Gillian M's Year/Photo List (1 Viewer)

Gillian_M · Aug 17, 2007

Lots of lifers but few photos...

Seen August 6, 2007:

157. Redhead
158. Ruddy Duck
159. Semipalmated Plover

Seen August 11, 2007:

160. Nashville Warbler

Seen August 12, 2007:

161. Long-tailed Jaeger

Ironically, the only photo I have is the only one that's not a lifer! The other 4 birds were seen at a distance on a large quarry pond (August 6 birds) or on the Ottawa River (Jaeger) using someone's scope.

A note about the Jaeger - this is the rarest bird I've seen to date. It appeared in Ottawa over the weekend, the first sighting in 20 years! The story can be found here: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen...=52320f35-2895-4f6c-9d2a-9b3b97f34117&k=28960

Gillian_M · Aug 27, 2007

Seen August 25, 2007:

162. Gray Jay
163. Blackburnian Warbler

We spent the weekend at Algonquin Park. I saw lots of warblers, but the only Algonquin "specialty" seen was the Gray Jay. I don't think it helped that it rained all day Saturday either!

Gillian_M · Aug 29, 2007

Seen August 28, 2007:

164. Bay-breasted Warbler
165. Great Egret

Seems like all my recent additions are lifers now! :t:

Gillian_M · Aug 31, 2007

Seen August 30, 2007:

166. Wilson's Warbler

No photo of this one, unfortunately. Although I caught a glimpse of it twice, and got a decent view the second time, my camera batteries were all dead when I went out this morning!

Gillian_M · Sep 2, 2007

Seen September 1, 2007:

167. Ruddy Turnstone
168. Red Knot
169. Cape May Warbler
170. Philadelphia Vireo

Thankfully one of Ottawa's premiere birders was on hand to identify the shorebirds seen this morning at Ottawa Beach!

Three more lifers today brings my life list up to 177. I'd like to get up to 200 by the end of the year, but it will take a lot of luck!

Gillian_M · Sep 8, 2007

Seen September 3, 2007:

171. Baird's Sandpiper
172. Blackpoll Warbler

Gillian_M · Sep 18, 2007

Seen September 15, 2007:

173. American Golden-Plover
174. Pectoral Sandpiper
175. Stilt Sandpiper

Seen September 16, 2007:

176. Swainson's Thrush

I would like some better photos of all of these birds. The lighting was very bad when I saw the Golden-Plover and Pectoral Sandpiper; the Stilt Sandpiper was very far away in the middle of a former sewage lagoon; and the Swainson's Thrush was very high up in a tree!

Gillian_M · Sep 22, 2007

Seen September 21, 2007:

177. Blue-headed Vireo

(Too bad the branch is in the way - you can't see his "spectacles" at all!!!)

Edited September 22, 2007: I saw another one today and got a nice shot of it out in the open, so I'm attaching a better picture! I think this bird has to be my favourite vireo so far!

Gillian_M · Sep 22, 2007

Seen September 22, 2007:

178. Tennessee Warbler

Seen with a mixed flock of birds including Palm and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Winter Wren and Chickadees!

Gillian_M · Oct 5, 2007

Seen September 30, 2007:

179. Surf Scoter

Gillian_M · Oct 9, 2007

Seen October 5, 2007:

180. Orange-crowned Warbler

Seen October 7, 2007:

181. Trumpeter Swan

(Okay, so the Trumpeter Swan may not be technically countable here in Ontario. It's still a new species for me, and there were both adults and juveniles present - evidence of breeding in the wild which is satisfactory for my personal purposes.)

Gillian_M · Oct 9, 2007

Seen October 8, 2007:

182. American Pipit
183. Greater Scaup
184. Black Scoter
185. Snow Goose (blue morph)
186. Lesser Black-backed Gull

No photos of the Snow Goose or the Gull, as both were seen at a considerable distance through a spotting scope. Also, it was getting dark so I didn't think it worth walking over and trying to get photos.

Gillian_M · Oct 14, 2007

Seen October 14 ,2007:

187. Sandhill Crane

Technically I have seen sandhill cranes before when I lived out west (in a rural area east of Edmonton, AB). I vaguely recall my mother pointing out flocks of hundreds or thousands of these birds flying south in the fall (very noisily, I might add) but since I wasn't interested in birding back then I'm not counting those sightings. Besides, I only saw them flying quite high overhead, not standing in a field relatively close to the road!

Gillian_M · Oct 23, 2007

Seen October 21, 2007:

188. White-winged Scoters
189. Cackling Goose

I was so fortunate that (a) the cackling goose was on the lawn with a flock of Canadas (instead of being out in the water) and (b) two of the Canadas started chasing him, which is what caused my birding buddy to look at them and say "Hey, that bird looks smaller than the others!" I'm posting two photos, one of the cackling goose with the Canada geese to show the size differences and one of the cackling goose by itself.

Gillian_M · Oct 25, 2007

Seen October 25, 2007:

190. Fox Sparrow
191. Bohemian Waxwing

Two more lifers today...I'm getting ever closer to the 200 mark! I wish I'd gotten better photos of the Fox Sparrow, but it didn't seem to want to perch out in the open.

Gillian_M · Nov 12, 2007

Seen November 11, 2007:

192. Common Redpoll

My first winter finch in what is shaping up to be an amazing irruption year. We found a small flock on a weedy roadside in the country yesterday, and although I got some photos, they were from a fair distance. So last night I put my mind to it and tried to figure out where the closest, largest, weediest field was that I could get to by bus from downtown on my lunch hour. One location sprang to mind, obvious now in retrospect, and sure enough I found a flock there today at lunch and got some better photos!

Gillian_M · Nov 19, 2007

A trip to the Kingston/Amherst Island area today produced three lifers and one additional bird for my year list today!

Seen November 18, 2007:

193. Eurasian Wigeon
194. Red-bellied Woodpecker
195. Long-eared Owl
196. Short-eared Owl

(I note there is also an American Wigeon in the photo of the Eurasian Wigeon).

Gillian_M · Dec 1, 2007

Seen December 1, 2007:

197. Pine Grosbeak

This is a bird I've been waiting a while to see! The last few times I went to look for it in places it had been reported it wasn't there. Finally today I found a flock of them...right in my own neighbourhood!

Gillian_M · Dec 22, 2007

Seen December 22, 2007:

198. Harlequin Duck

For the last week a Harlequin Duck has been seen at a spot on the rapids of the Ottawa River, so today I made the trek over to the Quebec side and located her. A male would have been nicer, but I won't complain.

I also saw a long-tailed duck at the same spot, which was a nice surprise; it's the first one I've seen in Ottawa.

So, only nine more days left in the year. Chances of adding to my year list now are slim, but there are a few possibilities.

Gillian_M · Dec 27, 2007

Seen December 26, 2007:

199. Barred Owl

I finally saw one today, and it took a lot of luck to find it! Someone had seen it perched on a tree right at the side of the road yesterday, but today it was in the woods beyond the road (private property, unfortunately). A couple of crows cawing at something in a tree alerted me to the fact that it was likely still around. I don't know how I managed to point my binoculars at exactly the right spot, but I did!

Gillian M's Year/Photo List (1 Viewer)

Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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Birding since 2006!

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