On January 1 we conducted the St. Clair NWA CBC. It was a brutally cold and windy day, not good for walking. This Gray Catbird was wondering why it was not farther south!
In late January, some Greater White-fronted Geese dropped into Sarnia. It took me some time to track them down!
Down at Wheatley Harbour on the 28th, a variety of geese were in the calm waters. Some Snow, Ross's and a hybrid of the two, plus a Greater White-fronted. Canada and a Cackling were also present.
A Townsend's Solitaire was a nice sight at Point Pelee one weekend.
In mid February, a King Eider was found on the St. Clair River at Corunna. This young male stayed well into the spring! It was the first eider I had seen on the river.
On March 17, I went down to Hillman Marsh shorebird cell to look at the Eurasian Green-winged Teal. This 'species' had been around in past years, but this was the first time I caught up with one.
On April 8, I was birding the Lake Ontario shoreline around Mississauga, and came upon a Western Grebe at Port Credit. It caused quite a stir among the locals! (I did not have a good camera on hand).
On April 28, I came across some Yellow-headed Blackbirds near Mitchell's Bay--the first arrivals.
May was interesting at Rondeau Park. It was quite rainy (especially on weekends of course) and no big fallout of birds was experienced. There were several Summer Tanagers, difficult to keep a handle on.
One rainy day, I discovered two Hudsonian Godwits at Roberta Stewart Wetland near Wallaceburg!
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| one of them |
An American White Pelican was a novelty on the St. Clair River.
In late May, a beauty of a Franklin's Gull was at Hillman Marsh.
Early June, I ventured up to Pinery PP and found some of the rare Dusted Skippers, among other things.
Dickcissels started showing up in June, and there was a moderate invasion, especially in Chatham-Kent and south Lambton.
On June 21, I found the first Oak Hairstreaks at Reid CA. They seemed to have a decent year, unlike their more common cousins.
In June, I found a Black-headed Gull at the Tip of Point Pelee!
On June 23-24 I ventured up to Lake Muskoka to visit a friend on Browning Island (more on that later). It was somewhat wet (yes is was a weekend!).
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| View from Shirley's dock early morning |
July 1 was the Skunk's Misery butterfly count and I found a Harvester.
In August I finally caught up with Comet Darners, which never settled down! Very uncommon for Ontario!
On the 25th I saw the Purple Gallinule down in Essex County.
On September 1, I finally took the drive up to Oliphant to see the Reddish Egret, a first for Ontario. Not a pretty bird, but exciting to see!
Less than a week later, a first for Canada appeared at Rondeau Park. The Great Kiskadee was a popular attraction!
A day after seeing that, I found a Snowy Egret at Roberta Stewart Wetland.
Later in September I took a trip up to Awenda PP, Killbear PP, French River and Grundy Lake PP. It was nice to get up that way.
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| Killbear P.P. |
On October 15, Nelson's Sparrow's were plentiful at McLean CA. We saw more than 15 on the 15th!
There was an influx of Hudsonian Godwits at Blenheim and elsewhere in October. Up to five were at Blenheim S.T.P.
Early November saw a Western Grebe at Bright's Grove. As well, finches were on the move with lots of Evening Grosbeaks.
On November 23, I went to Goderich to see Ontario's first Calliope Hummingbird. A real treat to see.
More recently, the Barred Owl at Rondeau Park on the CBC was a big hoot. So excited, I left the camera in the car! A Chatham-Kent first for many of us present.
Finally, I feel compelled to remember a very good friend who passed away in Toronto this Tuesday. Back in June I went up to Browning Island on Lake Muskoka to visit Shirley McIntyre. Weather was not very good but we made the best of it, as I wanted to see the interior of the island. She made an effort to help me out, and I did get a bit of a hike in the one day.
Sadly, I knew this visit would be the last time I would see Shirley, as she was not in the best of health. She loved nature and we always talked about various things from birds to animals.
After I received word last night of her passing, I started to reminisce of the many cherished visits I made to Browning Island. They will always have a special place in my heart.
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| Shirley in her beloved Mac-Craft in better days |
Hello Blake--My deepest sympathy in the loss of your good
ReplyDeletefriend Shirley. It sounds like she lead a very fruitful life.
You will miss the treasured conversations with her, but memories
of your times together, will last forever.
Thanks Irene! Yes, the memories of god times will always be there.
DeleteVery sorry to hear of the passing of your friend, Blake. You've chosen a nice selection of events and photos. It certainly was a good year. You may want to fix the March species name though.
ReplyDeleteGot it! Too much of a hurry I guess.
Delete