Hike At Night
August 26th, 2008
Or hike at sunset, anyway, and bring along a good pair of low-light-tolerant binoculars.
I went out to Old Quarry Trail today around 5:30PM. I hiked around for an hour, didn't see much (other than the usual deer and a few common breeding birds), and went back to Hazeldean Mall to have dinner. After dinner I was going to head home, but thought "well, marsh birds are often more active at dusk, lets give it one more try"--and went back out. Which is when all the cool stuff happened.
At 8:00PM, after creeping back and forth on the boardwalk for about fifteen minutes, I saw a medium-sized bird silhouetted behind the cattails. I very slowly and quietly sat down cross-legged, lifted my binoculars, and watched as it came out into the open: my first Virginia Rail, a shy and secretive marsh wader. This made my day. And my week. And my month.
At 8:15PM I saw a Snowshoe Hare on the path ahead. Rabbits are ubiquitous in a number of places in Ottawa, but this is the first time I'd ever seen a hare. I didn't realize how different they looked: this one was standing half-upright, and his posture reminded me of a kangaroo. At 8:20, a pair of porcupines--mother and child, I think--ambled by in the woods. Shortly thereafter a third porcupine began to come down out of his tree for the night. Said tree was about five feet away from me.
For obvious reasons, I didn't stick around.
A Meal For A Merlin
August 20th, 2008
I saw something new at Mud Lake yesterday evening. Not a new species, but a particular bird-watching "slice of life" that I had never witnessed before: a raptor in flight with catch in hand. He was off in the distance flying towards the river. Knowing that wherever he landed, he'd likely stay there awhile, I followed, and found him in a tree with a chickadee dangling from his talons. He was a Merlin: a handsome blue-jay-sized falcon of the north.
If you ever want to find a raptor, follow the noise. Some birds have alarm calls for raptors on the hunt, but that's nothing compared to the amount of noise all songbirds make when a raptor with prey in hand perches nearby and starts eating. It's a sound I can only call "outrage." In this case, the Merlin apparently got fed up with it, because he flew away to dine at a more secluded location. One particularly gutsy chickadee chased after him as he left.
Dow's Lake
August 1st, 2008
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The Rideau Canal at Dow's Lake, shortly before sunset.
An Afternoon At Mud Lake
July 29th, 2008
Since this was one of the few nice days we've had in awhile, I left work an hour early (I'll make it up on a rainy day) and went birding at Mud Lake in Britannia, and was treated to the sight of a Cooper's Hawk by the Ottawa River, perched calmly in a tree full of angry chickadees and angrier starlings, and having dinner. Raptors are one of my favorite kinds of birds, and even though I love songbirds too, when I see a hawk at the chase or having a meal, for whatever reason my sympathies always lie with him. I silently cheer when he makes the catch, and silently empathize when it gets away. Maybe it's because I have some idea of how challenging his lifestyle is. (According to a study, a good percentage of Cooper's Hawks have healed chest bone fractures.)
Other highlights include: all three of Ottawa's common breeding herons (Great Blue, Green, Black-Crowned Night), Chimney Swifts, a Mallard with three surprisingly young (for late July) ducklings, and a small flock of Bonaparte's Gulls on the river. I gather that last is an early migration event, since Bonaparte's Gulls generally breed well north of here.
By the end of this year I'll have a telephoto lens so I can give you pictures instead of just hyperlinks!
Symmetry
July 23rd, 2008
Outer Banks Photos
July 18th, 2008
A series of sunrise photos, taken just outside our cottage at Cape Hatteras this summer.
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Home Sweet
July 16th, 2008
My parents have vacationed in the Outer Banks since I was five years old, and I usually go with them--typically a week in Virginia and a second week in Nags Head or Cape Hatteras. Ever since I became a birder (May of last year), I've delighted in the birds of the south. Any season of the year, there's so much to see.
I just got back from this summer's trip. My total species list numbers 70, with 13 lifers! One of the place I visited several times was Pea Island Wildlife Refuge, but it wasn't responsible for all or even most of the lifers. One of them (Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher) was even in my parents' backyard! This is the joy of travelling for a birder: species that are common to the locals are exotic to you.
( Species List )
I'll post some scenery photos from the trip in a few days.
A cottage weekend and a thrilling bird
June 29th, 2008
I recently spent the weekend at a friend's cottage in Quebec. I spent much of the time birding the area, even when it rained. (The rain kept the deer flies away!) I didn't get around to canoeing or exploring the forest, so I just hiked along the dirt road seeing what I could see, occasionally pushing my way into thickets. This was enough to net me 27 species, 6 of which I had only ever seen in migration, and 2 of which--Common Loon and Swainson's Thrush--were lifers (new species).
Yes, I'd actually never seen a loon before.
( Species List )
There was one especial treat: the Blackburnian Warblers. Here's a photo (not mine) so you know what I'm talking about. They are some of the most beautiful birds in North America, and I not infrequently saw them right outside my bedroom window! They probably nested in the spruce woods across the lake from us. What attracted them to the little trees around the cottage, I don't know.
