"An Unwelcome Christmas Greeting"

Basking Robins

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus

White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus with
Herring Gull Larus argentatus

Baltimore Oriole nest? (and a leafbird)

"Winter's Dusk at Maple Cabin"

Morgan Arboretum, December 21, 2023

  Did a crisp solstice go-around at the arbo with Dan that ended at dusk. Arbo!

Notable:
-16+ American Robins basking in the sun at Blossom Corner (Dan came up with the winning pun, ©™, all rights reserved)
-A V of small ducks zipped fast overhead at one point, headed towards the water – Green-winged Teal? Common Goldeneye?
-Four species of woodpecker, but no Red-bellied
-A steady trickle of Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls drifting towards the waterfront
-A pair of Northern Ravens doing some odd vocalization
-A goofy dog named Sunny that ignored her owner ("Can you grab her? Please?")
-15 species in two hours

The '23 Christmas Bird Count

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis

The amazing Giraffe-necked Nuthatch

Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus with
White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens

Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii
in daydream skies

(last week)

  I’ve been participating in the Montréal Christmas bird count for the past few years. The first Christmas bird count in 1900 kind of led to modern birding — look it up. 

  In past years I’ve checked the NDN Cemetery, but this time round I just covered a local NDG spot. Didn’t stumble into anything unexpected, but it was nice to tick the resident Cooper's Hawk, which I don't always see. When the Cooper's jetted over, a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches and some Black-capped Chickadees freaked out, then all seemed to be checking in on a pair of what looked like nest/roost holes.

  The temperature hovered around freezing, with a mix of high hazy cloud and sun. Most of the snow had melted, and it was claggy in the fields. We had quite a dump of snow last week — instant winter. Tomorrow? Nearly double digit temps and a heavy rainfall warning.

  Earlier in the week, I sat out front at midnight and was rewarded with a few Geminid meteors. Seeing a meteor in the dark night sky provokes from me an involuntary stream of gibberish. Perhaps that’s the bit of excitable caveman DNA that we all have in us. I love all the ‘nids.

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, December 16, 2023

-Observers: 1

-11:30am-1:00pm (~3km)

-Species counted: 14

-Individual birds counted: 82

Cooper's Hawk: 1

Rock Dove: 8

Downy Woodpecker: 3 (1 male, 2 female)

Hairy Woodpecker: 2 (1 male, 1 female)

American Crow: 4

Black-capped Chickadee: 9

Brown Creeper: 1 (heard only)

White-breasted Nuthatch: 4 (2 were attending a nest/roost hole)

American Robin: 6

European Starling: 25

Northern Cardinal: 3 (1 male, 2 female)

Dark-eyed Junco: 7

House Sparrow: 8

American Goldfinch: 1 (heard only)

40 days and 40 nights

  I was feeling bored and nerdy the other day, so I started to fiddle with making an Indiana Jones-style route map of this year's (2023) spring birding travels in Korea. Here it is, geography nerds! I suppose I could make a more detailed blow-up of the Jeju phase. The Seoul parts of the trip were visually simplified a bit for clarity.

1. Incheon Airport via Vancouver, May 2-3

2. Bus to Gimpo Airport, flight to Jeju City, May 3

3. Jeju Island: Jeju City (Samseonghyeol, Shinsan Neighbourhood Park, Sarabong), Seogwipo, Saeseom, Songdang-ri, Namwon-eup, Andeok, Sanbangsan, Seotal Oreum/Altreu Airfield, Ilgwa, Yongsu, Hogeun, Jungmun, Yerae, Moseulpo, Halla Mountain, and points between, May 4-8, May 12-15

4. Gapa Island, May 9-12

5. Chuja Island, May 16-19

6. Ferry to Usuyeong, bus to Mokpo, May 19

7. Gageo Island, May 20-26

8. Gwangju (Gakwha Reservoir), May 26-29

9. Gusi Beach, May 27

10. Jinju area, May 30-31

11. Dolsan Island, May 30

12. Upo Reservoir, May 31

13. Seoul (transferred through several times and stayed with a friend twice), June 1, June 3-5, June 9-13

14. Gapyeong/Nami Island, June 1-3

15. Paju (Samneung Tombs, Gongneung Reservoir, Gongneungchon Stream/fields), June 6-7

16. Daejeon, June 8-9

17. Incheon Airport, June 13

18. Fly back to Montréal via Vancouver, June 13

Wren again

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

American Robin Turdus migratorius

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

Autumnal flames of sumac

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, October 29, 2023

-Lovely and Halloweeny out (crisp and overcast)

-Winter Wren still skulking near the grapes – got some distant record snaps, but I won’t insult the cracking close-in shots I get a few weeks ago by posting them

-No kinglets

-Most avian action was concentrated around wild grapes

-Several Pine Siskins and American Goldfinch on the move overhead

-White-throated Sparrows still numerous, but Dark-eyed Junco numbers are down

-15 species in 90 minutes

Good for northin’

Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura with
Canada Goose Branta canadensis

Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens

American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea

American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea

Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata

Hunter's Moon

Prévost, Oct 27-28, 2023

  Went up for an annual visit to my buddy Joey's, up north in quiet Prévost. We slipped in some birding in his backyard, and in the fields around his place.

Of note:

-A Golden Eagle was a nice surprise, in spite of the fact that it was wayyyy up there, just a menacing dot, drifting south

-Where scrubby stream meets field, the sparrows lurked: At least 12 American Tree Sparrow, 6+ Song Sparrow, 6+ White-throated Sparrow, loads of Dark-eyed Juncos, and an evasive individual I’m 85% certain was a Savannah Sparrow

-Restless Pine Siskins overhead

-The seasons, they are a’changin’

-Sadly, no sign of the ‘backyard Ruffed Grouse’

-24 species noted in two separate birding sessions

Wet Grapes

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicolis

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, October 21, 2023

-Ten species in two hours

-Rainy and warm

-Feels like the tail end of the migratory bell curve

-The edges of every wooded habitat were peeping with Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Hermit Thrush, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets