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Willow Ptarmigan (8)

Lagopus lagopus

Brian Morin

Canada (Québec)

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Date taken: Jan 20 2025

Details: adult, outside normal range

North of Amos - I made a special trip just for these birds which are experiencing another irruption winter. There may be more than the 2021 irruption. I had 22 birds over the course of a full day but despite extensive tracks in the region the birds were hard to spot.

Date uploaded: Jan 23 2025

Comments (4):
Ahmad Shah: Fantastic capture.
Brian Morin: This has become one of my favourite shots of these great birds. I fell in love with them in 2021 and was happy to get back to see another irruption. There are hundreds in the region based on the tracks that I saw although finding more than a dozen in a full day is an undertaking.

Great Grey (64)

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Jan 21 2025

Details: adult, outside normal range

Ottawa - This is an irruption year with a few birds moving into the National Capital region and beyond. I had made two unsuccessful trips to see another bird a week prior so I really appreciated the end result.

Date uploaded: Jan 22 2025

Comments (2):
Sue Bishop: Beautiful!
Brian Morin: One of my favourite birds.

Harris's Sparrow (9)

Zonotrichia querula

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Jan 8 2025

Details: adult, winter plummage, outside normal range

Port Perry - Feeding with juncos and Tree Sparrows on the ground. Skittish species, preferring to stay close to bushes. It will likely remain for the winter.

Date uploaded: Jan 9 2025

Comments (4):
Chris: Terrific to see the adult. Have had some reports of immature and one sighting in Chateauguay in 1990s.
Brian Morin: Normally lingering out of place birds are immature so this was a plus. As luck would have it, on my travels in southwestern Ontario on this trip I had seen an immature three days prior.

Redhead (20)

Aythya americana

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Jan 3 2025

Details: male, adult

Mississauga - semi-common winter duck

Date uploaded: Jan 9 2025

Comments (6):
Krish: Very Nice ! looks very much like the "Common Pochard" in India and I think parts of Europe.
Brian Morin: Yes, similar. Attractive species.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (36)

Melanerpes carolinus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Dec 31 2024

Details: male, adult, outside normal range

Ottawa - Always nice to see. This is a rare regional species that is easier to find in the winter and will come to feeders.

Date uploaded: Jan 2 2025

Comments (3):
Sue Bishop: Gorgeous capture, Brian!
Chris: Indeed such a nice one to see - fantastic snap as well!

Snowy Owl (218)

Nyctea scandiaca

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Dec 15 2024

Details: male, immature

Ottawa - After a disastrous winter in 2023-4 when the lowest number of Snowy Owls in living memory were present in Ontario, or anywhere in Eastern Canada, this winter has seen a modest recovery, closer to normal. Males are uncommon, even in good years. At the height of the peak, from 2012-19, we only saw 1 male for every 20 females.There may be a few more males this winter.

Date uploaded: Dec 16 2024

Comments (4):
Ahmad Shah: Magnificent capture.
Brian Morin: This was a real treat after seeing three others in recent weeks, all so far away you needed to have the bird identified in the photo. :)

Cackling Goose (10)

Branta hutchinsii

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Dec 13 2024

Cobourg - A few of the smaller Cackling Geese migrate with Canada Geese in the East but the ratio is about 1-25,000 or even less.

Date uploaded: Dec 15 2024

Comments (2):
Ahmad Shah: Great find.
Brian Morin: This was real work. I spent 40 minutes trying to find a couple in a flock of thousands of Canadas on the water that kept moving around. Then getting a decent shot was the next challenge. That took another 15 minutes but it was worth the effort.

Lapland Longspur (18)

Calcarius lapponicus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Details: male, adult, winter plummage

St. Rose-de-Prescott

Date uploaded: Dec 8 2024

Comments (4):
Ahmad Shah: Excellent capture.
Brian Morin: Patience and luck both played a hand with this sighting. We don't get many and last year I had none. The bird only had its head up for a split second but very seldom because it was feeding nonstop.

Red-tailed Hawk (72)

Buteo jamaicensis

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Dec 2 2024

Details: adult

Kingston (Wolfe Island) - A common raptor but it is hard to get good shots of them, especially an adult. I loved the way it was perched, especially showing the tail. It faced away so I called it to get it to look my way. It worked!

Date uploaded: Dec 3 2024

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Northern Shrike (23)

Lanius excubitor

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Dec 2 2024

Details: immature

Kingston (Wolfe Island) The bird landed in the tree almost above my car. I shot from inside.

Date uploaded: Dec 3 2024

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Author: Brian Morin