Spring in South Porcupine and Moonbeam

May is the greatest time to observe birds in Northern Ontario.  The weather has been ok so far.  Most of the time, it's been nice for birding but we have had some days with freezing temperature and snow (it wouldn't be Northern Ontario if we didn't go from 25˚C to -4˚C in 24 hours at least a few times!) I have been travelling to Moonbeam a lot this May.  Here are a few of my favorite spring sightings from Moonbeam and South Porcupine.

The Moonbeam Sewage Lagoon never disappoints.  I've observed the Eurasian Wigeon there a few times and I saw it again on May 24. The water was very high until the 2nd week of May, but then the south pond was emptied, which attracted many shorebirds. On the 22nd, I saw a flock of 12 Semipalmated Plovers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, 23 Dunlins, 3 Least Sandpipers, and a Wilson's Phalarope.  It was the biggest concentration of shorebirds I ever witnessed at MSL.  

Semipalmated Plover / Pluvier semipalmé
Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons (22 May 2015)

This was my second Wilson's Phalarope sighting; the first sighting was a male and female at exactly the same spot in May 2014.  This time, there was only the female.

Wilson's Phalarope / Phalarope de Wilson
Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons (22 May 2015)

When the pond gets emptied, it leaves the mud exposed.  Lots of shorebirds were feeding that day.

Dunlins and Dowitchers feeding
Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons (22 May 2015)

Short-billed Dowitchers / Bécassins roux
Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons (22 May 2015)

I was pleasantly surprised when a friend of mine told me about a Great Horned Owl nest  in Moonbeam.  He obtained the property owner's permission to bring me to see them.  It was my first Great Horned Owl sighting.  One adult was in the nest with 2 owlets (the other owlet is hiding in this picture)

Great Horned Owl / Grand-duc d'Amérique
Moonbeam (25 May 2015)

I was far when I took the above photo, but even then I felt like I was invading their peaceful life, so I didn't stay long.  That's why I love my Canon Powershot SX60HS; I can take photos of birds without disturbing them too much.  At full zoom, it offers the equivalent of a 1365mm lens (for under 500$!). Of course, it doesn't produce professional, sharp photos, but at least it's efficient, it's cheap, and I can carry this little camera everywhere!  This is the view from where I was standing when I took the Photo.

View of the Great Horned Owl's nest

Porcupine Lake is another spot that never disappoint in May.  I didn't have a chance to spend as much time there as I wanted, but I did get to see my first Horned Grebes on May 10.

Horned Grebes / Grebe esclavon
Porcupine Lake (10 May 2015)

I haven't seen many shorebirds at Porcupine Lake, but it's a really busy place, with lots of dogs off their leash.  But I did see Dunlins and a Least Sandpiper. 

This post is getting too long, so I will end with a gorgeous warbler that we don't really see often enough around here.  I observed it at my in-laws' campsite, which is close to Kettle Lakes Provincial Park.  I first heard its very distinctive song so I looked for it until I found it.  I had seen them before at Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park near Foleyet; it was a treat to find one near here. 

Black-throated Blue Warbler / Paruline bleue
Near South Porcupine (16 May 2015)

Eurasian Wigeon in Moonbeam

I have been watching spring arrive in Moonbeam since the 18th of April.  Although birding is not the main reason I've been spending a few weeks here, I have had the chance to go to many of my favorite spots to witness the arrivals of spring birds.  One my favorite spots is the Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons, which never fails to attract colorful spring migrants.  Last year, on May 17 2014, I got to see my first Wilson's Phalarope here.  This year, on the evening of May 2nd, I got to observe my first Eurasian Wigeon.

Eurasian Wigeon / Canard Siffleur
Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons (May 2, 2015)

We went to check the lagoon the next morning at 7am and it was still there.

On May 4th, we went for a tour of the rural roads south of Moonbeam to look for birds.  There are many lakes, fields and ponds along these rural roads where we can see spring migration unfold.  In particular, I love stopping at 2 creeks; one on St-Jean rd. and one on St-Marie rd.  We stopped at the creek on St-Jean Rd first; this gorgeous creek actually surrounds a small horse farm. In spring, the creek becomes very wide and it's a favorite stopover for many waterfowl and shorebirds.  As soon as we arrived, I couldn't believe what I was seeing; the Eurasian Wigeon was there!  

Eurasian Wigeon and Killdeer
Moonbeam - St-Jean Road (May 4, 2015)

It's certainly the same bird I saw at the Moonbeam Sewage Lagoon on the evening of May 2nd and on the morning of May 3rd.  The creek is exactly 5.6 km from the lagoon (a straight 5.6 km as the Wigeon flies!)  Also in the creek near the Eurasian Wigeon were 2 American Wigeons, some Green-winged Teals, Mallards ... and a Killdeer.

We saw the Eurasian Wigeon again at the Moonbeam Sewage Lagoon on the afternoon of May 8.  I'm not sure how long it plans to stay in the area.  I'm leaving Moonbeam today and I won't be back until May 23.  But I might just go for one last stroll at the lagoon before I leave.

Here are some other spring arrivals I observed around the Moonbeam area.

Northern Shoveler / Canard souchet
Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons (May 2015)

Lapland Longspur / Plectrophane lapon
Moonbeam Sewage Lagoons (May 2015)

Spring has been great so far… and the best part is, it's not over!

Quick Winter Update

Winter Update

We're already in the second month of 2015... time goes by fast.  Since my last post was over 4 months ago, I decided I should do a quick update. 

What happened in the last 4 months?  Winter happened.  One thing you can count on here in Northern Ontario is winter.  It's a cold one (OK, maybe not as cold as last winter, but close)

We've been seeing lots of Redpolls at our feeders as well as some Pine Grosbeaks and a couple of Evening Grosbeaks.  We have flocks of 30 to 100 redpolls every day in the neighbourhood.  For the first time since I've lived here, we have a Pileated Woodpecker visiting the suet feeder.  But then again, I've only had a suet feeder since last winter (I started putting it out last year to help our rare visitor, the Red-bellied Woodpecker, survive winter.  He successfully survived our harsh climate.  He stayed from November 22, 2013 to May 23, 2014).  Now the Pileated shows up every day so I have to make a new batch of home-made suet every week!

Pileated Woodpecker / Grand Pic
South Porcupine (February 2015)

Timmins Christmas Bird Count 2014

On December 20th, Gary and I participated in the 21st Timmins Christmas Bird Count.  It was a beautiful day.  It was sunny and -20 Celsius so it was a perfect day to be out there looking for birds.  We did some fields around Timmins.  We also did some of the beautiful trails at Hersey Lake Conservation Area, where we saw this Black-backed Woodpecker. 

Black-backed Woodpecker / Pic à dos noir
Hersey Lake Conservation Area, Timmins (Dec 2014)

Dominican Republic

We went to the Dominicans from December 27 to January 3rd  to attend my cousin's wedding. It was our first time in the Dominicans.  We were a group of 39 and I didn't have time to do any birding side trips like I had hoped... but our resort was still pretty good for birds because it had some naturals ponds and streams right on its grounds.  One pond was blocked off by trees but we still found a way to get to it almost every day.  I got to see 32 species, 19 of which were life birds for me.  I got to observe this Black-crowned Night-Heron on my birthday… they can be seen in Southern Ontario sometimes but I had to go to Punta Cana to see my first one. 

Black-crowned Night-Heron/ Bihoreau gris
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (Jan 2015)

I didn't take a lot of photos (there was sand in my camera so it wasn't working so good)  You can view a few more photos I took in the Dominicans here:  Some of my Dominican Republic Birds on Flickr

January

I finally saw my first snowy owl. For some reason, they never seem to come to the Timmins area.  We've been scanning fields for years and we never saw one here.  On January 23, we went to Kapuskasing for my sister's birthday dinner and we saw one just before arriving in town (I didn't have my camera)  It was pure white, perched on a telephone pole.  There are no words to describe how beautiful these owls are.

On the 27th of January, I had to go back to Moonbeam for a meeting and I saw another one.  It was a different bird.  I had my camera that time but I was 300 meters away from it so it's not very clear.  So far, Snowy Owls have been spotted in the Kapuskasing, Moonbeam and Cochrane area but none have been seen near Timmins yet.

Snowy Owl / Harfang des neiges
Moonbeam, Ontario (27 Jan 2015)

A Weekend with Rusty Blackbirds

I got to watch a flock of 14 Rusty Blackbirds on the Porcupine Lake trail Friday morning.  They are amazing looking birds.  I never had a chance to get such a good look at them so I took advantage of the nice day and I watched them for a long time.  OK, for a very long time… Friday and Saturday. 

Rusty Blackbird / Quiscale rouilleux
Porcupine Lake (26 September 2014)

This one found a dead minnow and I watched him as he enjoyed his feast.

Another Rusty Blackbird

I went back this afternoon and they were still there.  It was a hot day (25 Celsius).  Some of them were coping with the heat by bathing in the little stream.  

Rusty Blackbirds

This is the last one, I promise...

Rusty Blackbird - Porcupine Lake (27 Sept 2014)

Porcupine Lake - Stilt Sandpiper, Red Knot and more

Two weeks ago, on World Shorebirds Day (September 6, 2014), I was determined to explore a lake with sandy and muddy shores where we'd see shorebirds.  We had inquired around for such a lake, preparing for Shorebirds Day.  We wanted to find the perfect 'new' spot.  We drove 90 km to a lake we heard had the nicest sandy shores in the region.  We found the Lake.  We did not find the so called sandy shores.  We only saw 3 Loons.  So we drove back.  A total of 180 km; no shorebirds.  We didn't even see a potentially good shore!  When we arrived back in town, we had 15 minutes to spare so we went to Plan B; we decided to stop by the small beach at Porcupine Lake... I was NOT going back home without seeing a shorebird on World Shorebirds Day!  As soon as I got out of the truck, I spotted it: there was a shorebird waiting for us… and the height of its legs made me realize it was one I had never seen before.

Stilt Sandpiper / Bécasseau à échasses
Porcupine Lake (Sept 6, 2014)

Stilt Sandpiper / Bécasseau à échasses
Porcupine Lake (Sept 6, 2014)

And to think Porcupine Lake is 2 km from my door!  Finding this bird sure made me forget about the 180 birdless kilometres we drove that day.  It was a new bird for Gary and I and for Porcupine Lake.

On September 12, we decided to go explore Hersey Lake.  It's a small, pretty lake in a Conservation Area.  Hersey Lake's shores are all sand and mud with swampy areas.  We check it once in a while because it has enormous Shorebird potential.  Unfortunately, there was nothing.  The lake is surrounded by trails and it's so busy… it's becoming more and more like a dog park; there are always a dozen dogs and most of them aren't on leashes… which is not fun if you're a migrating shorebird in need of rest and food.  I'm eventually going to just give up on that lake.  Coming back from there, we decided to go for Plan B again; we stopped at good old Porcupine Lake and we got lucky again.  We saw 2 new birds for Porcupine Lake.

A Red Knot… at first, I wasn't too sure what it was.  And when I realized it was a Red Knot, I was so excited.  Anyone who read anything on migrating Red Knots can't help being fascinated by the bird.  It can fly up to 15,000 km during Spring and then again in Fall.  (Close to 30, 000 km every year).  If you're not impressed, just look up Moonbird (B95).  I rest my case.  I feel lucky to have had a chance to stand so close to a miracle of nature!

Red Knot / Bécasseau maubèche
Porcupine Lake (Sept 12, 2014)

We watched it for a while.  He was feeding on the edge of the grass where the trail is flooded (Porcupine Lake's water level has been high during the last 2 years)  Then a bicycle flushed it.

Red Knot about to be flushed by a cyclist.

I thought that would be my last look at the Red Knot as it was about to be scared off by a cyclist... but  the bird landed right at our feet.  About 2 meters away from us.

Red Knot - Porcupine Lake (Sept 12, 2014)

After looking at us for a bit, the Red Knot went back to its spot and started feeding again, catching a big juicy worm.

Red Knot - Porcupine Lake (Sept 12, 2014)

We were still watching the Red Knot at a fair distance when Gary spotted another bird nearby.  I put my binoculars on the bird and realized it was a Ruddy Turnstone.  Another new bird for Gary and I, and for Porcupine Lake; 2 life birds in one evening.  At this point, the only way we could have more luck is if they would both come near us and pose together…hmmmm

Ruddy Turnstone and Red Knot
Porcupine Lake (Sept 12, 2014)

On September 18, we went back to Porcupine Lake (we forget Plan A and go straight to Plan B) and we spotted this Semipalmated Plover feeding off the small beach at White Waterfront area.  It was hopping on one leg and upon closer look, I realized that the poor thing was missing its left leg.  

Semipalmated Plover / Pluvier semipalmé
Porcupine Lake (Sept 18, 2014)

As we were watching the Semipalmated Plover, a Ruddy Turnstone landed on the beach.  I can't wait to get back to Porcupine Lake… it's been full of surprises this year.

Ruddy Turnstone / Tournepierre à collier
Porcupine Lake (Sept 18, 2014)

Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park Camping and Birding

In August, Gary and I went for 2 short camping trips to Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park.  It is situated near Foleyet, around 120 km from South Porcupine.  It is such a wonderful park; I'm afraid my words  can't do it justice. The long sandy beach, the many trails and the rich variety of trees makes it a great place to observe birds... and a great place to peacefully enjoy nature.

Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park beach - August 2014

When we first arrived, we set up our camper (which is just a matter of popping the top up!) and we jumped on our bicycle to explore every inch of the park.   I had been there when I was a child but it was a long time ago.

I was very happy to rediscover that awesome sandy back road that goes near Saw Lake and Boys Lake.  The back road in Ivanhoe park has very little traffic (around 1 vehicle every hour) and the best part is, it's made of sand which means our bicycles can run smoothly without making noise that would scare off the birds.  So this sandy back road quickly became my favourite place to look for warblers. We found many warbler species, especially in the low deciduous bushes along the road between Saw Lake and Boys Lake.

Sadly, I didn't take a lot of photos.  I find that when it comes to warblers, you miss so much if you reach for your camera.  I prefer my binoculars.  I really wish I could share with you the beautiful Black-throated Blue Warbler I saw... my first sighting in Northern Ontario.  I had only seen them in southern Ontario before.  But... no photo.

Ruffed Grouse
Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park (August 2014)

We kayaked the shores of Ivanhoe Lake where we saw a rock full of Spotted Sandpipers, a Bald Eagle, an Osprey and a Merlin.  Further on the lake, you can watch Bonaparte's Gulls and Common Terns.  

Bald Eagle - Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park
(August 2014)

We also went kayaking on Saw Lake, which is a smaller lake situated in the park.  

Saw Lake in Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park
(August 2014)

It's a perfect lake for kayaking; motorized-boats aren't allowed on it.  It seems like it's always calmer than Ivanhoe and it has lots of bays and small islands that makes it so much fun to explore in a kayak.  And the Water Lilies are beautiful!

Water Lily on Saw Lake
Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park (August 2014)

Beautiful pine trees surrounded our campsite.  Every evening, we could sit in our lawn chair and watch a Swainson's Thrush feeding on insects and berries in front of our site.  We spent a total of 5 nights in the park in August (divided in 2 stays). We observed a total of 44 species during our time there.   I didn't take as many photos as I would've liked because our time there was limited and my camera is not working that great.

One evening, we watched a group of 5 Least Sandpipers feeding on the main beach.

Least Sandpiper
Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park (August 2014)

The next morning, I went to the beach to see if they were still there.  They were gone but a Semipalmated Sandpiper was there alone.  

Semipalmated Sandpiper
Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park (August 2014)

I stood absolutely motionless as he walked the beach; they can get pretty close to us when we do this.  I was able to take many photos including the one above where we can actually see the webbing between its toes.

Sunset on Ivanhoe Lake
Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park (August 2014)

Birding in René Brunelle Provincial Park

I was happy to be able to go to René Brunelle Provincial Park in May and again in July this year.  At the end of May, I had a meeting at the Park so I decided to take a few hours to do some birding… it turned into a few days.   Here are a few of the birds I photographed:

Merlin / Faucon émerillon
René Brunelle Provincial Park (May 2014)

Blue-headed Vireo / Viréo à tête bleue
René Brunelle Provincial Park (May 2014)

Magnolia Warbler / Paruline à tête cendrée
René Brunelle Provincial Park (May 2014)

In July, Gary and I spent 2 weeks camping at the park.  In René Brunelle Provincial Park, you start seeing and hearing warblers as soon as you wake up in the morning.  They are everywhere.  This summer, I found that there were so many Blackburnian Warblers.  By the 3rd week of July, they were actively feeding their young like many other warblers in the park.  

Blackburnian Warbler / Paruline à gorge orangée
René Brunelle Provincial Park (July 2014)

We were on a lakeside campsite so the Northern Waterthrush were present every day, as were these Bonaparte's Gulls.  I love watching them; they have the funniest expressions.

Bonaparte's Gull / Mouette de Bonaparte
René Brunelle Provincial Park (July 2014)

This Philadelphia Vireo was very vocal.  We got to watch it for a while.

Philadelphia Vireo / Viréo de Philadelphie
René Brunelle Provincial Park (July 2014)

One evening, like most evenings, my parents, Gary and I went to the first beach to watch the sunset and we spotted a Red-necked Grebe.  I had seen them in the Moonbeam area before but I had never seen one on Remi Lake, which is a fairly large lake and can get pretty rough when it's windy.  But on this calm evening, there was a Red-necked Grebe in the water in front of the park's first Beach. 

Red-necked Grebe / Grèbe jougris
René Brunelle Provincial Park (July 2014)

A post on René Brunelle Provincial Park would not be complete without mentioning its beautiful sunsets.  They are always very impressive. 

René Brunelle Provincial Park