Birding - Week of February 19, 2024

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.

Great Blue Heron

Common Merganser

Common Goldeneyes

Common Merganser

Green-winged Teal sleeping

Common Goldeneyes

Green-winged Teal

Pied-billed Grebe

Bald Eagle

February 22 - A difference in weather.  Today was 8c, overcast.  I found the Pied-billed Grebe again which was nice.  Also I saw some American Black Ducks, Common Mergansers, Bald Eagle, heard my first of year Red-winged Blackbird, a Song Sparrow and Northern Cardinals were singing.

Pied-billed Grebe

I watched 2 Red-tailed Hawks flyover. One of them dived to the ground and by inches missed a squirrel then flew up in the tree.  

American Black Duck

Red-tailed Hawk

Mid-February Birding

Fanshawe Lake - I took a walk along Fanshawe Lake this week to see what I can find.  At far distance, I spotted Common Mergansers and a large group of American Black Ducks.  I figured about 50 of them.  There were some Mallards mixed in there too.  

Common Mergansers

American Black Ducks

Immature Bald Eagle

Common Goldeneyes

A few more photos of Common Mergansers.  

I went to the Coves on Friday.  I saw some Canada Geese but no ducks.  The ponds were mostly frozen.  There were a few smaller birds flying along the pond edge and in thickets....Dark-eyed Juncos, American Goldfinches, American Tree Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Mourning Doves. Blue Jays, Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches, and Carolina Wrens.  

Mourning Dove sleeping

The Red-tailed had some lunch.

Red-tailed Hawk

In my last blog I mentioned some rarities I saw.  To many people the ducks are not rarities but maybe uncommon but for me and the area where I bird, they are rare as I don't see them that often.  

Some Rarities this Week

Fanshawe Lake Area- February 3, 2024, -1c, overcast - Lake was half frozen.  I saw Canada Geese, Mallards, Common Mergansers, Northern Pintails, Bald Eagle, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Goldfinch, and Pine Siskins.

I don't know what kind of spruce trees these are, they are loaded with pine cones.

Pine Siskin

It was nice to see the Northern Pintails.

Northern Pintail

February 9, 2024 - Record breaking temperatures today.  It was 11c in the morning when I was birding.  The afternoon was a record 14c.   Winters sure have changed from when I was young!  I thought I would check the Thames River along Wonderland Road to see what I can find along the river.  Lots of Canada Geese and Mallards and I also found 4 Northern Shovelers. Beautiful ducks - 2 males and 2 females.  We rarely see them in this area.

Below - Female Northern Shoveler in the middle left and female Mallard to the right.

February 10, 2024 - I went to Kilally ESA to find the Greater Scaup which had been sighted this past week.  I finally found it with a couple of Mallards.  This is another duck rarely seen in our area.