Reported by Michael Butler
April 13, 2015. Click below to see image.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/28113115@N00/17137397435/
(and other images as well!)
Category Archives: Birding Report
grackles back in Tobermory!
Courtesy of Michael Butler
Click on image to enlarge
Red-winged blackbirds
Tania Gilchrist reports: Saw a male and female red-winged blackbird at our feeders this morning at the front of the house (when he moved his wings the red showed up). They stayed for about 10 minutes.
Northern Shrike
Dian Wood reports: I am surprised that a Northern Shrike would appear in the heavily forested area where I live. This immature Northern Shrike appears very healthy and although I observed the grey and rosy-pink feathers of a male Redpoll littered on my driveway, I am NOT ASSUMING it was the Northern Shrike who was responsible! To quote my good friend Bob, “Don’t assume that it is the Northern Shrike rather than a Merlin that is eating your small birds. Merlin certainly seems like a strong possibility in that case. Wait until you can actually see the bird and determine its identity.” As I have learned, it is always good to get photographs especially in our dull days of winter! Lesson learned: get PHOTOGRAPHS to positively ID unusual birds!
A Gray Jay? No! It was a Northern Shrike!
Dian’s update: The bird I saw was NOT a Gray Jay but an immature Northern Shrike. It DOES have a hook on the end of its beak and a barred chest indicating an immature, plus the tail is not as long as that of a Gray Jay and the head shape is very different.
Dian Wood said a few days ago:
“A Gray Jay just landed at my feeders! Are there other reports of Gray Jays around the Bruce Peninsula?” (Presumably this was on Jan. 7.)
Fred Jazvac in response says, “ The Gray Jay is listed as vagrant with no more than 10 records in the last 10 years. “
Perhaps someone (like James?) could tell us when the last one was reported.
Dian says she tried to get her camera out too get a picture but the bird flew away. Her camera is ready now in case it shows up again. She wanted this posted to us, so someone else might get to see it.
Thank you, Dian.
Eastern Towhee in Tobermory, Jan 3/15
Attached is a photo of a female EATO we spotted an hour ago (2 PM) in the Tobermory townsite. ‘Not sure if the bird was seen on the Dec. 17 CBC.
Cheers,
Michael and Martha Butler
Tobermory, ON
Cooper’s Hawk Birding Report
Robyn Lesauvage reports, “We discovered an adult Cooper’s Hawk sitting on our fence, yesterday. Very exciting for us.”
Christmas Bird Counts
December 2014: “Christmas Bird Counts“
Area counts for Grey Bruce are as follows:
Red-headed woodpecker – two sightings now!
I want to report what I believe is a juvenile red-headed woodpecker at my feeder. We have Downy, Hairy and Red-Bellied woodpeckers frequently. I have never seen a Red-Headed woodpecker, yet when I looked this one up it seemed to be the only possible answer because of large white patch across back and wings and a brown/grey head on a somewhat streaked, but dark body. Have they been seen in this area? Would love to see a mature bird.
Liz Hierons ( in the Walter’s Falls area.)
Reply: We also had a Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker at our feeders (we’re near Desboro). Ours turned up regularly for about a week in the middle of September. Its ‘alarm’ call is how we first noticed our woodpecker, the noise stood out from our usual backyard sounds. We had hoped to entice it to stay longer with delicious suet, but it moved on. This was the first we’d seen in the area.
Cheers, Brian Robin & Sarah Taylor
(Reply with your opinion about this possible sighting by emailing birding@owensoundfieldnaturalists.ca and it will be added to this post.)
Swallows
Sunday / Monday, April 21st and 22nd, 2013
These two sunny mornings produced hundreds of swallows along the East Shore Road, between Hobarts and Hibou. They were actively feeding on emerging insects in the warming sunshine. Five species observed were: Tree Swallow (1500+), Barn Swallow (200+), Rough-winged Swallow (20 – 30), Cliff Swallow (5), Purple Martin (1). There were also several Horned Grebe, Bufflehead, Goldeneye, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Redhead and all three mergansers on the water.
At Hibou, opposite the water pumping station, Common Snipe were in full territorial flight display. In the conifers along the shoreline, there were small flocks of Kinglet and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Peter Middleton.