Findings in April 2025

I have been birding around the Coves, Hyde Park and Westminster Ponds lately.  I'm seeing a nice variety of birds as birds are returning.  I have seen Turkey Vultures and Eastern Phoebes recently.  We had one day last week that was warm and sunny but other days have been cooler with rain and even freezing rain/sleet.  Here are some of the birds I saw.  

Wood Duck

Northern Flicker

Ring-necked Duck

Common Merganser

Hooded Merganser

American Robin

Great Blue Heron

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Phoebe

Turkey Vulture

American Kestrel

Killdeer

Pied-billed Grebe

American Coot

This Red-tailed Hawk came flying in and landed on a light standard looking around.  Then it took off right over me to the ground in a field.  I was taking photos of it when it took off.  It is rare for me to get flight photos.

Some First of the Year Birds

February 27, 2924 - Gibbons Park. This is the first Red-winged Blackbird I've seen this year.

Red-winged Blackbird

Common Mergansers

February 28, 2024 - Started to go out birding.  It was 14c. this morning.  It suddenly got dark NW London at Hyde Park  I was taking photos of the ducks when the wind picked up so strong it just about knocked me over.  It started to rain a bit.  I can feel the temperature dropping.  After 10:30 going home the temperature was 4c.  The temperature continued to drop and by the afternoon it was -1c with snowflerries. 

My photos are dark but I saw a Redhead and some Ring-necked Ducks.

Redhead

Ring-necked Ducks

This is when the wind gusts were strong and the ducks were all of a sudden swimming in waves.

What a change in weather the next day, February 29, 2024, -7c, feels like -15c, mostly cloudy, W wind 28 km/h, gust 48 km/h.  I went to a Hyde Park Pond and saw my first of the year Killdeer.

Coves and Greenway Park, March 1, 2024, 7c, sunny, a nice day.  Some birds were singing such as the Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, Northern Cardinals and a Carolina Wren.  I saw these Great Blue Herons at the Coves sleeping.

At Greenway Park, I saw this beautiful Red-tailed Hawk.

This is the only Common Merganser I saw at the river.

Common Merganser (female)

It was nice to see the Wood Ducks.  First of the Year.

Wood Ducks

Mallard (female)