London CBC - December 20, 2025

 London Christmas Bird Count (CBC), December 20, 2025

Weather   -7c, feels like -12c, cold, overcast, lots of snow on ground

Time  8:00am to 1:00pm - 4 1/2 hours, a break at 10:30 to warm up at Tims

Where  Greenway Park

Distance  6.7 km

Species: 25  

Participants - 3

I went to Greenway, December 18 to see what was around.  I saw 5 Green-winged Teals and a Northern Pintail.  The Thames River was very low so rocks were showing and the island was larger with a little sand bar so ducks were resting on the sandy area.  Parts of the river was frozen so the ducks were congregated in a smaller area.  I studied the Mallards and that is how I found the female Northern Pintail.  We've had very cold weather but Dec 18 and 19 became mild and we had rain and some snow melt.  

Northern Pintail (female) seen Dec 18

The day of the CBC, December 20, the river was very high and fast flowing.  That changed on what birds we saw.  

We started at the Greenway Park parking lot across from the lookout at Thames River.  We saw the usual resident birds, the white Domestic Goose, and some Domestic Mallards.  There were a lot of Mallards, some Canada Geese and American Black Ducks mixed in....Ring-billed Gulls were flying above.  

Some of the birds we saw walking along the river were Canada Geese, Mallards, Common Mergansers (19), Hooded Mergansers (5), Common Goldeneyes (28), Bufflehead (9), and we were lucky to see one Green-winged Teal.  We didn't find the Pintail.  Apparently, there was a Pied-billed Grebe found the first of the week but I could not find it on December 18 and did not find it for CBC count.

There was one adult Bald Eagle flyover and 2 Red-tailed Hawks.

Was saw 3 Great Blue Herons flying over.

In the smaller bird category, Dark-eyed Juncos, Black-capped Chickadees, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Cardinals, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Mourning Doves, House Sparrows and Starlings.  Just one Crow and one Blue Jay.

We missed the American Robin!

American Black Ducks

Red-tailed Hawk

Many Mallards and Canada Geese

Winter Birding in December 2025

 December 14, 2025

I have been out birding.  I'm seeing all the regular birds the last few weeks.  Winter is here as we have a lot of snow now, ponds are frozen over and the Thames River is starting to freeze in some sections.  The ducks I've seen lately are Mallards, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads and American Black Ducks.

Red-tailed Hawk

American Robins finding a little opening in the frozen pond for a drink.

Hooded Merganser

Bald Eagle

Hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese in the parks.  Someone was feeding them corn.

Common Merganser

This was this morning, December 14, really cold, feeling like -22c and heavy snow squalls.  These poor Robins.

Mid-November Birding 2025

I have seen a few new winter ducks lately.  Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Bufflehead, and Common Goldeneye.  Not in big numbers though.  The London area has had some heavy snowfalls...heavy, wet snow lately.

Hooded Merganser

Bald Eagle

Hooded Merganser

Buffleheads

Birding - First week of November 2025

The first week of November, we had some nice weather...temperature around 10-12C. Through the week, I checked some ponds around London to see what was around.  

Coves - Nov 1/25 - I saw lots of birds this day....American Goldfinches, House Finches, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets.  There were also flocks of Cedar Waxwings, American Robins and a singing Carolina Wren.  

Great Blue Herons

Wood Ducks

Nov 2/25 - I checked out the ponds in Hyde Park.  It was nice to see a Great Egret this late in the season.  A few Clouded Sulphurs were flying around.

Clouded Sulphur

Nov 4/25 - I went to some ponds South London.  Great Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, and some Hooded Mergansers. There was some Clouded Sulphurs flying this day too.

Nov 6/25 - Went to Greenway Park.  I saw one Greater Yellowlegs and one Double-crested Cormorant.  Getting late for them.

Nov 8/25 - Fanshawe Lake - Flocks of Canada Geese flying over.  I saw some ducks out in the lake, Common Mergansers, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes.  There were other groups of ducks but could not identify them as they were so far out.  I also saw one Great Blue Heron and Ring-billed Gulls.  There were some smaller birds around American Goldfinches, House Finches, Black-capped Chickadees, White-throated Sparrows, Cedar Waxwings, American Robins, Blue Jays and Northern Cardinals.

Beautiful Colours in October

Colours in Hyde Park

Cedar Waxwings taken at the Coves

Cedar Waxwings

These photos were taken this morning (Oct 22) - overcast and light rain.

American Goldfinches

Bald Eagle

Beginning of October 2025 - Pleasant Days

It has been unseasonably warm with temperatures at 28c and lots of sunshine.  Everything is very dry with drought conditions.  Hardly any rain in September.  I have been to some wetlands and they are very dry.  Here are some photos from around London.

Great Blue Heron

Palm Warbler

Merlin

Rusty Blackbird

Bald Eagle (immature)

Eastern Phoebe

Northern Leopard Frog

American Bullfrog

Painted Turtles

Recent Findings in September 2025

Most of the summer, I have been looking for the Black-crowned Night-Heron in London and I finally saw the adult this week.  It was across the pond in a tree. They winter in Southern United States, Mexico and Central America.  (distant photo)

Black-crowned Night-Heron

I have seen few more Monarchs migrating this week.

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Northern Cardinal

It is really looking like Fall.