Clandeboye Road

The ducks are back, and not in small numbers either! I was tipped off to this location by another birder on Facebook who posted some photos of the sheer numbers of ducks there and I was convinced that I had to go check it out for myself. It was well worth my time; the day afforded two lifers and 17 FOYs! Essentially a section of this road is a flooded field and various other open fields. Since the frost is still in the ground, the birds are undisturbed by farm activity. The sheer numbers were astounding. The open water was full of ducks and by my (conservative) estimates there were at least 4000 Canada Geese and 1500 Mallards! I recorded 38 species at one location over two hours of birding.

This is what I see when I first show up: a Bald Eagle flying around scaring up all the ducks, snatching one, then all the ducks settle down again. Then I notice that there's not one, but 15 eagles all squabbling over eating rights and choice seats. So that's neat. It was overwhelming at first. So many birds and separate species were present that I didn't know whether to grab my binoculars first or my camera, and even then, where to start! I'll try walk you through the afternoon with some photos.

Here is a bunch of mallards taking off as an eagle was flying around making them nervous.

Mallards (notice the other ducks on the water)

This is what the sky looked like all day: a constant stream of ducks flying in and out, or simply stretching their wings and going for a quick fly. There were always ducks in the air, always ducks taking off, and always ducks landing.

Ducks in the air

Here are some Northern Shovelers. Interestingly, they are actually Teals, but looking at the shape and size of their bills it would be impossible to not include that in the name somehow. You can easily identify these out of a group of ducks by a) their bill size and b) the chestnut flanks of the males.

Northern Shovelers (Mallards and Ring-necked Ducks in background)

These (in the foreground) are American Wigeons. You often hear the presence of these birds as they are very vocal and quite distinctive. The males make whistling sounds which are easily picked out above the din of the other ducks. Males have a green stripe down the side of their heads and a brilliant white forehead and crown. Females (as with almost all other species of duck) are more drab brown. On the far right of the photo below is a Gadwall. These are identified by the black rump and white spot which is visible on its side.

American Wigeons and Gadwall (far right)

In the photo below there are many species of duck present. I'll try to walk you through it. At the very front in the middle near the bottom are two American Wigeons immediately to the right of them is a male Gadwall. Above these ducks, about mid-height in the frame are a number of ducks with brilliant white sides; these are Scaups (a mix of Greater and Lesser). Just a bit above them are 5 Redheads (another species of Scaup) which are determined by their grey sides, black breasts, and red heads. In the very background swimming near the reeds can be found Mallards, another Redhead, and A male Ring-necked Duck.

American Wigeons, Gadwall, Greater and Lesser Scaups, Redheads

Another shot of some ducks in flight.

Mixed waterfowl in the air

Here is a Bald Eagle scanning the crowd for a target.

Bald Eagle

These are Northern Shovelers in flight. You can identify them by the white stripes down the back , the bright blue patch on their wings and their large bills. On the far right of the image are two American Wigeons which are identified by the brilliant white patches on their wings which are visible in flight.

Northern Shovelers and American Wigeons in flight

An eagle scaring some Mallards

Bald Eagle and Mallards

A flock of Mallards (and a few Northern Pintails) in flight. You can identify the pintails by their long tails in flight and smaller size. There are two of them near the center of the image that appear a little lighter brown than the ducks around them.

Mallards and a few Pintails

This is a few of a section of open water which is teeming with Mallards, Pintails, Gadwalls and other ducks

Open water with predominantly Mallards

Here are some Lesser Scaups in flight. This is one of my favorite photos of the day.

Lesser Scaups in flight

Here is another look at a section of open water filled mostly with Mallards.  A couple Northern Pintails stick out and keen eyes may pick out a few other species as well.

Open water with mixed waterfowl

There were a number of Northern Harriers patrolling the marshy land. These are neat hawks with facial discs like an owl which helps their hearing, and oversized wings and tails which make them incredible efficient and agile flyers. The British were so impressed by their flying capabilities that they studied Harrier flight extensively and even name one of their fighter jets after this family of raptors. The Northern Harrier is the only species of Harrier that occurs in North America. These hawks are identified quickly by their buoyant flight and their white rumps (the white patch between the body and the tail).

Northern Harrier

The mud was host to a couple birds as well. This Killdeer kept calling right next to me so I felt like I had to take its picture.

Killdeer

I would not have even seen this little guys if I hadn't flushed them up. There were five Snow Buntings hanging around the field and foraging in the mud.

Snow Buntings

Killdeer

Here are some American Wigeons feeding. A few Gadwall are present in the photo as well as a number of Northern Pintails. That little white slash through the image in the mid upper-left corner is a male Northern Pintail standing by his mate.

American Wigeons, Gadwalls, and Northern Pintails

The Killdeer kept begging for attention so...

Killdeer

Bald Eagles were a common sight and the uniformly grey sky provided the perfect backdrop for some silhouettes.

Bald Eagle

Two fields over from the flooded area was this field which was packed with Canada Geese, Mallards, and Northern Pintails. I was scanning the droves of geese for Cackling Geese (a smaller lookalike of Canada Geese) and Greater White-fronted Geese (a relatively unrelated species that occasionally travels with Canada Geese). With so many geese I didn't know where to start, so I just started shooting pictures to scan at home (geese don't move in a picture).

Canada Geese

Canada Geese

It's the Bald Eagle again!

Bald Eagle

This little beauty of a falcon (called an American Kestrel) was perched on a hydro line nearby. I'm not kidding when I say little; these minute birds of prey are no larger than a Blue Jay. Thus their diet contains small birds, small rodents, frogs, and lots of grasshoppers in the summer.

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

This Northern Harrier gave me a fly-by as I was observing the Kestrel.

Northern Harrier

 I went back to the flooded field to see if anything had moved around. Stuff had. This picture shows a large group of Ring-necked Ducks (another species of Scaup) which I hadn't noticed before. There are a few Northern Shovelers near the front of the photo as well as some Mallards all around (they were everywhere).

Ring-necked Ducks, Northern Shovelers, and Mallards

Traveling a couple hundred meters down a dirt road exposed this introverted American Wigeon.

American Wigeon

Also while on this road I discovered a couple Ruby-crowned Kinglets, heard some Song Sparrows, an American Tree Sparrow, and a Swamp Sparrow which was a "lifer". I put lifer in quotations because I have identified and even banded one of these birds before, but have never submitted one in an eBird checklist. So according to eBird, this Swamp Sparrow was a lifer for me. Another interesting find was a couple of Rusty Blackbirds, an uncommon and generally secluded species that most people just overlook since they are vaguely similar to grackles. Their songs are one of the nicer blackbird songs, however, and they are generally softer-spoken and shy. I was glad I came across a small group of these things. There was also a large flock of almost 150 Red-winged Blackbirds present, foraging one of last year's corn fields, and flying in and out of the marsh.

Here is a raft of Northern Shovelers with a male Mallard in the center, two American Wigeons on the far right, and a mix of waterfowl including Scaups and Ring-necked Ducks at the back.

Northern Shovelers, Mallards, American Wigeons

Back to the goose field... I spotted this pair of Cackling Geese close(ish) to the road which I decided to take some pictures of. They are in the exact center of this photo. Notice their small size, and slightly lighter feathers.

Cackling Geese among Canada Geese

Here one Cackler is just left of center with the other being far right. Notice its short, stubby bill. Also notice the male Northern Pintail far right, mid height in the image.

Cackling Geese, Canada Geese, and a Northern Pintail

Two Cackling Geese standing at attention

Little puddles in the field were packed with life. Canada Geese, Mallards, and Northern Pintails were all vying for space in and around the water. If one looks closely near the center of this image they'll notice that three geese are not like the others.

Canada Geese, Mallards, Northern Pintails, and three different geese

As I was reviewing the photos at home I discovered these three oddballs in the photo above and I cropped the section out (see the image below) to make them easier to see. They are the Greater White-fronted Geese which I was searching for (and had never seen before). Lifers are always great!

Three Greater White-fronted Geese hanging out with the Canada Geese, Mallards and Northern Pintails

I spent a little while just trying to get some pictures of the birds in flight. Geese are easier targets than the faster flying and faster flapping ducks.

Canada Geese in flight

Canada Geese in flight

Canada Geese

Mallards in flight

Canada Geese in flight

Another small falcon! A Merlin! This falcon preys almost entirely on small birds and are masters of flight. They fly really fast and use their speed and the element of surprise to try capture small birds they flush out of hiding. You can differentiate between Merlins and American Kestrels in flight in that Merlins fly by fluttering their wingtips while Kestrels use their whole wings in flight.

Merlin

Merlin

As I was scanning the great flock of geese I heard gunshots. Duck hunters had arrived. With the first crack of the gun, up went all of the geese and ducks. This time, however, they didn't settle back down so fast. They knew what that sound meant. I decided that my time on Clandeboye Road was up for the day and I decided to move on.

Hope you enjoyed this lengthy post. If you're interested in knowing exactly what I saw, check out my Clandeboye Road Bird Log post. I sure enjoyed recounting my experience as well as some of the identification tips I learned both from personal experience and observation that afternoon. I really learned so much about how to differentiate between different types of ducks both in flight and in the water. As much as studying bird books, memorizing bird calls, and looking at photos of birds helps one become a better birder, the best way is simply to get out and observe these things for yourself. Thanks for following along once again!

Joel G.

Juncos!

I always look forward to April as it's a time when the winter-gripped world comes back to life. This year it was almost like the flick of a switch; on April 1st as I patrolled the neighborhood I recorded 8 FOYs! 'Twas a remarkable day. The photos featured in this post were taken on April 13. I went out intent on finding a large gathering of raptors (including Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, and Turkey Vultures) which was reported to me by a friend and supported with video evidence. When I got to the location, however, I found an empty field. Only one raptor in sight; a single Bald Eagle.

Adult Bald Eagle in flight

Determined to make my time worth it I decided to bird up and down the road a little bit. As is classic for that time of year, I recorded over 200 Juncos throughout the day. Some of them provided me with opportunities for some interesting shots.

This female chose a perch right near the water's edge. Water is always a neat backdrop.

Female Dark-eyed Junco

Female Dark-eyed Junco

This individual perched in the edge of a tree; the grey sky provides a neat contrast with the silhouette of the bird.

Dark-eyed Junco

This Junco was foraging in the brush. I'm just thankful my camera managed to focus on the little guy instead of all the other branches around (a pretty common problem experienced while shooting photos of birds through foliage)

Male Dark-eyed Junco

Another neat find (and one of the FOYs of that day) was a male American Tree Sparrow who sang for me while foraging in a tree just a few meters from where I stood. They have the sweetest little songs which I never tire of hearing. These birds are a sign of both spring and fall in southern Manitoba, passing through as the last snow falls and as the first fall flurries begin.

Male American Tree Sparrow

Male American Tree Sparrow

If you're extremely bored or simply like challenges, here is a photo I took of the same sparrow. He flew off of a branch and I could not see exactly where he went but took some photos of the general area he landed. It may be frustrating, and you may not believe me, but he is in fact in there somewhere.

American Tree Sparrow using his camouflage

It's amazing how well some animals just disappear into their surroundings. If you need a hint, he is near the center of the photo.

Just for fun here are some Rock Pigeons that I found (wasn't all to hard... there's a lot of them around).

Rock Pigeons

Hope you enjoyed this post! Feel free to check out my Bird Log to find out which other FOYs I recorded on this day (links to the eBird checklist(s) are provided).

Spruce Siding Road

A Friday off of school! A perfect day to head out and see what there is to be seen during February in Mani-snow-ba. The day was mild and clear, and relatively windless; one can't ask for more in the dead of winter. I decided to make the most of this weather and my free time by heading out to a certain road in Sandilands Provincial Forest; Spruce Siding Road. This forestry road and access to the village of Spruce Siding is a decent stretch of mixed woodland, swamp, conifer stands (both alive and dead), and grassy clearings; a perfect place to observe winter birds of all kinds! The day did not disappoint. I was expecting some Pine Grosbeaks, Crossbills, and Canada Jays and got all of the above and more. I recorded eight FOYs on this trip with including two lifers!

I spent the ride memorizing the calls of winter finches found in the area so that I would have the best chance at identifying the birds by ear even if I didn't see them. Knowing the calls paid off (as it often does) as I knew what I was hearing and therefore where to look. Crossbills are often found at the very top of conifer trees or on the road where they like to peck at the salty gravel. Here are a couple shots of a number of individuals.

Male White-winged Crossbill

Male White-winged Crossbill

Female White-winged Crossbill

Male White-winged Crossbill on the road

These birds presented themselves often and were not too shy, often allowing me to creep up to right beneath the tree where they were perched. Pine Siskins (a close relative of American Goldfinches), on the other hand, are a little more elusive and were flitting around too fast for me to take any photos that I am proud to be share, but here is one nonetheless.

Pine Siskin that sat still long enough for me to get a non-blurry picture.

Another highlight of the day was some Canada Jays (formerly called Grey Jays). These birds, to me, are symbols of wilderness and their inquisitiveness, effortless flight, and quiet melodic whistles make them one of my favorite birds to observe. Here are some shots of one perched atop a pine tree.

Canada Jay

Canada Jay

When I first stepped out of the van in the morning to do an aural scan of the area, I heard the familiar chickadee calls from Black-capped Chickadees, but mixed among them were some chickadee-like calls, just slightly more nasal which I assumed to be just a different type of call (Black-capped Chickadees do make a wide variety of sounds). But I wasn't fully convinced and was not letting the possibility of the presence of Boreal Chickadees go. Later in the day my suspicion was confirmed when a number of individuals popped out of the bush beside the road and actually stood still long enough for me to capture some picture of them! (This is extremely rare as chickadees are normally flitting around and moving constantly making them difficult subjects to photograph.)

Boreal Chickadee

Boreal Chickadee

Notice the brown head and brownish back which sets these elusive little bundles of energy apart from the much more common Black-capped Chickadees.

I was hoping to see some Red Crossbills (as they would be lifers) but was not able to spot them while on the road. As soon as I turned back onto the highway to head home three males flew close in front of my van (distinguished from White-wings by the lack of wing bars and richer red color) and into the bush. Just a brief glimpse, but a lifer nonetheless! Further down the highway I was able to see my first Snow Buntings of 2020 as well. It was a successful day by my standards for sure. Two lifers on the same day in the winter sure ain't bad, neither is eight FOYs in one day, nor is 11 species in one checklist!

Thanks for following along once again.


Till next time,

Joel G.

Ducks In February!?

Yup, you read that right. Ducks in February. This winter at the bend in the river near the corner of the Perimeter Hwy. and St. Mary's Rd., a number of ducks and geese were keeping the water open for themselves and braving the cold to avoid having to migrate. Anxious to see some birds other than the regular winter residents (Ravens, Chickadees, House Sparrows, etc.) I decided to grab my camera and head over and check the reports out for myself. My travel and time was well worth it.

First cool thing was the sheer numbers with nearly 150 Mallards chilling together (quite literally). The wind was whipping down the river and I had tears pouring down my face from the wind in my eyes as I counted the birds through my binoculars. Here is a shot of the group which was packed together to rest.

Mallards resting beside the patch of open water

Who doesn't love to see Canada Geese in the winter? Whether they were early migrants or others braving the winter didn't matter... geese are geese.

Canada Geese

Another cool part of the trip was a female Common Goldeneye who was hanging out with the Mallards. I apologize for the heavily cropped picture.

Female Common Goldeneye

The personal highlight was an American Black Duck (a lifer for me) which was also part of the gang. Whoever first spotted it had a sharp eye as it blends in pretty well with the female Mallards.

American Black Duck with Mallards

Just so it's clear, the American Black Duck is the one with the yellow bill and dark eyeline. This picture makes it seem like it should be easy to differentiate as it came out pretty dark, but in reality, when viewing with your eyes it appears a lot similar in color to the female Mallards. The biggest difference is that female MALLs have an orange bill while ABDU's have yellow ones. For more information on American Black Ducks follow this link.

Overall, this little excursion produced four FOYs as well as one lifer... and it fired me up for migration; geese start returning in March and Mallards aren't too far behind. By the time the Mallards in migrating in force, everything else starts migrating too and things explode with life. Looking forward to that time!

Thanks for checking in!

Joel G.

Northern Hawk Owl

As I was scouting the area around my place for Red-tailed Hawks I came across this beauty of a bird; the uncommon and threatened Northern Hawk Owl. This was a lifer for me and was an experience I'll not soon forget. It was hunting from telephone wires and was quite obliging for photos, occasionally getting annoyed at me or frustrated with the lack of prey and flying a little farther down. I got a few good looks at it fortunately and here are some of my photos.

Northern Hawk Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

A neat surprise lifer in a place I'd never expect to see one of these birds... a power line near my own home surrounded by fields. These birds are very rarely seen outside the boreal forest, perched atop dead trees, except in migration where apparently they are not confined to their regular woodland haunts... and I'm glad for that.

Global Birding Big Day 2019

Global Birding Big Day fell on a Sunday this year so I didn't really have the time to go out anywhere Not that it was all that bad... I could just walk down to the pond. Here are some highlights of the outing.

First highlight: a Gadwall! These guys make some interesting sounds; I think it's supposed to be a quack but it's very nasal and distorted. Not the most visually appealing ducks, but they're neat to observe.

Gadwall (left) with Male Mallard

Gadwall

You're bound to find at least one type of Scaup at the pond in May, whether they be Redheads, Canvasbacks, Ring-necked Ducks, or Lesser or Greater Scaups. This particular outing provided one male Ring-necked Duck and three Lesser Scaups (pictured below).

Lesser Scaups in flight

Yellow-rumped Warblers are abundant around this time of year as they migrate.

Female Yellow-rumped Warbler

Shorebirds begin showing up again at this time too! This particular checklist included five Wilson's Phalaropes, three Spotted Sandpipers, one Solitary Sandpiper, one Lesser Yellowlegs, and three Greater Yellowlegs.

Three Greater Yellowlegs (two in flight) and a male Wilson's Phalarope

Female Yellow-rumped Warbler

Possibly the show-stoppers of the day, these Trumpeter Swans showed up and dwarfed all of the other birds on or near the water. Even the Canada Geese looked miniature beside these monsters! It is pretty rare to see Trumpeters at this time of year. Generally if you see a swan in May it'll be a Tundra Swan which is almost identical. You distinguish the two primarily by looking at the shape of the bill; Trumpeter Swans' bills slope down in a straight line whereas the Tundra Swan's upper mandible is bent slightly.

Trumpeter Swans

Yet another shot of a Yellow-rumped Warbler... this time a male!

Male Yellow-rumped Warbler

Always a joy to hear these birds sing! Here is a Western Meadowlark:

Western Meadowlark

A few Wilson's Phalaropes were hanging around (as mentioned before). Here is a shot of a female with a Yellow-rumped Warbler photo-bombing.

Female Wilson's Phalarope and Yellow-rumped Warbler

Male Yellow-rumped Warbler

Male Yellow-rumped Warbler

Some Blue-winged Teals were present as well! I love the swan just staring them (or maybe me) down.

Blue-winged Teals with Trumpeter Swan

Blue-winged Teals

On the way back I was fortunate to discover a number of Harris Sparrows foraging amongst some White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows. These are quite uncommon and always exciting to see.

Harris Sparrow (bottom) foraging with a White-crowned Sparrow

It was a pretty big birding day on Global Birding Big Day and I have no regrets about staying home and birding around my own neighborhood! Looking forward to Big Day 2020 (May 9) and the opportunities that day will present!

Joel G.