National Wildlife Week and Jack Miner

The week that has April 10 is known as National Wildlife Week.  The 10th of April is also the birthdate of Jack Miner.  Back in 1947, the House of Commons of Canada passed a Bill proclaiming the week, in response to the contributions of Jack Miner.

Jack was keen on nature and birds in his youth.  He recognized the movement of waterfowl.  Early in life (1904) he created a small sanctuary at Kingsville for geese.  He was first and foremost a hunter but also a conservationist.  In 1909 he put an aluminum band on a Black Duck with the Kingsville address. A month later, the duck was shot in South Carolina and the hunter returned the band.  It was proof that waterfowl migrated long distances.  From there, bandings became popular.

He felt, in 1916, that there should be a Migratory Bird Treaty between the United States and Canada.  He was the first Canadian to address the United States Congress on the issue.  Through his efforts, that treaty was formed.

The philosophy of the day was certainly different than that of today with respect to hunting and Jack Miner was a controversial figure at times with his beliefs and practices.

In 1923 he published a book telling the story of his life and about bird conservation.  He wrote it himself.
I have a copy of that book, as depicted below.

Inscription on inside....

The sanctuary and grounds in Kingsville is quite an attraction for waterfowl.

This weekend, the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Foundation at Jack Miner's in Kingsville is hosting a special weekend.  Check out the website at:   http://jackminer.ca/

Day of the Owls

Well, Christmas came a day early.  There may be very few passerines around, but owls have arrived en masse.
With the announcement late yesterday of a Great Gray Owl near Kingsville in Essex County, a birder could not pass this one up.
I headed down this morning arriving about 08:45 (just could not get up too early!).  Actually I was about to turn onto McCain Rd. to look in the last reported location of the owl, but I saw a number of vehicles ahead on Rd. 2.  Undoubtedly this was where the subject owl was perched.

Upon arrival I saw several familiar faces, and the face of a Great Gray Owl.  It was some distance into the meadow, but patience paid off and it came right to the road.  As is often the case with these denizens of the north, they are somewhat fearless of humans.














Barb Charlton was there because she actually need this one for her big year list!  I forgot to ask her what she was at but I think it is around 321.

After looking at this for a while, I headed down McCain Rd. where a Snowy Owl was seen, then to the Pelee Onion Fields.  Two Snowy Owls so far!

Near Hillman Marsh was the first of four Bald Eagles I saw today.

On the way to Erieau, I sighted a Northern Mockingbird on a wire near Port Alma.

Northern Mockingbird

At Erieau, I found three Snowy Owls on the rocks.  I think there were five on Sunday.  All heavily-barred individuals.  A Double-crested Cormorant was still hanging around on the rocks.
Snowy Owl blobs:

I walked the R/R track trail and not surprisingly, no small birds.  On the way out I sighted a Great Horned Owl along the shoreline in a willow.  Another "great" owl.

Thinking there had to be some Snowy Owls near Grande Pointe, I swung around by that way and spotted two north of the village in a usual spot near Marsh Line.  Much too far for photos.

Still not done, I took back roads to Wallaceburg SW of town and sighted yet another Snowy Owl.  Very distant, but this one will hopefully be found on Tuesday for our CBC.  Way too far away for a photo!
So, an eight Snowy day--most I have seen in one single day!
I heard there was another Snowy Owl just outside town, so I went for that too!  Chalk up nine.

On more thing.  I headed over to Stewart Line and was delighted to find two Sandhill Cranes. None had been sighted since Josh Bouman's report of 30 last Sunday.  Another species required for Tuesday.

Maybe I should look for Short-eared Owls in a couple of hours......

The Hummer

No, not the vehicle!!

Today I saw another life bird. This time it was a Rufous Hummingbird that is coming to a feeder in Kingsville. Birders affectionately call hummingbirds "hummers" for short.

Less than two weeks ago, a couple in Kingsville were curious about a hummingbird coming to their feeder and contacted Paul Pratt at Ojibway in Windsor. A hummingbird in November is likely something rare, so Paul investigated. He determined that it was either a Rufous or an Allen's Humminbird. These two species are almost identical, so an in-hand view was required. Some licensed banders captured the bird and determined it was a female Rufous. See photo here.

In Ontario, we only have one native hummingbird, the Ruby-throated, and that is usually gone by early October. Rufous Hummingbirds seem to be heartier birds, and show up in late fall in Ontario. They can survive by coming to feeders with nectar ratio about 4:1. Some may perish, but recent belief is that they eventually head south. There was a case when one was banded in Ohio late one December, and it appeared at the same place a year later!

I did not get a photo of this bird, as I was not fast enough with my camera. This photo shows the feeder a minute after the bird disappeared. The bird roosts in the spruce seen at the top.

My first stop of the day was at the Tip of Point Pelee. I met Adam Pinch there. It was a calm day, so not much was seen. At the tram loop, we came across a Chipping Sparrow. While at the Tip, Paul Pratt came along with a small group from Ojibway. On their way home, they also stopped to see the hummingbird.

Later, passing by Hillman Marsh, a Great Egret flew across in front of me and landed in the marsh at the gate to Hillman. An egret at this late date is pretty good. In fact, it is probably the latest one I have seen.

On to Erieau, I looked at thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls. Nothing different. The Franklin's Gull seems to have moved on, and has not been seen since last Sunday. It could still be nearby though, as there are lots of gulls around right now.