Ross's Gull (1)

Rhodostethia rosea

Brian Morin

United States (New York)

Date taken: Feb 1 2017

Details: immature

Tupper Lake - A rare bird in North America and a very rare breeder. COSEWIC designates the Ross's Gull as threatened. There are about 50,000 birds worldwide mainly in Siberia but between 0 and 10 pairs breeding annually in northern Canada. There is a slight pinkish blush below, present in both sexes. Viewing conditions were poor and the bird was not as close as I'd like but we got it which was the main thing. This bird is currently in the Adirondacks on a nearly frozen river. That is possibly the most illogical place one would expect to find it. This bird should be between Russia and Alaska in the Pacific.

Date uploaded: Feb 2 2017

Views: 5

Magnificent Frigatebird (1)

Fregata magnificens

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Jul 2 2017

Details: female, adult, outside normal range

Leamington - a great bird for the province.

Date uploaded: Jul 7 2017

Views: 17

Yellow-throated Warbler (1)

Setophaga dominica

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: May 14 2018

Details: male, adult, outside normal range

Near Chaffeys Lock in the Rideau Lakes - What are the odds? I was shooting a Yellow-throated Vireo and along comes a Yellow-throated Warbler. This is a provincial rarity. They aren't seen every year in Ontario but usually every other year one turns up.
UPDATE: despite the normal status noted above, several birds have turned up in Southern Ontario in the last three days. If birders have found 4-5 imagine how many must be present.

Date uploaded: May 15 2018

Views: 5

Cerulean Warbler (1)

Setophaga cerulea

(Vulnerable)

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: May 29 2018

Details: male, adult

Canoe Lake - Boy was this a tough one. It took a while to find them (I had four that day) but because they rarely come down below 15-20 feet you are always looking up and almost always into full foliage so very poor light. This was one of the few shots in reasonable light conditions.

Date uploaded: Jun 2 2018

Views: 14

Bicknell's Thrush (1)

Catharus bicknelli

(Vulnerable)

Brian Morin

United States (New York)

Date taken: Jun 7 2018

Details: adult

Whiteface Mountain - We almost didn't make it to our destination, with the primary goal of seeing and photographing this rarity due to vehicle problems. In the end the result was better than we could have hoped for. This is normally a difficult bird to photograph, even when found.

Date uploaded: Jun 8 2018

Views: 8

Marbled Godwit (1)

Limosa fedoa

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Jun 6 2018

Details: adult, outside normal range

Ottawa - regional rarity

Date uploaded: Jun 8 2018

Views: 7

Reddish Egret (1)

Egretta rufescens

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Aug 29 2018

Details: juvenile, outside normal range

Oliphant - This is the first confirmed record of Reddish Egret in Canada. Not only that but it gets the 'ugly bird' award. :) This juvenile appeared on the Bruce Peninsula and has been present for weeks. It may well remain for weeks to come because it likes the neighbourhood on Lake Huron; shallow shore waters with good feeding opportunities. It is standing on a boat.

Date uploaded: Aug 31 2018

Views: 3

Great Kiskadee (1)

Pitangus sulphuratus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Details: outside normal range

Rondeau Provincial Park - Canada's first Kiskadee has been putting on a show for hundreds of eager visitors. The bird is classified as a flycatcher but after what I saw I'd say we should call it a frogcatcher because it spent more time hunting for frogs than anything else. It did eat berries as well but it spent little time looking for insects. What a great find.

Date uploaded: Sep 14 2018

Views: 17

Comments (2):
Chris: Incredible. Somehow I missed this photo.
BrianMorin: This was an amazing experience, a first for Canada that attracted observers from several provinces and states. Much of the time it was elusive and when it was visible it could be at a distance so I treasured the few opportunities that were closer. It spent much of its time catching frogs; not what I was prepared for.

Lincoln's Sparrow (1)

Melospiza lincolnii

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Ingleside - this is my first experience shooting Lincoln's. Other times I didn't get anything. It was a very brief encounter unfortunately.

Date uploaded: Oct 2 2018

Views: 12

Black-capped Chickadee (1)

Parus atricapillus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Jan 30 2019

Details: adult

Ottawa - I don't take many pictures of Chickadees but when I spotted this guy I got a few shots off very quickly before it moved on. Leucism has altered not only the head colouring but the side feathers are paler and note the foot colour. It should be black.

Date uploaded: Feb 1 2019

Views: 17