Western Birds Go East!

I saw my second Golden-crowned Sparrow in the past few month.  This one appeared in a Waterloo County back yard.  Since it was a quick drive from my Brantford house, I decided to go for it.  Certainly I could see them in British Columbia this year, but I why not count it now, in my own “backyard” and not have to expend any time this summer looking for one?  Time is precious during a Big Year and you can’t get it back.  Any bird seen in January give you extra time in December to chase down more difficult birds.

Unlike photographs from the sparrow in Toronto on a cold and cloudy day, I finally had the sun at my back for these shots:

Nothing Says Big Year Birding Like a Delayed Flight

               “Here I sit, broken hearted, paid my airfare and haven’t yet departed.”

Having been through two North American Big Years, over 30 years traveling with the Toronto Blue Jays and numerous flight delays, I have tried to learn to accept this as part of the experience of traveling back and forth across the country.  It doesn’t make it any easier when there is a Boreal Owl waiting on the other end of the flight.  Well, I still have to pick up my luggage, Uber to the hotel where I parked my car, and drive to the conservation area before dark.  And hope a number of other unforeseen delays don’t crop up. 

It does seem, though, that the delays only occur when you’re getting antsy for a really good bird.  A Boreal Owl this far south, in the Niagara, Ontario region, is something to get excited about.  I may have other opportunities this year to get one, but that could take a day or two of travel and the possibility of missing a true rarity.

By the time I did get my luggage, it was delayed coming to the baggage belt too, after we seemed to wait an interminable amount of time to get off the plane, I was finally able to get to my car and drive to the conservation area where the owl had been seen.  Unfortunately, gale force winds had blown into southern Ontario and the rain was falling sideways and it was close enough to dark that it was unlikely any owl would even be visibly perched in a tree anyway.  So, after a long day of travel, and counting 6 Cedar Waxwings, as my only birds seen today, I headed home for the first time this year. 

I did get an early start, back to the conservation area, but alas, even with several birders searching, there was no Boreal Owl to see this day.  The good news is that I still saw owls.  Namely a Northern Saw-whet and Long-eared Owls.  And, finally, I had a nice sunny morning to take photos.

Long-eared Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

I eventually had to move on, so I headed out to Queenston to scope Black Vultures.  They sit across the river on a Church, along with Turkey Vultures.  I was able to scope them and see a couple of Black ones, but at that distance, didn’t get a good photo.  So, officially added them to my Canada List,(392), though I had seen a couple many years ago, but hadn’t put them on eBird.  

Next stop was Dufferin Islands in Niagara Falls.  Last year Ontario had an influx of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks.  I saw 16 in Port Dover last summer and afterward they kept showing up in other parts of Ontario.  This one has been at Dufferin Islands for a while now and I thought it best to count it for the year now, in case it leaves and no other whistling ducks show up the rest of the year.

January 3 and 4: One Gull of a Day, and One that had Me Hunting Spring Migrants in the Cold of Winter

It was a day for gulls, that’s for sure.  I had two target gulls and succeeded in finding one, plus a bunch of others, during my search.

1: Bonaparte’s 2: Ring-billed 3: Herring 4: Iceland 5: Little 6: Black-headed 

Missing was Common Gull.  Turned out it was the least common one of the day.  It used to be the Mew Gull, however the western North American population was split from the Eurasian eastern population.  The newly named Common Gull sticks to the northeast coast of North America and one has been seen on a semi-regular basis in a parking lot in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.  The Black-headed Gulls are more traditional and are on the ice in a waterway leading out to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  

I drove up there the previous evening, in pouring rain, and stayed in New Glasgow.  I was up early and driving around the different haunts for the Black-headed Gull and finally stopped at a spot over a bridge, where I could see lots of gulls hanging out.  There was a bit of a hill leading down to a little bridge.  I hit a dark patch of ice under the snow.  I went flat on my back, bashing my right elbow against the ice.  I saved my camera, most importantly, but I lay there terrified that I may not be able to get up.  Luckily, if in a bad way, I could have had my Apple Watch call for help.

For reference purposes, here is what it may have looked like, as portrayed by Jack Black in The Big Year:

Once I picked myself up and dusted off the snow and embarrassment, I started scanning for gulls. It turned out that the Black-headed Gulls couldn’t even be seen from the bridge just beyond where I fell.  There were plenty of Boneaparte’s and even a Little Gull that I saw long enough in flight to see its darker underwing.  And there were lots of ducks too.  But I had to walk down a slippery wooded trail to the next patch of open water covered in ice to really see the Black-headed Gulls, who don’t even have black heads.  During breeding season the “black” heads are dark brown but look black from a distance. In the winter they are white with a black spot.  They have reddish orange legs and a reddish beak tipped with black as distinguishing features.  I took my walking stick for this part of the path, and it opened up in to a spectacular view of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to which photos do not do justice.

But on the ice to my left, I was able to find a Black-headed Gull, as well as one in flight.  The first time I saw one was in December of my 2012 Big Year, even closer than this, but my last view was through a scope overlooking the Whirlpool Rapids in Niagara Falls.  These ones were close enough to see the required field marks, thank you very much and I gingerly made my way back to the car.

Black-headed Gulls, Winter Plumage, note the pink belly…cute:

 Boy, would I love just one sunny day, where I can crank up both the shutter speed and the F-stop!

This morning, on my final day here in Nova Scotia, I went on a trek further south for a couple of what are normally spring migration and summer birds.  The first, a Yellow-throated Warbler, was top of my list, as it’s not always guaranteed to be seen easily in Canada, even in migration.  It passes through parts of Canada from Lake Ontario to the east coast, but it could take a special trip to see it and since it was only an hour away, in the winter, of all times, I headed to Lunenburg and a suet feeder at a house with the single best Christmas decoration I have ever seen:

I stood outside the home on Union St for about 15 minutes, getting colder and colder, so I decided to sit in the car for a while and watch through my windshield and wait for it to come feed.  I doubt even two minutes went by when I saw a bird at the feeder.  I jumped out and quickly took a few photos before I saw it fly down and under the homeowners front porch.  Ah, that’s how it’s staying warm during a Nova Scotia Winter. This bird should be in Florida or even Mexico by now.  But getting it now, saves me a day chasing it somewhere in Canada this spring.

The next stop was for the Dickcissel.  It is a bit easier to find in summer in Ontario, but also can take a half day to find, unless it shows up at a feeder.  I didn’t get one in 2021 so it was good to get another bird that should have been in Mexico months ago.  I almost missed it, as it landed at the feeder on Montague St, almost thinking it was a goldfinch from a distance, since it flew off so fast and didn’t return.  Luckily I had photographic evidence to assure me I had the right bird!

I was still hoping for the Common Gull to make an appearance so I drove the two hours back to New Glasgow, through a white-out or two, and scanned both the parking lot and the frozen over river for a small gull with an all yellow beak.  I saw a variety of Herring Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls and even a Great-black Backed Gull, but by the time they were all chased off by some crows, not a sign of the Common Gull.  Here in North America, they really aren’t that common after all.

So, I will be flying back to Toronto tomorrow morning, and driving back to Brantford, where I will spend the next few days getting the typical southern Ontario winter birds and maybe some owls.  I have heard there was a Boreal Owl at a local conservation area, so I may spend an hour or two combing that park to see what I can see.  Though I did not build up a significant list here in Nova Scotia, I head home with 46 species, many of which were one stop shopping birds, that I will not have to give a second thought to the remaining 361 days this year.

January 2, Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse

It was a dark and foggy morning.  Snoopy was writing his great birding book... Sorry, I was up before the sun, heading to Peggy’s Cove to get a jump on more seabirds before the crowds arrived, not to mention an amazing brunch, though I didn’t know about the brunch at the time.  That’s the kind of surprise I like.  I took my time driving, staying in the slow lane, which did not impress the truck drivers, who had to flash their bright lights at me before passing, just so I knew who was boss of the road.  That’s okay.  I had no intention of driving off the road and causing myself bodily harm before the second day of the year even began, so I kept to the right and took my time.  On the way up, I counted my first Ring-necked Pheasant of the year, as it flew across the road, a few meters in front of my windshield just as it was light enough for me to see it and panic.  Glad the truck wasn’t behind me then, or that might have ended my year real quick.

Ring-necked Pheasant:

      

                                                       I took this one the previous day.

It was foggy before light and it was foggy after light.  I can’t say after sunrise, because I didn’t see the sun all day.  I arrived at the lighthouse at Peggy’s Cove before all but a few of the staff.  If you want to get a photo of the lighthouse, or a photo of your family in front of the lighthouse, get there very early.  I arrived at 8:30 and the facilities don’t open until 10.  I got my crowd-free fog enshrouded photo, since I couldn’t see any birds.  

I hung around the deck, greeted the guests as they arrived, and encouraged them to get their people-free lighthouse photos too.  A good time was had by all.  Finally the fog began to lift and the birds became visible, kind of.  It was like looking at them through a veil.  But I got to see Purple Sandpipers and Harlequin Ducks and even another Dovekie or two.  

                        Purple Sandpipers through the fog:

                         It can take 5 years for to see this many Purple Sandpipers in Toronto

                         Dovekies, one of the smallest Alcids:

By then it was time for lunch.  Where to go?  I went into the gift shop, because the sign outside said they served Espresso.  I figured maybe I could get a regular coffee and a pastry or sandwich.  What I didn’t expect was a full restaurant with an extensive Eggs Benedict menu.  When in Nova Scotia, the only choice is the Lobster Eggs Benny, of course.  The lobster was succulent and the hollandaise was velvety. The poached eggs were perfectly, ahm, well, poached.   I guess you’ll need to get over here and try some for yourself.  

After lunch I met up with Jason, a local birder who has been helping me with local birding knowledge through Instagram.  See, social media is good for something aside from crackpot conspiracy theories. After he arrived he was able to help me spot more Dovekie, a Great Cormorant and a Glaucous Gull.  In all, I added 7 new species to the 28 I saw yesterday.  And nearly every one was a bird that, back in Ontario, I would either never see, or would spend the good part of a year trying to find.

                                     Great Cormorant:

It rained all afternoon, so I took advantage of the down time to drive up to New Glasgow, to be in perfect position to go hunting for Black-headed and Common Gull in the morning.  Then, maybe, I’ll head into New Brunswick for a rogue Western Tanager.  Then down to Lunenburg for a Yellow-throated Warbler, a bird not guaranteed to be seen in Canada, even in migration.  There’s also a Chat.

January 1, 2022, The First Day of the Rest of My Big Year: “It’s like poetry, it rhymes,” George Lucas

The first day of my Cross Canada Adventure, here in Nova Scotia, began with a wild goose chase that resulted in my first bird of the year being a Rock Pigeon on the Wallace River Bridge.  I had been hoping to find a Pink-footed Goose, sitting on the ice in the river below.  Noooooop!  A photo had been taken of one and posted on eBird, but that had been on December 30, and it wasn’t re-found.  An inauspicious start to say the least.

                             Rock Pigeon, Species #1 of 2022

So, tail tucked firmly between my legs, I slunk back to Halifax.  I had driven 90 minutes from my hotel and it was a two hour return drive to Rainbow Haven Provincial Park, where I had scouted a Eurasian Wigeon the previous day.  Now things were starting to look up.  Not only was the tide out, but there were two of the Eurasian Wigeons walking around on the mudflats, right in front of my nose.  They were mixed in with the American Wigeons, but their reddish brown heads with stripe down the middle makes them stand out in a crowd.

       

                              Eurasian Wigeon:

The next stop was to revisit the female Tufted Duck, where I’d gone when I first arrived in Halifax.  I drove back to Sullivan’s Pond and it didn’t take long to spot the other target bird on my list.  This one is hanging around with Mallards, American Black Ducks and one hybrid farm duck.

                            Female Tufted Duck:

                                Mixed-up Duck:

I spent the rest of the day looking through the fog for my real target bird, a Dovekie, a tiny seabird that was eluding me at every stop.  Finally, less than an hour before sunset on the first day of my 2022 Canada Big Year, I spotted a pair of them, about 200 meters off of Crystal Crescent Beach.  Ten years before, on the final day of my 2012 North American Big Year, I was on my way back from my final trip of the year and wanted to make a Dovekie the final bird of the year.  The Dovekie had other plans.  I searched the beaches of Cape May until after dark.  So, it’s kind of poetic, that, as the sun was setting on the first day of a new Big Year, I would finally complete a mission begun10 years earlier.

                                                 Dovekie:

By the time I was heading back to my car, in the rain, I had completely forgotten that I had struck out on the Pink-footed Goose, 10 hours earlier. Ain’t birding grand!

The Man in the Hats is Back!

I’ve worn a variety of hats in my life: magician, escape artist, woodworker, videographer, video coordinator for The Toronto Blue Jays,(for 40 years), product pitchman at fairs, photographer, rock balancer, as well as wearing of multiple styles of fedora.  But now, I bird. I found my way into birding because of the prospect of doing a Big Year and succeeded at that in 2012: My 2012 Big Year  I did another one in 2016, while I traveled with The Toronto Blue Jays: Birds and Blue Jays Big Year. Now, I am back for a third kick at the can, and there’s nothing I’d rather do!  

            A small selection of the hats I’ve worn as a birder, since 2012:

Now, with Covid making travel to the US more difficult, I am missing out on some great ABA rarities and Lifers.  So, I decided to make the best of it and see Canada over the next 12 months.  A Canada Big Year, if you will.  And I will!

I spent the past 2 days scouting Halifax and surrounding area, looking for the best place to begin.  I now know where to find a Tufted Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Purple Sandpipers, and more. But my real goal for tomorrow is to see a Dovekie.  I missed that bird on the final day of 2012, and missed it on my previous trip to Halifax, in 2018 when I had come east to see the Mistle Thrush in New Brunswick.

This time may be different.  There was a sighting at Peggy’s Cove earlier in the day, as well as at Crystal Crescent Beach the previous day.  So I have my starting point tomorrow.  I did drive over there late this afternoon but the viewing wasn’t great.  I had a distant look through my scope at a very small bird, but no way to know for sure if it was the Dovekie.  Better I see it tomorrow anyway.  Once the Dovekie is in the bag, so to speak, I will revisit the Tufted Duck and Eurasian Wigeon.

There is one other reason I came to Nova Scotia, once I had to punt on my Newfoundland trip.  A large sea bird, the Steller’s Sea Eagle.  I missed it after a 15 hour drive to Quebec in the summer and wasn’t able to come to Nova Scotia when it showed up here.  Now it is in Maine and just has to cross the Gulf of Maine, with the right winds and land somewhere in Nova Scotia, possibly Yarmouth.  I might be heading down that way on Monday, so here’s hoping. 

Let’s Get This Birding Party Started

December 30, 2021:

Well, it was bound to happen.  Covid-19 restrictions in Newfoundland reared up and bit me in my Big Year Butt!  I had planned on being in St. John’s for the new year and make my first bird a Dovekie, finishing a quest that began on December 31, 2012.  Back in more innocent times, I was in Cape May, New Jersey on the final day of my 2012 Big Year as a rookie birder.  It would have been my 601st bird of the year.

http://my2012bigyear.blogspot.com/2013/01/it-was-very-good-year.html

So, in honor of that missed bird, I decided to begin my 2022 Big Year, on the 10th anniversary of my becoming a birder, with an attempt to get a Dovekie on the first day of my Canada Big year.  Just days before my flight to St. John’s, I discovered that new quarantine mandates in Newfoundland would have had me locked in my hotel room for 5 days, just counting birds outside my window.  Not an ideal start to my cross Canada adventure.  So, last minute, I changed my flight to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Dovekies can also be found, along with a Barnacle Goose and Tufted Duck.  Lucky for me, I have a new friend, Jason, who I met virtually on Instagram, who will be able to give a helping hand in getting some of my target birds.

                                                                        Ready to Fly

In addition to that, I have just heard that an Arctic Loon was spotted a couple days ago in Hilton Beach Marina about an hour from Sault St. Marie in northern Ontario.  If this bird is re-found, that will be next on my list.  The rarer the bird the more important it is to get to them early in the year, so as not have to chase them during the final stretch of a Big Year.

So, here I am, at 9am on December 30, 2021, on an Airbus A220, heading to Halifax.  I’ll have this afternoon and tomorrow to do some scouting, meet up with Jason and plan for the first week of the year,   I hope to share, not just my stories, but those of the birders I meet along the way.  What is it about birding that makes people so passionate that they would give up an entire year just to see birds?  Why would we drive hours and wait all day for a 30 second glimpse of a rare species?  

I hope you will join me on this year long adventure.