Buy my book! (Dark Flock)

  Howdy fellow bird-nerds! Dark Flock, a collection of my freaky feathered fiction is coming out in May, thanks to the fine folks at Stygian Society, based here in Montréal. The collection features 15 stories — ten of which have been previously published, and five fresh and fantastic tales. All of the short stories are in a self-created sub-genre I like to call “Twilight Zone Birding” — fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, dystopian, and horror (with a surprise romance thrown in for yucks), all involving birding, and/or birds.

-->May 23, 2024 update:

  Available now on Amazon, in paperback and ebook format. Please leave a review!

  Your pre-orders made the whole thing possible, so many thanks again for the support.

  You can pre-order paperback and ebook copies here, along with options for bundles that include limited pinup art by the talented Nyco Rudolph. Thanks in advance for supporting this project!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dark-flock?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3NKNLHokK33TaHuKlQAa1j92nVIzW3hRotCtyV6YUhNxKiBOOnzUS0-YE_aem_AdNRx-OK6b1TFTLVNMuXEx8Wy1dUlfxF9hnZRqn_YwS3aOBDx8uZbE2-Il95b6DWkmgdqJ69hTHSvJONUy0sRShj#/

Mount Royal Cemetery, April 29, 2024

Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
(male)

Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
(female)

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum

Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina

Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis

What used to be a wall of bushes and scrub

A slope clumsily cleared of scrub (why?)

  Joey of the north was in town yesterday, and we popped over to the cem for an impromptu birding session. No shortage of White-throated Sparrows, especially around the feeders and on Mountain View. No warblers spotted, although I did hear a possible Yellow-rumped Warbler call, but it was hard to isolate within a riot of two dozen Ruby-crowned Kinglets twitching and singing through the cedars.

  Joey was tripping out on two species that he hadn’t seen in ages, and that were showing well: Eastern Bluebird and Cedar Waxwing. Two very charismatic species, for sure.

  It’s been a while since I’ve been in the cem, so it was my first look at some disquieting landscaping developments up on Mountain View. Behind ‘the circles,’ a large stretch of what used to be bushes and scrub, formerly great habitat for skulking birds, is now a new patch of grass, presumably destined for new plots. More concerning was the clumsy clearing of a nearby steep slope. All the scrub has been ripped away, with decent-sized chunks of trees also hacked out. Is this busy work? It seems that the only thing this will accomplish is the destabilization and erosion of the slope in a heavy rain event. Rows of sumac have also been cleared in some areas.

  We logged 25 species in a couple of hours.

Chip Hop

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula

American Robin Turdus migratorius

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta

Mourning Cloak Nymphalis antiopa

-Windy, warm, and overcast in NDG today, but not overly birdy

-Saw my first Chipping Sparrow of spring a few days ago on a lawn…only one spotted today though

-Only one Eastern Phoebe seen

-I was expecting some White-throated Sparrows, but nothing at my patch…then a probable whisper of a WTSP call on the way home, from a fence-line near some yards…

-No warblers save for the ones in my head

-On the butterfly front, Mourning Cloaks, Red Admirals (early?), and Cabbage Whites were out

-15 species in 90 minutes

A Pine Day

Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus

Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus

European Starling Sturnus vulgaris

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, April 20, 2024

-Getting springier and springier

-One Golden-crowned and two Ruby-crowned Kinglets

-Still no White-throated or Chipping Sparrows

-20 species in 90 minutes

-Best of the day was a bright and flitty Pine Warbler (Personal first warbler (wobbler) of the spring, personal first for the site)

-A pair of Mallards near some big puddles

-A pair of Downy Woodpeckers chasing each other around and vocalizing

-Still two pairs of Eastern Phoebe in two different areas…one pair was singing loud and aggressively, seemingly where the two territories would overlap

A Sunday in Spring

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus

Brown Creeper Certhia americana

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

Woodchuck/Groundhog/Siffleur Marmota monax

‘Quiet Place’ in NDG, April 14, 2024

-Great to see two pairs of Eastern Phoebe, which looked to be setting up territories. I saw the same behaviour this time last year with one pair, but they didn’t seem to end up nesting at the site.

-A chilly 9°C and windy, but there were some flying insects out.

-Several Northern Flickers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers around (but no Hairy/Downy Woodpeckers in evidence).

-No kinglets or White-throated Sparrows yet, which seemed odd, but they’ve been seen elsewhere on the island, so they’re on the way.

-Song Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were active and singing in most areas.

-I did my neck a mischief recently, which made looking up at tree birds a challenge.

-15 species in 90 minutes, in spite of missing a few basics.

-The last of the snow is gone.

Snowball snow, Juncos, and a sun gone dark

Totality from my front steps

3:27 pm

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

American Robin Turdus migratorius

European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
(through the window)

Current mood

April 4

April 7

  A few days ago we got one final snow dump – heavy snowball snow that knocked out power grids and sent everyone back to the Stone Age for a spell. It all melted quickly enough. Fun fun.

  I birded at my NDG patch on April 7, and spotted ten species in 90 minutes, as per usual. The Dark-eyed Juncos are back (they don’t overwinter there), and I’m betting White-throated Sparrows, phoebes, and kinglets will be around next weekend.

  In other news, the total solar eclipse (April 8) was pretty rad. Felt like a treat to be able to watch it from my front steps.