ONshore Birding

01/06/2024

My next blog post covers my time on Pelee Island this spring. Here is the link:

https://www.onshorebirding.com/the-blog/spring-birding-on-pelee-island

I've spent more and more time on Pelee Island in the last few springs in an attempt to avoid the crowds at Point Pelee. It's a different vibe on the island - there are very few others birders, so you have to find all your own birds instead of just following the Discord sightings, but that makes it all the more rewarding! My brief five nights on Pelee Island this spring were very rewarding, with highlights including Loggerhead Shrike, Piping Plover, Cerulean Warbler, tons of White-eyed Vireos and one of the best warbler "fallouts" I've ever seen. I had a blast leading some private tours as well, and the birds cooperated. Can't wait for next year!

20/05/2024

As I try to do each spring, I spent several weeks in southwestern Ontario during the peak of migration. I had a number of private birding tours lined up, while I also made sure to have enough free days for birding on my own or with a few close friends. I drove down from Hamilton on May 1st and returned on May 14th.

I've written a blog post about some of my highlights from Point Pelee, Long Point, and elsewhere in between. Here is the link. The next post will be about my time on Pelee Island; stay tuned.

https://www.onshorebirding.com/the-blog/the-peak-of-spring-migration-at-point-pelee

11/04/2024

I recently led a tour in Ontario's deep south, the Point Pelee area. I hadn't been down that way in a few months and so I took advantage of the opportunity and did some birding (and eclipse watching) on the way down.

The weather was absolutely perfect for the tour and lots of new birds were in. We had many great views of new migrants, such as Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Brown Thrasher, Forster's Tern and Osprey. Undoubtedly the rarest find was a recently-arrived Nashville Warbler, one of the earliest spring records for the province. You never know what will turn up at this time of year!

Below is a link to my blog post:
https://www.onshorebirding.com/the-blog/eclipse-birding-in-southwestern-ontario

20/12/2023

Due to other commitments (and a general lack of motivation) I haven't gone birdwatching much lately, though I have gone on a few rare bird chases. This is a far different experience that actual birdwatching, as it is more about the listing, the competitiveness, and the social aspect, but it is still enjoyable in a different way.

Here is a link to my latest blog post detailing some of the recent rare bird chases, with a dose of birdwatching mixed in.

http://www.onshorebirding.com/the-blog/late-autumn-birding

14/06/2023

Below is a link to a blog post that I have recently written, featuring some of the highlights from this spring in southern Ontario. Enjoy!

http://www.onshorebirding.com/the-blog/highlights-of-spring-2023

12/01/2023

It has been a little while since I have posted, but I have some excited news about ONshore Birding, including some upcoming spring tours to Rondeau, Long Point, and Pelee Island! Check out my blog post, here:
http://www.onshorebirding.com/the-blog/an-onshore-birding-update

My spring 2023 tour schedule can be found here:
http://www.onshorebirding.com/2023-05-spring-migration.html

Hope to see you in the field soon!

10/06/2021

After a bit of a hiatus I will be running tours again. I currently have two tours in the works - a full day at Carden Alvar on June 19, and an evening tour of Carden Alvar on July 9. All details are on my website at http://www.onshorebirding.com/day-tours.html. Message me if you are interested.

I will also be running several Moth Nights this summer, and I will have details on this soon.

Thanks, everyone for your support!

Onshore Birding: Current schedule for small group birding and nature tours in Ontario

17/04/2021

As Ontario is back into lockdown and the stay-at-home order has been extended until sometime in late May, it means that I cannot legally run tours at this time. I was really looking forward to spring birding during the most wonderful time of year, and maybe coming across some Cerulean Warblers like the male pictured below. I apologize to those of you who have signed up for one of my tours as I now have to cancel. Once the stay-at-home order ends, I will continue to lead tours in Ontario. I have some great ideas for some 'breeding bird season' tours in June and July and will update my website with these details soon! Stay safe, everyone, and I will see you on the other side.

29/03/2021

This photo may be heavily cropped and not the greatest quality, but it includes two of the more interesting birds we observed during a Long Point tour today. In the middle of the frame is a male Eurasian Wigeon, while in the bottom left is a hybrid Redhead x Ring-necked Duck, seen at the Port Rowan wetlands. Both of these ducks were quite nice to study, especially since the sun came out for a bit!

Despite heavy rain we had a great tour today at Long Point. Many new migrants were in - scores of Northern Flickers and Golden-crowned Kinglets, along with first of year Eastern Phoebes, Greater Yellowlegs, Field Sparrows, Eastern Towhees and more. We finished with around 70 species of birds, plus two hybrids (the above-mentioned duck, as well as a Eurasian x American Wigeon).

23/03/2021

My most recent blog, documenting a weekend spent with grouse, Canada Jays, Northern Hawk Owls and even a Canada Lynx northeast of Cochrane. I love the boreal forest in the winter, and can't wait to return! Perhaps if there is interest, I will run a 4-5 day tour to northern Ontario in upcoming winters.

http://www.onshorebirding.com/the-blog/a-winter-wonderland

The title of this post may seem strange, given the beautiful spring weather that has arrived in Ontario in recent days. But even as southern Ontario sees temperatures soaring to the high teens, with...

12/03/2021

Laura and I had a very productive scouting trip to Long Point a few days ago, and I have written a blog about the day (http://www.onshorebirding.com/the-blog/a-taste-of-spring). This Northern Saw-whet Owl was pointed out to us by some industrious Black-capped Chickadees in Long Point Provincial Park - one of the day's highlights. I still have spaces available for my Long Point trip scheduled for March 28 - message me if you are interested!

28/02/2021

I am happy to be running tours again, as Ontario has moved into the colour-coded system for COVID-19. Check out my current tour schedule here: http://www.onshorebirding.com/day-tours.html

I am excited to be running two trips to the Long Point area in search of spring migrants on March 13 and 28. I am also running a tour to Amherst Island on March 18, where owls and hawks will be the focus.

Pictured is a Long-eared Owl enjoying a beautiful morning, several years back. This is one species we will be on the lookout for on Amherst Island.

26/01/2021

The lack of wind and beautiful sunny skies provided all the motivation I needed to go look for ducks today. Thousands of scoters and Long-tailed Ducks gather along the western end of Lake Ontario, and their vast numbers are quite the spectacle. The lack of wind meant that the lake remained calm, providing excellent views, but it also meant that the ducks could be heard. Listening to the "songs" of Long-tailed Ducks, White-winged Scoters, Surf Scoters and Common Goldeneyes had me almost believing that spring was on its way, especially when coupled with the cheery songs of several optimistic Northern Cardinals. I finished the day by watching a young King Eider successful forage on clusters of zebra mussels that it was retrieving from the lake bottom. This young male has been spending his time at the entrance to Jordan Harbour for the past week or so.

10/12/2020

Looking for a gift idea for the birder in your life? How about a gift certificate from ONshore Birding. Gift certificates can be made for any dollar amount. I have two options for gift certificates - either the Kirtland's Warbler or Ruby-throated Hummingbird (see below).

Note that I have recently added information to my website about upcoming Amherst Island tours in January and February (http://www.onshorebirding.com/day-tours.html). I am also in the process of figuring out my tour schedule for the spring, and I will update my website shortly with details. There will be some Rondeau Provincial Park and Point Pelee tours in May which I am excited about!

30/11/2020

The first gull tour of the season was a smashing success and I still have two spaces available for my next gull tour on the Niagara River - this Thursday, December 3. I have also added a few more dates throughout December and early January - check out my website for more details.
http://www.onshorebirding.com/day-tours.html

I photographed this Ring-billed Gull below the Horseshoe Falls a few days ago. On sunny days a persistent rainbow is present, adding an interesting element to gull photography!

19/11/2020

The gulls are beginning to appear in greater numbers along the Niagara River! A few days ago, I had the fortune of observing this subadult Little Gull feeding close to shore in Fort Erie with some Bonaparte's Gulls. It appeared to enjoy a great deal of success, nabbing a small fish on nearly every attempt!

I still have space for my November 28 gull tour along the Niagara River. More details available here: http://www.onshorebirding.com/2020-11-28-niagara-river.html

09/11/2020

Did you know that the Niagara River is one of the best gull-watching locations in the world? A total of 18 gull species have been recorded along the river over the years, with between 10 and 13 species recorded annually. This winter I will be leading several tours along the Niagara River and gulls will be the primary focus of these tours. We will go over identification, how to age gulls, and aspects of their ecology. We will also be on the lookout for any other bird species, and waterfowl will feature prominently. My first tour is this Saturday, November 14. See my website for more details: http://www.onshorebirding.com/day-tours.html

Pictured: A Black-legged Kittiwake from Niagara Falls on November 27, 2017.

06/11/2020

The Snow Buntings have arrived! This species breeds in the high Arctic and spends the winter in the middle latitudes of North America where hundreds, or even thousands of individuals will flock together. The windswept pier at Port Weller, St. Catharines is an excellent location to catch up with this species during its migration through southern Ontario in late October through November. On each of my last five visits, I have enjoyed sightings of this charismatic species.

Snow Buntings are among the first bird species to arrive at the breeding grounds in the spring, returning when the landscape is still snow-covered. Rock crevices are the preferred nesting location in this treeless landscape, so females will line their nests with a thick layer of feathers. This helps to insulate the eggs from the cold rocks underneath. The female can't leave the nest in this cold environment and so she is dependent on the male bringing food to her at regular intervals each day. Amazing how songbirds like the Snow Bunting are able to survive in this seemingly inhospitable environment.

31/10/2020

The slippery, algae-covered rock lining the Port Weller east pier in St. Catharines is an excellent location to search for migrant Purple Sandpipers in late October through November. This Arctic breeder passes through southern Ontario in very small numbers and Port Weller often gets one or two at this time of year. Spring Purple Sandpipers in southern Ontario are exceptionally rare, but in the autumn juvenile individuals sometimes stop over for a few days. This afternoon there were three Purple Sandpipers (and some Dunlins) at the end of the pier. They were having a lot of success finding small invertebrates among the rocks!

Birding at Port Weller the last three days has been stellar, with sightings of Snow Buntings, all the expected diving ducks, a Peregrine Falcon, a flock of Brant and a Short-eared Owl (I missed the owl, though!). It is an exciting time of year to see what birds are moving through!

28/10/2020

Yesterday our ONshore Birding tour circled Hamilton harbour, visiting many productive birding areas and finding around 80 species of birds, a good number for late October. The rain luckily held off and we were treated to perfect, calm conditions.

Some of the many highlights included the long-staying pair of juvenile Ross's Geese at Bayfront Park, a flock of Evening Grosbeaks in Dundas, a surprise late Blue-headed Vireo, nice views of Dunlins and Black-bellied Plovers at Tollgate Ponds, fantastic looks at all three scoter species in Stoney Creek (including over 200 Black Scoters!) and a crisp male Barrow's Goldeneye that my friend Rich had found yesterday. The biggest surprise was seeing the long-staying Brown B***y fly past us at Green Road! This bird, only Ontario's second, has been along the west end of Lake Ontario for over two months.

Pictured is one of the two very tame Ross's Geese, taken on October 18.

25/10/2020

What a day of birding at Hawk Cliff! Onshore Birding’s first ever tour was highly successful, in large part due to the perfect weather conditions. The north winds caused a mass migration of not just raptors, but many songbirds as well. Evening Grosbeaks stole the show; we tallied over 500 of them (!). We saw hundreds of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, eight Golden Eagles, several Rough-legged Hawks, and some late species such as Broad-winged Hawk and Osprey.

Among the other birds moving, we saw a Great Egret, six Common Ravens (seeing just one in Elgin County is notable!) over 50 Eastern Bluebirds, dozens of Purple Finches and Pine Siskins and a nice diversity of sparrows. A quick visit to the Port Stanley lagoons added a family group of Tundra Swans and eight Eastern Meadowlarks to the total. Ah, fall migration 😍😍😍

Pictured: A photogenic White-throated Sparrow, and a Golden Eagle, both photographed today.

21/10/2020

ONshore Birding's inaugural tour is coming up! This Saturday I will be leading a trip where we will search for migrating raptors and other birds in the Port Stanley area. Hawk-watching is entirely reliant on the weather, and Saturday's forecast looks incredible at the moment! Following a few days of poor migration weather, a cold front will be passing through accompanied by north winds. If the forecast holds, the day should be very birdy. Golden Eagles and Northern Goshawks will be on my radar, though at this time of year almost anything is possible. In addition to the raptors, there should be a strong surge of migrant songbirds as well. Evening Grosbeaks have begun to push southwards in Ontario and there is a chance that we may have some at the hawkwatch. Fingers crossed! Contact me if you are interested in joining as there are still a few spots available.

More details about the trip are on my website at: http://www.onshorebirding.com/2020-10-24-port-stanley.html

Pictured: immature Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

18/10/2020