Tuesday, June 13, 2017

DICK Invasion!

(DICK is the four-letter short form for Dickcissel).
The last couple of days, many of us have found Dickcissels in several locations.  (See the Bird Trax at the right sidebar).  It appears we are in the midst of an invasion!
Although Dickcissels appear in Ontario each year, there are times when they are abundant.  It is often believed this is associated with drought conditions somewhere in the west.  In any case, there are more currently than usual.



About ten days ago, I found one at the traditional location east of Wheatley.  On Sunday, Jim Burk found some jest east of New Scotland north of Rondeau Park (see previous post).
Many locations were revealed in the last day or so around Blenheim.  Also, there are several spots in Lambton.
Today, I looked at some along McCallum Line in south Lambton.  There were at least four at this location, but I did not stay long.



Also today, a Loggerhead Shrike was seen in Lambton County.  I will not be revealing the precise location due to obvious reasons.
Loggerhead Shrikes used to be more frequent in Ontario decades ago, and Lambton was no exception.



It could be nesting in the area! It appears to be unbanded.



The last nesting pair I ever saw was in Middlesex County in the early to mid 1990's.  They were easy to see right beside the road.  That was before I carried a camera though!
I did go to see today's bird, to investigate the situation.  One can hope it is nesting in the area.

4 comments:

  1. Loggerhead Shrike is a great bird in this part of Ontario! I've only ever seen them in Carden, and seeing that there is a bird out in Lambton, it may be worth my while to drive around in south-west Middlesex. It would be great to find a nesting pair around here.

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    1. You never know what may be out there until you look. That is what makes birding so exciting!

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  2. Interesting. I was certainly very surprise to find a Dickcissel near Timmins this Spring (May 17th).

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    1. Seems to be quite an invasion in these parts. More sites were found today.

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