Sandhill Crane at Venosta

May 7, 2015

There is a breeding pair of Sandhill Cranes that spend the spring and summer in the marshes between Venosta and Kazabazua, Quebec.  We usually see them once or twice each summer, sometimes with young on either side of the highway.  This individual was by itself, on the west side, very close to Venosta.  It is a vary rusty specimen, the brownest we have ever seen.

Conroy Island Roost

May 1, 2015

We wanted to see the Black-crowned Night-Heron roost before all the leaves were out.  We saw lots of them, but they were really too distant for decent photos.  There were also thousands of gulls, and many  cormorants, but we did not see any egrets.  The Ring-billed Gulls were going back and forth gathering nesting materials,  In the woods, we saw an Eastern Phoebe and a muskrat.

Camp Opemikon Work Weekend

April 25/26, 2015

Our first camp of the year, and a chance to do some early morning birding at the scout camp west of Perth.  Once again, a Pine Warbler was present in the pine trees along the road. On the lake, two species of mergansers were busy with nuptials.  An Osprey and Common Loon also came by.

A Merlin and other common species were also observed.

Migrating Waterfowl

April 16, 2015

After checking Milton Road for cranes (none found), we headed out past Bourget to look for Snow Geese and ducks.

We found a large flock of geese in the usual spot east of Johnston Road, far distant from any road access.  The fields around, normally underwater, had pretty well dried up.

We carried on to Lalonde Road and Du Lac Road at the tip of Cobbs Lake Creek.  Here we found more Snow Geese, and a few ducks - Northern Pintail, Ring-necked Duck, American Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal and Wood Duck.  On Boudreau, we had an American Kestrel on a wire.

Waxwings

April 15, 2015

Yet another bird that we don't expect to see out our front window, Bohemian Waxwings!

Hairy Woodpecker at home

April 13, 2015

Although a common bird, we do not often see them in our front yard.

Britannia & West End Birding with Always an Adventure

March 24, 2015

Today we went to the Ottawa River by Mud Lake, March Valley Road, Hilda and Shirley's Bay, Farm Fields, Burnside, and back to Mud Lake.  Best birds were a pair of Bald Eagles.