Mid-January Birding

Coves - January 15, 2024. I went birding this week to places close by.  A very cold, frigid week with temperatures of -16c feeling like -20c to -27c. The birds were trying their best to keep warm.  At the Coves, I saw a female Red-winged Blackbird.  This is the first time I've seen a Red-winged Blackbird in January!  I looked over my 45+ year bird listings and saw one listed in February1985.

Red-winged Blackbird

There were a few Great Blue Herons along the edge of the water.  I also saw American Tree Sparrows, Carolina Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrows, Dark- eyed Juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, American Robins, Northern Cardinals, and a couple of Red-tailed Hawks. 

Springbank Park - January 16, 2024  A very cold day.  Parts of the Thames are frozen with lots of ice floats with the water level still high.  I really like the winter ducks.  Common Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, Hooded Mergansers, and Common Mergansers.  I saw American Black Ducks, lots of Canada Geese (over 250), Mallards (over 200), Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, Blue Jays, American Crows, and Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Common Goldeneye

Common Mergansers 

Northern Cardinal

Blue Jay

Greenway Park - January 19, 2024.  At Greenway, Friday, I really felt the cold.  Didn't stay too long.  There were many ducks along the edge of the Thames River.  Lots of Canada Geese, Mallards, Common Mergansers, Bufflehead, Hooded Mergansers, and Common Goldeneyes.  I spotted a lone male Green-winged Teal with a group of Mallards.  I also saw 2 Great Blue Herons and along the edge in the bushes were Dark-eyed Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, American Goldfinches, House Finches, Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, and a White-breasted Nuthatch.

I was looking at the ducks when this bird came flying over and landed in a tree right in front of me.  A Sharp-shinned Hawk!  There were some noisy Blue Jays around and I think the hawk was chasing one but stopped short to the tree.

Common Goldeneye

Common Goldeneyes

Common Goldeneyes with a Common Merganser (male)

Common Merganser (Female)

Canada Geese

This poor Great Blue Heron looks so cold

Some Recent Birding

On November 30, I went to Springbank Park to see what was around.  It was really pretty with the recent snowfall.  Groups of Canada Geese were flying up and down the river.  I took this photo below near the dam as the Canada Geese were flying over.

Spotted a male and female Common Merganser.

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

I started the month of December at The Coves.  

Red-tailed Hawks

Greenway Park - It was nice to see a Merlin!

The Canada Geese managed to find some grass to eat.

More Birding at London Area Ponds

This week I checked out more ponds in the area.  This pond on Wonderland Rd S had 5 Canada Geese swimming around.  Along the edge of the pond, there were American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, and a Fox Sparrow...my first of the season. Someone had thrown seed on the pathway...the birds were enjoying it.  Also House Sparrows.

Fox Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

At Westminster Ponds, I saw a Pied-billed Grebe, American Coots, Mallards, Canada Geese and American Black Ducks.

The photo of the Pied-billed Grebe is a distant photo...not very clear.

American Coots

American Black Ducks

I also saw Dark-eyed Juncos, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, Great Blue Heron, Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-tailed Hawk and a Ring-billed Gull.

Downy Woodpecker

At the Hyde Park ponds, I counted 148 Canada Geese, 42 Mallards, a Great-Blue Heron and one Gadwall.

Canada Geese

Gadwall

Great Blue Heron

Northern Flicker

A far away shot of the Belted Kingfisher.

Belted Kingfisher

Local May Birding

 May 10, 2021

I'm finding more migrating birds this past week especially more warblers which is nice....Yellow-rumped Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Palm Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler and American Redstart.

Blackburnian Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

American Redstart

More Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks this week.

Baltimore Oriole

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (male)

A lot of Mallards and Canada Geese are around with their babies.  The pictures of the goslings are at different areas in the city.

This bird below is a Whip-poor-Will.  I've seen them at Rondeau Park but this is my first one for Middlesex County.  They are nocturnal and by day, they rest in trees or the ground.  They camouflage nicely by the brown, grey and white colour and pattern.  The head is large with large eyes and a tiny beak.  They eat insects.

Whip-poor-Will

Kains Woods ESA

April 15, 2021

Kains Woods ESA

I decided to go for a walk at Kains Woods Environmentally Significant Area (ESA).  It was cool, with light rain and hail.  It was quiet bird wise but it's nice to walk along the river and view all the different tree species and later in the Spring...wildflowers. Some parts of the trail is challenging with several steep sections and cedar swamps.

In all ESAs in London, there is a sign at the beginning of the trail 'Be Coyote Aware'.  I've never seen a coyote until yesterday when I was at Kilally Meadows ESA.  I saw one walking along the woods edge and it saw me so it went deeper in the woods.  It was neat to see.

Mayapple

Trout Lily

Eastern Skunk Cabbage

Common Merganser (female)

Here are some photos of the trail (the steep part).

Canada Goose on her nest