It's good to see Spring migration has started. Killdeers, Song Sparrows are singing, Red-winged Blackbirds singing, Cardinals singing which is so nice to hear. March has been mostly cold with the odd warm day. The snow has melted but we keep getting more snow. Now mid-March, the snow disappears fast through the day.
The ponds are ice free now.
To highlight 2024, I only got one new lifer back in January - Black-billed Magpie. It wasn't a good year for butterflies or dragonflies. There were not many around. I had to really look for them through the Summer and Fall.
I started the new year 2025 going to Fanshawe CA to see what was around. There were a nice variety of birds at the Tamarack Trail. Lots of Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mourning Doves, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-throated Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Black-capped Chickadees. I also saw two juvenile Bald Eagles fly over.
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| Northern Cardinal |
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| Black-capped Chickadee |
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| Red-breasted Nuthatch |
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| Dark-eyed Junco |
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| Mourning Dove |
Yesterday (January 4), I went to Greenway Park for a walk. It was really cold feeling like -15c and a strong, cold West wind. There were snow squalls too. I walked along Thames River and saw lots of Common Mergansers, some Hooded Mergansers, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneyes, American Black Duck and lots of Canada Geese and Mallards. The Ring-necked Duck is still there. Two juvenile Bald Eagles were flying over the river. I will go to Greenway one more time this coming week before the area is closed down for construction until mid-March.
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| Blue Jay |
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| Ring-necked Duck (centre) |
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| Common Mergansers |
I went birding at Greenway Park two different days last week. - Feb 19 & 22.
February 19 was a very cold day, -12c but sunny. There was a nice variety of bird at the river. Canada Geese, Mallards, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, Bufflehead, Green-winged Teal, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Ring-billed Gull, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and American Crows.
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Common Merganser |
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| Common Goldeneyes |
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| Common Merganser |
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| Green-winged Teal sleeping |
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| Common Goldeneyes |
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| Green-winged Teal |
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| Pied-billed Grebe |
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| Bald Eagle |
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| Pied-billed Grebe |
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| American Black Duck |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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.
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| Red-winged Blackbird |
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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.
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| Common Goldeneye |
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| Common Mergansers |
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| Northern Cardinal |
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| 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.
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| Common Goldeneye |
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| Common Goldeneyes |
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| Common Goldeneyes with a Common Merganser (male) |
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| Common Merganser (Female) |
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| Canada Geese |
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| This poor Great Blue Heron looks so cold |
This week, I went to the Coves and Uplands Wetland a couple of times. Rusty Blackbirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds and Grackles are migrating through this area. The trees would be covered with blackbirds and groups of them flying around.
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| Green Heron |
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| Green Heron |
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Killdeer |
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| Rusty Blackbird |
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| Solitary Sandpiper |
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| Mourning Doves |
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| American Wigeon |
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| Northern Pintail |
There are still some Great Egrets around.
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| Great Egret |
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| Great Egret |
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| Immature Green Heron |
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| Eastern Phoebe |
