FOS Butterfly

 March 22, 2021

I saw my first butterfly of the season today.

Mourning Cloak

Spring Has Arrived!

 Birding - Week of March 14-20, 2021

Spring migration is on its way and I saw one of them this past week.  Really nice to see Killdeers and hear them flying around.

Here are some other photos I took.

Hooded Mergansers.  They are cute little ducks.

Ring-necked Duck

Some more Hooded Mergansers.  They can really move.

Song Sparrow

Common Mergansers

Red-tailed Hawk

Brown-headed Cowbird

Hyde Park Drainage Pond and Trails - London, Ontario

March 18, 2021 

The woods around the drainage pond is being cleared out because of the invasive Buckthorn shrubs.  The large trees are staying but everything around the trees (and any other shrub in the way) are being bulldozed down.  I talked to the worker clearing the area. It was nice he came and spoke to me about what he is doing.  I thought, another woodlot be knocked down for development.   

The trees and other shrubs plus Buckthorn covered most of the woods area.  I know something has to be done with this invasive species...it's a problem in a lot of areas.

I see a lot of different birds in this area - Indigo Buntings, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks,  Flycatchers, Baltimore Orioles, Phoebes, Cedar Waxwings, Catbirds, Hummingbirds, White-crowned Sparrows, different finches and the birds nest in this area.  The shrubs are a good cover for the birds to feel protected and to nest.  Also the finches love the berries.

So, it will be interesting on what I see this coming Spring and Summer.  I think I will not see these birds here again.  With just the trees, it's very open now.

Birding at Kains Wood's ESA Area

March 9, 2021

Today was a beautiful day.  This morning it was 5c and sunny.  I decided to go to Kains Woods ESA.  I have not been there for awhile.

I didn't go into the woods area.  I stayed at the edge with lots of sky, to see what was flying around.  Some walkways and paths are still icy and snow packed.

It was so nice to see some Tundra Swans.  I also saw a Red-tailed Hawk, Merlin, Cooper's Hawk and Bald Eagles (1 adult and 3 immatures).

The Bald Eagles were flying together circling around.

Other birds I saw were Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackles, Tree Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, Downy Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, American Crows and a flyover Killdeer.  There was a nice variety of birds around the edge of the woods.

Tree Sparrow

More Ducks!

 March 1, 2021

I took this photo of the Harlequin Duck, January 16, 2021.

This photo was taken today, March 1, 2021.  Notice his plumage is slowly changing.

A sleeping Green-winged Teal.

A pair of American Coots was nice to see.