Happy Hangeul Day

Stejneger’s Stonechat Saxicola stejnegeri

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

Falcated Duck Anas falcata

Dione Ratsnake Elaphe dione

Dione Ratsnake Elaphe dione

  Turns out yesterday was a national holiday, which celebrates Hangeul, the Korean alphabet…so I went birding along the river, as is tradition. Found some interesting spots, and a few new GNG birds, with my bird of the day being a lovely little Stejneger’s Stonechat. There was also a brown duck that had me scratching my head. After consulting with Tim (thanks!), it seems to be an eclipse Falcated Duck, a configuration I had not encountered before yesterday.
  The 20-strong tripod crew was ever-present along the southern mouth of the river. Not 100% sure what their deal is – they’re all set up with lawn chairs and umbrellas and little stoves and stuff, but didn’t seem to be actively observing the rafts of gulls and ducks on the river. Can’t say that I saw any binoculars either. (Shrugs.) Me? I’ll keep beating the bushes and wearing down the rubber on my heels and the cartilage in my knees, thank you.

Gangneung (Namdae River), October 9, 2018
Little Grebe-2
Temminck’s Cormorant-45+
Great Egret-1
Intermediate Egret-4
Little Egret-2
Grey Heron-9
Greater White-fronted Goose-12
Mallard-4
Spot-billed Duck-60+
Northern Shoveler-1
Falcated Duck-1
Eurasian Wigeon-1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk-2
Eurasian Kestrel-1
Ring-necked Pheasant-2
Moorhen-4
Common Sandpiper-1
Black-tailed Gull-45+
Black-headed Gull-35+
Vega Gull-8
Oriental Turtle Dove-6
Common Kingfisher-4
Great Spotted Woodpecker-1
Barn Swallow-10
Red-rumped Swallow-4
Eastern Yellow Wagtail-4
White Wagtail-12
Japanese Wagtail-2
Brown-eared Bulbul-12+
Bull-headed Shrike-7
Daurian Redstart-8
Stejneger’s Stonechat-1
Arctic Warbler-4
Vinous-throated Parrotbill-20+
Great Tit-10+
Oriental Greenfinch-10
Chinese Grosbeak-1
Tree Sparrow-120+
Red-billed Starling-1
Eurasian Magpie-15+
Large-billed Crow-5

Gangneung bimble

Red-billed Starling Spodiopsar sericeus 

Red-billed Starling Spodiopsar sericeus (juvenile begging)

Red-billed Starling Spodiopsar sericeus

Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis

Oriental Reed Warbler Acrocephalus orientalis

Japanese Wagtail Motacilla grandis

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia

Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons

Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Dunlin Calidris alpina

Dunlins foraging

Tiger Keelback Rhabdophis tigrinus

Asian Comma Polygonia c-aureum

A fine spot for an odeng/Maxim lunch

The tripod crew waiting for a Purple Heron (from several days ago) to reappear

  Ahh, the opiation of jetlag – perfect excuse to wake in the pre-dawn murk to beat the bushes of one’s new patch. How much I’ve forgotten – each new song and call had to percolate through the musty corridors of the ‘Korean bird sounds’ compartment of my brain before I figured it out. It was summerhot, my legs are smashed, but it was all worth it. Almost cracked 50 on the day. Hey, I didn’t spot any buntings or woodpeckers.
  The squawky cloud of Red-billed Starlings was an eyebrow-raiser, especially the begging juvenile birds in tow. The day ended all hot and delirious with a group of pipits mixed in with wagtails at the far end of a stubbly field, showing strong brows and warm orange-y underparts, but not sounding like Richard’s…Blyth’s? Probably not (leaning towards Richard's...with some Red-throated mixed in). One of the rare moments when I mutter “I wish I had been carrying a scope on my 7-hour walk.”

Gangneung (Namdae River-Songjeong Beach-Gyeongpo Lake-farm fields west of the lake), October 7, 2018
Little Grebe-3
Great Crested Grebe-5
Temminck’s Cormorant-35+
Black-crowned Night Heron-2 heard pre-dawn from my backyard
Striated Heron-1
Great Egret-6
Intermediate Egret-7
Little Egret-5
Grey Heron-12
Eurasian Spoonbill-1
Greater White-fronted Goose-29
Mandarin Duck-2
Mallard-2
Eastern Spot-billed Duck-120+
Eurasian Teal-2
Pochard-6
Greater Scaup-16
Eurasian Kestrel-1
Ring-necked Pheasant-1
Moorhen-2 young birds
Dunlin-3
Common Sandpiper-2 along the river
Black-tailed Gull-90+
Black-headed Gull-6
Vega Gull-4
Oriental Turtle Dove-17
Common Kingfisher-3
Barn Swallow-9
Eastern Yellow Wagtail-2
White Wagtail-2
Japanese Wagtail-3
Pipit sp.-10ish
Brown-eared Bulbul-20+
Bull-headed Shrike-5
Daurian Redstart-8
Blue Rock Thrush-4
Dusky Thrush-2
Oriental Reed Warbler-2
Arctic Warbler-4
Vinous-throated Parrotbill-25+
Great Tit-12+
Oriental Greenfinch-9
Tree Sparrow-400+
Red-billed Starling-70+ in two locations (52 in the main group, including several juveniles seen begging)
Eurasian Magpie-13
Large-billed Crow-6

Au revoir

Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii with Barred Owl Strix varia

Barred Owl Strix varia

Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus

Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii showing more smears than streaks...young bird?

Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis

  One last bimble through the ‘teries revealed some pleasant surprises on a crisp afternoon. It was super birdy on the north mounts! No time for a proper account now, as I’m throwing clothing into a tattered backpack. Oh yeah, the last bird of the day was a Canada Warbler, which I thought was a clever nod from the bird gods.

Mount-Royal Cemetery, (Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery + Université de Montréal woods), September 30, 2018
Canada Goose-(5)
Turkey Vulture-(1)
Sharp-shinned Hawk-1 on Mountain View
Cooper’s Hawk-1 (1 doing the ‘monkey scream’ in reaction to a Barred Owl in the UdeM woods)
Merlin-1 in C6
Ring-billed Gull-(12+)
Barred Owl-(1 being interrogated by a Cooper’s Hawk in the UdeM woods)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-2
Downy Woodpecker-1 (1)
Hairy Woodpecker-2 (2)
Northern Flicker-10+ (5)
Blue-headed Vireo-1 on Mountain View, (2 in the UdeM woods)
American Crow-10+ (10+)
Common Raven-(2)
Black-capped Chickadee-15+ (10+)
White-breasted Nuthatch-2
Red-breasted Nuthatch-1
Winter Wren-3
Golden-crowned Kinglet-2 (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet-12 (2)
Eastern Bluebird-10 in one tree in F10
Swainson’s Thrush-12+ (3)
Gray-cheeked Thrush-1 on Mountain View, (1 in the UdeM woods)
Hermit Thrush-4 (1)
Gray Catbird-2
Northern Parula-2 on Mountain View, (1 in the UdeM woods)
Magnolia Warbler-2 (2)
Bay-breasted Warbler-3 (1)
Black-and-white Warbler-1 on Mountain View
Canada Warbler-1 in C5
Northern Cardinal-1
Chipping Sparrow-10
Song Sparrow-5
Lincoln’s Sparrow-1 at Oak Ridge, (1 in the ‘Lincoln’s Sparrow scrub’ by the NDN north field)
White-throated Sparrow-50+ (12+)
Dark-eyed Junco-22 (3)
American Goldfinch-2

Four Phillies, Pecker-dodge, and a ‘Ckoo

The cemetery boys

Bonnie blue skies

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens

Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii

Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis

Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus

Pileated Woodpecker dodging a slab of tree...that's some Matrix action right there

  I’ll hafta start an indie band named the title of this post.
 Guess today was my last cemeteries session until the Fox Sparrows return. The action started slow in NDN in the crisp and earlies, but picked up when I heard a cuckoo calling from the exact same spot as the Yellow-billed Cuckoo from a few months back (https://snowyowllost.blogspot.com/2018/05/yellow-billed-cuckoo.html). Sounded like that bird...but also didn’t. Sadly there were no Northern Cardinals to give me an assist this time, and the bird was not seen.
  I almost got a great video of a Pileated Woodpecker squashing itself with an ill-advised peck – watch for it in the first millisecond of the clip.
  Ended up with a decent 46-ish species, including an outrageous four Philadelphia Vireos. Four! Outrageous. Otherwise, lots of the usual autumnal suspects, like Swainson’s Thrushes, Dark-eyed Juncos, Chipping and White-throated Sparrows, and Winter Wrens.
  What else? Ran into the cemetery boys (Jean-Sebastien Mayer and Louis Lemay), and picked up some respectable warbler waves with them. I had a warbler tale to tell, but now too tired – my legs'n'feets are well and thoroughly thrashed.

Mount-Royal Cemetery, (Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery + Université de Montréal woods), September 24, 2018
Double-crested Cormorant-(3 circling rather aimlessly over the NW corner of NDN)
Canada Goose-195+ throughout the day, (65)
Sharp-shinned Hawk-(1)
Cooper’s Hawk-2 (1)
Merlin-1 at Oak Ridge
Ring-billed Gull-1
Cuckoo sp.-(1 heard from the UdeM woods...couldn’t say what colour its bill may have been hued)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-1 on Mountain View, 2 on Pine Hill Side
Downy Woodpecker-2 (2)
Hairy Woodpecker-2 (1)
Northern Flicker-7+ (3)
Pileated Woodpecker-1 (1)
Empid sp.-(1 young-looking bird, looked good for Least Flycatcher)
Philadelphia Vireo-(2 dueling in NDN, 2 in the UdeM woods – I’ve only ever seen them one at a time!)
Blue-headed Vireo-1 on Mountain View
Blue Jay-2 (1)
American Crow-4 (2)
Common Raven-2 (1)
Black-capped Chickadee-15+ (10+)
Brown Creeper-(1)
White-breasted Nuthatch-2 (1)
Red-breasted Nuthatch-2 (4)
Winter Wren-4 well-scattered throughout, (2)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet-3 (2)
Eastern Bluebird-(3 being hounded by Chipping Sparrows)
Swainson’s Thrush-12+ (8+)
Gray-cheeked Thrush-(1 possible in the UdeM woods)
Hermit Thrush-2 (1)
Gray Catbird-1
Cedar Waxwing-(2+ heard)
Tennessee Warbler-1 in N2, (1 in the UdeM woods)
Nashville Warbler-(3 in the UdeM woods)
Magnolia Warbler-4 (6)
Cape May Warbler-1 in A4 that had me thinking Prairie Warbler for a moment...
Black-throated Blue Warbler-2 (2)
Black-throated Green Warbler-1 bright male, (1)
Common Yellowthroat-(1 in the UdeM woods, 1 in the ‘Lincoln’s Sparrow scrub’ by the NDN north field)
Wilson’s Warbler-1 male in N2
Northern Cardinal-4 (1)
Chipping Sparrow-100+ (100+)
Song Sparrow-3 (2)
Lincoln’s Sparrow-(1 in the ‘Lincoln’s Sparrow scrub’ by the NDN north field)
White-crowned Sparrow-(1 near Decelles)
White-throated Sparrow-40+ (30+)
Dark-eyed Junco-15+ (10+)
American Goldfinch-1

Free the ‘Dee

trapped Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

juvenile American Robin Turdus migratorius

Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus with prey - they love those stink bugs

Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

  It’s been a while since I hit up the cemeteries, so I swung by today to soak up some last-minute Canada birds before abmigrating east. It/I was hot and sweaty. 

  In a quiet part of Mountain View I came upon what I thought was a dead Black-capped Chickadee, stuck in a clump of ditch-burs like a tragic ornament. When I got closer, it twitched. It’s aliiive! I dropped my gear and went into bander mode. I couldn’t use a bander’s grip (where the bird’s back/wings are tucked into your palm) because of the way the wing and head were entangled, so I went in with a photographer’s grip (securing the legs). I carefully freed the bird’s head, then worked on the breast and wing. After about a minute, the bird came free with the loss of just a single fluff, and a thank-you peck. Thankfully, the burs did not appear to have done any permanent damage to the ‘Dee, and it must not have been trapped for too long, judging from the vigour with which it flew off. Watching it bolt to freedom made me goofy happy. Reminds me of the racoon I liberated last year: https://snowyowllost.blogspot.com/2017/10/raccoon-rescue-report.html

  Bumped into Jean-Sebastien Mayer later, and we picked through a thin warbler wave. My legs are thrashed, they got soft and weak over the summer, like chickadee legs. Actually, that's not an apt comparison, as chickadees can hang from their legs to forage. So that's pretty strong. Good night.

Mount-Royal Cemetery, (Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery), September 13, 2018
Turkey Vulture-1
Cooper’s Hawk-1 up high, (1 down low)
Ring-billed Gull-20+ (6)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird-1 on Pine Hill Side
Downy Woodpecker-1 (1)
Hairy Woodpecker-2
Northern Flicker-7 (3)
Pileated Woodpecker-1
Great Crested Flycatcher-(1 heard)
Red-eyed Vireo-3 (2)
Blue Jay-(3)
American Crow-4
Common Raven-1 (1)
Black-capped Chickadee-20+ (10+)
White-breasted Nuthatch-2 (2)
Red-breasted Nuthatch-3 (1)
House Wren-2 (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet-1
Eastern Bluebird-12+ (5+)...many being hounded by clots of admiring Chipping Sparrows, which seem to revere them as blue gods
Swainson’s Thrush-6 (5)
American Robin-2
Gray Catbird-2
Cedar Waxwing-10+ in F10
Tennessee Warbler-12+, with a few up on Mountain View, and several near-homogenous groups in F9-F10
Magnolia Warbler-4 (2)
Cape May Warbler-3 in F9-F10
Blackburnian Warbler-1 on Mountain View
Black-throated Blue Warbler-3 (1)
Black-throated Green Warbler-1
Yellow-rumped Warbler-1 in F9-F10
Blackpoll Warbler-6+ throughout...check for those pale legs!
American Redstart-4 (1)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak-1
Northern Cardinal-4 (2)
Chipping Sparrow-120+ (75+)
Song Sparrow-4 (4)
White-throated Sparrow-6 (4)
American Goldfinch-6+ (3)
Pine Siskin-1...good ear, Jean-Sebastien!