Snowy Owl Lost

Sunday, December 15, 2024

Christmas Bird count 2024

Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus

Spot both Carolina Wrens

House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus

White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

American Robin Turdus migratorius

It was a chilly start to this year’s count, with lows hovering around -15°C. My circuit of my local patch started slowly, but proved to be quite birdy in the end (15 species). Most action was focused around areas adjacent to residential yards, where I suspect feeders have been installed, as the mix of birds was very 'feedery' in those areas. It was the birdiest day I've had at this spot for some time, and based on recent visits, was not expecting such variety. The continuing pair of Carolina Wrens were observed excavating a hollow in a tree trunk.

NDG Patch, 8:15-10:30am

Rock Dove – 25

Downy Woodpecker – 1

American Crow – 2

Black-capped Chickadee – 20

White-breasted Nuthatch – 6+

Carolina Wren – 2

Hermit Thrush – 1

American Robin – 2

European Starling – 45

Northern Cardinal – 6

White-throated Sparrow – 1

Dark-eared Junco – 6

House Sparrow – 15

House Finch – 2

Purple Finch – 1 heard

In somewhat related news, my book, The Christmas Bird Diary, set during a Christmas bird count in the same location as today's, is available for order now, in English and French.

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Nov-Dec sketchy bird notes

wing of an Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio

(Sibley for scale)

-->November 9

-Happened upon the wings of an Eastern Screech Owl. Whodunnit? Corvid? Raccoon? Another owl? We may never know.

Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis

-->November 16

Spotted a Winter Wren duelling with a Black-capped Chickadee around an old nest.

Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus

-->November 23

-Not one but two (!) Carolina Wrens were spotted near the spot where I located one a few weeks back. At one point one of them was poking around inside an old (squirrel?) nest up in a tree. I will keep an eye on this.

-Temp at zero, with roving snow squalls.

-Twelve species in 90 minutes.

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Hill squall

-->November 30

-More snow, huzzah!

-Two lethargic American Robins chuckling and sub-singing in grapey vine snarl, drunk perhaps.

-Didn’t spot the Carolina Wrens, but I did flush two LBJs down low that couldn’t be re-found as they went through a fence and down a hill. They were either sparrows of some kind…or…the wrens?

-Seven species in 90 minutes.

"My" Robin snacking away

American Robin Turdus migratorius
(crappy cell pics)

-->December 5

-On my way to work, ‘my’ Robin was perched in a tree as always, chilling and getting after the berries hanging over a busy sidewalk.

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus

Chickadee snow angel

Eastern Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis

Obligatory pic like this I post every year around this time

-->December 7

-Snowy again.

-The Black-capped Chickadees were acting ‘hungry.’

-Eight species in 90 minutes.

-->In other news, geez, it’s been quite rainy for a Montreal mid-December.

Monday, November 4, 2024

Sweet! Carolina.

Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus

Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii
(An 'artistic' pic)

The best I could do with Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
on October 16 in poor viewing conditions

NDG, November 2, 2024

November’s first Saturday morning saw ‘I can see my breath’-type glove weather in my local patch.

In a thin strip of woods, I thought I spied an American Tree Sparrow lurking on the edge of a band of foraging Dark-eyed Juncos. I sat on a log and hunkered down, then did a quick burst of pishing to see what popped up. Within ten seconds, I heard the unmistakable chatter of a Carolina Wren, seemingly circling me. What!? I turned around and was gobsmacked to see the bird perched right behind me, scolding aggressively. It stayed there for almost a minute, before ghosting back into the thick underbrush. Badass! I reckon this is the first time I’ve seen a Carolina Wren on the island of Montreal. This record has me questioning some strange but distant sounds I heard in the late summer from some nearby backyards. With those two new birds listed (there was an American Tree Sparrow there after all), my personal site list is at 70 species now.

What else?

-Several ragged chevrons of 40+ American Robins rippled overhead, heading somewhere with purpose.

-A cluster of grapes along a fence-line was teeming with low double-digit numbers of White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos, as well as several Song Sparrows.

-The local Cooper’s Hawk had the Black-capped Chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Northern Cardinals alarm-calling for a good 20 minutes.

-16 species in an hour.

-Oh, I saw a huge flock of European Starlings darken the skies of southern NDG last week - there had to have been 350-400 birds at least. I've only ever seen groups of 10-30 in NDG in the past, so this seemed notable.