Varied Thrush (11)

Ixoreus naevius

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Mar 7 2025

Details: female, adult, outside normal range

Ottawa - The bird remained in the area since January.

Date uploaded: Mar 20 2025

Comments (2):
BobTour: very nice colorful bird
Brian Morin: It brightens up a winter landscape.

Painted Bunting (7)

Passerina ciris

(Near-threatened)

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: May 3 2021

Details: female, adult, outside normal range

Ottawa - I had forgotten to post this individual, well out of range but a pleasant surprise.

Date uploaded: Feb 27 2025

Boreal Owl (11)

Aegolius funereus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Feb 22 2025

Details: adult

Ottawa - Well hidden in cedars, I finally saw this bird that I had missed earlier in the week. There have been a number of Boreal Owls in southwestern Quebec and this one in Eastern Ontario, part of a minor irruption along with Great Gray Owls. The bird was very difficult to shoot because of branches. My shot window was no more than 6" wide and 2" high before branches compromised the shot. I used a monopod otherwise precision would have been impossible. It was also very dark and very late on a cloudy day. I shot at 1/10 second at 8,000 ISO.

Date uploaded: Feb 23 2025

Barred Owl (27)

Strix varia

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Feb 20 2025

Details: adult

Ottawa - The bird was still actively hunting 90 minutes after sunrise. The frosty look to its face is actual frost.

Date uploaded: Feb 21 2025

Comments (2):
Ahmad Shah: Fantastic capture.
Brian Morin: A very cooperative bird in nice early light. This makes up for a midday shot of another one in bright sunlight that I got a few weeks ago. I couldn't do much with the conditions and that bird was squinting.

Northern Shrike (23)

Lanius excubitor

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Feb 14 2025

Details: adult

Kingston (Wolfe Island) - A pleasant surprise at the end of the day.

Date uploaded: Feb 15 2025

Comments (2):
Ahmad Shah: Fantastic capture.
Brian Morin: It was the best capture of the day. Very few subjects to work with on that outing.

Eastern Screech Owl (23)

Otus asio

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Feb 12 2025

Details: adult

Ormond - I waited an hour for it to open its eyes at sundown. I am in my car on the other side of the road.

Date uploaded: Feb 13 2025

Pine Grosbeak (14)

Pinicola enucleator

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Jan 19 2025

Details: male, adult

Matachewan - Beautiful male coming to a feeder. We have none down south this winter so seeing these birds was a treat.

Date uploaded: Feb 5 2025

Comments (2):
Chris: A dream shot. Super result
Brian Morin: You are right. I dreamed of getting a shot like this with an adult male for years and when the scene unfolded I clicked away. Everything worked. I've had some luck closer to home in the past with males, which are never very numerous here (more females and immature males) but with nowhere near the result.

Gray-crowned Rosy Finch (10)

Leucosticte tephrocotis

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

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Date taken: Jan 19 2025

Details: adult, outside normal range

Matachewan - Well out of its Western mountain range. A new bird for me and one I had long wanted to see.

Date uploaded: Jan 23 2025

Comments (5):
Ahmad Shah: Excellent find.
Brian Morin: This was a long haul in very cold conditions but the trip's success made it all worthwhile.

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)

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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.