Winter Birding - February 2025

 February 10-15, 2025, Greenway Park and Springbank Park

I was only out for two days this week as we had some snowy days.  

I went to the parks and walked along Thames River to see what I can find.  I really enjoy looking at the ducks.  Common Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Mallards and Canada Geese.

Common Goldeneye

The Northern Pintails have been around for a few days.  I managed to find them.  Two males and one female.  They are not common here.

The male Ring-necked Duck is still around

 

On this day, I saw 9 Great Blue Herons in the trees.

Again, the Bald Eagles were flying around and resting in trees ....a joy to watch..

I saw some Hooded Mergansers.  I always just see a few at a time.  They are never here in big numbers.

The Red-breasted Merganser is more of a rare find here.  This female below was busy diving.

London CBC - December 14, 2024

London Christmas Bird Count (CBC), December 14, 2024

Weather   -11c, feels like -17c, very cold, sunny, 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  6.4 km

Species: 28  

Participants - 4

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, some Domestic Mallards and 2 Cayuga Ducks.  There were many Mallards, Canada Geese, Ring-billed Gulls, American Herring Gulls, and some Common Goldeneyes. 

Some of the birds we saw along the river were Canada Geese, Mallards, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers. lots of Ring-billed Gulls at the water or flying above in flocks, American Herring Gulls, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, American Black Duck, Green-winged Teals, Northern Pintail, and a female Lesser Scaup.  

There were one adult Bald Eagle and 3 immature Bald Eagles flying over.  A Red-tailed Hawk that just caught a mouse.

Never seen so many Great Blue Herons (12) at this time of the year.  Saw some flying over individually and six resting in trees at the cove with some flying off towards the Coves.

In the smaller bird category, 3 Golden-crowned Kinglets, American Goldfinches, Dark-eyed Juncos (18), Black-capped Chickadees, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Cardinals, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Mourning Doves, House Sparrows and Starlings.  There were 5 American Crows.

We missed the American Robin and a Blue Jay!

We also saw 4 White-tailed Deer.

Common Mergansers

Common Goldeneyes (females)

Common Goldeneye

Hooded Mergansers

Green-winged Teal

Northern Pintail

Great Blue Herons

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