Boreal Owl (10)

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

Barred Owl (25)

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

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

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

Pine Grosbeak (13)

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

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

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.

Willow Ptarmigan (7)

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

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 (55)

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

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

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

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.