Brian Morin

Neotropical Cormorant (12)

Phalacrocorax brasilianus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Sep 8 2022

Details: adult, outside normal range

Kingston - First sighted on July 28, the bird still shows up daily on one of two favourite rocks near shore. That's the way to get a rarity.

Date uploaded: Sep 9 2022

Comments (4):
Chris: Wow. Somebody did a good job “reviewing” their cormorants and not missing this one 😁
BrianMorin: Size helps in this case. Thankfully the smaller size, when next to a Double-crested, is noticeable.

Olive-sided Flycatcher (64)

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

Date taken: Sep 8 2022

Details: adult

Presqu'ile Provincial Park - An uncommon migrant virtually always at the top of a tall dead tree.

Date uploaded: Sep 9 2022

Comments (4):
Chris: I tried but failed to get a photo of this species. Excellent job.
BrianMorin: You are right about the challenge. Its preference for very tall dead trees makes it a tough one to capture.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper (11)

Tryngites subruficollis

(Near-threatened)

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Sep 8 2022

Details: juvenile

Oshawa - Had great fun with a couple of very obliging regional rarities that allowed very close approach. Actually they were the ones approaching us, not the other way around. At times they were as close as a metre. If these birds are ever reported we'd expect to check specific fields, especially sod farms but in this case they were feeding on algae-covered rocks along a beach on Lake Ontario.

Date uploaded: Sep 9 2022

Comments (4):
Chris: Fabulous. This colour always stands out to me as unique for some reason.
BrianMorin: The buffy colour stands out. There is a similar colour on parts of a Baird's but it is not as prominent as on this species.

Semipalmated Plover (36)

Charadrius semipalmatus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Aug 25 2022

Details: juvenile

Ottawa

Date uploaded: Sep 2 2022

Comments (3):
Ahmad Shah: That is a very sweet Plover, beautifully captured.
Chris: Agree…great job Brian

Semipalmated Sandpiper (21)

Calidris pusilla

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Aug 25 2022

Details: juvenile

Ottawa - A regular migrant.

Date uploaded: Aug 27 2022

Comments (2):
Chris: Terrific Brian 😃
BrianMorin: While this is an expected migrant, at times in small to medium-sized flocks here, getting to see it at close range is always appreciated. It was so close (there is virtually no crop on the image) that taking the shots was very difficult because it was in constant motion.

Red Knot (6)

Calidris canutus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Details: juvenile, outside normal range

Ottawa - A great regional bird dropped in with a mixed flock of peeps. Being a juvenile it was quite accommodating of the attention it attracted.

Date uploaded: Aug 25 2022

Comments (2):
Chris: Fabulous. For the non-birdwatcher, just another bird. For those in the know, one of the most interesting species on earth 😁 (I’m referring to the migration)
BrianMorin: Agreed and a threatened species. Their numbers have declined significantly in the last 40 years.

Short-billed Dowitcher (13)

Limnodromus griseus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Ingleside - I was able to walk along a mudflat and carefully approach without disturbing the bird.

Date uploaded: Aug 23 2022

Comments (2):
Chris: Terrific to see Brian. Excellent job.
BrianMorin: We rarely see any in the area so it was worth the walk along the mud.

Least Sandpiper (32)

Calidris minutilla

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Aug 11 2022

Ottawa - Our smallest shorebird.

Date uploaded: Aug 12 2022

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Red-necked Phalarope (14)

Phalaropus lobatus

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Aug 11 2022

Details: juvenile

Ottawa - This is migration time for shorebirds and a very small number of phalaropes have been reported. This species is very tolerant of people and if you remain still and wait for the bird to approach, it may come very close. This very young bird passed by at 3 metres. There is almost no crop for this shot.

Date uploaded: Aug 12 2022

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Green Heron (85)

Butorides virescens

Brian Morin

Canada (Ontario)

📍 Map

Date taken: Aug 9 2022

Details: adult

Long Sault Parkway - A couple of herons were working the shallow water for frogs and minnows. This bird would spend time waiting for an opportunity then when it tired of that location it would run like a sandpiper to another spot.

Date uploaded: Aug 10 2022

Comments (2):
Chris: Terrific action. The burgundy on this bird stands out.
BrianMorin: The adults have a really nice colour. I think I would have given the bird a name other than green because there is very little of that colour on the wings.