Spring Birding

A couple of days in the spring sunshine, looking for birds in Thickson Woods and on the Carden Alvar with Andy H.  

I do love spotting bluebirds, bobolinks and redstarts. And tree swallows. And warblers. And. And.

Rob and I so appreciate being able to tag along with someone who has the eyes and ears of an experienced birder! Andy knows which trees and thickets are habitats for likely species, and is quick to spot differences between warblers.

redstart

Bobolink

We listened to the Warblers podcast coming and going, adding to our general knowledge.

The Merlyn app is great for knowing what birds may be calling in the area, and I'm getting a little bit better with the binoculars. At some locations in the Alvar, more than twenty species were calling!

The Trilliums and Prairie Smoke alone were at their prime. I resisted the temptation to bring some home.

Thickson Woods

Yellow-bellied Sap Sucker 
Woodthrush

Cardinal
Redwing blackbird
Palm warbler
Redstart
White-crowned sparrow
Grey cheeked sparrow
Chicadee
Black and white warbler
Yellow rumped warbler
Black Throated Blue Warbler
Oriole

Carden Alvar

Tree Swallow 

Robin

Red wing blackbird

Kingbird

Warbling Vireo

Oriole

Bobolink

Meadowlark

Brown thrasher

Phoebe

Sparrow or eastern flycatcher

Red-breasted grosbeak (Robin with singing lessons) 

Turkey vulture

Killdeer

Eastern bluebird

Trumpeter

Yellow Warbler

(Andy) pilleated + hummingbird 

Heard: red-eyed vireo, sora, ovenbird, bitterns and more!

Prospect Marsh

Blue heron

Osprey

Green heron

Marsh Wren

Penguins, Cockatoos, Kookaburras....

So many memorable sightings of Australian birds.

The continent is home to 700 different species. While we didn't see that many (!) there were lots of fine feathers to admire.

• Little Penguins (Melbourne)
• Sulpher Crested Cockatoo (Sydney, Melbourne)
• White Ibis (Sydney, Melbourne)
• Australian Magpies (Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania)
• Galah (Melbourne)
• Great Barren Goose (Melbourne)
• Rosella (Melbourne)
• Kookaburra (Sydney, Manley Beach)
• Nativehen (Tasmania)
• White-faced heron  (Tasmania)
• Pied Cormorant (Tasmania)
• Masked Lapwing (Tasmania, Sydney)
• Black Swan (Tasmania, Sydney)
• Bush Turkey (Sydney)
• Noisy Miner (Sydney)

Great Barren Goose

We took a trip to Phillip Island so we could watch the Little Penguins return to their land burrows at sunset and feed their young. Such shy animals, waiting for the perfect time to exit the ocean. Darting back into the waves at the slightest movement to avoid their predators, and carrying dinner to their chicks. Regurgitating from their beaks into hungry, open mouths. We were lucky enough to see over one hundred making the journey.

Phillip Island was also home to the Great Barren Goose with its pale green beak. Such a small head on its big body! Lots of them wandering around on the road, not very savvy to traffic. Close to extinction in the 1950s, conservation efforts have increased their numbers but they remain one of the planet's rarest geese. 

Heard the Kookaburra laughing in Sydney Botanical Gardens, and got a decent look at one in a tree as we were walking the trail in Watsons Bay. Almost comical with their big heads.

The iconic Australian Magpie has quite a repertoire of sounds, warbling and squeaking and squalking. We were visiting in February, but they can be quite aggressive toward humans in mating season (September), swooping and causing head injuries that have even resulted in deaths. Magpie Alert is a social media site dedicated to tracking activity.

Noisy Miners are both noisy and impressively aggressive for their size. Loved the distinct yellow marking its eyes.

Cockatoo

The first day we arrived in Australia we saw a solitary Sulpher Crested Cockatoo from the sightseeing bus and thought it so unique and exotic. We were soon seeing them everywhere. In Bondi, we watched a couple cockatoos fly into an apartment's open window and wondered if they were thieving.  We were pretty captivated, even by the noisy flocks, but could understand how some people might tire of the cackles. So abundant! Beautiful birds, they can live up to 20-40 years in the wild and more than 70 years in captivity. Although I think a pet cockatoo would be very lonely, indeed.

Galah

Lorikeet

Galah sightings were less frequent, although these birds are fairly common. And the Lorikeet! Brilliant feathers a perfect camouflage in the lush foliage against blue sky.

White Ibis looked more like they belonged in ancient Egypt than on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. Otherwise known as "bin chickens" for the scavengers they've become. Bush turkeys, another scavenger, were pretty brazenly poking through people's unattended bags at Manley Beach.

White Ibis

Black swans seemed to love the ponds at the Botanical Gardens. They did look rather regal, with their red beaks.

Black Swan

Birding May 2024

Backyard

Saw a pilleated woodpecker this morning! 

As I was doing Qi Gong on the deck, it swooped right by me, cackling. 

Rob and I watched it as it danced through the treetops looking for its breakfast.

This is the first year we've managed to attract Orioles. Such pretty birds! It was the grape jelly that finally lured them.

Also this season: downy, hairy, red-bellied woodpeckers; cardinals; bluejays; robins; house sparrows nesting in the birdhouse; mourning doves; grackles; American goldfinch; red breasted nuthatch

Tommy Thomson Park (May 23)
Merlyn helped us in identifying the different songs, which made it a bit easier to tell the difference between the warbling vireo and yellow warbler. And a wood duck!

Baltimore Oriole

Yellow warbler

Warbling vireo

Red winged blackbird

Baltimore oriole

Eastern towee

Catbird

Trumpeter swan

Mute swan

Cormorants

Ring-tailed gull

Wood duck

Carden Alvar (May 15)

Wood duck

We took Andy up on his offer to go birdwatching again at Carden Alvar. Certainly helps to have someone who is experienced enough to know the different types of warblers. Wow! What a day of sightings! Andy explained if we went back to the same place in the following week there would be lots of different species as the birds migrated.

Alvar:

Bluebird
Eastern King Bird

Eastern Towee

Meadowlark (yellow!)
Robin
Bobolink (orange yellow head) 
Common tree swallow (so blue)

Baltimore oriole

Warbling vireo (heard)
Red winged blackbird
Catbird

Common Tree Swallow

Brown Thrasher
Eastern towee
Chickadee
American goldfinch
Common yellow throat
Red breasted grosbeak
Chestnut sided warbler
Magnolia warbler

Meadowlark

Nashville warbler

Turkey vulture
Trumpeter swan
Blue heron

Prospect Road:
Heron
Osprey
Snipe, marsh wren (heard)
Red winged blackbird
Raven

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Kingbird
Northern Harrier
Marsh wren heard
Sandhill cranes! 

Hawk (?)
Mallard
Baltimore Oriole

Dawn Chorus (May 7)

International Dawn Chorus Day is held on the first Sunday in May each year, and this year we celebrated with a birdwalk at Toronto Botanical Gardens at 5:30 am. Leading the group was Sasan Benny, who helped identify the various bird songs. It was such a rainy morning we heard more calls than saw birds, although we did have an extended conversation with a catbird who also gave us a good meow.

Grey Catbird

Bird sightings in Japan

- cranes (such a delight to see these iconic birds flying or fishing)

- egrets ( a flock roosted in trees outside our hotelroom in Kyoto)

- herons

- osprey

- crows

- mourning & rock doves

- pigeons

- songbirds (thrushes? tits? we were too agog at temples to identify the bird species there but I imagined they were monks returning)

Birds in St. Lucia

 

A pair of lesser Antilles bullfinches would join us for breakfast in Gros Islet on the terrace in the mornings. Him with his red throat and shiny black feathers, and her in lighter grey. They eventually had us trained to leave them bits of bread on the railing. A tropical mockingbird was also a regular morning caller, visiting around 9 am. Also sighted a green heron stalking an anole on the property, waiting patiently for an opportunity to pounce.

One of the most memorable swims I had was on Anse L'Ivorgne, floating and watching brown pelicans soaring above and diving beside me in the water. 

Other sea birds spotted included frigates, brown boobies, gulls.

Hummingbirds drinking from blossoms in the gardens - both green throated and purple throated Caribs, as well as the Antillean Crested Hummingbird.

Lesser egrets hanging out with goats.

Carib grackles, Zenaida doves.

Kestrels.

The bird is on the wing and isn't that a pretty thing

Andy H. guided us on a couple days of spring birdwatching in different habitats, and I saw many of these species, like the Eastern bluebird on the left,  for the very first time. Exciting! 

I am just learning how to differentiate different types of birds, so it was highly informative to be with someone who could mark differences within types (i.e. all the different warblers). Eye rings, marking on wings, beak colouration, flight pattern, and birdsong all contribute to making each bird unique.

The photos in this post are not mine - but we did see lots of birders with cameras and very long lenses.

These were all different habitats, which attract different types of birds: Thickson's Woods (woodland); Lynde Shores (marsh on one side and lake on the other); and Calden Alvar. Lots of different wildflowers and native plants to admire as well. It's great to get outdoors and birding is a good excuse.

first time sightings "Lifers" = L

Thickson's Woods 

(May 9)

Black throated green warbler (L)

Redstart warbler (L)

Ruby-crowned kinglet (L)

Chickadee

Red winged blackbird

Seagull

Pileated or Northern Flicker (heard) 

Cardinal

White throated sparrow

White crowned sparrow

Catbird

Northern flicker

Merganser

Ringed gull

Downy woodpecker

Goldfinch

Woodthrush (L)

Purple finch

Lynde Shores 

(May 9)

Wild turkey

Blue Jay

Cowbird

Grackle

House sparrow

Coot

Swans (Mute and trumpeter)

Red winged blackbird

Goose / gosling

Virginia Rail (L)

Killdeer (on nest)

Cardinal

Golden wing warbler

Carden Alvar

(May 21)

Red-wing blackbirds

Kingbird (L)

Bobolink (L)

Common Snipe (L)

Tree swallow

Barn swallow

Oriole

Merlin

Grackle

Yellow warbler

Common yellow throat (warbler) (L)

Golden wing warbler (L)

Black and white warbler

Blue Jay

Brown Thrasher / mimic (L)

Robin

Eastern bluebird (L)

Phoebe

Osprey

Canada geese

Crows

Marsh wren (L)

Common snipe

Costa Rican creatures

Spotting the different creatures on our trip in Costa Rica became a treasure hunt. Each of the areas we visited was quite distinct from the other - cloud forest, beach, tropical forest - and each had different species of wildlife. Trying to find them, see them, and identify them, was part of the fun. I was able to take some great snaps with my camera phone, such as the one of the sloth above, but for the most part I was content to add some of their names to an ever-growing list.

Many of the guides were determined to show sloths, and we did see them everywhere on our travels, but mostly they were very hard to see - motionless and hidden by the leaves in trees. We did get a very good view of one or two, and when you can see their faces they are strangely adorable.

Local guides were indispensable to find the flora and fauna, because they knew what's what and what's where. Sometimes, even with guides pointing directly at some of the creatures and with viewing scopes aimed, it was hard to spot specimens because they were so very well camouflaged. The nocturnal creatures that were sleeping during the day were extremely hard to spot. Two-toed sloths looked like hairy coconuts, a massive tapir disappeared right into the shadows, resting owls were invisible. During the day, a nocturnal florescent green pit viper blended so well into the jungle floor I almost stepped on her, but during on our night tour she was much more visible in the strike position! 

Caligo (owl) butterfly

The Morpho and Caligo butterflies were a sight to behold - the blue of the morpho so exquisite! And the Caligo markings to disguise it from predators as an owl or snake. Pieces of fragile art floating by in the air.

We saw leaf-cutter ants hard at work in the forests, trails and jungles. Deafening cicadas. Huge spiders. And tarantulas, which I learned aren't even part of the spider family. 

And so many different birds! 

Blue-crowned motmot

Just sitting on the deck of our cabins we could see different birds. One of my favourites was the blue crowned motmot, with its elegant tail. Many different types of flycatchers and hummingbirds. With our guide in the cloud forest, we sighted and identified more than forty different bird species in four hours, including a female quetzal. Not all were brightly coloured, such as the clay coloured thrush, wood creepers and owls. The guide gave us a tip to visit the Hummingbird Gallery where we saw hundreds darting around the feeders, and so many different types! Seeing the ruby throated hummingbird was special, knowing that like us, it had made its journey from Canada. 

In Drake Bay we would often hear mackaws and saw them in silhouette as they flew overhead. On our last morning there we were determined to see them up close so hung out on the beach near a grove where a couple had been sighted. Two Scarlet Mackaws flew in and gave us a good view of their brightly coloured feathers. A nice way to end our stay!

Spider monkey in Corcovado Park, Osa

We saw monkeys in La Fortuna, Manuel Antonio and the Osa, but they were most plentiful in Manuel Antonio. Our hotel there had a troop of howlers and a gang of squirrel monkeys and we watched them from our balcony for hours. The howlers would sound whenever buses or trucks went by, which was frequently. What a noise! They are the loudest land mammal. Capuchin monkeys made themselves a nuisance to restaurants, and were quite bold hanging in the trees and darting to tables to steal packets of sugar and ketchup.

On the Osa Penninsula, our journey by car ended and we travelled by boat, first through mangroves past crocodiles and then out to the Pacific. On our way to Corcovado Sirena Station, we saw sea turtles mating and dolphins fishing with boobies overhead. We also went on a whale watching tour, and although we saw one spout in the distance, the biggest thrill was being in the centre of a pod of spotted dolphins - hundreds of them at play, swimming near the boat, jumping high and smacking their tails.

Spotted dolphins played near our boat.

Yes! I kept a list of some of the creatures that we sighted during our Costa Rica road trip, but I wasn't completely diligent. Here's the list:

Birders' Paradise

Costa Rica is called a Birders Paradise with good reason.

I've been paging through the field guide Birds of Central America for weeks now, marvelling at the colour, diversity and names of all the different kinds we might see on our trip to Costa Rica. Birds may not respect borders, but they do favour different habitat, and the guide is great for identifying which areas play host to different species: lowland, cloud forest, beach, mangroves, woodland, savannah, understory/midstory humid forest, ravines, streamsides....

Of the 338 different kinds of hummingbirds in the world, 52 are found in Costa Rica. 

White-necked jacobin

... and so are these exotically named creatures...

Cotingas

Crakes

Flycatchers

Frigates

Kingfishers

Laughing Falcon

Macaw (scarlet Macaw being the largest parrot in the world)

Mangos ( a kind of hummingbird)

Quetzals (one of ten trogan species)

Manakins

Motmot

Oropendola

Parakeets

Rails and Wood -Rails

Spoonbill

Toucan & Toucancillo

Tropicbirds

Resplendant Quetzal

Keel-billed toucan (one of eight toucan species seen in CR)

Interestingly, the National bird is a Clay-coloured thrush. Very nondescript and certainly not a stand-out by colour or size, but given the designation as a tribute to its powerful and melodious song that accompanies the onset of the rainy season.

Here's an online Guide to the Most Popular Birds in Costa Rica.

There are 16 owl species in Costa Rica, all of which are coloured in shades of brown. These chiefly nocturnal animals are known for their ability to hunt in the night. Some of the most wide-spread owls include the striped owl, crested owl, spectacled owl, mottled owl, and black-and-white owl.

Spectacled Owl

Here's a video showing 129 of the 900 possible species we'll see.

On the wing

We've been able to enjoy lots of backyard birding thanks to our generous feeding program.

In addition to keeping the birdseed fresh in the feeders, the plants and trees are also doing their part to attract visitors.

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

American Goldfinch

Bluejays

Cardinals

Hummingbirds

Downy Woodpeckers

Hairy Woodpeckers

Northern Flickers

Grackles

House Sparrows

Song Sparrows

Robins

Coopers Hawk

Purple Finch

Mourning Dove

Nuthatch

Chickadee

Starling

I was so excited to see the hummingbird darting in and out of the Solomon's Seal. From the distance, I couldn't confirm whether it was ruby-throated. A recent house guest said they saw one approach the back sliding door, so hummers are definitely in the area!

We also have the House sparrows nesting in the birdhouse again this year. I wonder if it is the same nesting pair or one of last year's brood?

 note: not my photos. 

Catbird

What is that bird?

Very elegant looking with a unique call, we looked it up to find it's a Gray Catbird. Although we've heard it in the back, we've not seen it until this year. Several unrelated groups of songbirds are called catbirds because of their wailing calls, which resemble a cat's meowing. The genus name Ailuroedus likewise is from the Greek for "cat-singer" or "cat-voiced". 

According to All About Birds, catbirds are secretive but energetic, hopping and fluttering from branch to branch through tangles of vegetation. Singing males sit atop shrubs and small trees. Catbirds are reluctant to fly across open areas, preferring quick, low flights over vegetation. Look for Gray Catbirds in dense tangles of shrubs, small trees, and vines, along forest edges, streamside thickets, old fields, and fencerows.The Gray Catbird is able to mimic the vocalizations of several other birds, and even other animals. Males with the most variety of sounds may be the most attractive to females because large repertoires demonstrate they have already survived many breeding seasons. Listen to a Gray Catbird with a particularly extensive repertoire—he even samples sounds from a Pacific chorus frog.

There's also the catbird seat.

"The catbird seat" is an American English idiomatic phrase used to describe an enviable position, often in terms of having the upper hand or greater advantage in any type of dealing among parties. The phrase derives from the common catbird's habit of making mocking calls from a secluded perch.

Here's this entertaining short story by Thurber, first published in the New Yorker in 1942: