Things be happenin'

Guten tag!

Well as some people (Brandon 'the Hulk' Holden, and Blake) have mentioned in their posts recently, things are slowly starting to 'happen' as it were. 

Was up in Kincardine first thing this morning do some bird surveys. This area has consistently had good birding, whether its grassland or forest birds. I did some work on this site in the spring and summer of 2008 and had Marbled Godwit and Acadian Flycatcher, so its top-notch. This morning I had more of the same grassland type birds; Upland Sandpipers at 3 locations, Wilson's Snipe, and tonnes of Bobolinks and E. Meadowlarks.

I've been hoping to find a Henslow's Sparrow at this site, but haven't had any luck, but the areas in the NE of my project site seem absolutely perfect for this species.

I also had abit more time and drove through the Greenock Swamp (see map below) on my way back. This road consistently turns up Yellow-throated Vireo's (today didn't disappoint). I know there's also Cerulean Warblers which breed somewhere in the swamp, but I don't know exactly whereabouts.

  
While I've been birding/working alot in the Armow/Kincardine area, I've also been doing some birding around Waterloo, which has been really nice. Today once I had gotten home from Kincardine, and trying to take a nap in my room, I heard a warbler singing in the backyard. Thinking that wasn't possible, I kept trying to get some sleep until I couldn't resist going outside to try finding the bird making the sound, and lo-and behold it was a male Magnolia Warbler singing away! Pretty bizarre, especially considering these guys don't really breed anywhere nearby, and that I've never seen one in Waterloo Region in June! I tried getting some pics, but the bird didn't co-operate. I figure this guy must be a failed breeder/loan wolf, roaming the desert...

Magnolia Warbler - male, age? - Breakwater, Long Point, May 2005

Earlier this week I had some work at the Huron Nature Area in Kitchener and had some cool stuff. Most notably a long overdue region first for me - a Clay-coloured Sparrow. Fraser Gibson found this bird a few weeks ago, and it seems to be on territory and is easy to see/hear. While looking for the CCSP, I had a male Ruby-crowned Kinglet singing away in the Red Pine plantation!! Another oddity! What the heck is going on with our boreal birds this summer? Waterloo Region doesn't have any breeding evidence recorded for RCKI's so this is a very unusual bird for our parts to say the least.

And to cap things off for Waterloo, there is a pair of Peregrine Falcon's nesting on the Sun Life Tower in Kitchener! They have one young, and this is another new breeding bird for Waterloo Region. People have been pretty tight lipped about these guys, but it should be neat to see this fledging in the next few weeks. I received a few pics from a Sun Life VP this week, but am not sure who to credit for the photo?

Not exactly the 'pertiest' bird, but cool nonetheless!