Year of the Owl (#235-236)

I've been holding off on this post for a while, but I think it's finally time to post. I hit the trails (I'm intentionally being a little vague here...) a few weeks ago on my birthday, hoping for another birthday lifer (remember last year?) This was probably a little optimistic but it was still a beautiful walk. The woods were feeling particularly magical with beautiful snow falling (and there ended up being a pretty major snowstorm that night). 

There were lots of deer and even a not-so-wild turkey that approached. I seriously thought I was going to have to run....

Someone has created a sweet little memorial with bird and deer feeders and beautiful little handmade wind catchers and a sign. I don't know if Deer George was a dude or a deer, but I thought that that is a very nice way to be remembered. 

Very keen nuthatch--normally they are a little more shy than this, but this one kept coming back again and again!

I did go back on the weekend as I was on a mission. While walking the trail, this white mass passed right overhead--I swear, I wouldn't have seen or heard it if I hadn't been looking in the right direction.  Some people farther down the trail spotted it where it had landed. We continued on for a 1-2 hour hike and when we came back, it was still sitting in the exact same spot, not giving a hoot (ha) about its onlookers (including several ankle biters located directly underneath it). 

#235: Barred Owl

heart-shaped face---love

orange feeders on the trail

There has been quite a bit of hubbub around here about even more owls. I finally spotted this one with some tips from a few birders. It was best the first time I saw it--when there was nobody else there. Now the area is getting pretty ridiculous in the same way Green's Creek is.

I adore this owl--it is quite tiny but very intense looking. He cocks his head to try and figure you out and rolls his head around on his neck and it's quite hilarious to watch.

#236: Northern Hawk Owl

It looks pretty aggressive in this next shot but it was actually just stretching its wings...slowly one wing came all the way down and then they both went up and it settled back down...moving in much the way a hobbit does.

need to fix the colour on these..I don't know what the heck happened

And finally, another wildlife sighting, something a little different, not too far from home. Spotted this coywolf/coydog (the jury is still out) in a farm field beside Eagleson and very close to home. Looks healthy anyway...

Winter wonders

I decided I wanted to have a look around the west end this weekend to see what I could see. After last week's misfortunes I'm much more careful about what's laying around on the back seat of the car, so everything gets brought in and taken back out every time. The plan was to ski first and then do some birding. We got to the trailhead and I looked at Matt--you grabbed the camera right? And he gives me this blank stare.....sigh. So there we are with this huge lens that comes in its own bag which we now have to lug around *with no body* while skiiing so it doesn't get stolen. Luckily the camera was not needed on the trails and there it was strangely quiet--only saw an Eastern Cottontail and few birds. However it was a great ski and we got to head out onto the river for part of it--wanted to check out the ice shacks but didn't quite get that far--and I just had my skis waxed so I was good and fast...wheeeeeee!

The geocaching has started up again so we headed to a nearby spot on Grandview to grab one, where I noticed 200+ bohemian waxwings and pine grosbeaks in a tree in someone's front yard. So back to the house it was to get the camera body--luckily it wasn't terribly far away. I'm glad since I've had such a hard time getting close to a pine grosbeak for a decent shot. I didn't get any shots of the huge flock of waxwings unfortunately--it's a really incredible feeling when so many of them swoop around over your head and do the murmuration thing. Does anybody know what that fruit is? I'm still working on my plant identification...

Waxwings kinda make me think of Rupaul. They got the serious eyeliner wings goin' on. Rupaul aside, they are so awesome.

Afterwards we stopped at Hilda on the way home where there were two snowshoe hares. We also stopped at March Valley to see if the owls were around.  There was a large convoy of cars with plates from Maryland, Vermont and New York. They'd come up and struck out at both Green's Creek and in the West End. I can't imagine coming that far and missing a bird that's been here so reliably, but of course it happens  and that's the risk you run! Hopefully they stayed over and had better luck the next day...

Sunday involved an unsuccessful attempt to locate evening grosbeaks and white-winged crossbills. However it did end in inadvertently finding Maple Hill Urban Farm, very close to home with fresh eggs, and the farmer, Don, was so friendly and invited us in to see all the awesome animals--chickens, ducks, a cow, a couple horses, a pony, a donkey, two goats, two dogs and three hilarious barn cats (including two KITTENS!), and then we got DQ to top it all off (open on Family Day...yessssss!), so all's well that ends well.

Birding burns #234

I'll try to stay optimistic and not to let the rotten mood that I am ruin this post. I was having a great day until...well, I'll get to that.

It was a beautiful day winter day and we had a few birds on our radar today. First we drove some of the farm fields not far outside of Kanata looking for snowy/northern hawk owls. We didn't look too long before heading to the Lime Kiln Trail, which I had actually been avoiding since it was closed this summer after a large, 100-acre brush fire on NCC lands. Bad birder though, not recalling the woodpeckers that actually seek out recent burn areas. Luckily, someone else reported the black-backed (actually quite some time ago, when my bird radar was off...luckily it kicked back in on time!).

We parked at P10 and started the walk into the burn area, stopping about 50m in after 20 or so chickadees made clear it was time for lunch. Stopped to feed them for a bit, and then continued on.

Once we were close, we started stopping to listen every 50m or so for pecking, and following the source if we heard it. This method found several woodpeckers. As it turns out, it seems hairies are fans of burn sites too. Hairy peckers still get me...who came up with that anyway?! I brushed up on the differentiating features between hairies and downies after a man said he saw huge downies...but I'm pretty sure they were hairies. I usually guesstimate based on size, but you never know if you are looking at a large downy or a small hairy--so the key is the length of the bill and whether there are (downy) or are not (hairy) dark spots on the outer tail feathers.

Tree damage from fire

Then we were looking at a hairy on a tree, when I realized that there was a second woodpecker on the same tree further up...only its back was all black! Found it!

The birds didn't seem to mind observers at all and would go about their business until they moved on to a new tree. I only observed one black-backed, a female (I believe that's all that's been reported). Lifer!

 #234: Black-backed Woodpecker; Lime Kiln Trail area; February 10, 2013

Peekaboo!

Pretty lady. Love the fine bars on her side. Only the males have the yellow on top of the head.

Stopped to do a little preening. Nice to watch!

Today I learned a few things about me and my lens:
1. I need to develop some stronger shoulder/arm muscles to hold that sucker up for any length of time
2. I experienced a crazy thing that hasn't happened to me birding...I was TOO close to focus.Well, that doesn't happen often.

Was really hoping a bird would perch in that little spot, but no such luck today so I made Matt do it instead

Things started to go a little sour when we got back when I went to get in the car and realized something was wrong with the window--mainly that it wasn't there. And that all that was left was little shards. There was also a drill hole near the handle. It's unfortunate that people are getting out there outside, enjoying nature, and this is what they get. So, if this can be a reminder of anything to you birders, whenever you leave your car in an isolated parking lot (or anywhere really), do not leave things in your car! We didn't even have any valuables in sight, but we had a lot of junk that was in bags/boxes and could look like there might be something worth grabbing.

people are jerks. because this is just what I needed.

If you go to check out the BBW, don't forget your sunflower seeds, and if you must take valuables, take them with you on the trail. Snowshoes would help once you are off the main trail, but we just trudged it. Good little cardio workout that was, after the snowfall the night before!

On the way home we drove down Rushmore and spotted a snowy on a far-off pole. i wasn't keen to hang around though, since I was freezing with no window!

This morning I headed to March Valley to see if I could spot some of the west-end greys. I did, beautifully silhouetted by the rising sun. It was so nice to see them in a more peaceful setting being left alone! Didn't stay long though in the classy garbage-bag-over-the-window car.

Here's another really nice, informative post with great shots from another Ottawa blogger on the BBW at Lime Kiln.

Owl Prowl: Great greys + the BAIT DEBATE (#233)

Back when I started birding, I heard these legendary tales of "the year the great greys came through."  Gosh darn it all, I said to myself, why couldn't I have picked up this hobby one year earlier?!?! Even their Latin name, Strix Nebulosa, adds to the majestic allure surrounding them. So I was more than ecstatic when I heard the first reports that they might be back after four years. Just to give some background, Great Grey Owls are not native to our area. They are northern birds that will travel south if there is a shortage food--so while it's a treat for us to see them, it is not for the owls because desperate measures have caused them to come our way. At 27", they are massive and our largest owl.

We tried Huntmar and March Valley roads first in an attempt to find them in the west end, closer to home, but no dice. So we made the trek out to the other end of our particularly wide city on Saturday afternoon--since we are far west and this is far east, that made 32km each way, totalling 60km. We parked at P8 and walked back along Rockcliffe Parkway to the trailhead. There were several people there and lenses and scopes aimed at the targets. It wasn't long until someone kindly pointed out the grey blob in the tree for us. Unfortunately the sun was on the wrong side of things (if I had known, I would have come in the morning), so I took what shots I could at ISO1600 and we decided to revisit in the morning, making the total driving over the course of the weekend 120 km. I'm not much of a chaser and this is a pretty far trek for a bird alone, but it's nowhere near the travel time for other people we met in the field from Boston and Pennsylvania.

Armed with my latest acquisition, I was pretty pleased with the results but I still need to really get used to it, especially the focus. On the way out, I happened to see Bob Boisvert, friend and TC photo club founder, although we didn't have time to talk as it was getting darker and he still hadn't seen the birds. Actually, it was nice to meet several people there, from both close and afar, including Dorian Anderson and Clyde Drodge.

#233: Great Grey Owl; Green's Creek (Orleans, Ottawa); January 26, 2013

*unbaited* Matt got this shot!

On Sunday, up at 6 am, on the road at 6:30 am and in the parking lot at 7 am. This time we were among the first there. Dorian, who we'd met the day before, was waiting for us and we made our way to the field. One owl was perched very near to were it had been the day before, and we waited for the sun to rise and bask it in a warm yellow glow.

*unbaited* and coincidentally, my favourite shot. Notice the white "bowtie" under its face.

It didn't take too long for the hordes to arrive. It was somewhat akin to when an Asian tour bus stops and all of a sudden you are surrounded by chaos and cameras. Again, not being a bird chaser, I wasn't used to this and it wasn't long before these owls became a total spectacle.  At one point, it became so absurd that I stopped taking photos of the owls and started taking pictures of the people taking pictures of the owls...

the crowd and more people arriving

It was not long until the mice started flying either. This was my first time witnessing baiting of owls (I had only seen evidence of it before on Amherst) and I have really mixed feelings about it. I don't think I can write this post without being fully transparent about it. So here comes...

 *THE BAIT DEBATE*

I hate for this discussion to detract from such a marvelous bird, but I do want to take some time to address an important topic. *clambering up onto soapbox* And y'all know I can hardly write a post without making some kind of statement. I'm probably going to be ruffling some feathers (ahem) but I'm okay with that if it means raising a little awareness, but really, I am not trying to offend anybody. And this is a especially difficult because I think everyone really does mean well.

photographers left, owl right

Does this manner of attracting birds detract from the authenticity? I think so. I also think that if that's how you got your shots, you should openly say so instead of being misleading about it. You could have gotten the same shot if you had more patience and became familiar with bird behaviour and put the time in. So you can spend either 200 hours in the field with a blind and a whole lot of coffee and toe warmers or just 2 if you choose this route.

I've intentionally kept any shots that involved baiting separate.  In my mind, they don't belong with the rest. In fact, I even kind of cringe putting my name to them, now that I think about it.

Did I throw any mice? No.

Did I take shots when a mouse was thrown and an owl swooped in for the kill? Absolutely.
Was I excited to see an owl in action? Of course I was.

Opportunistic? Maybe.
What do you do when you witness this? Have at it with someone in the field? Walk away? No easy answer there.

I want to talk about the picture directly above. At first I thought it was really neat to have the (poor, doomed) mouse in the shot (even if it's half out of the frame), and I even got some with the owl holding the mouse in its beak, and eventually swallowing it, tail last.

AND THEN I realized how ridiculous this is and what a giveaway it is. Do you think we have white mice running around her in Ottawa? Helllls no. This is exactly what does NOT happen in nature. If this shot was authentic the owl would be after a little brown field mouse or maybe a star-nosed mole. Not a lab rat!

This matter has been debated before and will certainly continue to be debated as the accessibility of digital cameras and long lenses increases. As internet postings go up, so do the numbers of observers. As lenses and cameras get cheaper, so does the number of "photographers" (guilty as charged on both counts). The more someone gets the idea of throwing mice around/playing recordings on the their ipods, the more this escalates into chaos. I think a problem starts to develop when the birds are exposed to this every day because every photographer wants that shot, and more often than not, several shots because one good one is never enough. It starts to mess with their survival instincts.

It's difficult, since on the one side you have fierce opposers and on the other, people who are like, "what's the big deal?" There are a lot of arguments that I've seen for either side:

• FOR: you fill feeders for birds, how is this any different?
• FOR: if they came this far south, they had to be starving, so we're helping right? 
• AGAINST: the mice from the store could have diseases and make the owls sick. they would not eat these in the wild.
• AGAINST: the mice could escape, are ill-adapted to survive and may even upset the natural fauna
• AGAINST: the practice puts the birds in jeopardy as they become habituated to humans
• AGAINST: we should avoid placing any undue stress on a bird--would taking advantage of a starving bird by tempting it to approach humans within a few feet and essentially cornering it not qualify as such?
• AGAINST: Owls are camouflaged for a reason. Drawing them out into the open makes them susceptible to mobbing by crows, for example.
• just google "baiting owls" and you'll find many more arguments.

I welcome any comments below.
I could also talk about the grey/gray debate, but I won't...this isn't a grammar blog, after all :)  

Great Grey Owl imprint

On that note, I think I'm very happy with the looks and the photos I took and won't be venturing out to the east end again for the greys--I plan to let them be. I consider myself so very lucky to have finally seen Great Greys and I hope that they stay safe and survive this winter so they can go back to their homes. Here's to a stunningly beautiful and majestic #233, Strix Nebulosa.

2013 season opener! (#232)

There's been quite a lot of excitement locally about the Great Grey Owls in the area, and I'll have a post on that too, but first, I have some other business to take care of. I'm finally getting to the LAST class in the photography certificate program. I had to chose 2-4 topics that I wanted to focus on...and what a task that was. The funny thing is, it took a long time for me to realize that "birds" was an obvious choice. In  my brain I somehow managed to separate these two hobbies, but I realized I'm out shooting birds all the time anyway--it's an obvious choice! So you'll probably see a slight increase in postings, because I'm expected to be fairly prolific. This will be an intense 4 months as attempt to scrape together a half a dozen *top-notch* shots every week...and not just of this subject, but my others as well.

So....
We were headed to Kingston for my aunt's birthday which happened to coincide with an OFNC trip to Amherst. Unfortunately the trip was cancelled, but we went anyway since we were close by and it's definitely owl season...although we found none that day. We did visit the owl woods and ran into a large group there from the Willow Beach Field Naturalists (Port Hope area). Dad came in tow--I love that his favourite part of the whole thing is feeding the chickadees.

dad and two friends

I did notice some rather striking ducks in the rough waters as we crossed on the ferry. They would take off before we could get even remotely close but in zooming in to review the shots I could ID them. I'll admit I had to pull out the guide (I'm a little rusty these days). I discovered it was a long-tailed duck (notice cute spot on cheek). Unfortunately these ones don't have the long-tails (First winter?)

And then it took me about a week to think to myself...what second...that was a lifer! Which is a good thing, because Matt made the absurd resolution to see 50 new life birds this year...so....one down...
Ha!

#232: Long-tailed duck; Amherst Island

There were lots of other ducks around the island, and we spotted a Northern Shrike, but aside from that, it was a pretty quiet day (we were actually only there for a few hours).

On the local scene, I checked the Hilda Road feeders a few times this weekend and the Duck Club feeders on March Valley Road a few times too.

Lots of turkeys around! Not the prettiest of birds but when their feathers shimmer in the light it's quite nice.

At Hilda there is an abundance of redpolls, chickadees, American Tree Sparrows, a snowshoe hare, nuthatches, woodpeckers (Hairy/Downy). A brown creeper had been seen but we missed it. There were quite a few people and its nice to talk to the local photographers/birders.

Furry visitor to the feeders!

At the Duck Club feeders, we saw Pine Grosbeaks  two Pileated woodpeckers and rest the same as at Hilda. Pine Grosbeaks were a nice treat--my first time seeing them in Ottawa.

OK, what you are waiting for...Great Grey posts coming up next!

a new year: looking forward; looking back

it seems that every year, I maintain the tradition of a New Year's post (2011 and 2012). This post has elements that are somewhat reminiscent of last year's post--but this shouldn't come as a surprise with birds coming and going just as the seasons do, and how we so often compare the present to where we were this day in the past. this will be one year that I won't promise frequent posts. For me and I'm sure for you, the new year always gives a moment of pause and time for reflection. It is a time of renewed clarity of purpose and good intentions.

I'd already visited the island on Christmas Day but took an unexpected trip back when Matt wanted to ferry over early in the morning to shovel out my dad's driveway (*insert sigh here*) since he'd been having bad back spasms the night before. We were just off the ferry and not at Dad's yet when wonder of all wonders--a beautiful white snowy owl swooshes over the road in front of us to land in the field. The first light of day was just starting to radiate, and we reaped the karma of Matt's planned good deed.

Snowy sits in front of the previous night's moon at dawn

**The future of snowies and other owl species (along with other birds and bats) are being threatened by the planned wind farm for the island. While I would certainly describe myself as an environmentalist who understands the need for alternative energy, this is a terrible move. AI is a world-recognized International Birding Area located in a major migration corridor. The wind farm on nearby Wolfe Island has staggeringly high kill rates for birds and knowing the special birds that frequent the island, I fear that Amherst will be worse. Not to mention the other issues that remain unaddressed. I'll have to save discussing this in depth for another day but please take the time to educate yourself and make your voice heard.**

On the way back out, we spotted another snowy on the lake side, quite a ways off, posted in a tree. We thought it was the same one, but when we continued on the first was still at its landing spot. Two snowies in one outing, when you aren't even looking for them, is a rare treat. It alternated between looking side to side at the birds zipping by at the feeder it was near, to gazing intently at me. There's something about their huge, glowing amber eyes that seem to understand or maybe know more than you do---maybe that's where the expression "wise old owl" comes from. Not just this, its calm gaze gave me a sense of quietness and serenity. Grandma loved owls and being only two days after she passed away, these two owls, angel-like and majestic, had to have been sent to me. I thought might be her way of being a continued presence in my life. This moment made me realize that birding is so much more than getting lifers, ticking off lists or snapping the perfect shot. Birding is a way to create meaning in my life. It is reverence for something bigger and awe, appreciation, respect and humility. Damn, it's therapy. Birding is not something that I have to set out to do--I can just go about my business and open my eyes and ears--they are always there. Maybe you get distracted by something else for a time, but they're always there to come back to.

Snowy with seemingly innocuous but actually foreboding windmills in background

Snowy highlights a life lesson--be ready for opportunity or [dinner] will pass you by!

As is so often the case, some country wisdom comes over the radio (cuz you can't cruise country roads to anything else) with clockwork timing to put it all together. At times I felt like 2012 dealt me a bad hand, but when it comes down to it, I have so much to be grateful for. No matter what hand you get, you still have to play, but if you play your cards right, you can still take the pot.

Every time you think you got it bad
You can find someone who's got it worse
All the things you take for granted now
They started out as blessings first
If you got someone who loves you
And a steady job that puts food on the table
If you're strong and able
Man, be grateful.

Somewhere there is a balance of being grateful for what you have and drive to take action for what you want/need. I do think it's possible to achieve both and that there is a difference between gratefulness and complacency. But I'm really going on a tangent now.

Back on the mainland at Mary's, I noticed some movement in the trees behind the house, which seemed to intensifying. She'd wanted us to fill up her winter feeders earlier in the week but nothing had shown up yet. I pulled out the binoculars to ascertain just what the wee tiny things were -- a gallup of 50 or more redpolls had converged on the feeder, many perched on clothesline, rallying for position and waiting turn for one of the 8 spots on the feeder, or hopping around on the ground. We enjoyed watching them for 5-10 minutes (of course, Mary was gone). Skittish as they were, they would all take off and all eventually make their way back. Finally a few lifted off, then a few more, until the last stragglers also took flight and there were none left. I waited for them to return but they were gone for good this time. If you blinked, you would have missed it. You would have thought that the feeder had been empty as it had been the rest of the week if you didn't notice the tiny tracks all over the snow. It was also a reminder of how much we miss when we don't observe things closely enough. The snowies and this redpolls all before 10 and I mentioned to Matt how I felt that day was blessed...which is really unusual coming from someone who's not religious.

I won't promise that 2013 will be prolific year of posts for me, as it's not my intention. I'm sure I'll check in and post the odd time as I do when I have something exciting to share. I haven't actually set any resolutions yet, but in the near future I'll meditate long and hard about it. Many of us feel a sense of impending and momentous change this time of year but rarely is that feeling translated into action before it is obscured again. I think it's important to frame resolutions not in terms of achievement/ failure but of mindfulness and purpose of being--a reminder of the person we want to be and how to live a meaningful life. An opportunity to take stock and adjust as necessary.

For those of you who find yourself here now, or who have been here a long time...I wish you all a very happy new year, and I hope that 2013 deals you a good hand. :)

Falcon frenzy #230

The birds are calling me to update, specifically one bird, who seems to be saying, "hey, you are forgetting me!"

Of course, it's a special bird since it was also my high school mascot :)

I am quite fortunate to enjoy views of peregrine falcons from the windows of my workplace. Yesterday I spotted one swerving and diving on my walk to the building from the bus stop, and today first thing in the morning while talking to a coworker I spotted an unmistakable profile posted on a nearby building ledge from her window. Backlit and standing in profile, it looked like a gargoyle on the corner of the stone Justice building, but a moving one, as it flung feathers and guts over the ledge (watch were you step on the sidewalk below!). They nest on the building right beside me, but unfortunately I face the wrong direction, so my best chances of seeing them are on my walk in or as they cruise by, or when post up on other buildings while they hunt (which are still a little far for photographing).

Actually, Ottawa now has not one but two pairs of nesting falcons! The downtown pair is older but their eggs have failed for the last three years. Nobody knows where the new pair came from since they didn't have tags, but they did nest successfully this year.

Ottawa Peregrine Falcon Watch

My coworkers are well aware of my enthusiasm and never fail to let me know when I've missed them because I was away on break or teleworking or on training, whatever it might be. One well-meaning employee even took a cell-phone picture for me (not exactly useful for these purposes).

Well aside, from my downtown sightings, I was lucky to see two other sets of peregrines recently which have prompted me to finally count this amazing bird.

The first time was on a weekend trip to Bon Echo Provincial Park. Peregrines like tall buildings downtown because they are similar to their natural habitat--sheer cliffs. Bon Echo's famous Mazinaw Rock (which is also special because of its native pictographs, which you have to view by boat) is such a cliff face and I was lucky to catch a peregrine, hunting a kingfisher no less, while there.

Bon Echo's Mazinaw Rock

Then again, I was at Algonquin Park's Barron Canyon a few weekends ago, where I spotted yet another pair of peregrines. I hadn't expected them, but it makes perfect sense, given the tall sheer cliffs of the canyon. I have to say, it was really special to see them in a wild habitat, where they were meant to be, instead of downtown.

perfect habitat for peregrines

Anyways, I could keep going, about their impressive stats, about their comeback from near extinction, but I'll just post the pics of these great birds. One day, hopefully I'll manage to get some decent shots of the downtown Ottawa birds.

#230: Peregrine Falcon

 

Newfoundland III: the rest of the best (#229 + update #131))

I almost forgot to post these little guys, which we had seen along Battery Road in St. John's. There were lots of juvenile gulls around but I just had to laugh at this nest, so exposed on the roof, and the chicks just walking around, awkward looking as they are.

Another one of our hosts in Newfoundland, Tina, was actually a wildlife biologist with the Newfoundland Parks Service...i.e. she studies birds for a living! Then I realized that this girl had my dream job and I need to do something about it. The fact that she was about the same age, and according Matt, even looked like me was a little crazy. Anyway, she was awesome and gave us lots of hints and it was great to bird-nerd with her. She laughed at how badly I wanted to see a gray jay (she said, "don't worry, you'll get your gray jay!").

As bizarre coincidence would have it, I just happened to flop one of the guidebooks open to the right page while we were in the right area that mentioned a tern colony at McIver's near Corner Brook. This was never on the original itinerary but we changed course to check it out. The book said it was Arctic terns but I only saw commons (I think I might have seen some Arctic terns later on, a would-be lifer, but I said "I'll get a pic later"---which completely backfired on me). The colony is a small little island close to shore. it would have been nice to have kayaks to get a little closer, but not sure that's even a good idea when they are nesting.

gone fishin'

tern colony is the little island, so luckily they have no land predators like cats, raccoons, etc. Needless to mention how cute the little villages are in Newfoundland.

The next big personal birding moment was on the path at the spectacular Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park when I spotted something dusky close to the ground in a bush---it was awkwardly hopping around, and I wasn't sure what it was until I saw the parent nearby---GRAY JAY! FINALLY! I've wanted to see one of these so badly, mainly because of their behaviour of being cheeky little buggers, and while they didn't do anything too crazy, shy is not the word I would use to describe them. They just hopped about doing their thing. They are much bigger than I imagined, and the juveniles look almost like crows because they are all black. Since we go to Algonquin Park in Ontario often enough, I thought we'd see one there for sure, but so far we haven't. So Tina was right, we got our gray jay, but it was a near miss, and we only saw these two!

#229: Gray Jay; Western Brook Pond (Gros Morne National Park), Newfoundland; July 2012

We also saw a few more boreal chickadees---OMAGOD SO FRIKKIN CUTE

We did often see some brownish ducks out in the water. I thought nothing of it, like I would at home, assuming they'd be either mallards or black ducks. Matt told me to take a picture to get a better look anyway so I did, an after reviewing it told him, yeah, it's just some brown ducks. I should have clued in that they were brown ducks in the ocean...that's different. So glad that I didn't immediately delete the picture because when I got home I realized that those brown ducks were eiders! Tina had told us we might see eiders up north, but I had envisioned male eiders--very distinct from the females, which are quite plain looking, aside from the slant to their bills. I'm cursing myself now for not having taken the time to get a better shot. I'm going to study this hopefully be able to call whether they are common or kings.

At the end of the trip we shifted around our schedule because I decided I really wanted to see Bonavista, where John Cabot supposedly first landed in Canada. In the end this turned out to be a great game-time decision. We saw some truly amazing scenery there and wildlife spottings too.

When 3000 km in a rental in such a short time frame started to get to Matt and me and we were right about to strangle each other, this little guy came to the rescue and allowed us to cool our heads because he was so awesome. Tina had said we'd have a good chance of seeing Spruce Grouse/Rock Ptarmigan if we hiked up to the top of Gros Morne, but we didn't end up going because of the schedule switch up and because the day we were going to do it was pretty foggy so there wouldn't be much point to it. So it was nice to see a ruffed grouse anyway :)

We never did spot an Arctic Tern, which are supposedly abundant in Newfoundland. But we certainly saw lots of common terns.

I think I counted a juvenile pigeon guillemot in Alaska but didn't have the treat of seeing adults then. I loved watching them swim around the turquoise waters of Cape Bonavista with their bright red feet underneath. I certainly don't think they help them to camouflage themselves but they must help in some other way--mating I suppose. Newfies call them "sea pigeons" because they are so abundant--But I only saw them in Bonavista. Very cute little buggers though.

*UPDATE - January 1, 2013*
Thanks to Rob for pointing out that these are actually Black Guillemots (see comment below). They look extremely similar, but the white wing patches are uninterrupted on the Black Guillemots and the range map is certainly different! That makes this one...
#131: Black Guillemot, Cape Bonavista, July 2012

On our way back to St. John's from Bonavista we made another last-minute decision to go through Elliston, the root cellar capital of the world (yes, really) and also home to the annual Bird Island Puffin Festival. It is the best place in North America for watching nesting puffins from land. There is a bit of land that juts out into the ocean and then a little island just past it where the puffins nest. We arrived late in the day but there were some guys there with some huge guns (no I don't mean weapons, or biceps) who seemed to have been there all day. It's kind of a dream for bird photographers because since you don't have to get on a boat to see them, you can get nice stable shots and use a tripod. Which is funny because I'm not actually going to post any shots from there. I mainly enjoyed our last evening in Newfoundland just being there--soaking up the views and the salty coastal breeze.

That's everything! Newfoundland was an amazing experience, for the birds, but also for everything else, which I really didn't even get into or share here (that would have made for crazy long posts---I guess that's for another blog, or facebook at least!). The wildlife, the scenery, the lifestyle, the people; it was all unreal.