LaSalle Park and Tresspassing

About a moth ago now, I went for a lunch hour to LaSalle Park. Late fall, winter, and spring this place is great for water birds, but I often don't go here because it's a little further away for my short lunch hour (ok, I'll wait for all the comments from people who only get half an hour!). But I thought I'd give it a go again for an early summery visit.

Walking down the trail east from the Pavilion parking lot, two Osprey were busy scanning the Hamilton Harbour Bay's edge and circling close overhead.  I wasn't aware of any nesting in this area, so I wonder if these two are the pair at the base of Hwy 6 and 403.

Osprey eyes me closely as it flies over.

Osprey

A little further down the trail, a Warbling Vireo paused long enough for a picture.

Warbling Vireo

This little male Yellow Warbler was not willing to pose and this was the best picture I could get.

male Yellow Warbler

A Baltimore Oriole was willing to show off its contrasting orange and black outfit.

Baltimore Oriole

A Gray Catbird pair were mewing at me, and I barely got this shot off as it perched out in the open for a few seconds.  Being much more shy than the similarly sized and shaped Robin, they generally prefer to be lower down among lower perches or even on the ground.  This bird wasn't happy as I approached and actually "bristled" its feathers and a show of strength.  I wondered if there was a nest nearby, but there wasn't any typical setting for that - usually a clump of shrubbery or something dense enough for their usual hiding place.

Gray Catbird

That was pretty much all I saw that day on that short visit.


I was out wandering in my neighbour's yard early one morning, quite annoyed!  I had heard a bird singing heartily since the early morning hours.  On and on it went and I didn't recognize it... not that I profess to be very good a recognizing that many bird calls yet.  At one point, I decided to just get up and find it; I wasn't going to sleep anyway.  It was actually across a church parking lot, across the street and behind the house of a neighbour we know quite well. In the morning, the sound travels well, but this little bird had quite the voice.
I'm embarrassed to say, it turned out to be a Baltimore Oriole. I don't hear them often, but somehow it didn't click.  I'm also embarrassed to say, I got caught in the backyard of said neighbour, who had been up early as well. I should have known better as I knew was an early riser and risking walking down her driveway was sure to get her quite confused as she couldn't see who I was.  I sheepishly explained that I didn't figure she'd be up and so I had risked it. She's way to good natured to really be upset, but had started to call me with a stern good morning until she figured out it was me. :) Ironically, I was out birding while she was up having already done a load of laundry! You're inspiring Jo!

As I apologized for startling her, I caught the unmistakable sound of the whistling of feathers that only comes from a fast flying bird... two Common Loons were also up early getting a head start on the morning commute and making use of the cool morning to travel some where. We don't have any resident loons in our area that I know of and being this far south, so they must have been late migrants.  Strangely, they weren't terribly high, which is where they usually are situated when they're making their long distance flights.  Loons are very fast flyers!  I remember doing a science project on them as a young kid in school... If my memory is still correct, their cruising speed is often around 100km/hr!

Common Loon flying over St. George

Common Loon

A short while later, I was doing my own commute to work at roughly the same speed.  Only thing is, a whole lot of technology was required to get me moving that fast.  And a lot more inefficiently!  What a marvel these creatures are. Yet, we never hesitate to look at the technology that we use daily in our lives and make the reasonable conclusion that it is obviously the result of a detailed and well thought out design.  And the more we learn and the closer we are able to look at the detail of the world around us... I still can only can conclude...

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1-3

Till next time...
Keep enjoying HIS handiwork!

Canvasbacks from WAY Back...

Well, it's been almost two months since I last posted anything here.  Winter can be a great time to enjoy completely different settings and backgrounds for birds; no leaves on the trees sure makes sightings easier and impediments to a good shot less.  But this winter has sure cold, meaning heading out with skimpy gloves that still allow operating the camera controls a little less desirable.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the winter we've had so far - I've loved it.  Some of you will have heard me say before, "If we're going to have winter, then let's have it!"  I really do dislike the sloppy, brown, snow-melt-snow winter's we've had a lot of lately.  I'm quite fine with the bitter cold temperatures we've been having, the wood stove nicely keeping the house toasty with no impact on the non-existent heating bill. And at this point anyway, I still like shoveling.

But back it the middle of December when winter was just getting started, I headed to LaSalle Park in Burlington and finally got to see a bird which had, till that point, eluded me even though I'd see it mentioned on the Hamilton Bird list and miss it when I arrived. There were a few Canvasbacks there and a few cooperated close enough for a few pictures to add lifebird #133.

female Canvasback

Canvasback pair

male Canvasback

male Canvasback

female Canvasback

On the trail there, I also got two nice shots of a male and female House Finch.

male House Finch

female House Finch

As I mentioned earlier, I'm hoping to post pictures of our Costa Rica trip soon... a bit of editing and trying to chose the best selection of the pictures I got.  Stay posted. :)

Till then...
Keep enjoying HIS handiwork!

A Case of Misidentification

A couple weeks ago I headed out to LaSalle to see what the early shows of migrating water birds would be at this perennial hot spot over the cooler and colder months of the year.  As I arrived, I made my usual, eager first check of the open knot whole of the tree by the parking lot for the Eastern Screech Owl I have yet to see with the same results as all the other times - nothing. 

But my excitement was soon to be returned when I passed an older gentleman who had the look and confidence in his delivery which made me eagerly believe that there were apparently a pair of bitterns down by the boardwalk, on the water side.  Bitterns are quite secretive birds, and the stretch of trees between the boardwalk and the sandy shore of the lake is not very wide.  I was somewhat confused, but quickened my pace none the less.  I was looking in the brush as I approached, and kept casting glances to the opposite side where there is more long grass which is more typical of how it likes to  conceal itself. The time of year also seemed suspicious, but who knows, maybe a pair that were slow breeders and are in a mad rush to migrate south?

Bumping into another set of men with cameras, I mentioned the previous gentleman's note to me, and they pointed up, into the trees.  Sure enough, there were two, streaky, brown birds perched in the tree branches over our heads ahead of us.  However, they were not bitterns, but Juvenile Black-Crowned Night Herons.  Who knows, maybe the gentleman was having a good chuckle somewhere, or he simply had the bird names mixed up. I'll never know as I never saw him again. Unfortunately, I had to give the other two men that bad news as they had in fact thought they were looking at bitterns.  But, they were just as excited with the correct ID as they'd not seen this bird before either.  My own look at a Bittern still goes unsuccessful so far though.

juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron
posing as a bittern.

The rest of my visit wasn't filled with anything else new in the bird department, but I did get some nice pictures of a pair of Carolina Wrens (only one of them really).  They were busy chirping at each other as they foraged on the forest floor and around fallen logs.  They were quite preoccupied and I was able to creep up quite close to them.  In fact, I should have counted on my stealth more, as I took opportunity of one of the birds turning the corner around and behind a log.  When I came on it, we both stopped and looked at each other, hardly more than five or six meters apart.  I hadn't gotten my camera ready.  When I moved slowly, it only partially moved away and allowed a few moments for a couple shots.

Carolina Wren foraging for bugs.

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren

As I walked back to the car, one of the White-breasted Nuthatches must have been jealous of all the attention its neighbour had gotten, and posed right in front of me.

White-breasted Nuthatch

I'll have to get back to this location again soon, I'm sure the various diving birds have increased in numbers.  I saw my Uncle John this past weekend, a birder as well, and he recently had gotten a nice set of pictures he showed me of the selection that's building there.

Until then...
Keep enjoying HIS handiwork.

LaSalle Marina Visit

Earlier this week (yes, I'm pretty much caught up on my posts!), ror the first time in ages, I took a lunch hour to do some birding.  Once out, I realized how much I had missed doing it.  Strangely, even though I enjoy it, I'll have to admit much of my lack of outings is laziness.  I headed to LaSalle Marina with hopes of seeing Canvasbacks (a duck which I still have not seen) that were reported on the Hamilton birders group, along with other migrating warblers that had been seen.

The weather was nice with the temperature gaining a few degrees and the winds of the day before calmed down, but there was not much activity in the way of birds. The early migrating ducks were showing some appearances thought: Buffleheads Redbreasted Mergansers, and Scaups were there in small quantities.  The Trumpeter Swans that overwinter here were noisily making sure they were noticed.  I did spot one lone Redhead Duck which is my first self found bird of that variety and only the second time I've seen one.  I also saw female Buffleheads, which strangely I had never seen before - or just never noticed maybe?

Redhead (l) and Bufflehead (r)

I walked the boardwalk hoping to get a glimpse of the foxes that have been frequenting the beach area with an apparent comfort with the many visitors in the area, but they were not to be seen.  A White-breasted Nuthatch gave up on handouts from me and went back to finding the food it is supposed to find in the crevices of the tree bark.

White-breasted Nuthatch

A walk down and back along the trail east past the beach yielded only a couple Northern Cardinals and Chickadees... surprisingly quiet.  I visited the opposite side of the Marina and saw a few other birds around the rocky break wall.  A female Bufflehead did a nice slow cruise quite close by giving me opportunity to add a nice few shots of the fairer sex of that variety.

female Bufflehead

Notice the stiff tail feathers fanned out in the picture above.  It uses these as a rudder to help it steer underwater as it dives for small underwater insects and crustations.  Along with Goldeneyes, and Wood Ducks, Buffleheads don't nest on the ground like most ducks, but lay their eggs in tree cavities, nesting in cavities created by other birds like woodpeckers such as the Northern Flicker.

female Bufflehead

female Bufflehead

On the unprotected side of the wind-break, the Red-breasted Mergansers were foraging.

female Red-breasted Merganser

I also spotted a bit of a find - at least two Horned Grebes.  They were not too excited about me being around though so I had only a few moments to try and get some shots as they bobbed in the waves
from the wind that had slowly been picking up during my hour there, or dove out of sight.  The pictures aren't the greatest, but do show the more defined border between its black crown and white neck compared to an Eared Grebe.  I was hoping the Eared Grebe would be the ID, another bird I've not seen yet.

non-breeding Horned Grebe

non-breeding Horned Grebe

As I headed back to the car, a clear and unique bird song caught my attention.  I spent a good five minutes trying to locate and track it down, but never found it.  Usually as I move about I can pin point the location, but it would singing a few phrases, and then stop only to move slightly and through me off.  I never did find it, and could not remember it well enough to play bird songs to try and ID it that way.  A mystery never to be solved.  Just makes me realize that that part of my ability is pretty thin and would help me to know where to look and what I'm looking for.  Maybe some day.

Till then,
keep enjoying HIS handiwork!

Quick Post

I'm getting far behind on my posts... that's a good problem really I guess because it means I'm getting some nice shots that need to be shared.

This is from a lunch trip to LaSalle Park and I'll keep it brief with a few pictures.

I stopped by the small inlet to the right of the parking lot first, and a Double-crested Cormorant was diving quite close by.  I had not known, but when in breeding plumage, their wing feathers actually have a lighter outer edge to them giving a scaly look. 

Double-crested Cormorant in breeding plumage.

As I headed east along the boardwalk, I spotted a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds that paused in a tree long enough for a picture or two.  With the back light, it was hard to get a shot of the male.

Brown-headed Cowbird pair

female Brown-headed Cowbird

I walked inland this time hoping to see something else for a change.  There is a small pond, and there I spotted some sunning turtles, and lots of American toads croaking away.

Painted Turtle sunning

Of course, as soon as I tried to take pictures of the toads with their throats bulging with air to release for their croaking chorus, they stopped.  I waited forever, but they never started again.

American Toad

The male American Toads will hop on the female and hold on with tight "horns" on their fingers in what is called grasping.  They , and wait till she releases her eggs.  When the eggs are released, the male releases his sperm and tries to fertilize as many as possible.

grasping pair of American Toads

More posts to come soon... Horned Grebes, Warblers, and a Flicker nest.

Keep enjoying HIS handiwork!

The Mute Swan Dispute

On one of my trips to LaSalle lately, I saw two people boating from island to island, visiting them each, spending a couple minutes only, and moving to the next.  They were oiling eggs.

Oiling eggs.
(note: I've pixelated the face as I don't intend to cause anyone trouble)

I am assuming they were oiling Mute Swan eggs given the size of the white eggs I could see them holding.  I had heard that this was being done, but had never seen it before.  The pair that nests every year by the boat launch of Bayfront Park I'm sure is spared as it is a well known spot and attracts many people each year as they watch the 32-37 day incubation and then the hatching fun.  In fact, my encounter with this pair was at the beginning of my birding/photography fun and I thoroughly enjoyed the anticipation and then the slow arrival of the cygnets.  Here are those post in order:

First arrivals

More arrivals

Cygnet Ride

They use vegetable oil to spray onto the eggs to close up the pores in the eggs which doesn't allow oxygen to pass through to the developing embryo/chick inside.  And they oil the eggs instead of destroying them so the swans don't re-lay new eggs, but sit through the full incubation time.  The reason for the oiling is to try and control the Mute Swan population.  It is a swan that was imported from Europe as decoration birds for large estate ponds back in the late 1800's.  But it's huge appetite and very aggressive manner have pushed out many of the other water birds, keeping them from breeding in the area it claims.  Because of their massive "through-put" (food turns into poop), they are also seen as contributors (along with Canada Geese of course) with algae bloom problems that starve the aquatic fauna of oxygen and decrease the water plants that are necessary for a balanced environment.

Now, after realizing the impact these swans have and that they were not naturally here, I think I'd support the control.  My understanding is that they are not eliminating them, but keeping them to a manageable population and in some ways, putting a "predator" in place that isn't naturally here.

There has been a big effort to reintroduce the Trumpeter Swan back into the area after it almost became extinct.  This program is going well by all accounts, and LaSalle beach in Burlington is home to a large group that seem to be well established with many over wintering there.  Here's an interesting YouTube video of Trumpeter Swans being banded and tagged.

Trumpeter Swans

Here are a few resources I found on the topic of oiling the Mute Swan eggs elsewhere...I could only find a few references to this actually being practiced in the Hamilton Harbour area:

http://www.hamiltonharbour.ca/documents/TSH_2012_SupportingDocument.pdf  (bottom of page 7)

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/article/554464--weather-natural-cycles-putting-wildlife-front-and-centre (end of the article)

Here is another blog post from someone in Vermont on the topic.

http://tailsofbirding.blogspot.ca/2008/02/mute-swan-beautiful-graceful-and.html

I don't do this often, but the egg oiling made me think of an aspect I'd like to share with you...One interesting aspect of the egg oiling, is the amazing design of the egg itself.  Until recently, I hadn't even known that eggs had these thousands of pores for "breathing".  Along with so many other wonders of the natural world around us, the egg is another very powerful evidence for seeing all the beauty and intricate systems as designed, and not the product of chance.

Consider these interesting egg facts which all have to be in place and working for a little bird chick to survive:

Strength and shape - Without both of these the egg would be crushed by the parent bird.

Holes - Thousands of microscopic holes allow for respiration during incubation.

Air pocket - At the end of the incubation period, and just prior to the massive effort to get out, the holes are not sufficient to provide enough oxygen.  There is a little pocket of air which provides just enough for the little bird to break the skin inside, and then chisel a hole in the egg with...

Egg tooth (correct, it's not part of the egg!) - the little bird has to develop with this egg tooth strong enough to break the shell.

This doesn't even include the amazing reproductive system that all has to be in the right order for embryo, fertilization, shell production to take place.  But if any of these parts of the system aren't in place, the chick would die.

Adds another dimension to the question of the Chicken or the Egg dilemma don't you think?  I believe all these amazingly complex designs all point to a God who put them there to make us wonder at how amazingly well he created everything to work.  Problem is, we live in a world that is not without breakdown and problems.  It doesn't all work perfectly.  Despite the underlying, amazingly wonderful designed world that we see, there is disease, trouble, and breakdown.  That is our fault, and along with the rest of the world He created to be good, it groans to be fixed.  It wasn't always that way.  We decided that we knew better and rebelled against the God who made us.  And we're still "benefiting" today.  Because we are part of a long line of people who continue to live our own way, and because we're "in the hole" from the start, we can't fix the problem ourselves. Thankfully God sent a rescuer - Jesus - to pay for the debt of our wrong as a representative.  All He requires is that we admit our guilt and are willing to humble ourselves and ask for His grace through the payment on the cross.  Otherwise, we can't complain about the payment we will be required to make for our less than perfect lives which is the standard of a good, but just God.

If you think I'm all wet here or differ in your opinion, please don't feel bad to let me know.  I'd be glad to discuss further or hear your view.  Please be sure that I don't share these thoughts to discourage, or to say I'm better than you, or anything like that... I'm not any better, and I'm in the same condition as everyone else is.  But I want to share the fix that I know and believe to be so true.  I want you to have the same comfort and peace that I have - to know that the the day you die, you'll have a confident answer as you stand before your Maker.   And some day, I don't want you to say, "Why did you never tell me!?"

And... as I enjoy watching and sharing the birding and wildlife photographs, I'm "afraid" I can't help but see that all these creatures declare HIS handiwork.  So, once in a while, a little "sermon" results and I hope that from it, someone some day, will see Him too.

Take care!
Brian

New Colours - Blue and Ruby

Over the last week or so, I was eager to make a few outings with the newness of my lens still keeping me eager to see what it could do.  I made a trip LaSalle first, hoping to see an Eared Grebe which had been reported there.  But it must have travelled on, because it was not there and I saw no more postings about it afterwards.  I walked along the small boardwalk and was treated to a pair Carolina Wrens who were uncharacteristically comfortable with my presence.  Slowly I raised my lens and was greeted with the message "NO CARD".  Aghhh!  I was "forced" to enjoy nature without electronics in between!  How terrible.

The next trip out I headed to Valley Inn Road with reports of a number of interesting birds.  Unfortunately the ponds were rather quiet, at first seeming to only leave a few pairs of Northern Shovelers.  But then I spotted a GreenBlue-winged Teal which made the trip rewarding, adding life bird number 119 to the list.  It was not terribly close so I didn't get really good looks and required some cropped photos for posting.

(Thanks to Dwayne for correcting my mess-up on the bird ID! They don't really even look alike and somehow the name colour got switched in my head.)

male Blue-winged Teal (centre) with Northern Shovelor pair.

male Blue-winged Teal and female Northern Shovelor

A Ring-billed Gull was floating in the water not far from where I was sitting with the hopes that the Green-winged Teal would meander close.  Suddenly, from its floating mode, it started diving which isn't typical for gulls.  A number of times it did it and then finally came up with a catch - a big juicy snail.

Ring-billed Gull with snail catch.

My next outing I headed back to LaSalle, hoping but not really expecting to see the brave pair of Wrens again.  Not in the same location, but I believe I did in fact find them!  The male was singing its heart out as I walked the trail past the boardwalk to the east.

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren with Northern Cardinal.

Carolina Wren in full song.

Now for a tale on learning humility.  I've been enjoying the birding/photography hobby for a long 28 months or so now.  In months it sound longer than saying it as just over two years.  A few people walking along the trail were wondering what birds I was enjoying and I gladly pointed out the wrens and White-throated Sparrow all skittering through the leaves in the underbrush at that moment.  I was glad to share my knowledge and be able to point out some of the birds I have learned to some apparently obviously novice but interested walkers.  Good of me really to be so kind! A smaller bird which I had actually noticed earlier in the background to my Wren watching was noticed by one of the ladies and she asked what it was.  I over-confidently stated it was only a female Goldfinch.  No, she was not sure that it was.  I gently, but still a confidently, told her I thought it was.  Again, she said, no, she didn't think so.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

I had taken a shot or two of the same bird out in the distance earlier, actually thinking it strange that a Goldfinch was making its way thought the lower portions of the under brush.  A grainy zoom in check on the playback had me thinking though that that is all it was.  I had gone back to watching the wrens again.
 

Rub-crowned Kinglet showing off its bright crown.

 
With the lady, I followed the bird in question as it was now closer to the trail.  A sudden bright flash of bright ruby red made my ID immediately known as completely wrong.  Ruby-crowned Kinglet we voiced together in unison.  I looked over and immediately had to acknowledge my previous identification as quite wrong.  Looking back, I should have known the olive green and less pronounced wing bands were the clues!  Humble pie!!  Turns out the lady's son is an avid birder and she's picked up the knowledge to ID a bird or two from a number of years under his tutelage...  I had to apologize for my rather bold but incorrect identification.  I admitted I didn't mind too much being wrong, as it was a new life bird for me... #120.

 

This little bird is one of the the smallest  North American birds and we are on the southern fringe of its nesting range.  They are extremely active little birds, sharing the characteristic of being constantly in motion with their cousins the Golden-crowned Kinglets.  They are finding insects hiding in corners and edges of buds and bark of the slender branches of trees.  This bird must have been resting for bit of a breather as I was able to get quite a few shots before it moved on again.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

The  White-throated Sparrow I had mentioned earlier was not cooperating at all for a picture.  It was carefully sticking to the densest sections of the brush.  Interestingly, it was constantly singing its "Oh Sweet Canada Canada" call, but very quietly, all along its foraging journey.  I wonder why it was calling so quietly.  I finally got a chance for a few pictures when it too stopped for a brief break.

White-throated Sparrow.

One thing I discovered I had done on this trip was to forget to turn off my SteadyShot on the camera - a feature of the Sony cameras which provides image stabilization in the body.  The new lens has its own optical stabilization which is better than the in body option.  And when the two are on together, they are actually often fighting each other.  Since this is a shared camera for the around the house photos, I'll have to remember to switch that function off and then back on for every outing.