This Week: What's Around

Another week half gone!  Yesterday (Tuesday) looked like a good day to get up to Sarnia to watch Lake Huron.  As usual it was a weekday and I was unable to get there.  However, it was even better than Saturday from all accounts.

Line of Crazy Birders during Hurricane Sandy 2012

Multiple jaegers were seen throughout the day.  No reports of a Pomarine though!  Likely a kittiwake or two were out there.  Later in the day a Red Phalarope was reported as well.

Not this year!

This weekend we are back to warm SW winds, so likely a Tip watch at Pelee is in order!

Practically no time for birding during the week for those of who work all day, but I got out to Mitchell's Bay Monday evening for an hour.  It was dead calm, but heavily overcast.  There was little to see when I arrived, but a small flock of geese with one white goose was in the field.  I could tell from quite a distance that the white goose just did not fit the description of a Snow Goose.  Sure enough as I got close, it took flight and was obviously a domestic type.

As it was getting dark, flocks of geese kept coming from the NE.  I conservatively estimated 2500.  It was getting quite dark and difficult to see what was in those flocks.  I saw two Snow Geese anyway.

Massive flocks of ducks were out over the Bay as well.

Several Great Egrets are still around lurking in the marshy areas. While watching those, something got up just above the cattails and went back down.  I can only speculate on what it was......

The only warbler I had was an Orange-crowned, of which there are plenty around right now.

Fox Sparrows are showing up in numbers now.

Lots of Pine Siskins around and at the feeders.  Watch for redpolls!  Some are now being reported.