343 results found


Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Jun 4 2020
male, adult
Algoma District - A treat for us so used to Red-winged Blackbirds. They have little in common with them except the family association. They are more approachable, spend most of the day ground feeding in grassy areas, fly about interacting with one another, have a very different call and males have an almost liquid metallic sheen.
Jun 5 2020
0
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Sep 1 2020
immature
1000 Islands - This is a poor quality record shot of a wayward visitor to Ontario and New York. The remnants of Hurricane Laura were expected to bring the odd southern bird along for the ride. While the storm passed well below Canada, some birds would have been pushed along by the perimeter winds and continued north, stopping when they reached the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. This young Brown Pelican, an occasional visitor to Canada, spent about a week in the area, moving back and forth between the US and Canada.

Now for the photo. The pelican could really only be viewed with a scope, which I had, and even that was pushing it. I thought I'd at least try for a record shot for the fun of it. I lay the camera/500mm lens across the car roof (more stable than even my heavy tripod) and used a remote to minimize shake. I had to shift to manual focus because the lens couldn't pick up the distant subject. This is about a 50% crop so at least you can see the bird with its hefty bill and compare it to the smaller cormorants. When I returned home, I checked the distance using satellite view online with the distance measure. The bird was 3.4 km out but still identifiable. That was a record, record shot. :) Other birds that showed up along the lower Great Lakes included Laughing Gulls, Brown Booby and Magnificent Frigatebird.
Sep 8 2020
2
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Sep 28 2020
juvenile
Ottawa - Very rare locally. The last record for this seafaring pirate was 1973. It pesters gulls until they disgorge their catch. The species shows up on Lake Ontario near Hamilton every few years.
Sep 29 2020
0
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Nov 16 2020
Near Whitby - This is the second record for Canada. The first was a bird in Toronto in late fall 1993. They are very rare in North America, with only six U.S. records of this South American species. It saved me a trip south :)
Nov 17 2020
1
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Jan 23 2021
outside normal range
This is a rare wanderer from the West that was discovered inside a farm building. The shot was taken inside from 4 metres with the window as a backdrop. The bird had the right idea because it is a large heated structure with lots of windows that it checks for anything moving, like flies and spiders. We discovered that it gets in and out through a pet access door that has vertical plastic strips which can be easily pushed to the side. Smart bird. It may survive the winter.
Jan 27 2021
0
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Feb 17 2021
male, adult
Boucherville - Now we have the species covered in the West and the East.
Mar 27 2021
0
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Sep 18 2021
female, adult, outside normal range
Owen Sound - This bird should be heading to Africa via Europe after breeding in the eastern Arctic but got her wires crossed.
Sep 19 2021
1
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Oct 26 2021
outside normal range
Stratford - Saved me a trip to southern Texas at best or maybe even into the tropics. This anomaly is not a first for the province but is still exceptionally rare. The bird was very approachable but that wasn't necessary because at times it would head towards us as it busily probed the grass in a horse pasture for insects. Before I arrived it had been walking around the feet of observers.
Oct 29 2021
0
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Nov 19 2021
adult
Cornwall - One thing is for sure with birds, you always have to be ready for surprises. This is a Ring-billed Gull with excessive melanin in its genes, something that occurs far less frequently in birds than leucism, where there is a deficiency in colours, usually melanin. We know this is an adult because it was reported two years ago in the same area and looked exactly the same at that time. This is the first bird of any kind that I have encountered with such a condition. Leucistic birds (pale or white feathers) are more commonly found.
Nov 27 2021
0
Copyright Brian Morin
Birdviewing.com
Nov 29 2021
immature, outside normal range
Barrie - This second year bird, a bit larger than a Herring Gull is well outside its Pacific Coast range. This is only Ontario's second bird, the first being last year.
Nov 30 2021
1