My Wish List 2008! (1 Viewer)

Since I was pretty successful in seeing most of the birds I wanted to see on my wish list for 2007, I thought it was time to start a new wish list for 2008!

Here are the top 15 birds I'd like to see this year:

1. Sora (from 2007)
2. Saw-whet Owl (from 2007)
3. Eastern Towhee
4. Mourning Warbler
5. Canada Warbler (May 12, 2008)
6. Gray Partridge (March 23, 2008)
7. Sedge Wren
8. Black Tern
9. Dunlin (May 13, 2008)
10. Sanderling (August 29, 2008)
11. Pine Warbler (April 27, 2008)
12. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (May 15, 2008)
13. Purple Sandpiper
14. Clay-coloured Sparrow (May 24, 2008)
15. White-rumped Sandpiper (August 29, 2008)

The top 15 birds I've already seen but that I'd like better photos of (or in some cases, ANY photos!)

1. Red-bellied Woodpecker
2. American Pipit
3. Swainson's Thrush (May 12, 2008)
4. Wilson's Warbler
5. Redhead
6. Ruddy Duck
7. Evening Grosbeak
8. Vesper Sparrow (May 24, 2008)
9. Upland Sandpiper
10. Eastern Meadowlark
11. Veery
12. Northern Shrike
13. Barred Owl
14. Wilson's Snipe (June 21, 2008)
15. Wood Thrush (May 23, 2008)

So these are my goals for the next 366 days (yes, it's a leap year - one extra day to work on these goals!!!!). How about you?

Finally, an update to my wish list!!!

Today I finally managed to track down the Gray Partridge that have been hanging around Kanata for a few weeks now. There were two of them, right in the parking lot. Then they crossed in front of my car to the snow bank on the other side and disappeared over the top.

Update #2

It's May and the birds are coming back! Hopefully I will be able to update this list a little more frequently!

On April 27, 2008 I finally added Pine Warbler to my life list. I have heard these birds before, but usually from the tops of the very tall pine trees, where observation is impossible. Fortunately, a couple of birders called my attention to the bird when it descended to the lowest branches of a spruce tree; it even jumped down to the ground for a bit.

Definitely a nice bird to have on my list!

A couple of Lifers

I found a couple of lifers on my trip to southern Ontario last week!

Seen at the Tip at Point Pelee on May 12, 2008 was my first Canada Warbler.

On May 13, 2008 at the Hillman Marsh I saw several Dunlin in breeding plumage.

On May 15, 2008 in Cambridge I saw my first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher...pretty little birds, though I wish they hadn't stayed so far up in the canopy!

Finally, I saw my first Clay-colored Sparrow today here in Ottawa! It's the only photo I'm really happy with so I'm posting it.

Some photos

I am doing well with the thrushes so far. At Point Pelee I found several Swainson's Thrushes that were on the ground or close to it; the Swainson's Thrush that I saw last year was up high in a tree, barely noticeable. In fact, if there hadn't been a Scarlet Tanager in the same tree I doubt I would have noticed it! I am posting my best photo from last year as well as two from this year.

I also had some luck with the Wood Thrush. The only one that I saw was moving from branch to branch through the trees, and I snapped a quick picture that was not only far away but out of focus. Then yesterday I heard one singing and managed to track it down. Not only did the thrush stay where it was while I watched it, he was also fairly low! I am very happy with the photos I got.

An overdue update on my Photo Wish List!

I finally managed to get a good look at some Vesper Sparrows on May 24, 2008. The photos I took are certainly better than the ones I took last year!

Also, after seeing Wilson's Snipe only from a distance in both 2006 and 2007, I found a place just west of the city where they breed. As a result, I was finally able to capture the beautiful detail of this bird. Sora breed in the same area, but so far I have had no luck finding one.

My trip to Nova Scotia brought me 12 lifers, only two of which were on my wish list! Both of these birds can be found in Ottawa during migration, but they are much more easily found on the east coast.

Both Sanderling and White-rumped Sandpiper were seen on August 29, 2008 in King's County.