New Bird-o Post: The Lewis's Woodpecker

We were nearing the end of our journey and everywhere around us were the signs of an aging year. The salmon had begun their annual run, marking both the end and beginning of their life cycle, swimming up the deathly sweet fresh water to lay their eggs and then die, becoming a feast for bears and gulls. More leaves lay on the ground than what clung desperately to naked branches, and those final few survivors stood alone, shivering in the chill of winter breezes... read more here.

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Twitching to Tofino

A Steller's Jay

Yes, it was cold, wet, snowing and raining during our final two weeks. Shivering each day as we put cold hands into even colder wet gloves, we hoped every new bird would add warmth to our souls. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t. We had come to realise we were the definition of the term ‘twitcher’.

Roosting Barred Owl

Our only splash of warmth between the Okanagan and the Fraser Valley (a five-day ride spanning two mountain ranges) came in the form of a Townsend’s Solitaire, a rather drab little thrush, fond of higher elevations. The significance of the solitaire was that it marked #299 for our ride. What would be next? Surely we would go out of our way to see something as rare as a Spotted Owl, or as bizarre as a White-tailed Ptarmigan, to claim the respectable triple-century milestone. Our question was answered in Hope. There in their abundance, were the raucous, uniform-black, standard-issue-in-these-parts-corvid…the Northwestern Crow.

A lucky find...Lewis's Woodpecker

Cleaning up the remaining west coast birds was pretty straightforward. Spotted Towhees and Golden-crowned Sparrows poked their heads from the blackberries, while Black Turnstones, Surfbirds and Dunlin swarmed on the rocky shores. With the help of some local birders, we were even treated to such goodies as Marbled Godwit and Long-billed Curlew, prairie species we had missed in Saskatchewan. But the big surprise came as we rode through Port Alberni when we saw a small, dark bird flycatching from a cherry tree. It had a spiky tail, red belly and a red face…a Lewis’s Woodpecker! These are fairly rare on Vancouver Island, so having failed to see them in the Okanagan Valley, I was stoked.

Amphitrite Point - The Pacific Ocean

A strong cup of coffee helped us brave the wind and rain at Amphitrite Point, for an hour anyway. It was all we could handle. Fatigue had kicked in. We nabbed four final birds amongst the endless stream of life we were witnessing just a couple of hundred meters offshore. The most exciting wildlife adventure of my life ended there.

New Birds:

299. Townsend's Solitaire

300. Northwestern Crow

301. Spotted Towhee

302. Marbled Godwit

303. Dunlin

304. Eurasian Wigeon

305. Western Sandpiper

306. Long-billed Curlew

307. Barn Owl

308. Golden-crowned Sparrow

309. Red-breasted Merganser

310. Surf Scoter

311. Pelagic Cormorant

312. Thayer's Gull

313. Pacific Loon

314. Pigeon Guillemot

315. Ancient Murrelet

316. Rhinoceros Auklet

317. Sky Lark

318. Black Turnstone

319. Anna's Hummingbird

320. Black Oystercatcher

321. Heermann's Gull

322. Bewick's Wren

323. Bushtit

324. Surfbird

325. Marbled Murrelet

326. Western Screech-Owl

327. Western Gull

328. Red-breasted Sapsucker

329. Lewis's Woodpecker

330. Short-tailed Shearwater

331. Pink-footed Shearwater

332. Brandt's Cormorant

333. Red-throated Loon

New Mammals:

35. California Sea Lion

36. Steller's Sea Lion

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Reminiscing in the Okanagan Valley

Jaime at Vaseux Lake

Four years ago, I was living out of a two-man orange tent, in the interior of British Columbia. No, I wasn’t a fruit-picking hippie from Quebec, but was part of a small team of biologists, scouring the rocky hills for rare plants and animals. I hadn’t met Jaime yet, but unknowingly, she grew up in the same place.

A sagebrush hill near
Penticton

The Okanagan is a long valley in the heart of southern BC. It is extremely dry and arid in the south, a little pocket of desert, where you can discover cactus, sagebrush and rattlesnakes. In the rest of Canada, it is probably only comparable to Grasslands National Park of Saskatchewan.

I loved my time here. It was my home away from home. The warm weather and rocky landscapes reminded me of Australia, and the wildlife is the most exciting I’ve seen in Canada…

Canyon Wren at Vaseux Cliffs
 (Photo: Thor Manson)

It was dusk as we descended the notorious Mt. Anarchist into the United States/Canada border town of Osoyoos (ah-soy-yoose). We had arranged to meet with local birder Thor Manson the next day at Road 22 (where else!). Thor charitably scouted ahead of us, and with sharp eyes, tied down birds for us so that we could see them after our eventual arrival. Thor also let us use his images of the animals we saw, as our camera had died (it's fixed now).

Bighorn Sheep at Vaseux Cliffs
(Photo: Thor Manson)

Cycling north to Kelowna brought back many memories. The three lakes (Vaseux, Skaha and Okanagan) looked the same, and I could still pick out the exact ponderosa pines and cottonwoods where I had listened for young Lewis’s Woodpeckers calling from their nests.

American Tree Sparrow in Osoyoos
 (Photo: Thor Manson)

Tonight, enthused by Jack Black’s knack for owl calls (we had just watched the movie ‘The Big Year’ at the cinema), we strolled down a dirt track beside Mission Creek to summon a Western Screech-Owl. We soon realised that a Saturday night is not the quietest time to listen for their subtle calls, so predictably gave up.

Chukar at Vaseux Cliffs
(Photo: Thor Manson)

The road signs now boast Vancouver…we are almost there.

New Birds:

280. American Dipper
281. Bohemian Waxwing

282. Clark’s Nutcracker

283. Northern Goshawk

284. Western Bluebird

285. Brown Creeper

286. Pacific Wren

287. Chestnut-backed Chickadee

288. Steller’s Jay

289. Northern Pygmy-Owl

290. Varied Thrush

291. Mountain Chickadee

292. Common Redpoll

293. Pygmy Nuthatch

294. California Quail

295. American Tree Sparrow

296. Canyon Wren

297. Chukar

298. Glaucous-winged Gull

New Mammals:

32. Yellow-pine Chipmunk

33. Bighorn Sheep

34. Mountain Goat

New Reptiles:

8. Wandering Gartersnake

9. Northern Alligator Lizard

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New Bird-O Post: The Sora

There is nothing more frustrating than missing something that is supposed to be so simple to find.  Like not being able to find your keys when you’ve recently attached them to a giant bright orange carabineer, just so you wouldn’t lose them anymore. Or being the only one not to notice the streaker that just bolted across the middle of the cricket pitch as bright yellow security guards attempt to chase him down.  It is a combination of exasperation and humiliating embarrassment. A harsh judgment on your observation skills: A reality check. Maybe you’re just in your own little world.  Maybe you’re not as good a birder as you thought...Read More

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Grasslands National Park Special

Downhill into the valley

As we approached the arid, southwest corner of Saskatchewan, I was reminded of the American folk classic, "Home on the Range" (sing along if you know the tune!).

"Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam

Where the Deer and the Antelope play;

Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,

And the sky is not cloudy all day."

About the Park

A small herd of bison gallop
through the grassland

The park protects one of the last remaining undisturbed mixed-grass/shortgrass prairie grassland in Canada. It is divided into two main blocks (East and West), with the most accessible parts of the Park located in the West Block near the village of Val Marie. The Park is surrounded by ranchland and wheat fields, and the fact that there are very few visitor facilities within it, makes it a controversial topic, especially with some of the locals. Jaime and I think it is great that such a fascinating piece of natural heritage has been locked away from agricultural development.

The Wildlife

The sleek and curious Racer
(Photo Jared Hobbs)

With an abundance of rare and endangered species, there is no denying how unique the Park really is. Pronghorn (an antelope-like deer), Greater Sage-Grouse, Prairie Rattlesnakes, Black-tailed Prairie Dogs, Short-horned Lizards, and Burrowing Owls are common, and in recent years, Plains Bison, Black-footed Ferrets (North America’s rarest mammal) and Swift Foxes have been successfully 

A prairie dog sits on his mound

reintroduced after being persecuted to the brink of extinction many years ago.

The Scenery

Chestnut-collared
Longspur takes flight

Descending into the canyon-like Frenchman River Valley, sagebrush plains encircle vast towns of prairie dogs, and the taller shrubs and trees along the river shade the bison. Nearby cliffs help guard the valley, and at the bases of these cliffs, rattlesnakes find refuges to survive the harsh winter.

A more fitting song for Grasslands National Park there is not.

New Birds:
264. White-faced Ibis
265. Tundra Swan
266. Orange-crowned Warbler
267. White-crowned Sparrow
268. Ferruginous Hawk
269. Sora
270. Chestnut-collared Longspur
271. Lapland Longspur
272. Mountain Bluebird
273. Eurasian Collared-Dove
274. Baird's Sparrow
275. Golden Eagle
276. Gyrfalcon
277. Greater White-fronted Goose
278. Rough-legged Hawk
279. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

New Mammals:
24. American Badger
25. Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel
26. Pronghorn
27. White-tailed Jackrabbit
28. Mule Deer
29. Black-tailed Prairie Dog
30. Least Chipmunk
31. Northern River Otter

New Reptiles:
6. Prairie Rattlesnake
7. Yellow-bellied Racer

New Amphibians:
6. Boreal Chorus Frog

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New Bird-O Post: The Clay-coloured Sparrow

Sunset over Lake Superior

One feels all at once, joyous freedom and terrifying insignificance standing amongst the boreal forests of Northern Ontario.  With a few steps off the highway a person can be surrounded by an army of towers: deep-green conifers that are matchstick-thin, beaten and scarred from their last winters battle, but persevering and resolute.  Feasts of wild blueberries grow in the boggy undergrowth.  Their rich purple juice bursts forth like liquid sunshine as they are popped in the forager’s mouth, one after the next, browsing while walking like a beast.  A few more steps and one could vanish into the untamable wild and, by choice or folly, be lost to the world altogether... read more here.

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The First Frost

The First Frost

Three days ago, the first frost hinted that our summer was coming to an end. It was the summer that never came in Newfoundland, sent heat waves through Ontario and Quebec, and for the locals of Manitoba, was one of the best for mosquitos in living memory. For us, it was short, but sweet.

A Mink Frog found in a stream

After beautiful weather in Southern Ontario, we feared the prolonged 1400 km of up-and-down cycling through Northern Ontario would launch us onto the prairies cold and crippled. It wasn’t to be.

Richardson's Ground Squirrel
at a burrow

Our first day in the new province (which also marks the start of the prairies) was a pleasant thirty-two degrees, thankfully flat and anything but lifeless. Snakes and salamanders were on the move (Manitoba has the largest snake hibernacula, or den, in the world), snow geese were flocking south, packs of coyotes cried to the clear night skies, and for the first time this year, we heard the unmistakable howling of wolves.

We found Barred Tiger Salamanders
spotlighting one night

The long and ever so tough birding around Lake Superior made the ease of finding new birds in Manitoba most welcome. Clay-colored Sparrows, Forster’s Terns, Stilt Sandpipers, American White Pelicans…birds we had dreaded leaving behind in Ontario, were putting on a show in Manitoba!


However, something was missing.

Oak Hammock Marsh. A must-visit
Manitoba birding hotspot!

Like Ontario, birds had stopped singing. Not because they no longer needed to defend their territories, but they no longer needed to be in Canada. Mountain Bluebirds, Say’s Phoebes, Western Kingbirds, Wilson’s Phalaropes and Marbled Godwits, birds you would expect to see during any given prairie summer, may have left for better times in Mexico. I don’t blame them. Had we not deliberately left our passports on the west coast, we’d be migrating with them.

Although this Plains Gartnersnake
looks aggressive, he was fun to handle!

Saskatchewan is the Promised Land for Canada’s grassland birds. Let’s see what’s lingering out there.

New Birds:

231. Northern Shoveler

232. White-winged Crossbill

233. Lesser Scaup

234. Bufflehead

235. Gadwall

236. Franklin’s Gull

237. Northern Hawk Owl

238. American Three-toed Woodpecker

239. Black-billed Magpie

240. Sharp-tailed Grouse

241. Western Meadowlark

242. Brewer’s Blackbird

243. American White Pelican

244. Canvasback

245. Clay-colored Sparrow

246. Horned Grebe

247. Prairie Falcon

248. Stilt Sandpiper

249. Cackling Goose

250. Short-eared Owl

251. Gray Partridge

252. Swainson’s Hawk

253. California Gull

254. Forster’s Tern

255. Western Grebe

256. Clark’s Grebe

257. Yellow-headed Blackbird

258. Cattle Egret

259. Eared Grebe

260. Long-billed Dowitcher

261. American Golden-Plover

262. American Avocet

263. Le Conte’s Sparrow

New Mammals:

21. Meadow Jumping Mouse

22. Richardson’s Ground Squirrel

23. Coyote

New Reptiles:

3. Northern Ribbonsnake

4. Eastern Snapping Turtle

5. Plains Gartersnake

New Amphibians:

4. Mink Frog

5. Barred Tiger Salamander

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New Post on Bird-o: The Pine Warbler

Or should I say “The Chipping Sparrow”, as this story is really about them.

The search for Pine Warbler began in earnest early in Quebec, at the onset of white pine, after the St. Lawrence River narrows around Quebec City.

“We have to stop if we hear this sound coming from pine trees, ok?” Said Nigel, playing me the warblers call on his iPod. “It could be a Pine Warbler… or a Chipping Sparrow.  The call’s so similar.  Supposedly the warbler’s more musical.  But coming from pines, it is most likely a Pine Warbler.”

It wasn’t long before we heard the sound; the high-pitched trill of a songbird singing from the top of a group of pines.  Excitedly we pulled over and Nigel scanned the trees with his binoculars.

He lowered them again in disappointment.  “Chipping Sparrow,” He said.

It would prove to be prophetic.

The chipping-pine-sparrow-warblers continued to haunt us as we made our way along Lake Ontario.  Every other day or so a trilling roadside bird would stop us in our tracks, and we would hunt and stare at a bunch of pine trees until finally a small bird hopped into view and… Chipping Sparrow...read more on bird-o

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Our Top5 Birding Sites in Southern Ontario

Closer to the tropics than anywhere else in Canada, Southern Ontario is spoilt for exciting birds and places to look for them. However, in two weeks on a bicycle it is impossible to visit them all! So I've put together our five favourite places, in no particular order, where you can be sure to see some special birds.

Carden Alvar

Carden Alvar is possibly
the most important grassland in Ontario.

One of the last strongholds of the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike in Canada, this incredible grassland/scrubland mix is a haven for birds that would have been abundant throughout Southern Ontario prior to intensive agriculture. A viewing blind near the famous bluebird nesting boxes 9 and 10 is the perfect place to watch for the shrikes, and as we found out, is also ideal for sheltering for the night if caught out in a storm (although ensure you aren't sleeping below the nesting swallows, for obvious reasons). Brown Thrashers, Sedge Wrens, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, Sandhills Cranes and Wild Turkeys are just a few of the other birds you can expect here.

Presqu'ile Point

Sandhill Cranes - very beautiful and
elegant birds

Anywhere that pokes out into one of the Great Lakes is a migrant trap. At Presqu'ile, the combination of pine and deciduous forest, beach and marshland ensures a high diversity of birds. Orchard Orioles and Least Bitterns breed here, and shorebirds forage on the beaches near Owen Point. Most of Presqu'ile is within the provincial park, but the feeders along Bayshore road turn up all kinds of birds. Presqu'ile local Fred Helleiner showed us his patch, and even funner than seeing lots of birds was watching him ride around the park with his scope and tripod slung over his shoulder.

Opinicon Road

Chaffey's Lock

We detoured from the Waterfront Trail north to the scenic Chaffey's Locks. Here the birding begins at the lock station (where boats are lifted up or down river by lowering or raising the water level) and ends to the south at Perth Road.  Almost all of Ontario's Carolinian birds are here, and it is one of the best sites for Cerulean Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Yellow-throated Vireo. We were too late to hear the warblers singing, but the birding was still fantastic and diverse, and Jaime and I decided if we had to live somewhere in Ontario, it could easily be here.

Rock Point

Jaime at Rock Point Provincial Park

Northern Mockingbird

Rock Point, along with Long Point, Rondeau and Point Pelee are infamous migrant traps and breeding sites for lots of rare birds in Lake Erie. Had we more time, would have visited them all, but we had to be content with Rock Point and Long Point. We couldn't stay long at either, but our time at Rock Point nabbed us four new birds very quickly. At the point, shorebirds gather, and we soon had Sanderling, White-rumped Sandpiper and Semipalmated Plover amongst the flocks. Great views of a Black-billed Cuckoo calling softly in the shrubs on the edge of the beach was a highlight, and the littoral forest was filled with warblers, woodpeckers and wrens.

Niagara Falls

Jaime overlooking Niagara
Falls

Most visitors to Southern Ontario will likely head to Niagara Falls, and for good reason. The Niagara escarpment is very unique, and the falls are spectacular, especially from the Canadian side (they've had to build special platforms and towers so that tourists can view the falls from the American side). Below the falls, gulls congregate, especially during the winter months when it can be a reliable site for Little Gull. Try scanning for them amongst Bonaparte's Gulls along the river below the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Dam. We were probably too early to see Little Gull, but we had a great time back on land sifting through the birds at feeders in Chippawa for Red-bellied Woodpecker and Tufted Titmouse.

New Birds:
199. Green-winged Teal
200. Grasshopper Sparrow
201. Mute Swan
202. Least Bittern
203. Baird's Sandpiper
204. Semipalmated Sandpiper
205. House Finch
206. Orchard Oriole
207. Common Moorhen
208. Loggerhead Shrike
209. Brown Thrasher
210. Sandhill Crane
211. Sedge Wren
212. Eastern Whip-poor-will
213. Pectoral Sandpiper
214. Short-billed Dowitcher
215. Trumpeter Swan
216. Red-necked Grebe
217. Northern Mockingbird
218. American Coot
219. Carolina Wren
220. Red-bellied Woodpecker
221. Semipalmated Plover
222. Sanderling
223. Black-billed Cuckoo
224. White-rumped Sandpiper
225. Hooded Warbler
226. Willow Flycatcher
227. Pine Warbler
228. Cooper's Hawk
229. Eastern Screech-Owl
230. Vesper Sparrow


New Mammals:
19. Eastern Cottontail
20. Northern Raccoon


New Amphibians:
3. Gray Treefrog 

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New Post on Bird-o: The Least Bittern - Part 2

We arrived at the gates to Presqu’ile in the late afternoon to a welcoming “Campground Full” sign posted out the front.  We approached the office window anyway, and were informed that there were, in fact, three campsites left, and that we’d have to pedal down to the next office to secure a spot.  This was all well and dandy, except that there were people in cars being told the same thing.  We pedal 15 or 20km/hour loaded…  they’re allowed to do 50.  We pedaled furiously for the office, pausing only briefly to remove a turtle on a mission from the road.  We rushed up to the building, parked the bikes hastily and haphazardly, and scrambled to the door just seconds in front of another couple.  You’d think it was a race for limited pick-up only tickets for the Rolling Stones or something.  We were issued the very last site and triumphantly pedaled, slower now, into the over-crowded campground...  read more on bird-o

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New Post on Bird-o: The Least Bittern - Part 1

We arrived in Montréal as the storm broke.  The great thunderheads that had been gathering and swelling in the heat of the day burst like giant overfilled water balloons, drenching the city and sending the tourists and locals alike squealing and rushing for cover.  We stood in the midst of the crowd under the awning at the tourist info stand, dripping wet, getting directions from the free Wi-Fi, and watching our bikes and gear get positively saturated for the umpteenth time... read more here on bird-o.com 

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A New Birding Frontier: Southern Ontario

Painted Turtle in an awkward
resting position

I filtered through my email inbox upon reaching Prescott. Amongst the junk and a lovely message from my mother, was an eBird Alert with an update of all the birds seen that particular day in Ontario. Scrolling down this most-priceless-of-lists, one particular entry caught my eye…A Glossy Ibis in Cornwall.

Now we were in a predicament. Cornwall was where we ate pancakes and eggs for breakfast the day before, some 70-odd kilometers east of Prescott. It would be a 140 km round trip, in the wrong direction.

Young Virginia Rail checking us out
along the boardwalk at Cooper Marsh

With every day that passes, we risk missing out on common birds further west, that will soon be heading south after a summer in Canada. I thought it best to ring a friend of mine, who grew up birding in Ontario, for his advice on whether to go for it. He explained that although we likely won’t have another chance to see one, we should set our eyes west instead.

We did, and we don’t regret it.

Scrolling further down the eBird Alert, two particular birds (that can be very hard to find) were seen in a place that would add 40 km to our route, but at least it was in the right direction.

Opinicon Road is roughly 50 km north of Kingston. It is unique in that the forest is a rich mix of Carolinian deciduous and pine trees, and the birds that live here are rare elsewhere in Canada. There is a Queens University Biological Research Station situated along the road, and as it was nearing dusk, we thought it the most interesting place to try and find a quiet, free campsite. After all, it was summer holidays, so the station should be empty.

A Porcupine! Asleep on a branch!

The place was packed with university students. We were turned away (much to the disappointment of some of the students). What was worse was that one of the head researchers (who was also apparently the friendliest…and a birder), has just left to look for Eastern Whip-poor-wills.

The next day, our morning started early, but slowly. We visited all the right spots to find the specialty birds here, but as we were approaching August, nothing was calling.

This Upland Sandpiper was one of
seven new birds yesterday!

After lunching at Chaffeys Lock, we tried two final hotspots. The first was silent as usual, but two snoozing Porcupines kept us motivated enough to try one last walk. Here it didn’t take long before a Yellow-billed Cuckoo called beside us, then a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, helping us regain some pride. We had missed some special warblers (Cerulean, Golden-winged, Louisiana Waterthrush etc.), but it had come time to leave for Kingston.

In spite of this, our departure commenced a progression of luck! A pair of Yellow-throated Vireos (this and the cuckoo were the two birds on the Alert) in a weeping willow; a female Wild Turkey walking into long grass; a Black Tern fishing in a marsh; Two Eastern Towhees calling from shrubs on each side of the road; and to cap off the excitement, an Upland Sandpiper atop a fence post, just meters from us!

We are on the cusp of 200 birds, and with four days left in July, we expect to reach it before entering the last three months of our journey.

New Birds:

167. Spruce Grouse

168. Blackpoll Warbler

169. American Woodcock

170. Red Crossbill

171. Northern Rough-winged Swallow

172. Snow Goose

173. White-breasted Nuthatch

174. Baltimore Oriole

175. Lesser Yellowlegs

176. Least Sandpiper

177. Peregrine Falcon

178. Warbling Vireo

179. House Wren

180. Red-shouldered Hawk

181. Hooded Merganser

182. Marsh Wren

183. Green Heron

184. Caspian Tern

185. Virginia Rail

186. Redhead

187. Great Crested Flycatcher

188. Eastern Meadowlark

189. Field Sparrow

190. Solitary Sandpiper

191. Wood Thrush

192. Yellow-billed Cuckoo

193. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

194. Wild Turkey

195. Yellow-throated Vireo

196. Black Tern

197. Eastern Towhee

198. Upland Sandpiper

New Mammals:

17. North American Porcupine

18. American Beaver

New Reptiles:

2. Painted Turtle

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