon my arrival but soon appeared, delighting the onlookers present. It settled in next to some Great Egrets and proceeded to rest for a few minutes, allowing its photo to be taken.  Little Blue Heron - Miller's Creek, Fort Erie, Niagara Region  Little Blue Heron - Miller's Creek, Fort Erie, Niagara Region  Little Blue Heron - Miller's Creek, Fort Erie, Niagara Region The heron's stay was short-lived as it quickly took to the wing and flew past us, eventually disappearing downriver somewhere. The lighting was terrible for the fly-by, so this was the best that I could manage.  Little Blue Heron - Miller's Creek, Fort Erie, Niagara Region Fortunately for those arriving later, the heron remained in the area and was seen on-and-off throughout the rest of the day. I, meanwhile, continued on to Port Weller where I enjoyed an excellent walk up the east pier. I was hoping that the damp, overcast weather would help limit the numbers of people walking along the pier, and fortunately, it did.  American Wigeon - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region  Red-breasted Mergansers - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region Love was in the air, if you were a Red-breasted Merganser. The males were trying their hardest to impress the females, bobbing and weaving while calling to them. For the most part, the females looked unimpressed.  Red-breasted Mergansers - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region The Fox Sparrow is a species that I have had a bit of trouble with recently in southern Ontario. Last year I did not observe my first until late in December, and, prior to this day, I had only encountered two individuals this spring (both were heard-only). Finally, I caught up to a handsome individual which had caught my attention with its "smack" calls from the undergrowth. Fox Sparrows can be quite skulky but this one hopped out into the open.  Fox Sparrow - Port Weller east pier, Niagara Region My last post covered some of my mothing excursions from early this spring. I have been getting out during the day as well, and have taken my camera with me some of the time. Below are some of the diurnal spring highlights so far from the second half of March.  Barred Owl - Amherst Island, Lennox and Addington County Early spring is one of my favourite times of the year to be a naturalist. Winter in Canada is far too long for my liking and naturalizing opportunities are few and far between. There is only so much winter birding I can do, and identifying frozen mosses or undertaking winter plant ID only holds my interest for so long. As the snow recedes and the temperatures warm up, migrant birds appear - first waterfowl and Horned Larks, then waves of robins, blackbirds and Killdeers, and eventually the kinglets, creepers, and sparrows in early April. Observing each "first of year" species brings a smile to one's face, while also providing a reminder of the waves of migration still to come. Observing the phenomenon of bird migration really gets my blood pumping!  Brown Creeper - Port Weller East Pier, Niagara Region The title of this post may seem strange, given the beautiful spring weather that has arrived in Ontario in recent days. But even as southern Ontario sees temperatures soaring to the high teens, with frogs singing and migrant birds arriving by the minute, it was not that long ago that I was surrounded by cold, crisp weather in northern Ontario. Winter held the landscape firmly in its icy grip, and signs of spring were quite difficult to locate. Even the migrant American Crows had not made it this far north.  Like many naturalists that reside in northern climes, I become somewhat restless as late winter drags on with spring just around the corner. I constantly review the weather forecast and I frequently look for any sign of spring that I can find - whether it is the first songs of House Finches and Northern Cardinals on a sunny February morning, or discovering a few crisp Northern Pintails, surely spring migrants, resting in a flooded field. Perhaps it is the first crocuses poking through the earth in a sheltered, sunny corner of a garden in my neighbourhood. Each day grows progressively longer (today is 2 minutes and 57 seconds longer than yesterday!) and new signs of spring become easier and easier to find.  Cackling Geese (and one Canada Goose) - some early spring migrants in Haldimand County June 15 - Balsam Lake, City of Kawartha Lakes June 16 - Innisfil area, Simcoe County June 17 - Bala area, Muskoka District June 18 - From Bala to Elk Lake, Timiskaming District June 19 - Elk Lake to Fraserdale June 20 - Boreal Butterflies and Woodpeckers of Fraserdale June 21 - Smooth Rock Falls to Hearst Birding, Matachewan Mothing June 22 - Matachewan to Hilliardton Marsh June 23 - Purplish Coppers in Parry Sound District I set up my moth light and sheet at an observation platform overlooking one of the wetland cells at Hilliardton Marsh. Since this was my first year of regular mothing excursions, a lot of what I was attempting was trial and error. This evening I did not find very much at all, despite the warm temperatures and calm conditions. Perhaps the area was just too open, and maybe my moth light only pulls in species from a small radius. Moths found in the forests and scrubby areas surrounding the wetlands likely would not venture out into the open marsh. That being said, tens of thousands of insects visited the sheet, but over 99% of them were recently hatched leafhopper nymphs from the genus Macrosteles. It was quite the spectacle!  Leafhopper nymphs (Macrosteles sp.) - Hilliardton Marsh, Timiskaming District June 15 - Balsam Lake, City of Kawartha Lakes June 16 - Innisfil area, Simcoe County June 17 - Bala area, Muskoka District June 18 - From Bala to Elk Lake, Timiskaming District June 19 - Elk Lake to Fraserdale June 20 - Boreal Butterflies and Woodpeckers of Fraserdale June 21 - Smooth Rock Falls to Hearst Birding, Matachewan Mothing June 22 - Matachewan to Hilliardton Marsh June 23 - Purplish Coppers in Parry Sound District The sun pierced through the low branches of the trees by the time that I awoke the following morning. It had been a late night of mothing! I was still shaking off the cobwebs that was created by the lack of a sufficient sleep when I peered out of my car's window and noticed an odd shape. It took a second but I quickly realized that the object of my gaze was, in fact, a pair of Luna Moths. They were preoccupied with each other, to say the least.  Luna Moths (Actias luna) - Matachewan, Timiskaming District June 15 - Balsam Lake, City of Kawartha Lakes June 16 - Innisfil area, Simcoe County June 17 - Bala area, Muskoka District June 18 - From Bala to Elk Lake, Timiskaming District June 19 - Elk Lake to Fraserdale June 20 - Boreal Butterflies and Woodpeckers of Fraserdale June 21 - Smooth Rock Falls to Hearst Birding, Matachewan Mothing June 22 - Matachewan to Hilliardton Marsh June 23 - Purplish Coppers in Parry Sound District I enjoyed a sleep in at the Moose Motel and spent some time catching up on emails, editing photos, and researching for the upcoming days. By late morning I left the motel and continued west. Today would mostly be a birding day along Highway 11, between Smooth Rock Falls and Hearst. Like many other birders, I keep more than a few lists. County-listing has become an interest of mine pretty much since I began birding, and Cochrane District is one of my "better" county lists. Over the years I have embarked on five rarity-filled expeditions to the coast of James Bay, several shorter autumn forays to Moosonee, and numerous trips during the spring and summer to complete breeding bird surveys for employers, so my Cochrane District list is one of the higher ones (behind Doug McRae and Alan Wormington, and possibly a few others). However, my Cochrane list still had several few holes that needed filling. Most of these are breeding species that reach the northern extent of their range in the southern part of the district - species like Bobolink, Virginia Rail, Black-billed Cuckoo and Pine Warbler.
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