Northern Water Thrush #200
Green Heron
When You wake up in the morning and this is the first bird you hear…
Killdeer – a snowy arrival
Such a long spring migration, to find your parking lot nesting site covered in snow! Some northern birds spend the winter in Mexico. In the southern United States.
Sora Rail
It is more often heard than seen and gives one of the most distinctive calls of any marsh bird, a loud descending whinny call: whee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee. Vernacular names for this species include Carolina Rail, Soree, Meadow Chicken, and Ortolan. Notoriously hard to find.
Northern Shoveler Ducks
No duck is as maligned as the shoveler, easily identified by the spoon-like bill that subjects it to so much ridicule. Many refer to them derisively as bottom feeders, and while it’s true they feed on animal matter more than any of our other puddle ducks… really? I think they are beautiful!
Blue Heron spring arrival!
In Ontario, the Minesing Wetlands provide ideal breeding grounds for great blue herons and are home to one of the largest and oldest known colonies in the province, with more than 200 active nests. Which is exactly were this early arrival was found!
Northern Pintail Drake spring migration
Northern Pintails dabble on the surface of the water and filter out seeds and insects with their bills. They also waddle at the edges of wetlands and through agricultural fields feeding on grain and insects. They form large groups and readily associate with other ducks during the nonbreeding season.
Swans and a Blue Heron, a thorn between two roses
Fall Loons
Algonquin in so beautiful in the fall, while paddling we saw young loons in the mist, magical!
Juvenile Loon at sunrise
With the thermometer hovering at zero it was a beautiful sunrise, we didn’t waste anytime putting the canoe into the water at Lake of Two Rivers and were rewarded with this juvenile Loon.
White Pelican
While visiting southern Alberta we stumbled across a flock of White Pelicans, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Upon looking them up, I discovered they do live in parts of Canada, Northern Ontario, and Southern Alberta and a few other places as well.
Sora
I still can’t believe all the life in wetlands found at the side of roads we drive every day. For many years I drove right by, I had no idea, peacefully going about their lives and adding to the sounds of the frogs. Just down the road from home.
Loon feeding the youngsters
Well I did a U turn today and went from the original plan to photographing loons. I was glad I did. Have a look at the size of fish the parent is attempting to feed the juvenile, it was relatively huge, yet it gulped it down!
American Woodcock #183
These interesting birds blend right in with the underbrush and old leaves found on the forest floor.
They are quiet and rarely seen, eating worms found under decaying leaves.
Loons on an early morning paddle
Killdeer nest
While photographing a horse show I noticed some commotion on a hill near some spectators. This Killdeer was working hard to distract th spectators from walking on its nest. After the show I went to see what the commotion was all about, the Killdeer changed antics becoming more and more wounded the closer I got, I quietly walked past the nest taking a couple of photos without stopping and let them be. 
Sora #180 new bird!
Never heard of them? Neither had I, however we have all heard them and mistaken them for frogs or just assumed we were hearing general marsh sounds. This is one of the many songs they sing:
The Sora is found in freshwater marshes, flood fields, and swamps, where they walk around like little chickens pecking at the water. The biggest threat to these birds is wetlands being drained, as this is where they nest. Having been over hunted, they have made a come back due to the high survival rate of chicks.
American Bittern
Open the post and press play to hear the sound of a Bittern, it’s quite remarkable!
One of my favourites to find… you know your near one when you hear a cottage pump making an off sound, and when you locate the sound, you will find a shy Bittern… oong-ka-chunk…
Trumpeter Swans
When you see a tagged bird, you can send the details in the to Birds Bander’s, and they will get back to you with information as to the age of the bird and where it was banded. these birds are migrating so it would be interesting to find out where they are from. https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/
Within 24 hours I received two certificates which can be viewed as you scroll through the batch of swan photos.
Trumpeters were at one time hunted to the point of reducing its numbers significantly, they have now bounced back to a population world wide of about 18,000.
click here to view the certificate pdf
Tundra Swans #144
Tundra Swans are identifiable by a tiny yellow patch below their eyes, other than this they look a lot like Trumpeter Swans. These have a strong international population of about 300,000 and are doing well. They nest in the far north up in Alaska and Baffin Island, they are just passing through these parts after spending the winter in the south.
I met a nice birder with a powerful scope, through the scope we could clearly identify the yellow patch, however it was a cold day and my lens was only so powerful, trust me the yellow patches were there 🙂
This was a new bird for me, I had made a category for it which sat empty after I realized I had a case of mistaken it’s identity. So finally here is my first post of Tundra Swans. 
