The time I spent at the Tip was exquisite, as it is for most people. While I was out there amongst the scenery, I was able to see, and band many awesome birds. Some of the coolest birds I saw while I was there were Long-tailed Duck, Surf Scoter, Red-throated Loon, American Bittern, Am. Golden-Plovers, one distant jaeger species, my first of year Franklin's Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gulls almost daily, Red-shouldered Hawk, a Whip-poor-will (which was a lifer for me earlier this summer), Red-headed Woodpeckers, and a Dickcissel. I was really lucky to get the Dickcissel, I was walking down one trail in the meadow, someone else was walking on the other trail, and she flushed it to fly right in front of me calling about 20ft away. The Franklin's Gull was sitting on the Tip almost every day for the whole 2weeks I was there, almost always in the exact same spot, a little dip in the ground.
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Crappy picture with iPod through scope.
I was able to band a bunch of Awesome birds while I was there as well. I banded my first ever raptor, which was a Merlin!! Very good first raptor, they don't typically catch a ton each year. But I also banded a few Sharp-shinned Hawks while I was there. The best passerines I was able to band were another Northern Parula, a Wood Thrush, and a Yellow-throated Vireo.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Merlin
Merlin
Yellow-throated Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Also was able to aid in the extracting of these two:
Two male American Kestrels.
Since I got back from the Tip on the 27th on December, I spent a day at Old Cut, then spent 9days back at home. I was able to get a little bit of birding done when I was home, went for a couple walks in my forest, to the local sewage lagoons, canatara, got a fair few fairly good birds for the location and time of year. Black-throated Green Warbler and Great Egrets were seen at Canatara, Tree Swallow, Magnolia, Tennessee, and Palm Warblers, and a Northern Mockingbird all in the little wildlife area by the Sarnia marina, and Pectoral Sandpipers and a Short-billed Dowitcher at the lagoons, as well as 3 Lapland Longspurs with some Pipits and Horned Larks. Longspurs and Mockingbirds are both pretty good for the county so I was happy with getting them while I was home.
Soon enough, I was back at Old Cut, and still am. But tomorrow I am likely leaving for the Tip again. Since being at Old Cut I've banded a few more new birds as well. Northern Saw-whet Owls, Fox Sparrow, and Cooper's Hawk being most exciting. Also have seen 3 Northern Goshawks and a Clay-colored Sparrow in this time frame. The goshawks were on 2 different days flying over Old Cut, and the Clay-colored Sparrow in the Provincial Park.
But that's it for this post.
Good Birding!
