Purple Gallinule (15)

Porphyrio martinica

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Details: immature, outside normal range

Ingleside - This out of range Florida bird has been around for weeks and with leaves gone it has been easier to find. Last night we had a hard freeze which had the bird not in its usual area. You won't see many shots of this species enjoying a Canadian winter. It is very healthy at this time and can fly no problem. It is feeding on dead fish, a frog (when it was warmer) aquatic vegetation and wild grapes. Those huge feet allow it to move very easily on the ice. Attempts by others to retrieve the bird so it can overwinter in a rehabilitation facility failed today. It is still too healthy and eluded its captors.

Date uploaded: Nov 21 2023

Comments (1):
Chris: Hope he makes it. I remember a Common Moorhen tried to overwinter in Dorval, and was eating popcorn at a movie theatre into December.

Purple Sandpiper (8)

Calidris maritima

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Nov 16 2023

Details: juvenile

Erieau - I had tried a number of times this fall to find the species in various areas but failed until this day. Living up to its reputation, the bird was wonderfully cooperative. I did not approach it, the bird was simply very close when I found it, almost stumbling over it in a dark corner of a breakwater. Thankfully it later went into the light.

Date uploaded: Nov 20 2023

Comments (1):
Chris: Still have yet to see this species. You seem to have luck with him!

Fox Sparrow (30)

Passerella iliaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Nov 10 2023

Cornwall - I had another encounter with a Fox Sparrow locally. This large, attractive species is a treat to observe.

Date uploaded: Nov 13 2023

Comments (5):
Ahmad Shah: Fantastic capture.
Brian Morin: I waited very patiently for the bird to move to a nice perch or clearing on the ground. This one was a perfect site.

Black Scoter (5)

Melanitta nigra

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Nov 10 2023

Details: female

Long Sault - This is an uncommon fall migrant. She swam very close to a bridge and thankfully there was a pull off on the bridge. I was able to safely crouch down and wait until she swam closer.

Date uploaded: Nov 11 2023

Comments (2):
Sue Bishop: Great find and capture,Brian!
Brian Morin: What was exceptionally good was the distance. She was as close as I could have hoped for.

Hudsonian Godwit (12)

Limosa haemastica

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Nov 2 2023

Details: juvenile

Ottawa - Only a few of these large shorebirds show up in the area in the fall. It is amazing to watch it feeding, often sticking its head far into the water and into soft mud, probing for invertebrates and small worms.

Date uploaded: Nov 3 2023

Comments (3):
Ahmad Shah: Excellent find.
Brian Morin: I had heard about the bird and figured it should offer some good views. It did better than that. I sat on a rock by the shore, which had a 40 foot-deep mudflat and at times it wandered less than five metres away.

Sandhill Crane (75)

Grus canadensis

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Oct 29 2023

La Passe - Flocks of cranes were feeding in fields where corn had been recently harvested.

Date uploaded: Oct 30 2023

Comments (2):
Sue Bishop: Gorgeous, Brian!
Brian Morin: I don't submit many group shots but this one tells a story. It was a nice memory of the day.

Fox Sparrow (30)

Passerella iliaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Oct 25 2023

Lakeview Heights

Date uploaded: Oct 26 2023

Comments (4):
Sue Bishop: Gorgeous!
Brian Morin: It was a fine looking bird near our club bird feeder. Nice not to need to travel far for once.

Hermit Thrush (41)

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Oct 19 2023

Long Sault Parkway - It was late in the day and I was shooting against a lifeless sky but it sure makes the bird stand out.

Date uploaded: Oct 20 2023

Comments (4):
Ahmad Shah: Great shot, it is true that a dull sky in the back makes the bird stand out.
Brian Morin: I didn't have many shots of this species before the last few days so being able to watch a few birds chasing each other and occasionally presenting nicely was a treat.

Merlin (58)

Falco columbarius

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Oct 17 2023

Details: male, adult

Ottawa

Date uploaded: Oct 18 2023

Comments (2):
Ahmad Shah: Excellent closeup.
Brian Morin: Lucky on this one. The first observation was of the bird high atop a tree at a distance but when it flew to an inside perch not too high it worked beautifully.

White-rumped Sandpiper (41)

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Oct 12 2023

Details: immature

Presqu'ile Provincial Park - On Gull Island. The walk over was much better than my trip in September. The water was only knee deep instead of waist deep and that was only for about two minutes of the walk. The rest was much shallower. Also the distance across had been shortened by 75%, making for about a five minute crossing.

Date uploaded: Oct 13 2023

Comments (2):
Ahmad Shah: Excellent find, nicely captured.
Brian Morin: I had almost given up on seeing this bird. Others had encountered it when they first arrived but I missed it. As I was leaving, a flock of Dunlin flew in and it was with them. It obligingly walked 3 metres in front of me.