Pre trip birding

We had a trip to the UK planned so I took Friday 19th January off to prepare and to try to see a few more birds! I had details for a Green-tailed Towhee in east Montreal, a lifer, but the weather was pretty snowy and the bird can only be seen at feeders. The owner of the feeders is paranoid about birders and the Police have been called. Personally I feel that the feeder owner is a little dim in not discontinuing the feeding until the bird has left (its been there several weeks, suppressed) but if it stays, more birders will find out the location of the site and the woman’s paranoia will grow. I’ve not heard whether it survived the –23 temps of January 17th and I’m posting this after our UK trip as I stayed out too long and had to rush to get to the airport on time, birders eh!

Back to the 19th, I started around St-Clet and was not disappointed, additions to the year list were Lapland Longspur (with apologies to European birders but that is what they are called here) and Horned Lark (with no apologies it should be split). My regular female Snowy Owl greeted me from its pole and the improving weather convinced me to try out St-Lazare Pinade.

The pinade was planted to reduce erosion in the farmlands around St-Clet, it is a fine piece of woodland, I just hope the administrators prevent any further building in it. Access is always tricky as they want you to park miles away and then travel with planks strapped to your feet in winter, stuff that, I walk up the bisecting road having parked inches outside the no parking zone.

As I approached the cross-country ski trails I heard singing White-winged Crossbills straight away, I eventually tracked down the sources for good views but they were flighty. I counted around 70 birds in total but of course there could have been Red Crossbill amongst them, didn’t hear any different calls though. I then trod the trails (why no hiking trails eh!) looking for northern woodpeckers. After an hour none were forthcoming until I actually returned to the road and there, by the road, was black-backed Woodpecker, intent on the destruction of a tree and ignoring me.

With this success I decided to try for a Yellow-headed Blackbird near Ormstown. My directions were sketchy but I found about 70 Brown-headed Cowbirds around a couple of feeders. They were very active, disappearing behind the houses but fortunately the Yellow-headed Blackbird put in a brief appearance and I sped home to catch to pack and catch the plane.

This spurt put me on 73 for the year.

The photos: I’ll try to add captions this time.



You might get bored with seeing Snowy Owls but I don't so here is the latest shotof the regular female.



















After an absence due to lack of snow, the Horned Larks were back along the roads around St-Clet.

















Lapland Longpurs have been a bit elusive this winter but the Snow Bunting flock that has built up around St-Clet now has ten or so in it.


























Black-backed Woodpeckers are annual in the pinade at St-Lazare, they just take a bit of finding sometimes.

The sweet trill of the White-winged Crossbills seemed to be everywhere.

A roadside Rough-legged Hawk abolutely terrified by the sight of a birders car. I keep trying to move this text but it won't go, poot!

A blizzard of Snow Buntings, can you pick out the Lapland Longspurs?

This makes a great desktop, if anyone wants one, email me and I'll send a higer resolution image.

Slow progress

Weekend - 13-14 January 2007

Saturday saw us out seeking a few species along the Richelieu Valley before ending up at the area where one or two Gyr Falcons roost of an evening.

We drove across Wild Turkey country, seeing none, and arrived at Noyen, south of Montreal, with the expectation of scanning the rafts of Common Goldeneye for a Barrow's. Typically there was not a duck in sight, the mild conditions had not pushed the ducks into the area so that was that. Compensation nearby was a Northern Grey Shrike, something I normally see on New Year's Day but a species that has been fairly scarce this winter. Geographically and morphologically this species differs from Great Grey Shrike but they remain steadfastly one species. Loggerhead Shrike is the Neararctic conterpart of Lesser Grey Shrike so why to two 'big' shrikes stay lumped is beyond me.

On the crest of a slump we decided to try the St-Armand area for Tufted Titmouse, a rather local species in Quebec but one that occurs in the St-Armand area and is a regular at winter feeders. Apart from distressing a feeder owner, who probably thought we were either burglars casing the joint or just perverts, we had little entertainment.

Moving north we dropped into Chambly Basin adding American Coot to the list and shivering a bit in the -10 wind chill. We then had a dilema, do we drive to the Gyr roost site, high above the rather dull town of Richelieu, or do we go via St-Basile-le-Grand, a regular site for Short-eared Owl and one occasionally frequented by a grey Gyr? The choices were dictated by route as one way went up the east side of the Richelieu, the roost side, the other the west.

We chose the former route and spent an hour in a busy car park looking at a cliff face trying to make lumps into falcons. Meanwhile, over the river, some other birders were enjoying the spectacle of the grey Gyr giving a Red-tailed Hawk a hard time, I almost feel a French swear word coming on!!

Sunday we had 'things to do' prior to a trip. In the afternoon, after watching Newcastle beat Tottenham 3:2 in one of the best matches I've seen in years, I ventured out around the St-Clet lanes. As usual St-Julie came up with the goods and I had good views of a female Snowy Owl on a telegraph pole. Little did I know that the nearby St-Lazare Pinade was providing another birder with American Three-toed Woodpecker and Red Crossbills, I feel another vacation day may be required.

Below a few photos. I'm giving up trying to put captions on them as they wander, I must be doing something wrong.

We should have gone for the Oriole!

Sunday 6th January 2007

Following an indifferent set of reports on the Bullock's Oriole near Montmagny, east of Quebec City, we decided not to make the trip of about 4.5 hours and to try Bois Papineau on Laval for owls etc... Bad choice.


Following the soggy Saturday, Sunday was bright but much colder. We birded the nice little reserve at Bois Papineau but only added Common Redpoll to the year list although the White-breasted Nuthatches were fun to watch. Perhaps there were owls north of the railway tracks but the paths leading there were not so good, I wish they'd put a boardwalk in.

After messing about on Laval, which I always find a claustrophobic sort of place to drive around, we made our way onto I'le Perrot and saw a Cackling Goose, both scaup and not a great deal else. Meanwhile in a land far far away, the Bullock's Oriole showed a few times and even ended up on one for the free video sites. Further along the St-Lawrence there would have been more year ticks, Dovekies, Common Eider etc. If the oriole sticks we will go that way next week, maybe..

The only photos I took on the Sunday were of the noisy White-breasted Nuthatches so here they are.

Pouring rain, so What?

Saturday 6th January 2007 was wet, very wet, but that did not stop the birding albeit somewhat curtailed in the end by the rain then the wind.

Our choices had been to go for a Bullock's Oriole east of Quebec City (a Quebec tick) or go to see a Northern Hawk Owl. The oriole had not been seen on Friday so the owl it was.

We made our way somewhat gingerly due to the conditions to Brennan's Hill, about an hour north of Ottawa. The lanes the owl frequents were rough and very slippery due to the heavy rain and the visibility was greatly reduced by low cloud. On arrival we tried looking from the car but the rain just hammered onto the roof and we decided to park up and wait for a break. After about fifteen minutes a vision appeared on the lane and we were a little incredulous when a jolly bunch of local birders came past in a variety of wet weather gear. Shortly after passing us they located our quarry high in a bare tree and waved us to join them. We hastily donned the appropriate gear and enjoyed watching a rather soggy Northern Hawk Owl fluttering around a small woodlot, landing on appealingly photogenic stumps and showing us little regard.

I waited until everyone had had their fill and then found a gap in the mass of branches through which to point the camera lens. Shooting on manual at 1/25 in stair rod rain but under an attractive blue & white golf umbrella, I managed a handful of reasonable shots without causing the owl any distress whatsoever. In my experience this species is rarely interested in humans anyway.

On the way home we dropped into Parc Plaisance between Gatineau and Montreal and saw a distant Rough-legged Hawk and later a couple of Snowy Owls were still around St-Clet. Todays light exercise added four to the year list which now stands at 58.

Warbler quest

January 4th 2007 and I took an approved day off work in order to see the Black-throated Grey Warbler that has been on I'le Ste-Helene in downtown Montreal since November.

Setting off early and taking a tortuous route along the south shore, I tried to locate a Yellow-headed Blackbird at St-Timothee without luck. My next stop was at Chateguay for the recently resident Red-bellied Woodpeckers, this time my luck was better although the one I saw stayed well out of camera range.

On to I'le Ste-Helene and eventually I saw the warbler as it showed very well around the bottom of young conifers, many thanks to Peter for taking the trouble to check back where the bird had been seen recently and where I was stood wondering where everyone had gone.

My next port of call was Chambly Basin and, after a bit of manouvering, I managed to find one of the White-fronted Geese which visit with the Canada Goose flock. I missed a Cackling Goose there but I usually find a few each year anyway so I'm not worried.

I spent the rest of the day searching for the Yellow-headed Blackbird, no luck again but a Common Grackle and three Red-winged Blackbirds were present.

Now the photos:

















Feeding very actively.



































Different light.

















Cardinals were in full song.
















This Red-tailed Hawk shot is from 31-12-06, it seems to show Characteristics of harlani.


















A nice Downy Woodpecker.

















Black-capped Chickadee, always busy and noisy.

The outs and ins of a Saw-whet's digestive system

As promised, a series of photos of a Northern Saw-whet Owl, first of all divesting itself of its previous meal, then, taking part in a little light convenience snacking.

The photos were taken at Boucherville south-east of Montreal on January 1st 2007.

Those with a delicate stomach should look away now!
























Feeling a little bilious























Definitely something on its way
























Brings a lump to your throat























Now I know how the cat in Shrek felt, a bit more serious than furballs























Got it, better out than in























Enjoy photographing my discomfort did you?























Now, lunch!






















You can't beat a tasty mouse picnic























I should have bit its legs off first























Nearly got it, one more good glug
























Just like eating pasta

Down you go

























It really is rather unseemly you know

Three owl day

January 1st 2007 dawned with entertaining conditions under tyre. Ice rain starting around midnight had made our drive and the local roads quite slippery, would this stop the Big Year quest from getting off the ground, nope!

My cunning plan is to try to see all of the rarer species and not chase birds that I will see in the normal course of a year. To this end we started in Montreal on I'le Ste-Helene trying to see a Black-throated Grey Warbler. Two hours of searching had added a few species to the year list but not the warbler, time to move on.

Next was an owl stop. A small patch of trees near Boucherville, south-east of Montreal, attracts roosting owls. This winter it was Long-eared and Northern Saw-whet on offer so we arrived in high hopes that we could find them. After ten minutes or so I spotted a photographer and, sure enough, there was the Northern Saw-whet, nine feet off the ground and steadfastly ignoring the boring birders. The bird then proceeded to boff up a pellet then eat its tenaciously gripped meal, a mouse, more on this tomorrow when I have time to edit my shots. In the very next tree was a Long-eared Owl, confident that we could not see it, we could.

We moved on to Chambly Basin, a large body of water partially surrounded by rich people. Fortunately someone had the foresight to created a parking point and over-view so I was able to scan the waves for Greater White-fronted Geese. Many scans later I came to the conclusion that the geese were absent today, compensation was four species of sawbill so I was happy (ish).

Next we tried for a Yellow-headed Blackbird, the third in our trio of rare targets. By now a pattern was evident and we did not see the bird, we did enjoy magnificent views of Pileated Woodpecker though, and the site is re-visitable so I'm not sweating it.

Last off we dropped in to see one of our local Snowy Owls. The bird was squating down on a low silo but we got it and, later, an out of season Northern Harrier.

The day ended on 39 species, modest by European standards but not too bad here in the frozen south (same latitude as Bordeaux!).

I have just one snap to show you but its a cracker. I'll do another post with Saw-whet shots tomorrow but remember, if you are tuning in from the UK we are five hours (and some say two years!) behind the UK so you will all be in bed by the time I do it.

Happy New Year everyone.

Pugnacious and indifferent at the same time, a Nothern Saw-whet looks over my shoulder at something more interesting!

BTW, this text could end up anywhere, such is the fun that is Blog!