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Bird Related Events & Programs

Great Backyard Bird Count - February 18, 2023
Start Time 9 am
1 ½ hours
3 Observers
 
White-breasted Nuthatch: 4
Northern Cardinal: 4
American Goldfinch: 10
Dark-eyed Junco: 8
American Tree Sparrow: 6
Mourning Dove: 8
Canada Goose; 8
House Finch: 4
European Starling: 33
Hairy Woodpecker: 1
Downy Woodpecker: 2
Ring-billed Gull: 1
Black-capped Chickadee: 11
Red-bellied Woodpecker: 1
American Crow: 1
Coopers Hawk:1


Dufferin Marsh Bird Walk - May 29, 2022
American Robin
Red-winged Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
Northern Cardinal
Warbling Vireo
Belted Kingfisher
Black-capped Chickadee
American Goldfinch
Mourning Dove
Common Crow
Yellow Warbler
Hairy Woodpecker
Common Grackle
Tree Swallow
Blue Jay
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Wood Pewee
Red-eyed Vireo
Great Blue Heron
Song Sparrow
House Wren
Swamp Sparrow
Wood Duck
Eastern Kingbird
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
European Starling
Chipping Sparrow
Purple Finch
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Cedar Waxwing
Killdeer
Common Yellow-throat
Brown-headed Cowbird
Gray Catbird

Great Backyard Bird Count - Feb 21, 2022
Trumpeter Swan
European Starling
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
Morning Dove
Black-capped Chickadee
Tree Sparrow
Canada Goose
White Breasted Nuthatch
Downy Woodpecker
Dark-eyed Junco
Common Crow
House Finch


Great Backyard Bird Count - Feb 15, 2021
American Gold Finch
Blue Jay
Mourning Dove
Black-capped Chickadee
Common Raven
Tree Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Common Redpoll
Pine Sisken
European Starling
Hoary Redpoll 

​Mary
’s Birdathon - May 20, 2020


I really wanted to hear the “dawn chorus” on Birdathon day so I set my alarm for 5 am thinking that would give me lots of time.  It was still dark but I checked outside and sure enough there was a cacophony of bird songs.  So I made a cup of coffee and thought I would settle in to listen to the sounds, but when I opened my door a second time it was relatively quiet.  I had missed it.  In that five minute period it went from crazy to serene.  Sigh! So what birds did I identify in my yard? Northern Cardinal, American Robin and Mourning Dove.  This was definitely a slow start to the day. 

The sun was finally up so I traipsed down to the Dufferin Marsh and identified many of the regular characters.  Baltimore Orioles were singing like crazy, and I heard our reliable Swamp Sparrow.  Of particular note was a Blackpoll Warbler – the first I had seen for the season.   Often I get a good number of Warblers in the cedar trees along the edge of my property but this year I identified five warbler species in the Dufferin Marsh. Besides the Blackpoll Warbler I saw Blackburnian Warbler, Palm Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Yellow-rumped Warbler. 

I love the loop trail around the Roselena neighbourhood. You never know what you may see there.  So that is where I headed next.  Least Flycatchers were calling everywhere with their “che-beck” sound.  I heard a Meadow Lark and Field Sparrow calling from the adjacent field.  The most surprising sighting was a Scarlet Tanager.  It’s funny but sometimes something makes you look up, and I did, and there it was.  This bird is so startlingly beautiful it makes me think that everything must be right with the world.  As I came around the corner and was almost done with the trail I looked up (again I am not sure why) and there was a silhouette of a tiny little Ruby-throated Humming Bird.  I think it was curious about me because it did not move from its perch and just let me pass.  I did not see any warblers on the Roselena trail which was unusual.  This is usually my go-to place for warblers. 

I walked along Main Street and in behind on the Fair grounds.  I had seen an Indigo Bunting back there just two days previously.  Chimney Swifts and Barn Swallows were chattering away.  The most surprising find were 2 Mallards enjoying a swim in a puddle on the Fair grounds.  I guess that is why they call them “puddle ducks”.  No Indigo Bunting was spotted.

Hoping for ducks, or swallows, or shore birds I set off for the Trisan Centre.  The Region of York has developed a wetland habitat there out of the old sewage lagoons.  Unfortunately it was pretty quiet.  I did see a Spotted Sandpiper, Northern Flicker and a Red-tailed Hawk. 

Kettleby was my next stop.  I had not seen a Bluebird yet this year and was hoping for some to be using the nest boxes on the east side of town.  Nothing!  In fact I had to work really hard to hear Savannah Sparrow and Bobolink.  I can usually identify these birds by just opening my car window at this location.  I was starting to realize that I was going to have to work hard in general to get a good list of birds.  Nothing seemed as expected.  Usually I do my Birdathon on Mothers’ Day weekend but with the crazy spring weather and intermittent migration I put it off.  Now I was paying for it.

After lunch I headed to Cold Creek Conservation Area.  Again I was looking for Bluebirds.  Walking through the forest I heard a persistent Nuthatch call.   I have a hard time telling the difference between White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches by call but a friend told me that Red-breasted Nuthatches are more assertive and this was definitely that.  However the sound was coming from way up in the treetops and no matter how much I tried to call it down, it remained elusive.  So I decided to listen to a Red-breasted Nuthatch call on my phone.  Well … that bird dove down and almost attacked me.  It was definitely a Red-breasted Nuthatch and after apologizing profusely I moved on.  I saw my 6th warbler of the day – an American Redstart.  Finally, walking up the trail past the barn, I saw an Eastern Bluebird.  This was in the same location that I saw one last year so maybe the same breeding pair was back. 

Happy Valley had been a hotbed of activity about a week before and although quieter I did identify Ovenbird, Black-throated Green Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, and Piliated Woodpecker.   A Wood Thrush was singing.  This is a remarkable sounding song, reedy, melodic and haunting.  The bird came down to greet me and I got a good look at it.  There is one bird that I have heard several times at Happy Valley in the same location. It has a warbling loud musical song, but for the life of me I do not know what it is.  That will be a problem for next year.

Hoping for a Belted King Fisher and an American Woodcock I headed out again after dinner.  I heard a Black and White Warbler at the Dufferin Marsh and Cedar Waxwings, Great Blue Heron and Belted Kingfisher at the Roselena Trail. 

In total I identified 64 bird species and although I had to work hard I think that is about the same as I usually see.  Some of you may know that I am doing a “Big Year” this year for Schomberg. That is, keeping track of every species I identify in a one year period.  I started on March 1 so I could count the Northern Hawk Owl and this Birdthon added five new species to my list. 

I have included a list of the birds below in order of when I identified them.  Thank you so much for your support this year.  I have raised a record $ 2340 for bird research and conservation.  25% of that will be designated for the work of the Dufferin Marsh Nature Connection. 

Keep well everyone.

Mary

List of Identified Birds
  1. Northern Cardinal
  2. American Robin
  3. Mourning Dove
  4. Canada Goose
  5. Common Grackle
  6. House Wren
  7. Baltimore Oriole
  8. American Goldfinch
  9. Black-capped Chickadee
  10. Song Sparrow
  11. Brown-headed Cowbird
  12. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  13. Blue Jay
  14. Redwing Blackbird
  15. Swamp Sparrow
  16. House Finch
  17. Yellow Warbler
  18. American Crow
  19. Tree Swallow
  20. Blackpoll Warbler
  21. Blackburnian Warbler
  22. Palm Warbler
  23. Warbling Vireo
  24. Killdeer
  25. European Starling
  26. Chipping Sparrow
  27. Common Yellowthroat
  28. Yellow-rumped Warbler
  29. Ring-billed Gull
  30. Rock Dove
  31. Downy Woodpecker
  32. Least Flycatcher
  33. Field Sparrow
  34. Gray Catbird
  35. Eastern Meadowlark
  36. Red-bellied Woodpecker
  37. Great-crested Flycatcher
  38. White-breasted Nuthatch
  39. Scarlet Tanager
  40. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  41. House Sparrow
  42. Eastern Phoebe
  43. Chimney Swift
  44. Mallard
  45. Barn Swallow
  46. Northern Flicker
  47. Spotted Sandpiper
  48. Red-tailed Hawk
  49. Savannah Sparrow
  50. Bobolink
  51. American Redstart
  52. Red-breasted Nuthatch
  53. Eastern Kingbird
  54. Turkey Vulture
  55. Eastern Bluebird
  56. Ovenbird
  57. Black-throated Green Warbler
  58. Piliated Woodpecker
  59. Red-eyed Vireo
  60. Wood Thrush
  61. Black and White Warbler
  62. Cedar Waxwing
  63. Great Blue Heron
  64. Belted Kingfisher
Bird Opera
In the March 2020 Newsletter, we mentioned a bird opera that you can watch here: http://volkerpannes.de/portfolio/bird-song-opera/ 

​And we challenged you to name as many of the local birds as you could. Here is the list that we have found:
  • Eastern Bluebird
  • American Robin
  • House Wren
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Indigo Bunting
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  • Screech Owl
  • White-throated Sparrow
  • Orchard Oriole
  • Song Sparrow
  • Raven
  • Northern Cardinal
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Chestnut-sided Warbler
  • American Bittern
  • Bald Eagle
  • Brown-headed Cowbird
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Mesmerizing Migration: Watch 118 Bird Species Migrate Across a Map of the Western Hemisphere
For the first time, scientists at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have documented migratory movements of bird populations spanning the entire year for 118 species throughout the Western Hemisphere. The study finds broad similarity in the routes used by specific groups of species—vividly demonstrated by animated maps showing patterns of movement across the annual cycle.
Click here to see the map.

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And yet more cool bird data! Click here to see a graph that shows the migration and residency times for birds right here in York Region.

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  • About Us
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