Into the North Country (Days 3 and 4)

This is the second installment of my late October trip to the realms of northern Ontario with Ezra Campanelli and our hosts Ken and Angie Williams. Days 1 and 2 can be found below:

Into the North Country (Days 1 and 2)

Day 3 (October 26, 2019)

We had a later start Saturday, enjoying some breakfast at the local Smoothy's and watching overhead flocks of Siskin's and Crossbill's including our only Evening Grosbeak of the trip. It's always refreshing to indulge in northern Ontario's bird diversity (yumm!).

As more of an aside I find it amazing how easily it is to trip the eBird filter (meaning higher than expected quantities of birds/"rare" birds) this far north. I think the most comical "filter trip" on this venture was seeing more than 11 Ring-billed Gulls in Timmins. Shows the lack of birding coverage this area receives!

Over breakfast it was decided Ezra, myself, Angie and Ken would do the complete northern (semi)loop from Smooth Rock Falls to Kapaskasing (about a 200km trip). After driving the paved 634 to Fraserdale, the highway transitions into a gravel road as you drive northwest. I wouldn't be surprised if you can drive to Moosonnee via logging roads someday, these roads appeared to be poppin' up everywhere branching off from the main route.

Saturday's intriguing loop

The drive itself is a fantastic way to fall in love with the northern scenery, however it was apparent we were a little late for any interesting rarities that may have recently wandered these roads.

Typical view from gravel highway

Nonetheless it was an excellent opportunity to scope out potential vagrant traps for future trips of this nature. The Little Long Dam (marked on map above) includes a 5km berm and can be found at the most northern section of this (semi)loop. I won't hype things too much here, but I like the way this place looks! Interestingly, Ken mentioned that a hunter had told him he had 15 Ptarmigans (!!!) along this stretch earlier this fall.

Fragment of Little Long Dam (feat. The Jeep)

After Little long things were rather quiet in the bird department. Once back along the highway 11 corridor, we stopped at the Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons where we were greeted to a Pectoral Sandpiper, Northern Pintail and a funky looking Ring-necked Duck.

Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons featuring some lovely exposed mudflats

Day 4 (October 27, 2019) 

It was time to head back south. After giving our goodbye's and thanks to Ken and Angie, we were back on the road. On our way, we made a quick pitstop in Timmins hoping to catch up to a Laughing Gull that had taken up residence at Porcupine Lake. Laughing Gulls are commonly found along the Atlantic/Gulf coast. Having one this far north and east was certainly rare, but not unprecedented. For us, it was not to be, despite a thorough investigation.

The last stop for birding we had planned for, was a patch of forest that had burned this past summer (I believe...) near the town of Gogama, approximately an hour south of Timmins. In short, forest burns provide a very unique habitat, supplying ample beetles and in turn attracting countless Black-backed Woodpeckers and sometimes the more uncommon American Three-toed Woodpecker. Outside of forest burns, Black-backed Woodpeckers can often be difficult/unpredictable to locate due to its nomadic behaviour.

Ezra on road surrounded by burn

Scenes from the burn

Almost immediately, a Black-backed Woodpecker began giving its distinct 'pik' call. It didn't take long to find several more. There was something incredible about crunching through the burnt ground of a barren forest, while woodpecker's danced from tree to tree. They seemed almost as thrilled as we were.

Male Black-backed Woodpecker #1

We counted at least 10 Black-backed Woodpeckers scattered across the burn. A few Pileated Woodpeckers were also taking advantage of this unique location.

A dapper and damp Pileated Woodpecker

These photogenic beauties didn't seem to mind our presence, here's a few more below...

Black-backed Woodpecker #2

Black-backed Woodpecker #3

The birds were suuuper tame. Just how tame....

Ezra within tree-length of a Black-backed Woodpecker

After 2500 km of driving, we were ready to pack in a superb experience in the north country. All in all, we managed to locate almost all our boreal specialties, enjoy some fantastic grouse and wonderful company, all without the car breaking down! It seems quite easy driving north as if there's this magnetic pull and mystical draw, but it's always a struggle to gravitate back southwards. Ahhh...the wonders of the north!

Paddling for Birds

Towards the end of this past summer, I had the idea of getting into kayaking, particularly for birds and bird photography. Being a lifelong cambridg (?ion/ian/an?) living right next to the Grand River I decided it was about time to explore the river head on. The result .... I present to you the Pelican Trailblazer ....

Preliminary Setup of the Pelican Trailblazer 100 NXT

There were a number of routes I covered, but I put an emphasis in the following stretch of river travelling south from Moyer's Landing in Preston to Riverbluff's Park in Galt.

In short, I didn't fulfill my initial hopes and dreams of Western Sandpiper's, Whimbrel's and other wonderful assortments of rare shorebirds. However I've had some great opportunities to improve my photography skills as well as develop a deeper appreciation for photographing birds in their natural element.

Without further rambling, here are some of the results from my Grand River adventures spanning from August - November.

Ring-billed Gull stretching

Great Egrets heading to roost for the night 

Double-crested Cormorants against Moonrise 

Along the Grand, Yellowlegs, Killdeers and Spotted Sandpipers formed the bulk of shorebird's, but these Pectoral Sandpiper's mixed in with some Lesser Yellowlegs were an exciting addition to the kayak list.

Pectoral Sandpipers amongst Lesser Yellowlegs 

 It seemed that no day was like the other, where a slight change in conditions can drastically change the mood of a photo, providing some experimentation of settings when taking pics.

Bald Eagle in Flight

American Black Duck

I was pretty pleased with the results produced, having recently upgraded my camera body to the Canon 7D Mark II. One of the benefits of kayaking was being able to get unusually close to generally timid birds.

A very late Great Egret (Nov. 10)

There's this inner feeling of relaxation and ease when on the water, that is quite difficult to explain in words. To say the least, I am already looking forward to explore some new locations next season! 

Into the North Country (Days 1 and 2)

This past weekend I ventured into the heart of northern Ontario with Ezra Campanelli on a quest for boreal birds and any vagrants still lingering around. Although the latter component seemed to fail, the boreal birds most certainly did not disappoint! For organizing this trip in a few days, I'd say we did a pretty darn good job. And of course, it would not have been possible without the gracious hospitality of Ken and Angie Williams of Smooth Rock Falls for letting us stay with them.

Day 1 (Oct. 24, 2019) 

After getting off work and picking up Ezra from Aberfoyle around 12:00pm Thursday, we were off, the Accord pointed north, ready to explore the vast expanses of boreal wilderness. On our way up, we made a quick stop at the Powassan Sewage Lagoons (after finding a place to park!!), with high hopes of a Le Conte's or Nelson's Sparrow. We did manage to chase down some Sparrows, only to turn up a few Savanah's. A Coot was a nice surprise.

Back on the road we entered Smooth Rock Falls around 11:00pm that night. The plan was to spend the night in Smooth Rock Falls and then hightail it to Fraserdale, where we would take the morning train to Moosonee. As we drove into town Thursday night with a heavy wave of northern lights cascading northwards in the distance, a sense of hope and northern reacquaintance was restored, looking forwards to three excellent days in the north country!

Day 2 (Oct. 25, 2019)

After a hearty breakfast provided by Ken and Angie we were on the road. To get to Fraserdale, we would take Highway 634 from Smooth Rock Falls, a paved logging road. It's paved roads provide some of the best opportunities for Grouse in the area. Ken had told us, grouse were most active along the road the morning after the first snowfall. Our trip was no exception, counting six Spruce Grouse and four Ruffed Grouse during the approximately 75 km stretch. Pictured below is the first Spruce Grouse of the day. He seemed to enjoy our presence as the sounds of camera shutters rained down upon him. This was Ezra's first lifer a trip and the first time I had seen one in a couple years. Such a stunning beauty!

 Fantastic Mr. Spruce Grouse

At the same stop, some phishing revealed a family group of Boreal Chickadees, our only ones of the trip.

An intrigued Boreal Chickadee 

At around 10:00am we arrived in Abitibi Canyon (about five-ten minutes east of Fraserdale), providing a small window of time for birding around the damn before hopping on the 10:45 train. Birding was relatively quiet, but nonetheless it was exciting to see this damn. Such an impressive project, situated in such an isolated location.

Rainbow breaking through at Abitibi Canyon

Unfortunately, things began to take a turn for the worse when the vehicle would not start. What made the situation worse was that we were in an area with no service and needed to be at the train station in 30 minutes. We didn't have a moment to lose! It was decided Ezra would run to the top of the damn in search of some OPG workers we had seen on the way up while I stayed with the car pouring through the car manual for answers. Fortunately the workers had indeed stayed and in no time the car was back running. Turned out the car was put in autolock, a feature I hadn't even heard about until this incident. I guess that just about sums up my automobile knowledge. I was more than slightly embarrassed, but grateful the situation had not escalated into pure chaos. After wishing our saviours well, with 5 minutes to spare we made the final trek to the station.

From the train, we picked up on a few hawks and finches but the highlight was a Sharp-tailed Grouse (insert lifer dance) that flew by us, perching at the top of a conifer. In Moosonee, the first snowfall of the year was falling, while our $10 taxi took us to the famed Moosonee Sewage Lagoons. The lagoons were mostly unproductive aside from the regular ducks and a few Yellowleg's hanging around.

 Picturesque views of the Moosonee Sewage Lagoons

We began the longish walk back to downtown, when we were kindly offered a ride by a local native woman. Interestingly, the woman mentioned a Turkey Vulture that she had once seen hanging around town, a pertty decent bird this far north at any time of year! In town, we birded the Moose River and began winding up and down the streets of Moosonnee. It was concluded that no Wheatear's or Laughing Gulls had taken up residence. It seemed that most of the town was devoid of birds, perhaps a few weeks late for the peak of vagrancy potential.

After a pitstop at Moosonee's famous KFC/Pizza Hut we were back on the train with our eyes peeled to the tree tops in hopes of catching a glimpse of a Hawk Owl. On this trip, it was not to be. However, after noticing a large figure in the middle of the tree cover, I pointed my camera towards it and shot away. To say the least I was pretty stunned when a Great Gray Owl was staring back from the screen.

The Great Gray Owl

Once back in Fraserdale, we made a few stops along the highway in hopes of calling in some owls (with no luck). Back at Ken and Angie's we indulged in some delicious grouse filets and grouse pasta while retelling the day's events, a sweet end to an awesome day!

 Moose River sunset from the Polar Bear Express

O yeah, and the blog is back. 

Thanks for reading :)

March Revival

Spring has come to the county and things are really starting to roll. This (last) month has been a great month for both the Big Year and genuinely flavourful birding. Let's break it all down.....

The Breakdown:

New Code 4s +5s:   :(

New Code 3s: 

Lapland Longspur (1)

Canvasback (8 birds, 3 sightings!)

Tufted Titmouse (1)

Other Monthly Notables: 

Eastern Meadowlark (1) - March 2'nd!

Long-tailed Duck (4) - Has shaped up to be a banner year for this species in the county

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - March 28

Cackling Geese (8)

Horned Grebe - March 10

Red-breasted Merganser - March 10

End of March Total: 95

Enough about numbers, let's get to some county outings.

The month picked up on similar grounds as the previous, making frequent commutes down to the Grand River. On one early March trip there was a nice selection of birds including a Red-breasted Merganser, Long-tailed Duck and Horned Grebe that made for excellent showing, a true sign of spring movement. The Long-tailed Duck most certainly stole the show.

 Long-tailed Duck almost too close to the camera!

Birds aren't the only things hooked to the allure of the Grand. These two coyotes seemed to enjoy a clear path, appearing a little too comfortable around people.

A fun kickoff to the month was finding a large flock of Common Redpolls in the south of Cambridge. This species has irrupted into southern Ontario this past winter and although it is not an uncommon sight it was neat to see these birds in large numbers in the county. One can only dream to see the much frostier and much rarer Hoary Redpoll mixed in.

Common Redpoll's (Some looking rather pale?!)

As large numbers of waterfowl begin moving through Southern Ontario starting in early to mid March, the Hespeler Mill Pond became one of my favourite morning stop overs before work. Nothing quite compares to the sun's first light casting beams on a hearty mix of freshly fallen waterfowl. I'll include a few of these findings here.

 Canvasback! (Code 3)

Find the Cackler's! (hint: it's the tiny ones) 

Greater + Lesser Scaup

For a few mornings two Sandhill Cranes took up residence on the mill pond mudflats, putting on a great, noisy show. 

Sandhill Crane

After hearing reports of a Tufted Titmouse at Riverside Park, I indulged in this twitch, obtaining long looks at a very cool county bird both in looks and in range. Tufted Titmouse occurs annually in the county with only a few records each year, making it a challenging bird to pin down. This one decided to hang around for a few days.

Tufted Titmouse

A big theme of March consisted of weekly trips up to Linwood....a land of vast wilderness...emptiness....and pristine beauty. Well, maybe it doesn't quite encompass these terms, but it sure feels wild in Waterloo County standards. The Linwood and surrounding area take up a large chunk of this county and although farmlands occupy most of this area, I can't think to wonder what birds go unnoticed. On one venture, a very early (March 2'nd) Eastern Meadowlark made a surprising appearance in the snow. I think we weren't the only one's surprised....

A very confused Eastern Meadowlark

There is no doubt that Linwood is the best place in the county to witness Snow Owls. On one morning I had 15 trolling the side roads, including seven along a stretch of road spanning a few kilometres. Strangely enough these one's were all on the Wellington County side :(  

Snowy Owl

The primary purpose of these trips however, was in hopes of bearing witness to the alleged Lapland Longspur spectacle that happens here for a few weeks every year in late March (according to legends that is!). While visiting this area with another birding friend around this time, we began to hear the familiar songs of the Longspurs and it sounded like a lot more than just one! It didn't take long to locate around 60 of these beauties, some just beginning to show their marvelous summer colours. In my opinion these birds have one of the most beautiful and tranquil songs out there. This was a nice switch from the many hundreds of Horned Larks that had been streaming through the area over the past visits.

A (slightly out of focus) Lapland Longspur 

Lapland Longspur sporting it's (somewhat) breeding plumage 

Of course with always being on the search for the harder to find birds, it's often easy to lose sight of the more common species that make up the bulk of life and spring vibes in this county. It wouldn't be the same without you commoners....

American Robin

Great Blue Herons

Common Merganser Duo (More on winter vibes here)

That's all for now. It's been a busy April so far in the bird department, but I'll save that for a future post!

January/February Update on County Big Year

        Check out my first blog post for some background on what I'm up to



          Two months have come and gone in this Great county and things are exciting as they can be in the not so raging winter months of January and February. Nonetheless, the birds always seem to pull through and this January and February have been no exception. So, Let's get to it then.....the highlights!

         This code 5 (Woot Woot!) Townsend's Solitaire was an excellent kickstart to the county year list. I was getting worried about missing this long-staying rarity for the year, but fortunately after spending around four back to back days in the Forfar Ave. neighbourhood where it was being seen, this little beauty decided to finally reveal itself on it's favourite snag. I was extremely happy to get this bird out of my way, as I'm sure the neighbours were getting annoyed of my ongoing presence (Which was made pretty clear by the officer who pulled me over wondering what I was looking at). I did not trasspass, but even I'd be a bit worried if an 18-year old was regularly meandering around my neighbourhood with binoculars and a camera. Ahh....the things that must be done for the birds....my sincere apologies if I freightened you.

My (quite) unsuccessful attempt at photographing the Solitaire

          One of my favourite parts of winter is making regular bike trips down to the Grand River. This can be one of the most bird rich areas this time of year in the county. I must say nothing is quite better than sipping a steaming cup of coffee in a blistering snow storm while desperately scanning through Goldeneye flocks in hopes of catching that rare glimpse of a Barrow's. Maybe next year! Of course these adventures would not be adventures without ol' Canyon Runner by my side.

Canyon Runner in Action (kinda)

You never know what's going to show up on the Grand (But most times you do!), and this particular year has been a great year for some fun code 1's and 2's.

Eastern Bluebird

Common Raven

Peregrine Falcon

One of my favourite sightings from this month was this pair of Cackling Geese hunkered in among the Canada's on a very snowy morning. This would be the first of two groups of Cackler's I would see over these months.

Cackling Goose (The small ones)

Even when the good birds cease to show, any morning spent on the river is time well spent in my eyes. The common winter scene of Common Goldeneyes and Common Mergansers truly encompass and embrace the beauty of the winter season as their call's fill the chilly surroundings. It won't be long now, until these vacationing Goldeneye's return north to the places they call home.

Common Goldeneye

I was lucky to nail all my trash birds in only a few shots this January at my local landfill. $5 for unlimited entertainment....yes please!