Spring Birds in the South Porcupine Area

Spring finally arrived but it's been a cold end of May. We haven't put away our long thermal underwear, down jackets and winter hats yet, but it doesn't mean we haven't been out birding! During the last 2 weeks of May, temperatures have been going as low as 0°C for many nights and we've had many days between 6°C and 11°C with the exceptions of only a few warm days and very little south winds (only an average of 1 day of south wind per week in April and May). 

Sora / Marouette de Caroline
Gillies Lake - Timmins (31 May 2019)

If you want to know what dates each of our migrating birds arrived, visit the Spring Arrival Dates page on this blog. I have been recording the spring arrival dates and notable sightings for the past 3 years.

As you can see in this next photo, we still had ice on the lakes in mid May when the Least Sandpipers arrived.  Shorebirds were not very numerous this spring but we did get Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers and Dunlins stop by Porcupine Lake.

Least Sandpiper / Bécasseau minuscule
Porcupine Lake (13 May 2019)

When the ice started to melt, we started seeing the regular Porcupine Lake waterfowl including Lesser Scaups, a few Greater Scaups, Ring-necked Ducks, Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Common and Hooded Mergansers, a few Redheads and of course, Northern Shovelers.

Northern Shoveler - Canard souchet
Porcupine Lake (13 May 2019)

We did have an unusual visitor in the waterfowl family this year; a Common Goldeneye X Hooded Merganser hybrid found by Pierre Noel on 15 May 2019 at Porcupine Lake.  It's been hanging out alone a lot, mostly hiding in the reeds.  Only once in a while he'll go out in the open and try to mix with goldeneyes, giving us a narrow window of opportunities for photos.

Common Goldeneye X Hooded Merganser
Porcupine Lake (30 May 2019)

It was my first time observing a COGO X HOME hybrid.  I noticed that it had a bit of light brown colouring inside his crest that was not visible when the crest was up, but it was visible when the wind was at his back:

COGO X HOME back of head in the wind
Porcupine Lake (30 May 2019)

We were fortunate to see 2 Surf Scoters stop by Porcupine Lake this past weekend. Not something we see often here.

One of 2 Surf Scoters (Macreuse à front blanc)
Porcupine Lake (1 June 2019)

Most warblers arrived over a week later than usual with the exceptions of a few that were on time.  We saw the big bulk of them during the last week of May which was not ideal for warbler watching because most of the leaves had already started to come out. Here are a few of my favourite ones from this spring:

Black-thoated Green Warbler / Paruline à gorge noire
Porcupine Lake (29 May 2019)

Blackburnian Warbler / Paruline à gorge orangée
Porcupine Lake (27 May 2019)

Cape May Warbler / Paruline tigrée
Porcupine Lake (30 May 2019)

One of the last warblers to arrive were the Blackpoll Warblers and the Canada Warblers.   

Blackpoll Warbler / Paruline rayée
Porcupine Lake (1 June 2019)

Canada Warbler / Paruline du Canada
Porcupine (1 June 2019)

Even though Gray Catbirds are not common in our area, they are observed occasionally. One has now been observed at Porcupine Lake for the 5th year in a row.  I photographed this one Saturday morning not far from the Dead Man Point trail. It was able to imitate a perfect Sora!

Gray Catbird / Moqueur chat
Porcupine Lake (1 June 2019)

Scarlet Tanger is another uncommon but occasional bird and we were lucky to see this male one evening at Porcupine Lake. It was first found by Andrew Warren and refound by my husband's sharp eyes (I first walked beside it without seeing it!) It was high up in a poplar but we were able to photograph it as the sun was going down.

Scarlet Tanager / Piranga écarlate
Porcupine Lake (30 May 2019)

On the same evening, we saw this male Rose-breasted Grosbeak feeding at Porcupine Lake.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak / Cardinal à poitrine rose
Porcupine Lake (30 May 2019)

We have been seeing more Bobolinks than usual this spring.  I observed some at Porcupine Lake (1), Hollinger Tailings Pond (2), Gillies Lake (3) and a flock of 13 on a rural road in Timmins.  We are a bit more north than their regular range according to the guides but we usually see a few every spring.  I have seen one or two each spring before, but never 19.

Bobolink (male) / Goglu des prés (male)
Timmins (31 May 2019)

Bobolink (female) / Goglu des prés (femelle)
Timmins (31 May 2019)

This weekend the Olive-sided Flycatchers arrived and we were happy to see 2 yesterday: one at Porcupine Lake and the following one near Timmins.

Olive-sided Flycatcher / Moucherolle à côtés olive
Timmins (2 June 2019)

Spring goes by way too fast! But since migration was late, we will probably still have birds passing through for another week at least. 

Hope you all had a good spring!

4 days at the Point Pelee Festival of Birds

I know this blog is dedicated to the birds of Northern Ontario but since I just spent 4 days at the Point Pelee Festival of Birds, I wanted to write a post with some of the highlights.  As you know, Point Pelee is one of the best birding spots in Ontario and it is the most southerly point in Canada. It was a great opportunity to see birds that never (or rarely) come up north.

Blue-winged Warbler
Point Pelee (3 May 2019)

Eastern Towhee
Point Pelee (4 May 2019)

It was our first time birding in the park during the Festival of Birds and it was a wonderful experience. I was a bit reluctant at first because I am used to birding by myself or with Gary  and I was not sure how it would feel to try to see birds while being surrounded by lots of people. I soon found out that the people were part of the magic of this place and made the whole experience better. And having more eyes out there means you get to see more species! Everywhere we went in the park, friendly people talked to us, asked about what we saw and offered helpful advice on where to find certain birds. 

American Avocet near Hillman Marsh
2 May 2019

Orange-crowned Warbler on the West Beach Trail
Point Pelee (4 May 2019)

Scarlet Tanager next to the parking lot at the Visitor Centre
Point Pelee (3 May 2019)

Organized hikes

The Friends of Point Pelee National Park offer guided hikes throughout the festival. Since I had never been on a guided hike in Ontario, I registered for two of them. (they don't exist in the Timmins area, but I wish they did when I first started birding) 

We started with a guided hike to the Tip with Bruce Di Labio. I really enjoyed this guided walk and his expertise and would recommend booking one if you are going to the festival. On Saturday, we joined an evening guided walk at the DeLaurier Homestead with Jeremy and Tim. The whole walk was wonderful and we were delighted to watch American Woodcocks displaying and calling while an Eastern Whip-poor-will was singing.  At one point, we were all watching a woodcock in our binoculars when a coyote walked by and flushed it! I really enjoyed the evening walk. I seriously wish I had been exposed to people like Bruce, Jeremy and Tim (and all the other knowledgeable birders I met) when I started birding. I would've learned so much.

Palm Warbler
Point Pelee (3 May 2019)

Notable sightings and moments

Before arriving in Point Pelee, we stopped to stretch our legs at Wheatley Harbour.  It was great timing because someone had just found a Piping Plover a few minutes before we pulled in. As you know, Piping Plovers are endangered in Ontario. It was my first and it was a great way to start the trip.

Piping Plover
Wheatley Harbour 1 May 2019

On Thursday evening, I was fortunate to see my first Red-throated Loon off the west coast. It was raining and I got a photo from far away.  Now I know what they look like if one ever decides to stop by the Timmins area.

Red-throated Loon - Point Pelee
2 May 2019

On May 3rd, a Grasshopper Sparrow arrived at the tip and rested a bit while I was there. I had time for a few photos before it flew north.  It was my first. Spending time at Point Pelee's Tip area is always interesting, you never know what can show up. 

Grasshopper Sparrow resting at the Tip
Point Pelee (3 May 2019)

May 4th started with a White-winged Dove found by Josh Vandermeulen at the Tip. It was perched on a tree right where the Tram dropped us off.  I had observed them before in Mexico and Costa Rica but never in Ontario!

White-winged Dove
Point Pelee - Tip (4 May 2019)

Later Saturday afternoon I was treated to a Yellow-breasted Chat near the Northwest beach.   Again, someone we met on the trail explained where to look for it, and there it was! What an interesting bird. 

Yellow-breasted Chat
Point Pelee (4 May 2019)

On Sunday May 5, our last day in Point Pelee, I was delighted to see a Prothonotary Warbler. I had observed them before in Louisiana and Costa Rica but only from far away. This one was very close to the bridge, feeding and singing. Watching it sing was one of the most magical thing I ever witnessed. 

Prothonotary Warbler
Point Pelee (5 May 2019)

Prothonotary Warbler
Point Pelee (5 May 2019)

A lifer Hooded Warbler that I will never forget!

Last but not least, the most interesting moment of the trip and the most heart-warming lifer sighting I ever experienced.  As we were driving away to leave the park, we decided to stop at the Marsh Boardwalk parking lot for one last bird. A Hooded Warbler had been sighted there earlier and I had never seen one.

We arrived at the same time as 3 other birders looking for it as well. To get to the area where the bird had been spotted, we had to walk near a family having a bbq picnic. The family members pulled us in and made us sit down and eat with them. They served us delicious Kurdish chicken, flatbread and mint tea. We laughed and talked and it was amazing. When we were done, I thanked them and told them that I was touched that they would invite 5 strangers with binoculars at their family meal. The mom responded: "No, no, no. There are no strangers". They explained that they were having a family pre Ramadan meal and sharing was the most important thing for them. 

Gary and I sitting down with the family that fed us and 3 other birders
Point Pelee (May 5 2019) Photo by Rick Mayos

Sometimes it's not just about the bird you're chasing, but it's also about the people you meet and the wonderful moments you get to experience. By the way, the cooperative Hooded Warbler remained in the area during the picnic so we all got to see it!

Hooded Warbler
Point Pelee - Marsh Boardwalk Picnic Area (5 May 2019)

Spring is starting in the Timmins area

It's the best time of the year and migrants are slowly arriving in northeastern Ontario.  So far, March and April brought us average temperatures, unlike last spring when the temperatures were significantly below average for most of April.  But on the other hand, we are witnessing one of the most important snow depth in history.  Even though we lost a lot of snow during the past 2 weeks, there is still a good amount of it and the thaw is threatening floods in various places.   

This is just a quick post and will not cover every arrival. For an up to date list on which bird species have arrived in the area, see my Spring Arrival Dates page. I have been compiling it for the last 3 years in the hopes of establishing approximate arrival dates for bird species in our area.

Spring birding in the Timmins area always starts by scanning the bigger rivers for open water.  Sometimes we find some small open section just to go back a few days later and see it frozen again.  This year, we had to climb snow banks just to scan the rivers.

Looking for open water on the Frederick House River
5 April 2019

As of today (24 April 2019), the lakes are all still frozen but a few rivers and creeks are open and the water levels are really high.

Even though Common Goldeneyes and Hooded Mergansers are usually here first, this year the first waterfowl observed was this Common Merganser on Frederick House River.  The Frederick House River is always the first river to offer open water to waterfowl in the spring.

Common Merganser
Frederick House River (23 March 2019)

Arrivals were very dispersed and slow until the first real day of south wind on April 13th.  That wind brought us the first Great Blue Heron as well as some Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, American Black Ducks, Herring and Ring-billed Gulls.

First Great Blue Heron of Spring
Frederick House River (13 April 2019)

That same south wind brought our first Trumpeter Swan who stopped by the small thawed section of Porcupine River on April 13th.  A second one joined it on April 22.  Still uncommon in our area just a few years ago, we can count on seeing a few Trumpeter Swans every year now.  Trumpeter Swans used to nest abundantly in most of Canada including here in Northern Ontario before their serious decline (and their disappearance from the province). It's nice to see a few regaining their historical range every year.

Trumpeter Swans - One arrived on April 13 and the other one on April 22
Porcupine River / Shallow Lake - Porcupine (22 April 2019)

On April 19th, our first American Tree Sparrow showed up.

First American Tree Sparrow of spring
South Porcupine (19 April 2019)

This week, we saw our first Rusty Blackbird of spring and the Rough-legged Hawks are passing through.

Rough-legged Hawk
Timmins (22 April 2019)

This coming weekend, we should hopefully see some of the lakes starting to thaw on the edges, which should bring larger numbers of waterfowl and flocks of gulls next week.  One of my favourite time of year is when Porcupine Lake is half open / half frozen, inviting large flocks of gulls that usually stick around for a week until the thaw is complete.

Happy spring birding!

Costa Rica (Part 2) Monteverde Cloud Forest

Definitely my favourite spot of the entire trip, the Monteverde Cloud Forest area is absolutely spectacular. The rich biodiversity is amazing and no photos can do it justice. You have to see it to believe it.

Lesson's Motmot
Santa Elena, Costa Rica (Jan 2019)

We spent 3 days in the Santa Elena region, the community closest to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.

On our first day there, Gary and I toured the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve with a local guide, Esteban Mendez.  This was our only birding-specific tour with a birding guide during our 14 day trip and it was amazing. I learned a lot.  The bird I really wanted to see was the Resplendent Quetzal and we saw a beautiful male on that day with Esteban. But it wasn't the only Quetzal of the Monteverde segment of the trip. We eventually saw more the next day and 1 more on January 3rd. 

Esteban and I on the trails
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica

We did a bit of birding in Santa Elena before the Cloud Forest Reserve opened.  We saw many birds including a beautiful female Elegant Euphonia (no photos), as well as some more Lesson's Motmots and a few Yellow-throated Euphonias. And many more birds including these 2:

Steely-vented Hummingbird
Santa Elena, Costa Rica

Orange-bellied Trogon
Santa Elena, Costa Rica

We arrived at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve at 7h30am.  You have to arrive early since they limit the number of visitors that can go into the park at once, which I think is a great thing for controlling human impact and preventing overcrowding.

We saw many interesting species during that January 2nd morning.  Here are a few of our sightings.  Note: Since the Cloud Forest consists of extremely dense vegetation and is almost constantly in the mist and clouds, the lighting is not ideal for capturing anything in photos.  But that's totally ok; that's exactly how it should be because this high-moisture climate is what makes the Cloud Forest what it is. 

Tufted Flycatcher
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019)

We saw a Green-fronted Lancebill near a set of waterfalls, which is a great place to find this hummingbird (who doesn't visit feeders). My photo doesn't do it justice at all...the long bill is entirely straight.  It was one of my favourite hummingbirds of the trip!

Very bad photo of the Green-fronted Lancebill

Waterfalls in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Where we saw the Green-fronted Lancebill

Green-crowned Brilliant on nest
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Eye-ringed Flatbill
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019)

Tawny-throated Leaftosser
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

Costa Rican Warbler
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019)

Slate-throated Redstart
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019)

Violet Sabrewing
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (2 Jan 2019)

On January 3rd we explored the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve again, but this time with the 4 friends we were travelling with.  On that day, a female Quetzal landed right beside us as we were exploring trails close to the waterfalls.

Female Resplendent Quetzal
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (3 January 2019)

We also saw more hummingbirds.

Purple-throated Mountain-gem
Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

On January 4th, we did a walking tour in Selvatura Park with Juan Carlos Calvo, a great local guide that helped us learn about the flora, fauna, history and the impact of climate change on the Cloud Forest. The hike offered great views of the Cloud Forest from a series of hanging bridges.

On the Selvatura Park trail, I was able to see my first Spangle-cheeked Tanager and Silver-throated Tanager. We also watched 2 Red-faced Spinetails working on their big hanging nest. And of course, all that to the beautiful song of the Black-faced Solitaire.

Black-faced Solitaire
Selvatura Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest

One of the highlights of the Selvatura bridge walk was seing a male Resplendent Quetzal at eye-level from one of the bridges.  The beauty of Resplendent Quetzal is indescribable. It was in an avocado tree. The following photo shows the wild avocado fruits that were in abundance while we were there; it is one of the many fruits they like to eat (although sometimes they will also eat lizards and insects). 

Resplendent Quetzal (male)
Selvatura Park - Monteverde Cloud Forest

Resplendent Quetzal
Selvatura Park - Monteverde Cloud Forest

We watched the Quetzal for a while and then we saw it fly. As long as I live, I will never forget the beauty of the Quetzal flying with its long tail trailing behind.

One of the wild avocado fruits that I found on the ground
Monteverde Cloud Forest.

The cabin we were renting in Santa Elena had easy access to a series of trails, which was a great way to explore more of the forest after our morning tours.  The following birds were photographed right on the Los Pinos Cabins property:

Lesson's Motmots
Los Pinos, Santa Elena, Costa Rica

Northern Emerald Toucanet
Los Pinos Trails, Santa Elena

White-fronted Parrot
Los Pinos, Santa Elena

White-eared Ground-Sparrow
Los Pinos, Santa Elena

Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Los Pinos, Santa Elena

Black Guan looking at us
Los Pinos Trails, Santa Elena, Costa Rica

Black Guan
Los Pinos Trails, Santa Elena

Olivaceous Woodcreeper
Los Pinos Trails, Santa Elena

The Monteverde Cloud Forest was definitely the highlight of the whole trip for me, and I am hoping to have the opportunity to spend time in it again one day.