Ottawa - Winter visitor, along with hundreds of others soon to depart for the northwest to breed. The birds only showed up in numbers in recent days with two areas having several thousand. This one has flown down to the water for a quick drink after eating buckthorn berries.
Presqu'ile Provincial Park - This is a provincially endangered species with only a few breeding pairs. 2023 was a poor breeding year. This male was calling and flying about proclaiming territory. We were not near a nest. The pair did not nest this year but another pair did.
Algonquin Park - How do I know it was a male? Because it was singing us a nice song. "Quick three beers". It was very high up in a dead tree so quite a crop unfortunately. If you've noticed I'm on a flycatcher roll. No chance of an Acadian but maybe I'll still get lucky somehere with a Yellow-bellied.
Ottawa- prompted by a call from a friend I hurried to Ottawa today for a possible last view of this long-staying vagrant warbler. With bitter cold this week and a snowstorm tonight its survival is in question. After an hour searching I found it and remained with it for 90 minutes. Most of the time it was feeding beneath trees on ground not covered by snow. Later in the afternoon it was feeding and resting/sleeping beneath a single spruce for 45 minutes. Often I was as close as 7 feet as the bird headed towards me. Too close to shoot. A suet feeder was put up this afternoon. Hopefully it will find it in the morning. Follow the Chickadees.
UPDATE: My friend picked up the bird this afternoon. It was huddled under a spruce, partially covered in snow. It died in his hands shortly after. Nature takes its course but it is still sad. The carcass will be sent to the Royal Ontario Museum to be preserved as a study skin.
Wolfe Island- Kingston - This bird had been reported off and on by one person for a few weeks but spotting it is luck. I went there hoping but not expecting to see it and got incredibly lucky. I watched it briefly and before it took off it raised its wings and let the wind keep them up so I had about 5 seconds to get shots like this. That is a long time from a photographer's perspective. As for it being a female, I was going by size. This was a big bird.
Algonquin Park - There were hundreds of Red Crossbills. They were seen or heard at virtually every stop and are almost certainly nesting right now. They can breed in any month of the year, the decision being based on food availability not season. There are many types, with this one likely being the type that feeds on pines which have a good cone crop. They are notoriously tame, being very approachable and at times landing only a few feet away if you are still.
Most of these owls migrate but a few stick around through the winter. They are usually difficult to find, spending the day tucked close to the trunk of a dense evergreen where branches make a clean shot all but impossible. After finding the bird I quickly took a few photos then left it alone.
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.
Canada (Ontario)
