September Week 3

21st September – owl season starts!

Last night the fall owl banding started on a calm warm (14 degrees Celsius) evening. Hopes for a bird were low as the standard period passed with no sign so I called it a night. Crazy Dave however goes all night no matter what and on his last net check in the late early hours he got his reward. So as I surfaced I was greeted with a bag in the banding lab that contained a cracking little (very cute!) Northern Saw-whet Owl.


Northern Saw-whet Owl

Afterwards the nets were opened and we followed on with the story of the week, ground traps good with 77 birds and nets slow with 11 birds! A much quieter day all round with only 66 AMGO’s as 11 Blue Jays made up the rest of the ground trap total. Out of the nets came a Sharp-shinned Hawk, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireo, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, …….

Long Point finally updated their fall totals for last week and I’m not saying that Dave is competitive! But he is a very happy man. Even with our relatively slow week, well lets be truthful above average week thanks to all those Goldfinches we have banded more birds than ALL THREE stations put together down at Long Point Bird Observatory.

20th September – rusty starts to move as record is reached

A calm and sunny day meant a few birds were on the move again. Jays were heading over straight from first light shortly joined by a few Red-winged and 3 Rusty Blackbirds. Finally we broke the Goldfinch record today as we passed 1400 birds! A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was also added to the season’s list.


male American Goldfinch
(hatch year – second year – after second year)

19th September – first sign of coolness

The first cool morning of the season as temperatures just dropped into single figures (9.5 degrees Celsius). Hoping this may spur some birds to move it was good to see a slight increase from the nets. Starting off with a Lincoln’s Sparrow that was an addition to the list, also caught were 8 Brown Creepers, 8 Blackpoll, 2 Ovenbird, 7 magnolia and 4 Black-throated Blue Warblers. But of course we can’t forget the 131 AMGO’s. As the day heated up by noon a Red-tailed Hawk circled with a flock of Turkey Vultures.


female American Goldfinch
(hatch year – second year – after second year)

18th September – that’s 3000 for the fall

A cloudy day with the odd light shower and a westerly breeze. Not a great deal around but a Ruby-throated Hummingbird was the first at our feeders for some time, Out of the nets came 2 Black-throated Green and 4 Black-throated Blue Warblers whilst overhead flocks of Blue Jays moved over with an estimated total of 3000. The fall banding total passed 3000 with yet a further 174 AMGO’s banded.


American Goldfinch (bright female – male)
These are still possible to age as after second years because they are only just starting to moult after their late breeding season.

17th September – pisi drops in

Much the same weather as yesterday, with only 34 birds coming from the nets continuing on the same recent pattern. First for the fall was a little Winter Wren (tangle just the same as at home!) whilst other birds included 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Chestnut-sided Warbler, 2 Northern Parula and a Myrtle Warbler that hung around the yard. The ground traps delivered again with 225 yellow and black things (all except one that was grey!) as well as a little surprise with a Pine Siskin thrown into the mix.


Northern Parula

16th September – afternoon twitch

Overnight a strong northeast wind developed that reduced bird numbers greatly. Once again however the Goldfinches continue to move with another 127 today. Otherwise there was a sprinkling of warblers including a Blackburnian, Northern Parula and yet another Mourning as a Tree Swallow migrated south.

In the afternoon we headed towards Point Petre on the southwest tip of the county where earlier in the week there had been reports of a Black Vulture and a Dickcissel. But all we could find was a flock of Chipping Sparrows that contained a single White-crowned as they sheltered out of the wind under a tree. Just further up the road another good bird had been present the day before. Once in the vicinity we slowed right down and started to scan the roadside bushes and electiric (hydro) wires from the car. First spotted were a couple of Purple Finch, then a few Chipping Sparrows and then “there is that it?” as a bird was picked up perched low on top of a telegraph pole, being blow about by the wind. Yes that was it, a Western Kingbird, the bird showed well for a minute or two before it flew off over the field being followed by two Chipping Sparrows. Despite spending the next hour in the area we failed to relocate the bird finding just an Eastern Kingbird instead!


Western Kingbird

15th September – thrushes dominate the wood

Back too normal today as we catch 116 American Goldfinch (AMGO) on a partly cloudy day with a light northeast breeze. There was a bit of life in the trees today with a Black-billed Cuckoo and a late Blue-grey Gnatcatcher being seen. The nets tallied up 18 species with most numerous being 15 Swainson’s and 10 Grey-cheeked Thrush. A visit to the harbour found the Night Heron still in situ showing well whilst catching frogs.


Black-crowned Night Heron

September Week 2

14th September – star find goes to yet another caterpillar

A very still cloudy morning brought the first Blue-headed Vireo to the yard as 400 Blue Jays passed over that seemed to unsettle the Goldfinches reducing our catch to only 32. 47 birds found their way into the nets with the most common being 8 Blackpoll Warblers and new for the season were a couple of Northern Flickers. Dave came up trumps again mid-morning with the discovery of two splendid Promethea Moth caterpillars along net lane 3.


Promethea Moth

Around in the harbour hid a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. Whilst staring skyward 10 Red-tailed and 6 Broad-winged Hawks circled high with 4 Bald Eagles. A trip to Point Traverse towards the end of the day was very disappointing with just 3 Western Palm Warblers and a male Downy Woodpecker being seen.

13th September – the one that got away

Light northeast winds continued over night with the radars indicting that many birds were on their way south. The day was mainly cloudy and the nets were much more productive with 12 species of warbler, 2 Philadelphia Vireos and 7 Brown Creepers all helping towards the days tally of 240 birds but the most help came from the 158 Goldfinches! This brought our fall total to more than 2000 birds, not a bad start being well up on the best fall ever so we will just have to wait a see what happens over the next 3 weeks!


Sharp-shinned Hawk

A visiting birder in the morning reported a Connecticut Warbler around at the lighthouse so after the nets were closed we headed around but all we could find were Blackpoll, Bay-breasted, Black and White, Black-throated Blue and Magnolia Warblers mixed in with a few Brown Creepers and a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

12th September – raptor watch

Overnight a light northeasterly wind developed and a cloudy morning dropped in a Cap May Warbler and Winter Wren both being firsts for the fall. The nets were slightly busier with 37 birds caught including a late Canada Warbler and a Scarlet Tanager and I can’t forget the 3rd ever Merlin for the observatory, whilst Goldfinch numbers dropped to 146.


Merlin

15:00 hrs arrived and as the sun started to warm things up it was obvious raptors were becoming active so I spent an hour on the mound. Here are my totals - 75 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 44 Turkey Vulture, 7 Red-tailed Hawk, 5 Bald Eagle, 2 Northern Harrier along with single Merlin, Kestrel and Osprey.


Bald Eagle

11th September – record low return from nets

Much the same weather as yesterday and straight away the signs were bad when Dave could only manage ten species on census!! Banding was consequently slow as a single Black and White, Magnolia, Nashville and 4 Common Yellowthroats appeared from the nets. Thankfully there was a steady turnover of Goldfinches to keep us occupied as the first real movement of Blue Jays moved over with 2 of the 100+ finding their way into a net bringing the grand total of 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! birds from 26 nets in 6 hours. (Wow that’s productive!)


Red Bat

However the days tally was boosted by 187 American Goldfinch resulting in an above average day. Also seen during the morning was a Red Bat that choose to roost under a leaf on a path side tree.

10th September – warbling beats record

A bright day with the wind back in the south. Out of the nets came a few more birds with the most stunning being a Northern Parula shortly followed by a Philadelphia Vireo along with a late record breaking Warbling Vireo. Goldfinch numbers increased on the feeders with 47 being trapped. An after lunch walk to the lighthouse was deadly quiet with a 1st calendar year Bald Eagle being the best sighting as it perched overlooking the harbour.


Bald Eagle

9th September – brisk north easterly

A day with a strong wind and patchy cloud resulted in a poor mornings banding as were dropped even lower to 21 birds and without the 10 Magnolia Warblers it could be much lower! Thankfully there was more activity above the trees with many Sharp-shinned Hawks whizzing by along with an Osprey, Merlin, American Kestrel, 2 Northern Harriers and 3 Bald Eagles. Apparently very unusual on this wind direction as most of the birds were heading back north.


Merlin

An evening stroll to the harbour found a Green and Great Blue Heron in residence.

8th September – clumsy Grouse

The week carried on from last week with calm settled sunny weather and very few birds finding the nets! Today catch dropped to just 24 new birds with the most excitement coming from a Ruffed Grouse that had bumped into net 7B, shedding masses of feathers in the process before he was sent back into the undergrowth. A little female Ruby-throated Hummingbird was a good addition to the days tally with Warblers in the form of 3 Black-throated Blue, a Blackpoll, Chestnut-sided and a Tennessee.


Ruby-throated Hummingbird

In the afternoon 3 Least Sandpipers were out on the rocks (no bands present!) along with 4 Spotted Sandpipers. By the evening we had found a Western Palm Warbler but very little else.

September Week 1

7th September – way below par

Much the same weather as yesterday, resulting in even fewer birds. 2 Great Crested Flycatchers, Scarlet Tanager along with Blackpoll, Black and White, Ovenbird, Waterthrush and 4 Magnolia Warblers all helped towards the 26 birds banded.

Throughout the morning a second calendar year Bald Eagle was seen, as were 6+ Sharp-shinned Hawks and a Merlin. Over on the beach remains just one banded Least Sandpiper. As for the Giant Swallowtail caterpillar he has now passed the stage of looking like the perfect bird dropping and in growing into being a splendid creature.


Giant Swallowtail

6th September – they come, they go

The weather remained unfavourable with the wind now in the southeast and it was obvious that it was much quieter than yesterday. The nets brought us just 36 birds with the best being a Northern Waterthrush, 3 Black-throated Blue and 6 Blackpoll Warblers. Down in the swamp (now dry of course) lingers a banded Broad-winged Hawk as a Common Loon flew over.


Philadelphia Vireo

In the afternoon a trip to Traverse failed to find any warblers but there were still a group of 6 Philadelphia and 12 Red-eyed Vireos whilst a Whip-poor-will flushed from the edge of the trail.

5th September –warbler arrival

The day started of with a fresh easterly wind and cloudy conditions, not ideal for birds so we thought but how wrong could we be? It was very apparent whilst opening the nets that birds were present and the nets were filling up straight away. Four additions to the season came in quick succession with Brown Creeper, Philadelphia Vireo, 2 Northern Parula and a Blue Jay. The morning was definitely dominated by warblers with a total of 14 species being banded but the best once again falls to a Broad-winged Hawk, they have so much character! That’s four just one more to equal the record now! Days catch reached 98 birds.


Least Sandpiper

A walk around the shore found the 2 least Sandpipers still present as I headed up to Point Traverse. Once in the woods a discovery of a warbler flock added a further Myrtle and Black-throated Green Warbler to this mornings tally along with two more brightly coloured Philadelphia Vireos. At dusk 14 Blue-winged Teals shot over.

4th September – increasing numbers

Our days catch improves to 63 birds, well above average of 40 ish for this period. Most interesting were 2 Tennessee Warblers, 2 Northern Waterthrush, 2 Grey-cheeked Thrush and most numerous being 16 Swainson’s Thrush.

After a trip to Picton our return journey just after dusk was brightened up with a Whip-poor-will resting in the road.

3rd September – early surprise

I awoke on a calm clear morning to find a banding tick waiting for me in the banding lab! Thanks to Dave’s efforts over night he caught a Whip-poor-will just before sunrise. Shortly after the standard nets were opened with a reasonable catch including a Grey-cheeked Thrush that was new for the season. Most common birds today were 12+ Red-eyed Vireos, 9 Blackpoll and 3 Bay-breasted Warblers also in the wood were a couple of Scarlet Tanagers. At the feeders the late breeding Goldfinches finally brought their young whilst overhead an immature Bald Eagle floated by. Two Least Sandpipers still present.


Whip-poor-will

2nd September – 2 is better than 1

The weather was good again with a light northwest wind over night and clear skies for raptors moving. Not just as busy around the nets today but still a good selection with 13 species of warbler, Savannah Sparrow new for the fall and a milestone reached as Bobolinks passed 400 as their passage slows towards an end. The best round came near 10am but not for numbers as only 6 birds were collected but for quality as one was a Sharp-shinned Hawk and 2 were Broad-winged Hawks! Now we have caught three of these stunning birds with amazing character, which is quite astonishing so early in the season considering that in the last ten years only one was caught in 2002, 2004 and 5 in 2007.


Broad-winged Hawk

Overhead more raptors were noted with Red-tailed Hawk, 6 Broad-winged Hawks, 7 Northern Harriers, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, Merlin and 16 Turkey Vultures. On the rocky beach remained the two Least Sandpipers, a single Spotted Sandpiper with the addition of a Semipalmated Plover.

1st September – migration starts

Northwest winds over night again resulted in the arrival of some birds with over 120 new birds banded. A record was broken with our 5th Mourning Warbler of the season and a cracking male as well. New birds banded for the season were an Eastern Pheobe, Blackpoll Warbler, 3 Bay-breasted Warblers (now I know why some fall warblers are confusing!),


Bay Breasted and Blackpoll Warbler

And finally Tennessee Warbler. As the sun started to warm up by noon raptors started to appear overhead but sadly banding prevents looking up at the sky so I tend to miss a large percentage. Here are some that I saw, 2 Broad-winged Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, 7 Turkey Vulture and a Merlin. Back with the banding we managed to lure in 36 Barn Swallows and the most numerous warbler caught was 11 American Redstarts.

In the afternoon a look over on the rocky shore revealed two Least Sandpipers with shiny bands and 3 Spot Sands, as the sun set there was a single Nighthawk seen.

Today’s banding total brought us to 1040 birds for the season, 350 more than the best previous total from the last ten years by this stage so signs are good for a productive season.

August Week 4

31st August

Northwest winds over night had our hopes high for a few birds moving and we got lucky with a surprise find in one net. A sunny cool start as census produced 31 species. Banding was steady with a total of 43 new birds caught. A record was broken with a juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo taking us to 5 for the season as Veery was also added to the fall list. But the best bird was found in the Bobolink net alongside 8 Bobolinks and was a first for the observatories banding list!!! A Solitary Sandpiper, what the hell it was doing to end up there is any ones guess but a very nice bird. It was also a good morning for Sharp-shinned Hawks with 3 being caught.


Solitary Sandpiper

As the day heated up by mid afternoon thousands and thousands of Green Darners descended on the point as they two are preparing for a long journey south. Out on the lakeshore were 4 Spotted Sandpipers and a couple Least Sandpipers that proved too tempting so it wasn’t long before the two little chaps had their bit of jewellery.

30th August

A calm morning dominated by one sudden heavy downpour. The nets yielded one new bird for the fall today with a Northern Waterthrush, totals just reached 31 birds with warblers including 2 Canada, 1 Blackburnian, 3 Magnolia, 6 American Redstarts and 2 Black-throated Blues.

In the afternoon we decided to go on a little twitch to a sod farm near Oshawa where a Buff-breasted Sandpiper was seen yesterday. On arrival at the bare field we soon spotted two large flooded pools where shorebirds were congregated with the most obvious being 200 Killdeer, 7 Lesser Yellowlegs, 5 Least Sandpipers and 15 American Golden Plovers. Intensive scanning over the rear of the field found a Baird’s and Semipalmated Sandpiper along with a Semipalmated Plover but there was no sign of any buff-breast.


American Golden Plover

29th August

Awoke to a showery start and still strong winds that were now from the southeast. Most of the morning was spent waiting for a rain front to arrive from near Toronto so the nets weren’t opened. Meanwhile a walk around the harbour found 116 sheltering Mallards with 3 Black Ducks and a Green-winged Teal. A little further on a juvenile Broad-winged Hawk flushed from a tree before 2 Chimney Swifts flew over with 3 barn Swallows. Scanning out over the lake hoping for some windblown migrants but all we could manage were 4 Common Loons.

The front passed through and the hawk nets were opened in the afternoon as a long shot to catching a new bird for my Birthday! A couple hours passed before bang, there it was lying quietly in a net. The juvenile Broad-winged Hawk that was seen earlier in the day, this impressive bird put up little resistance once its feet were under control. Shortly after the nets were closed producing a small male Sharp-shinned Hawk. At dusk 7 Common Nighthawks were logged.


Broad-winged Hawk

28th August

An extremely quiet day thanks to the brisk easterly wind (can’t believe I said that!). We only caught 11 birds with the best being 3 Yellow Warblers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. Trying to fill the spare time a walk to the harbour produced a Great Blue Heron and 7 Canada Geese with the usual Belted Kingfisher and Merlin that seems to have set up residence. Also of note in the area there was a flock of c.100 Common Grackles, 3 Red-winged Blackbirds, 12 American Robins and 3 Baltimore Orioles. The wind increased to over 30km per hour by dusk so no attempt was made for nighthawks.

27th August

A much cooler start to the day at 16 digress Celsius with the wind blowing from the northeast. I don’t know where we would be with out Bobolinks that made up 75% of today catch! The truth is out of 26 standard nets we caught a grand total of 8 new birds with the best being a Wilson’s Warbler, couple Magnolia’s and 3 Least Flycatchers. The six ground traps continue to produce very little with a single American Goldfinch and the usual retrap Chipping Sparrows and Mourning Doves. In the harbour there were 2 Black Ducks with the 100+ Mallards but there were no sign of the Least Sandpiper as the build up of weed on the beach seems to disappear as quickly as it forms.

26th August

A very quiet day with few birds seen moving around. An overcast morning turned into drizzle before some heavy showers passed through. As a result we only managed a total of 21 birds but this did include 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Typically as the nets were closed the sun decided to shine. In the afternoon a look around the shore found 2 Spotted Sandpipers and a juvenile Least Sandpiper. Just one Nighthawk was seen at sunset on a breezy evening.


Least Sandpiper

25th August

Migrant numbers continue to increase with an above average catch of 82 for this time of year bringing us only 25 shy from doubling last years total at this stage! Again today the Bobolinks were the majority catch with a total of 50 taking us over 300 for the fall. Also out of the bobolink net came a female Brown-headed Cowbird that could prove to be very useful for the fall list. A scattering of warblers and flycatchers make up the rest of the numbers and our 4th Sharp-shinned Hawk in 5 days. Whilst overhead 3 more sharpie’s were seen along with a juv Red-tailed Hawk and the Merlin. At the onset of sunset a group of 10 Common Nighthawks patrolled the area before moving on somewhere else.

24th August

A light northerly breeze was blowing this morning but this didn’t mean that there was to be lots of birds. The nets were quiet with only just over 40 birds with the main species being Traill’s and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo and the only warbler being an American Redstart! However it was definitely a morning for watching raptors with a Merlin flying around the obs first thing followed by 3 Sharp-shinned Hawks and a adult female Northern Harrier quartering over the shrubland. Mid morning came as did a Red-tailed Hawk low over the lawn before perching on a telegraph pole for over an hour. Whilst watching the Red-tail the juvenile Bald Eagle circled high overhead with a couple Turkey Vultures not far behind. In the evening a beautiful sunset was enhanced with the presence of 25 Nighthawks hawking alongside hundreds of dragonflies in the orange light.


Red-tailed Hawk

23rd August

Yet again a good morning as banding totals continued to increase with 78 new birds. Bobolinks again made up 29 but warblers continued to arrive with a Wilson’s (1st for fall), Canada, 3 Chestnut-sided, 4 Magonlia, Blackburnian, 3 Black and White, Black-throated Blue, Nashville and a couple Common Yellowthroats. A fourth Black-billed Cuckoo equalled the fall record and 3 Baltimore Orioles bring them closer to theirs.


Black-billed Cuckoo

A look around to the lighthouse was as quiet as expected except for the Mallards in the harbour that have built up to 82 with a single Black Duck. Along the rocky shore were 2 Spotted Sandpipers and the usual Belted Kingfisher flew around calling loudly. As the sun set we positioned ourselves behind the obs scanning the horizon and it wasn’t long until 3 Common Nighthawks were spotted moving through but a total surprise sighting came when a Whimbrel glided over heading towards the lake shore.

22nd August

Hot once again as Bobolinks passed last years record with a total of 202 now banded! New birds seen for the fall were a very early Brown Creeper as well as a Black-throated Green, Nashville and Chestnut-sided Warbler. A second Sharp-shinned Hawk fell into a net with another seen soaring high overhead and 2 Northern Flickers also passed by. Over on the lake was a group of 38 Mallards.

August Week 3

21st August

A dry calm morning but the nets sat empty for the majority of the time with only 11 new birds caught with the last being a Sharp-shinned Hawk. But the non standard nets were more productive with a total of 28 Bobolinks, 15 Cedar Waxwings and a Great Crested Flycatcher. The Waxwings were part of a 150 strong flock that had appeared this morning including many streaky juvenile birds.


Cedar Waxwing

A walk in traverse found just a Wild Turkey of note. Its hatched!!!!!!!! You guessed it the first Giant Swallowtail egg has hatched and this little fellow has appeared.


Giant Swallowtail larvae

20th August

Mid morning and a thunderstorm rushed through resulting in closer of the nets. The nets were only closed for an hour but we ended up with a poor catch of 20 birds but the southerly wind did mean that we caught many leaves (it must be autumn!). First for the autumn though was a female Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and a male Mourning Warbler was nice along with a Black and White.


Mourning Warbler

As the afternoon brightened up a walk around the harbour was very fruitless, back at the obs whilst there are very few birds around our time is being spent searching for caterpillars. The most exciting ones just happen to be beside the building on some virgina creeper, there are two species of Sphinx (hawkmoth), Hog and the big colourful Pandora!


Pandora Sphinx

19th August

A much cooler start to the day resulting from a slight shower in the night but the trapping remained similar with a total of 32 new birds of which 17 were Bobolinks. Among the selection today were 2 Canada and 2 Blackburnian Warblers, 2 Yellow-bellied Flycatchers and a Red-eyed Vireo. By lunch the sun was out again warming things up. A walk around in the evening only produced a flock containing Black and White, Blackburnian, Warbling Vireo, 4 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and a few Eastern Wood-pewee.

18th August

Banding brought 2 new birds for the fall list in the form of a young female Mourning Warbler and a young Brown Thrasher. The tally was low once again with a single Traill’s Flycatcher, 3 American Redstarts, Black and White Warbler and 6 Bobolinks being the only obvious migrants being caught.

During the morning I also found 4 Giant Swallowtail eggs to and to one from the 15th, you ask how? well it’s the obvious answer the female butterfly was laying them on the Prickly Ash. Over the next few weeks I’ll try and follow their progress, this large impressive butterfly has only just colonised the area in the last two years as we are at its northern range limit. Also around are many Monarch Butterfies and Darner Dragonflies. The afternoon was spent in Bellevile.


Giant Swallowtail

17th August

Yet again a rather unpleasant hot day starting at 22 degrees rising towards 30 degrees Celsius. Today was a very quiet day with the nets as only 28 new birds were caught. Best of the bunch were two Canada Warblers, 2 Eastern Wood Pewee, Yellow-bellied and Least Flycatcher and who can forget those lovely 3 Black-capped Chickadees. (Yes they bit as much as Blue Tits if not more!) The biggest surprise came with a slight increase and change in wind as it swung from southerly to westerly just for a short period. Straight away raptors were circling overhead with American Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, 4 Turkey Vultures and then 3 Bald Eagles! A 1st cy and a 2nd cy that have been seen sporadically over the past few days along with a adult.


Canada Warbler

16th August

Much the same as yesterday but the numbers were boosted with a catch of 31 Bobolinks that were once again attracted by tape. A good bird to get for the fall list was a juvenile male Northern Cardinal, followed by a Downy Woodpecker and the only obvious migrant warbler was an adult female Black and White. A second calendar year Bald Eagle spent the morning flying back and forth over the area.

15th August

Today was the start of the autumn/fall season so the nets were opened at 6:15am through until 12:15. As expected it was rather quiet but signs were present that birds were starting to move with a single Blackburnian, American Redstart and Magnolia Warbler being caught. All the resident breeding birds are busy going through moult at the moment including Grey Catbird, Common Yellowthroat, Purple Finch, Song and Chipping Sparrows.


Blackburnian Warbler

The Afternoon was spent erecting more mist nets, a further five, this time some hawk nets with the hope of catching a few migrating through. The heat finally got to me by mid-afternoon as I jumped into the lake, VERY NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (This may become a daily event!).

14th August

After spending a few hours catching a few Bobolinks the main task of the day was the erecting of the 19 standard mist nets that were used during the spring. The day ended with a fantastic cool swim in the lake.


Bobolink

13th August

In the morning I managed to catch a Red-eyed and Warbling Vireo, Traill’s Flycatcher along with 8 Bobolinks. It was again another sweltering hot and humid day so very little was done later in the day except for the arrival of David back for the autumn season.

Yesterday evening after Margaret, Brian and Nicola headed back home to Lancashire an evening walk around the harbour produced a single beaver. As I made my way back to the obs I got the most amazingly close views of a Northern Harrier as it drifted by. There is now a trip report for the last three weeks at breaksbirdphotography.

This will be my last entry until late August whilst I’m on holiday with the family!

21st July

Still the drizzle continued as we headed back to Anchorage, a stop at a roadside lake produced 20 Arctic Terns and several depressed looking juvenile Mew Gulls. We continued and whilst travelling around the coast just before Anchorage we saw 4 Dall’s Sheep up on the rocky sloops above the road. The weather finally cleared to leave a dry end to my time in Alaska and our final hike was one to the top of Flattop Mountain where great views over the city could be had. On the road up to the hill I was stopped in my tracks as a cow Moose was happily feeding away on the roadside verge.


Dall's Sheep

The hill was actually very quiet for birds but a couple Pika and Ground Squirrels were reward enough. On the decent however a large grey bird was seen in flight briefly before being seen again as it darted into a low bush. On close inspection it was a large female Goshawk that allowed us very close as she hide in the bush before taking to the air again. Bedtime came as I boarded my plane that departed 15 minutes before midnight heading back for Toronto after having a truly great time in Alaska, enjoyed ever minute!


Moose

20th July

The famous Seward drizzle remained as we spent the morning exploring the Alaska Sealife Center where we managed to see our first Steller’s and Spectacled Eider ducklings! These little cuties have been successfully hatched in their breeding program that is still in the trial stages. We then headed into town where we found 8 Northwestern Crows and a warbler flock containing 2 Townsend’s, Orange-crowned, Tennessee and Myrtle’s in the suburbs.


Bald Eagle

Following the coast south we counted up to 8 Bald Eagles that just rest on the street telegraph poles! Approaching Lowell Point we had a look along the coast where a flock of Glaucous-winged Gulls and Kittiwakes where washing. Ben immediately picked out a group of 12 Wandering Tattlers hiding in the rocks. Out at the gulls some ducks emerged from dead trees that were resting in the water. It was a group of 16 moulting Harlequin Ducks further out was a single male Surf Scoter and several Marbled Murrelets. Back at the car were a couple Steller’s Jays moving along the wooded hillside.


Wandering Tattler

For the evening we headed up to exit glacier that we couldn’t get anywhere near to due to the glacier being unstable and the river flooding the path to the toe! But whilst driving back down the road Ben spotted a Porcupine roosting in a roadside tree.

19th July

On the road again we travelled down the coast to Seward on a wet dull day seeing just a Varied Thrush and a Goshawk on route. Once in Seward we collected our tickets from Major Marine Tours for our full day pelagic out to Holgate Glacier in the Kenai Fjords. We boarded for our departure just prior to noon and started our journey out into a very sheltered, damp and misty Resurrection Bay straight away we pulled alongside a pair of Sea Otters minding their own business. Heading further out we started to see Marbled Murrelets followed by many Tufted Puffins, a group of 5 Ancient Murrelets (4 more later), then the first Horned Puffins that were only slightly less numerous than the Tufted of which both seem massive compared to our little Atlantic cousins! As we crossed the mouth of the bay we hit some noticeable swell that got a few people turning green but we carried on as a few ocean going birds appeared first a Short-tailed Shearwater rapidly followed by a Fork-tailed Petrel (minimum of 2 seen) and then a Northern Fulmar. As we approached the sheltered bay heading around towards the glacier I was a little upset that we had left the rough seas behind. On the bright side though I could try and get some photographs again that was proving very difficult with the dull grey light.


Sea Otter


Tufted Puffin


Horned Puffin

As we cruised into the bay we came across Pigeon Guillemots, Rhinoceros Auklets. Icebergs appeared, as we got closer to the Holgate Glacier as numbers of Marbled Murrelets increased before finally we picked up 3 Kittlitz’s Murrelets! Sadly they were a little distant and flew well before the boat got anywhere near them. Arriving at the shockingly blue glacier we watched in amazement as we witness a calving of the glacier take place. After that spectacle we headed back out to open water but sadly the swell meant that we had to change our plans and headed over to Barwell Island where there were 60+ Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out on the rocks as well as thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes and Common Murres (guillemots) nesting up the cliffs.


Marbled Murrelet

Heading a little past the island we saw the distant blow of a whale, investigation revealed it to be a Humpback Whale but sadly it only surfaced infrequently in the rough water! As did the agile, amazingly fast Dall’s Porpoise with its black and white body. We saw an estimate total of 18 with animals usual in 2’s-6’s with some even enjoying a bow ride, what fantastic creatures. Our final little adventure brought us into a bay where Glaucous-winged Gulls were feeding on a bait ball along with a few Pelagic and 4 Red-faced Cormorants. To finish off an amazing trip whilst travelling back to the harbour a Bald Eagle gave great views has he rested on a rocky point.


Dall's Porpoise

18th July

A partly cloudy start to the day as we cruised down Denali Highway well pottered down the rough dirt road may be more realistic. Not really knowing any hotspots we just made random stops every now and again reaching a tally of 35 species. As we passed small lakes and pools we found a total of 2 White-winged Scoters, 8 Lesser Scaup, Greater Scaup, 2 Bufflehead, Pintail, Long-tailed Duck, Common Loons, 6 Trumpeter Swan and 6 Red-necked Phalaropes.


American Tree Sparrow

Travelling through the forests passerines included 8 Bohemian Waxwings, Boreal Chickadees, Hermit Thrushes, Grey-cheeked Thrush, Wilson’s and Myrtle Warblers, American Tree Sparrows, Common Redpolls, etc. Mammals were few and far between but first on our list was a Moose crossing the road, then amazingly another Lynx briefly on the roadside before disappearing into the scrub and finally a small stream held a River Otter.


Bohemian Waxwing

For the last section of the road the terrain became hillier with tundra here we found 2 Golden Eagles, 1 Bald Eagle, Whimbrel, 4 Long-tailed Jaegers, Horned Lark, Buff-bellied Pipit and numerous Savannah Sparrows. Despite having a thorough search for Smith Longspur we drew a blank finding only 8 Lapland Longspurs. Finally finishing the long drive along the highway we just had a short 4.5+ hour drive back to Anchorage.

17th July

An early rise as we caught the 6am shuttle bus into the park heading to Eielson Visitor Center a 8 hour return trip. The bus is a great place to look for wildlife from but birds were hard to see. On the way out we got off to a good start with a cow Moose, then a distant Grizzly Bear followed by an exceptional view of a Lynx walking alongside the bus but sadly all to brief. Also seen were 6 Caribou, 18+ Dall’s Sheep, 4 Red Foxes and many Snowshoe Hares.


Caribou



Once at Eielson we left the bus to admire the amazing views of the majestic Mount McKinley on one of those rare clear days. We then took the hike up the alpine trail for even better views from the mountaintop where we got great views of 4+ Golden Eagles cruising along the ridge followed by 3 Long-tailed Jaegers. By time we had made our decent the mountain had been engulfed in cloud as the rest of the valley remained in glorious sunshine. We boarded a shuttle bus for the journey back on which we saw 3 distant Wolf cubs, a very distant sleeping Grizzly Bear, 2 Moose but the most excitement came when a Golden Eagle was seen being mobbed by a pair of Gyrfalcon’s. Back at base a walk in the woods found a couple Boreal Chickadees.


Golden Eagle

16th July

Eventually we made our minds up and headed out on the highway heading northeast, as we travelled we spotted an immature Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, 2 Trumpeter Swans, 2 Sandhill Cranes and a Hermit Thrush. After 4 plus hours we arrived at the entrance gate to Denali National Park with the sun still shining we carried on down the road as far as the public vehicles are allowed. The park road was relatively productive with 4 Gray Jays, Mew Gulls, stag Caribou and a few Snowshoe Hares.


Gray Jay

Once at the Savage River car park we hiked up to a rocky peak where 4 Arctic Ground Squirrels and a couple Pika lived. On the slope up were a family of Willow Ptarmigan dust bathing in the trail with 9 juveniles and higher up the mountain slopes we could see 7 Dall’s Sheep.


Willow Ptarmigan

15th July

Today Ben and myself left Barrow on the morning plane heading to Anchorage where we picked up a rental car and headed straight to downtown where we pulled up at Westchester Lake. The lake was covered with Red-necked Grebe families, Lesser Canada Geese, Greater Scaup and many Mew Gulls. Walking through to the coast we could view over the mudflats where lots of Long-billed and a few Short-billed Dowitchers were feeding on the waters edge along with 2 Hudsonian Godwits. Also roosting on the mud were Arctic Terns and Bonaparte’s Gulls.


Mew Gull

For the lovely sunny evening we headed south to Potter’s Marsh where we walked out on the Boardwalk where salmon could be seen in one of the rivers as were Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and a Musk Rat. Flying around we small numbers of Violet Green Swallows and the bushes held Lincoln’s Sparrows and Alder Flycatchers. At the end of the eastern boardwalk rested a pair of Bald Eagles in the large trees on the perimeter of the marsh.