It has been an amazing fall, birding here in Ontario and even Quebec. It all started with the Brown Booby, back in September, seen both from Buffalo and Fort Erie, followed by a Northern Gannet in Colonel Sam Smith Park, a Eurasian Wigeon in Whitby, a Purple Sandpiper at Col. Sam, four Greater White-fronted Geese north of Toronto, a Harlequin Duck back in Col. Sam, and within 72 hours, Little and Franklin's Gulls, and a Red-throated Loon on the Niagara River, followed quickly by a 20 hour to and from trip to Chambly, Quebec for a Ross's Gull and yet another trip to Niagara for an Elegant Tern. Not to mention the Purple Finches I drove up to Algonquin Park to see just this week.
It's not quite as much travel or as exhausting as my 2012 Big Year, but it ranks a close second in terms of time and travel over a short period of time. And it continued today, with a trip to Niagara Falls, Ontario for a Red Phalarope that had been reported on November 30. It also coincided with both the first day of Winter Listing, and an Ontario Field Ornithologists field trip to the Niagara region.
I did not take an active part in the trip, as I was only going out there for the First Winter Red Phalarope, so got an early start to the Niagara River. I parked at the designated spot and walked across to the river, where two birders were already there looking for the Phalarope. While waiting, we spied a Purple Sandpiper on what has become personal rock, above the falls.
As I moved along the river to try for a better angle on the Purple Sandpiper, I looked down at the river and to my delighted surprise, much closer to the fence than I was expecting, I saw the Red Phalarope practically at my feet. I called over the four or five other birders who had arrived, and we all enjoyed watching the bird float and fly and generally entertain us. It was not a Lifer for me, but it was my first in Ontario and the first one I was able to photograph. I had seen one on a Pelagic in California, but was unable to get a lot of photos, due to a lot of sea sickness.
I hung around for another 20 minutes watching the bird, taking photographs, and meeting up with other birders I've met over the past 23 months. Over those 20 minutes, nearly 200 birders had shown up at the river, from the OFO trip, to view the Phalarope and look for the Purple Sandpiper. Since I had seen it earlier, I was able to point out the rock it was hiding behind and eventually most were able to get a look at it. Someone returned the favour by pointing out a Peregrine Falcon to me, before I headed out.
Since I was less than 20 minutes from Fort Erie, I decided to go down the road for another Ontario Lifer, a Lark Sparrow. It would also be a first for the year, and I had also heard there was a Snow Goose and Snowy Owl in the area. I arrived at the designated location between 783 and 801 Niagara Parkway with a few other birders and for an hour we scanned bushes and backyards, trees and feeders. I was getting hungry and thought I might head out for some breakfast when the alarm went up that the Lark Sparrow had been spotted at a feeder in a backyard two houses down from the street near where I was parked.
I grabbed my camera and scope and headed back up the street where they had the bird and quickly got a look at the Lark Sparrow poking its head up from a feeder bowl across the lawn from where were were set up. I got a great and unmistakable look at this rare visitor to Ontario. It summers in the mid-west and upon occasion makes its way through Ontario while Migrating down south to Texas, Florida and Northern Mexico.
Alas, the bird flew the feeder before I could get a photo. I stuck around a bit, but was getting hungry, which is how I ended up eating an American style Sunday Brunch in a Chinese restaurant. I relaxed, filled my belly, drank a couple of cups of coffee and began this blog on my iPad, until I was rested and warmed up enough to continue the chase.
And chase I did. Most of the fun of being an extreme birder is not just the chase but all the birders you run into while waiting for a rare bird to show. On this day, though, there were at least 200 birders in the Niagara region and I ran into pretty much every birder I have encountered here in Ontario over the last 23 months. I think it would have been easier to make a list of birders not in Niagara on this day. Many of them arrived when I returned from lunch and over the next hour or so everyone was looking for a first look at the Lark Sparrow, or, in my case, a photograph. I took a little time out to drive up the road looking for the Snow Goose and Snowy Owl, both of which I have not seen this year, but returned empty handed a little later.
While waiting, though, we all got looks at a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a Bald Eagle and a Cooper's Hawk. Then when it was getting to the point that I was going to have to sacrifice the photo for the day,(I do have photos of them in Florida, Arizona and Texas), word went up that it was being seen in the backyard of a family who had been kind enough to invite birders to come up their driveway to view the feeders. By this point there were at least 50 crazed and, dare I say, obsessed birders anxious to see the bird and get it on both their Life Lists and Winter Lists. I had already seen it, so I lined up near the back of the group as they made their way up the driveway and took turns seeing it at the feeder.
By the time it was my turn, the bird was just flying away from the feeder and into a tree on the other side of the yard. Someone found it and I was able to spot it and my birding pals from the past few weeks, Andrew and Len showed up as well. Andrew, myself and a couple of others hung around and got some great photos of the Lark Sparrow and we all talked of what a great day of birding this had been.
And we weren't done yet. There was still a Snow Goose somewhere on the river and we drove slowly along the river's edge until we spotted something white amongst the Canada Geese. Andrew pulled his car over, and I pulled up behind him. Yes, there it was, my first Snow Goose for Ontario and my third new bird for the year on this great day of birding, giving me 293 for the year. It was a fun and exciting day, meeting up with many of the people who have helped me become a better birder over the last two year.
Now, to get that Snowy Owl... No worries, I have a plan for tomorrow... :)
The Day in Photos:
1st Winter Red Phalarope:
Phalarope Hunters:
Lark Sparrow:
Tundra Swans in Formation:
Snow Goose:
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