First Week of March 2025

These are photos from last week and this weekend.  I was at Greenway, Springbank, The Coves and Fanshawe CA.

Really nice to see Spring birds arriving.

Red-winged Blackbird

American Robin

Great Blue Heron

Northern Cardinal

Horned Lark

With rain last week and now snow melting, the Thames River is very high and fast flowing right now.

Some Little Birding mid-October

I went to Westminster Ponds this morning to see what was around.  I didn't see many birds.  I have not seen any northern ducks yet.  It's a huge pond and there was only three Canada Geese and 6 Mallards, a Great Blue Heron and a Kingfisher.  There were small flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds and American Goldfinches around.  We've had so much rain and a lot of overcast skies these past weeks.  So I don't have much to report these days.

The tree colours were beautiful.  Here are some photos below.  

With the overcast weather my bird photos are not good.  I can't seem to get it right.  

Fall Birding

Last week I went to the Hyde Park area.  It was a warm and humid week.  We had rain and most days were overcast.  I found the mosquitoes were really bad and were biting.  I didn't have much problems with mosqutioes all summer until last week.  I think because everything is wet and it was humid.

Some photos I took were distant shots so not very clear.  

Belted Kingfisher

Great Blue Heron

Red-winged Blackbird

Birds I saw were Canada Geese, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Turkey Vultures, Cooper's Hawk, Kestrel, Killeers, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinal, Belted Kingfisher, American Robins, Catbird, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, American Goldfinches, White-throated Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Palm Warblers, Common Yellowthroat, House Finches, lots of Mourning Doves and Starlings.

Killdeers on the rocks

American Robin

Starlings

Poor distant photos. 

American Kestrel

Cooper's Hawk

Last Week Findings

I was out at Westminster Ponds earlier this week.  The Barn Swallows were flying around catching bugs at the pond.  I also saw a Great Blue Heron, Downy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, Red-winged Blackbirds, Turkey Vultures, and Mourning Doves.

Barn Swallow

Midland Painted Turtle

Butterflies were hard to find...a few Wild Indigo Duskywings, Eastern Tailed-Blues and one Monarch.  

Wild Indigo Duskywing

Eastern Tailed-Blue

At Cantebury Park, I saw 3 Great Blue Herons. One was in the water fishing and the other two were in the trees.  

Red-winged Blackbird  (female)

At the Hyde Park Pond, there were a few Cabbage Whites, a Viceroy and some Clouded Sulphurs.

Cabbage White

Viceroy

Clouded Sulphur

Violet Dancer

One day, I went to the Uplands North Wetland.  I have not been there since the Spring.  I love Great Blue Herons.  There were two Green Herons, too.  

Green Heron

Signs of Spring - First week of March

Week of March 1-6, 2020

This week, signs of Spring has arrived!  Hearing the birds sing...Cardinals, Song Sparrows, American Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds. 
With lots of rain and melting snow, Thames River is very high and fast flowing.  The ponds at the Coves are still frozen but with some warm sun and milder weather hopefully it will melt very soon. 

Song Sparrow

At the Coves, I saw 3 Great Blue Herons together. 

I still see some Common Mergansers and Common Goldeneyes.  They will be heading north soon.

 

Downy Woodpecker

Tundra Swan Migration - 2019

Aylmer Wildlife Management Area          0c, sunny, NW winds..35km gust 

I went to the Aylmer Wildlife Management Area today to view the Tundra Swans on their journey to the high Arctic.  The count was approx. 750 swans and Canada Geese mixed in too.  There was some open water and also ice.  Here are some of the photos I took.

I also saw Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Juncos, Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, a Ring-billed Gull and a Tree Sparrow.