The Bay of Fundy "Little Big Year" Part 17

Morning Feb 9 2015 The Bay of Fundy

Leaving Grand Manan I headed past St John and then along the coastal road to Fundy National Park. Apart from one viewpoint it held little interest although this covered bridge did make me hit the brakes and screech to a halt.

Sawmill Creek Bridge. 1905
Now part of a coastal walking path system stretching across the Maritimes.

A few miles past the bridge along windy country roads was Shepody Marsh where a vagrant Caracara was spotted a few days earlier. I looked but could't locate it. Most probably it is making its way back south after being blown off course during a recent weather system. It had been photographed near the Gaspe a week earlier unless of course there were two birds.

Merlin

 I however shoot this Merlin from the car window with the P900. 

Not all was lost. I was really searching for a Nelson’s Sparrow and Shepody had the perfect habitat. Low lying marsh with sufficient grass for the birds to hide and nest in. The first chip, chip I heard was the Swamp Sparrow. I did get a few shots that I am very happy with but it wasn’t the main reason for birding the East coast.

Swamp Sparrow

Finally I saw a pair of sparrows darting around then fluttering about twenty feet above the ground similar to Skylarks. This had to be them. Their bright ochre coloured faces gave them away so when there was no action I resorted to playing a call. That worked a treat, within seconds, 4 birds, perhaps two pairs came to investigate. Rather than flying in they crawled through the grass to check out what all the fuss was about.

Nelson's Sparrow

One thing I am learning is that to find the bird you really have to understand their needs first and often the most unlikely looking places make perfect habitats.


I had one more chance of a shot when another Nelson's landed near my van. It was early in the morning, dull and drizzle so I used a flash to get these shots after a number of  futile attempts with available light.

As I left the marsh and travelled through some pretty countryside I passed beautiful turn of the century homes, quaint villages and many wineries.
On a whim I followed a deep rutted, bone shaking minor road to Cape Enrage. Sometimes that is the best way to travel. As it turned out I found fossils on the beach, Snowshoe Hares and American Redstarts.

"It's never too late stop start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/'Cloverdale

BC Canada

Grand Manan Archipelago 'Little Big Year' Part 17

           June 7 2015 St John New Brunswick to Grand Manan Island and Whitehead Island.

Another sunny day and two ferry rides from the mainland. First to Grand Manan Island and then to Whitehead Island, home of author and Birdpal Roger Burrows. Roger has worked for Parks Canada and is also a skilled naturalist, interpretive planner and avifaunal consultant. He also runs bird tours from his cottage on Whitehead Island.

Roger suggested that I look out for alcids on the way over from the mainland and soon into the trip I spotted four Razorbills, a Minke Whale and a pod of Harbour Porpoises.

Herring Gulls follow a lobster boat,

For every Black-backed Gull there are ten Herring Gulls.

Common Eider

The crossing to Whitehead Island produced small numbers of Common Razorbill, Double-crested
Cormorant, Black Guilimot and thirty or so Common Eider. This male bird flew past during the thirty minute trip to the island (pop125)
It was here on the Grand Manan archipelago that the last pairs of Eider Duck were protected form certain extiction so valuable were their feathers and down in Victorian times.

As we arrived at Whitehead Harbour several groups of Common Eider, maybe thirty birds, both male and female were feeding along the Dulce beds.

This male was quite a way but better have an ID shot than nothing.

At Grand Manan I first went to Castalia Marsh to look for Nelson’s Sparrow, a had a quick glimpse but will have to go back on my way to the mainland. The next stop was a long shot. A Yellow-crowned Night Heron had been seen feeding behind a church, I could't find it plus it was in the middle of the afternoon and there had probably been too much activity around the area by then. I’ll have to try again (Never did see it)

Lobster fishermen keep their catch here until time for market

When the cod fishery collapsed the lobster population exploded as lobster larvae and young were a prime food for the vast cod shoals that once scoured the Bay of Fundy. It will be interesting to see if the lobster population can stand all the fishing pressure as every bay and even open sea had lobster pots. Even the ferry had negotiate around the strings of traps and at one point became entangled. The ferry won!

Young people dry out Dulce, a seaweed that is exported worldwide and a way for young people to earn a modest income. Most eventually leave the island for work but some stay and fish or cater for tourists and cottage owners who bolster the population and economy during the warmer months. 

Then it was off to Cap Southern Head where Basalt cliffs rise 300 feet out of the Bay of Fundy. Down below Black Guilimots could be seen fishing. Even with my super zoom P900 they were still too far away, besides I get terrible vertigo when I lean over the edges of cliffs.

Basalt column rise 100 metres out the ocean.

After meeting Roger for the first time and settling in I set off on a little walk around the village. I sat on some rocks overlooking the beach. Two non-breeding Common Loons fished in the bay. At the end of the sandy beach near the kelp covered rocks two female Eider Ducks, the mother and one a non breeder chaperoned four young chicks. Too far way for my 150mm-600mm but good for a long range shot with the P900.

Common Eider with chicks.  

I used the P900 handheld for this shot as they were several hundred metres away from shore. The P900 with 2000 mm optical zoom is great for ID shots and presentations and came in handy for this shot.

Roger has published 10 books include Birding in New Brunswick and Birds of Atlantic Canada.

Alder Flycatcher

This flycatcher was easy to identify having probably recently arrived and was in full song. No need to phish or play a call, it flew around us declaring that this bit of meadow was his and his alone. We quietly left so as not to disturb it more than needed.

American Lady

Yellow Warbler

As you can see, we did actually do some birding in between the Women's World Cup games and the day ended with one of my favourite shots.

Black-throated Green Warbler

Although I had photographed a female Black-throated Green Warbler earlier in my trip (see Lake Superior) I was very happy to have been able to capture this male in full breeding plumage.

It too, like the Lake Superior bird was taken metres from the shore on a rocky outcrop covered in stunted conifers.

The time to leave the island and continue my journey but not before wondering how John James Audubon came to the very bay of the above picture to observe tree nesting Herring Gulls. Normally Herring Gulls nest on secluded beaches, apparently there were so many gulls during Audubon's time  they adapted the unusual behaviour, an interesting enough phenomenon to pique the interest of Audubon and draw him to the island. Now I am going to have to find the painting he made and perhaps frame it as a memory.

                                                            For more about the island
                                       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Manan_Island

I left the island with a few more Canadian lifers*  (26 on this X Country trip)

including 

*White-winged Scoter

*Black Duck

*Black Guillemot

*Greater-black Backed Gull

*Razorbill

*Common Eider

plus

 and 7 new birds for my 2015 Canada list

Great Egret #264

Great Egret.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon"

Langley/Cloverdale 

BC Canada

Edmundson Part 16 "Little Big Year" New Brunswick

June 6 2015 Edmundson New Brunswick. 19 /9c
 Birding with Denys Bourque

I rained all the way from just west of Quebec City and so I decided to make the long trek to Riviere-de-Loup and down into Edmundson, New Brunswick. I made plenty of stops to listen to the birds. There were also odd glimpses of moose. There are signs everywhere warning of the dangers of the big animals crossing the road. The VW Westfalia isn't like a car, it takes time to come to a halt so caution is the best policy.

It was warm and humid and next day the rains had gone and the sky was blue and the sun warm.

Saturday morning I met up with a group of birders from the Edmundson area of New Brunswick. They included retired forester, bird guide and BirdingPal Denys Bourque who had invited me to along with the local naturalists club for a Saturday morning outing.
We drove into the mixed and but mainly decidious forest, the type that stretches throughout the St Lawrence River area.

The hardwood trees attract many species of birds including various kinds of flycatchers, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Evening Grosbeaks and Scarlet Tanagers.

At one stop next to a small river a pair of Eastern Phoebe gave us some good sightings, especially the male, who seemed to have more yellow and tinge of red on the tail. Below is the female.

Eastern Phoebe.

Next we stopped at a private residence on a lake. It had stunning views and all around the sounds and movements of birds kept us busy. A Northern Waterthrush in the thickets, a pair of Yellow-breasted Sapsuckers on a tree just in front of us and on the lake a Common Merganser.

Evening Grosbeak.

At another house surrounded by mixed forest a feeder has Blue Jay, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pine Siskin, House Finch and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.


We listened for the Scarlet Tanager one of my target birds for pictures. I have seen one before but wanted to improve on the composition. Ovenbirds were heard at almost every stop. In one field a female Northern Harrier glided over the hayfields. A pair of Killdeer tried to draw our attention away from their nest and soon the morning session had come to a close. Three hours of birding with some very nice people and soon we were exchanging e-mail addresses.

Purple Finch.

It was time for me to make my way to the New Brunswick capital Fredericton for a look at the historical part of town and walk the botanical gardens. Neither produced any birds and I put it down to time of day plus many birds are now incubating eggs and have become very secretive.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

Carlton Place 'Little Big Year" Part 15

June 2 2015 Carleton Place Ottawa Sunny 17/7c

Today I birded with BirdingPal Iain Wilkes. Iain birds by ear and has used that skill to make numerous important surveys in the Ottawa area. He has also birded around the globe so it was with great anticipation I met him at this home at 6 a.m. to bird the local parks, roadside and ponds.
I must have been half asleep when Iain stopped the car and pointed to a Bobolink singing on a fencepost. He reversed the car and as I fumbled with my camera the songster  just sat there, singing  its heart out hoping to attract a mate. I used the D7000 and Tamron 150mm-600mm.

Bobolink

We continued along less travelled roads until Iain stopped the car by a non-descript section of road. He had heard a Field Sparrow there previously and was hoping to show it to me. At first phissing did nothing, Iain pointed out an Eastern Towhee, another lifer for the trip. I thought towhee's would be everywhere, but as yet it is my first sighting.
Finally after a little enticement and with a recorded call, the Field Sparrow popped out of the brush to see what all the fuss was about and yet another lifer. Two lifers in ten minutes, you gotta love Birding pals!

Field Sparrow

As soon as we began our six hour birding session was over and we parted good friends. Hopefully there will be time for us to bird again on my return trip. Thanks Iain.

For more about Birdingpals go to birdingpal.org

Alder Flycatcher

I spent the rest of the day in the Ottawa area and photographed an Alder Flycatcher. It was time to leave the capital not before a wee nap. Unfortunately and probably because of birding fatigue I had left my headlights on when I fell asleep and the battery was dead. CAA came my rescue in five minutes and soon I was on the road to New Brunswick, skipping Quebec as I intend to bird the Gaspe Peninsula on my return journey. 

   I am slowly catching up with my blogging but just when I try to catch up I fall behind, C'est la vie!

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

Lake Superior 'Little Big Year' Part 14

May 28 Thunder Bay to via Lake Superior to Sault St Marie. Warm and Sunny

Ontario is a huge province. A person could spend months exploring just the Superior and Huron shorelines.
I don't have that luxury if I am going to make it to Newfoundland and back in two months.
Here are some of the sights.

Marathon Ontario

Pebble Beach

The power of Lake Superior is evident at Pebble Beach where some are the size of soccer balls.

May 29/15 Lake Superior Provincial Park.

May 28 2015 

Because of the overcast skies and showers and the poor light I had originally thought about making my way on to Sault St.Marie. It is there that Lake Superior and Lake Huron meet. The area was made famous by the Group of Seven, gold rushes and shipwrecks. The Edmund Fitzgerald, a sinking made famous in the Gordon Lightfoot song is just one of the many ships that sank during violent storms.

I drive into Lake Superior Provincial Park, tired and need of rest. As I exit my van I hear the sweet sound or warblers.. lots of them! I ask a few questions at the park headquarters about birding opportunities. 

The young attendant casually looked up from her desk and asked if I was seeking Northern Parula. She continued to tell me they nest wherever there's Old Man's Beard, a sort of lichen that clings to trees in rain forests or near clean water sources like the Great Lakes. The Northern Parula only nests in pristine environments and this is one such place.

I couldn't believe my luck. Right away I paid for a campsite and asked more questions. How about Ovenbirds, she knew where to find those too! All the tiredness from the long drive through the boreal forest flowed away, two of my target birds were in or around the campground. All I had to do was find them. Back at my camper which was still in the parking lot I noticed an American Redstart and then a Black-throated Green Warbler and Magnolia Warbler and hadn't even got to my campsite yet! More was to come. I decided to photograph there and then and skip supper. I now know why I have l  lost five pounds on this trip, perhaps I can start bird/weight loss tours!

I find my campsite and set up to photograph the warblers back at the visitor centre parking lot. It's quite dark so I change to my D3s which I can easily shoot at 1600 ISO. Still too dark, so I add a flash after missing a few shoots because of slow shutter speed. I am wearing waterproofs head to foot, my camera is protected by rainwear. Happily the birds are more interested in feeding after a tiring flight over Lake Superior. A tiring day of driving is quickly forgotten.

 Here are the results.

American Redstart

Female Black-throated Green Warbler and Lifer

Around Lake Superior, the world’s largest lake the southern and northern forests merge on. Birdwatching here is some of the best in Canada and that is why I have driven 4000 kms to be here. Park staff have recorded 231 species of which 120 Species annually breed here.

Magnolia Warbler

Northern Parula and Lifer. 

At my campsite I saw one bird a Chipping Sparrow so I went back next morning when the light was better and photographed again and finally caught up with the Northern Parula, another lifer to add to the Black-throated Green, the long days of driving were soon forgotten and as I took off for my next adventure I was floating on clouds or that is how it felt.

Next morning the sun came out. Ice break-up on the shores of Lake Superior Provincial Park. Nikon P900

Ovenbird

With the forest floor illumined by the sun I was able to photograph this normally shy species.

May 31/15 Whitefish Island/Sault St Marie Canal and Rapids Historic Site.

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Thanks to local birders Don and Vivian Hill and Mark Oliver for leading me in the right direction and making my morning stop off at Whitefish Island so enjoyable. The downtown area site is really interesting as is the history and architecture. Hopefully I can return on my return journey.

Gray Catbird

As I left town after a mornings birding I saw an Osprey hunting on the rapids where a number of anglers were trying their luck, one had caught and released 11 steelhead in three hours. There is even a run of stocked Atlantic Salmon and a decent run of stocked coho.

Outside of town on the beside Terry Fox Memorial highway I spotted three pairs of Sandhill Cranes as well numerous Wild Turkey, all were too far away for photos but the latter was a new one for my 2015 'Little Big Year' list #246

At Wawa there was an enormous Canada Goose but the visitor centre staff couldn't help me about birding locations.

As I head to Ottawa to bird around Carleton Place, a suburb of Ottawa I am impressed by the sheer size of Ontario and the birding opportunities available

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Cloverdale/Langley 

BC Canada

Sleeping Giant "Little Big Year Part 13

    Manitoba to Kenora to Thunder Bay to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Ontario Sunny 15c

Not long after leaving flats of Manitoba, the small inclines and an increasing number of pristine lakes indicated a radical of scenery and temperature. It was quite a few degrees cooler driving through the Lake of the Woods region. Overhead Turkey Vultures sniffed out carrion, over the larger lakes the l Osprey hovered but strangely enough, hardly a duck, grebe or bird could be seen on any of them. The dabbler and divers must have all gone to the Prairies. I stopped at quite a few lakes and only saw Grackles and Common Loons. In the picnic stops, the trees had Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Goldfinch, Ovenbirds and Swainson's Thrush. There were nowhere near the number of birds that I had seen in the prairie provinces. However, there was more to this trip than just birding I tell myself and onward I go to a place I had yearned to visit for many years, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.

Sleep Giant. This reminds me so much of a previous trip to Easter Island where many of the statues had been toppled.

At Sleeping Giant there are breathtaking views and over hundred kms of walking trails. I had planned to visit the bird banding station but I didn't realize that it was a 24 km roundtrip hike and I wasn't prepared for overnight tent camping.
Despite the mild disappointment I decided instead to do what all birders do when faced with adversity, I unfolded my lawn chair, popped open a chilled Corona beer (gotta love VW Westfalia's fridge) and enjoyed the view. No sooner had I sat down when from around the corner of the little bay a Red Fox appeared. It was curious, perhaps it had been accustomed to campers or was thirsty and wanted to share my beer.
Anyway, one gulp into my brewski and the camera was out and ready for action. I was lucky to get the shot with the lake in the background. The contrasting red and blue make it one of my favourite from this chance encounter.

Red Fox

I settled in for the night staring at the Sleeping Giant formation across the bay. A pair of Common Merganser flew by and a pair of Mallard came right on shore in front of me. In the trees a Blackburnian Warbler snagged an insect and Black-capped Chickadees hung upside down collecting nesting material, spider webs I think.

I made a time-lapse video of the Sleeping Giant and called it day. Oops, I had forgotten to have supper.

I woke to the sound of pounding rain, a good excuse to sleep in. During breakfast I had visit form an Easter Chipmunk and a Downy Woodpecker.

Eastern Chipmunk

Downy Woodpecker

Eventually the weather cleared and it was time to pack up and make my way to Thunder Bay. As I left the park a White-tailed Deer wandered across the road. I cut the engine and photographed it for a few moments.

White-tailed Deer

It was then I heard the plaintive call of the Red-eyed Vireo. The distinctive sound was the loudest in the forest and the peninsula from which the Sleeping Giant park gets its name had obviously funnelled in some new migrants overnight. The Red-eyed Vireo, unlike its cousin the Warbling Vireo is quite secretive so I shot through a tangle of leaves. I quite like the effect which photographers term selective focus.

Red-eyed Vireo

My visit to Sleeping Giant was ending and had so far proved to be one of the most memorable and I'm only halfway across Canada.

Note: Due to lack of internet connections I am a week behind in my blogs but I will try to catch up as I traverse this great country.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

Oak Hammock Marsh "Little Big Year" Part 12

May 24 Oak Hammock Marsh MBO10 Manitoba Sunny and warm 16c

Even though the marsh was alive with birds I only had a few minutes before sunset to shoot. Just at that moment a pair of Black-crowned night Herons flew overhead and behind me an American Bittern landed in the bullrushes. There wasn't enough good light to photograph birds but as a bonus an amazing prairie sunset was about to slip below the horizon. 

Purple Martin at sunset.

Going..going 

Almost gone.

Next morning and later than I would have liked I re-visited Oak Hammock Marsh. This was my last taste of Manitoba's amazing birding before leaving for my four day trek across Ontario. Both Purple Martin and Black Tern are hard to photograph in the sun as their bodies and faces are very dark. The light and exposure have to be just right. The Purple Martin was taken at sunset at the martin house and the terns in mid-morning, catching insects and fish over the marsh.

Black Terns nesting on flattened bullrushes

Some Black Terns are lighter than others. I think is a first summer bird.

Adult Black Tern with catch.

I left Oak Hammock with the promise to return on my way back through Winnipeg. Charlie and Ray may still have more tricks up their collective sleeves like the Least Bittern and who knows what else. .....and I still haven't photographed that Ruby-throated Hummingbird! Can't wait.

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada